A group of OpenAI's earliest employees has launched a new $100 million venture capital fund called Zero Shot, marking a significant shift as AI insiders move from building models to funding the next generation of startups. The fund's founding team includes Evan Morikawa (former head of applied engineering during ChatGPT's launch), Andrew Mayne (OpenAI's original prompt engineer), and Shawn Jain (former engineer and researcher at OpenAI), joined by VC Kelly Kovacs and Brett Rounsaville .

What makes Zero Shot different from other AI-focused venture funds is the founders' deep technical knowledge of how large language models (LLMs), which are AI systems trained on massive amounts of text data, actually work and where they're headed. These aren't career investors trying to predict AI trends from the sidelines; they lived through ChatGPT's explosive growth and watched the technology evolve from the inside.

Why Are OpenAI Alums Suddenly Becoming Venture Capitalists?

The path to launching Zero Shot wasn't planned. After leaving OpenAI, the founders found themselves constantly fielding requests from other venture capitalists asking for advice on emerging AI technology, and from founder friends seeking guidance on their startups. "Some of our friends were coming out of OpenAI and interested in doing companies," Mayne explained, noting that the group had been close friends for years, having worked together through ChatGPT's launch and its rapid scaling .

Rather than continue consulting informally, they decided to formalize their expertise into a fund. "Maybe we should do our own fund, because we think we have a pretty good sense of where things are headed, and we have this great access to people who we think are incredible builders," Mayne said, recalling the decision to launch Zero Shot .

The fund closed its first $20 million and is now targeting its full $100 million goal. They've already written checks to multiple startups, demonstrating that their investment thesis isn't theoretical.

What Startups Is Zero Shot Actually Funding?

Zero Shot has made three investments so far, revealing a clear focus on practical, enterprise-focused AI applications rather than consumer-facing tools. Their portfolio includes:

• Worktrace AI: An AI-based management software platform founded by Angela Jiang (a former OpenAI product manager) that helps enterprises automate tasks by first discovering what should be automated. The startup raised a $10 million seed round from investors including Mira Murati and OpenAI's Fund .
• Foundry Robotics: A startup developing next-generation, AI-enhanced factory robotics that recently raised a $13.5 million seed round led by Khosla Ventures .
• A third stealth-mode startup: Still in development, details remain confidential .

The pattern is clear: Zero Shot is backing companies solving real operational problems for enterprises, not chasing the latest AI hype cycle.

What AI Ideas Are They Deliberately Avoiding?

Perhaps more revealing than what Zero Shot funds is what they explicitly avoid. The founders have spent enough time in AI research and product development to spot which trends are likely to fizzle. Their skepticism about certain popular AI categories offers a window into how experienced technologists think about the field's future.

Mayne is bearish on most "vibe coding" platforms, which use AI to generate code based on natural language descriptions. He believes that model makers, with their deep coding expertise, will quickly make subscriptions to such platforms feel unnecessary as they integrate similar capabilities directly into their own products .

Morikawa, with his deep knowledge of AI and robotics, is skeptical of the many "ergo-centric video data companies" currently operating in robotics. These startups focus on gathering embodiment training data, which teaches AI systems how physical robots should move and interact with their environment. "There's a lot of hoping and praying going on right now that someone in the research world will figure out how to transfer the embodiment gap," Morikawa noted, adding that "that's nowhere near possible" with current technology .

Mayne is equally skeptical of most "digital twins" startups, which create virtual replicas of physical systems. He's conducted due diligence on several and built a reasoning model to test their claims, concluding that a regular LLM works just as well for most use cases .

How to Evaluate AI Startup Ideas Like a Former OpenAI Engineer

The Zero Shot founders' investment approach reveals a practical framework for thinking critically about AI startups. Here's how experienced technologists evaluate new AI ideas:

• Test Against Model Capabilities: Don't assume a startup's AI solution is necessary if the underlying model can already do the job. Mayne tested digital twins startups by building reasoning models himself and comparing results, discovering that standard LLMs performed similarly .
• Consider Vertical Integration: Be wary of companies building tools that larger AI model makers might absorb into their own products. Mayne's skepticism of vibe coding platforms stems from the likelihood that OpenAI, Anthropic, and other model makers will integrate these capabilities directly .
• Assess Technical Feasibility: Distinguish between aspirational research goals and near-term possibilities. Morikawa's dismissal of embodiment training data companies reflects his assessment that the underlying research problem (transferring embodied knowledge between systems) remains unsolved .

"There is a real skill in knowing how to predict where these models will be going next, because it's extremely not obvious. It's not linear," Morikawa explained, highlighting why insider knowledge matters in AI investing .

Who Else Is Advising Zero Shot?

Beyond the five founding partners, Zero Shot has assembled a roster of recognizable OpenAI veterans as advisors. These advisors will receive a share of the fund's carried interest, which is the profit the fund generates for its investors. The advisory team includes Diane Yoon (OpenAI's former head of people), Steve Dowling (former head of communications at OpenAI and Apple), and Luke Miller (former product leader at OpenAI) .

This deep bench of OpenAI talent gives Zero Shot credibility with founders and other investors, while also providing the fund with access to institutional knowledge about how AI companies scale.

The emergence of Zero Shot reflects a broader shift in AI venture capital. As the field matures, investors with hands-on experience building AI systems are increasingly valuable. They can spot which ideas are technically feasible, which will be commoditized by larger players, and which address real market needs. For founders seeking funding, Zero Shot's existence signals that there's now a fund specifically designed to back companies that solve practical problems rather than chase trendy AI narratives.