Field notes
from the
frontier.
Memos, portfolio updates, and thinking from the Origin Ventures team — on the AI Economy, the companies we back, and the patterns we see from six cities.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION - CAUTION OF FALLING DEBRIS -
UNDER CONSTRUCTION - CAUTION OF FALLING DEBRIS -
Glimpse's growth round, in context.
$35M from a16z follows 10× ARR growth and a fund-returner trajectory. What the round signals about the consumer AI moment.
Six cities, one network.
How operating from SF, LA, SLC, Chicago, NYC and DC changes the deal flow we see — and the operator networks we can activate for portfolio companies.
Why we led Century Health's seed round.
Foundation models are coming for clinical trial intake. Here's the thesis behind our conviction investment and what we think the market is missing.
Everee hits $13M ARR — what compounding looks like.
Fast Company's #11 most innovative HR company grew 2× in 2026. The Rebalance-led A-II round and what it means for our fund VI position.
Mapping the AI infrastructure stack, 2026 edition.
Our annual landscape of where capital is concentrating, where it's thinning, and the white space Origin sees heading into the back half of the decade.
What founder quality looks like in the AI era.
After 200+ pitch meetings in 2025, the traits that separated the founders we backed from the ones we passed on. Some of what we found surprised us.
Defense tech is not a thesis hedge. It's a thesis.
Why we categorize dual-use and pure-play defense under AI Frontier Tech, and how we think about the ethical framework for deployment.
Tilt's Rippling partnership: distribution as a moat.
100+ resellers, 150% Q1 plan attainment. How Tilt turned a partnership announcement into a repeatable growth engine.
The labor market is not ready for agentic AI.
A look at workforce displacement patterns from the Origin Ventures team — and why the HR tech companies in our portfolio are positioned to benefit.