Ian Bergman

How to think about the founder who won’t take “No.” for an answer. Regulatory barrier? They find a workaround. Technical limitation? They build around it. Market rejection? They pivot the approach. Funding door slams? They find another way in. Too many investors see this and think, "Difficult. Stubborn. Won't listen." I see it differently, "Problem solver. Unstoppable. Will find a way." The smooth-talking sales founder who charms everyone is often the bigger risk. The enthusiasm and charisma is great for getting funding, but doesn’t always translate to the ability to find their way around barriers. When building a startup, finding ways around barriers is the single most important skill. Don’t give up on the first, “No.” The founder who sees barriers as challenges to overcome... that's who builds something special.

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We’re thrilled to continue supporting Trunk Tools as they announce their $40M Series B. In just a short time, Sarah Buchner and the team have built something truly remarkable: an AI-native platform purpose-built for the realities of construction. It’s already helping general contractors improve jobsite safety, boost productivity, and navigate the complexity of modern builds. Construction is one of the largest and most operationally challenging industries in the world. Trunk tools is proving that applied AI, when deeply embedded in frontline workflows, can drive real impact where it’s needed most. More on the raise and their vision here: https://lnkd.in/dYmymA5y

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🚀 Companies that innovate in physical industries move through three phases: research, development, and industrial scale. Research and development are critical, but at the end of the day, what truly matters is our ability to scale-to take innovation out of the lab and into the real world. That’s where impact happens. In defense, energy, manufacturing, construction, mining, and other foundational industries, scaling determines whether a breakthrough becomes a prototype or transforms entire sectors. At Eclipse, we’re focused on that last mile: industrial scale. It’s where our experience, time, and energy go, because scaling innovation is what drives real progress for the country and the world.

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Today, X, The Moonshot Factory quietly unveiled A-Life, a project that brings biomanufacturing into the AI era. It may sound niche, but it’s one of the most transformative projects I’ve ever worked on (and that includes Calico Life Sciences, Google’s effort to understand aging and lifespan). Here’s why: We now have a clear way to use living cells, like yeast and bacteria, to produce materials we currently make from petroleum and waste-heavy processes. Look around you: the textiles in your clothes, the packaging of your snacks, the medicines and supplements you take. All of these could be made cheaper, cleaner, and with less waste through biomanufacturing. What’s new is that the team built a set of AI tools specifically for biology that makes this possible at scale. For years, making biomanufacturing cost-competitive has been described as a $30 trillion holy grail for the industry. A-Life is the first time we’ve seen a viable path forward. 🔗 Introducing A-Life: https://lnkd.in/ggrYuUCS For me, collaborating on this was a full-circle ikigai moment, bringing together Google, wonderful teammates, molecular biology, and company-building all at once. Always say yes to those rare moments! Huge thanks to Relly, Jodi, Odd, and the whole team for making this such a fun version of ‘work.’ In my University of Oxford lab days, just trying to keep fibroblast cells alive, I would have been stoked to see this future taking shape. Photo: Making biochemistry thrilling since 2005 :).

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AI isn't just powering software. BrightAI just raised $51 million to automate inspection and other hardware-based AI capabilities. As Alexa von Tobel, co-founder of Inspired Capital put it: “So many people are so focused on the future of digital AI, but we’re excited about this new layer of AI: the physical world AI.” We are in the early innings of a series of AI-fueled innovations! https://lnkd.in/enhmafvH

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The Full-Stack Venture Capital BDC model, led by Capital Q Ventures Inc. in our flagship fund CAPQ BDC Inc., is purpose-built to meet institutional investors and portfolio companies where they need us in the capital stack. This structure aligns seamlessly with the Total Portfolio Approach (TPA) that CalPERS is already implementing. It seems CalPERS has moved beyond mere discussions. Under the leadership of CIO Stephen Gilmore, the board has been guided through educational sessions, defined a comprehensive risk framework, and is now moving toward the operational launch of TPA. TPA enables decision-making that prioritizes portfolio-wide impact over rigid asset-class allocations. It emphasizes dynamic capital deployment based on marginal value—an approach mirrored in how CAPQ BDC Inc. dynamically allocates capital across venture capital, private credit, and private equity to deliver a multi-asset total return for our fund investors and co-investors in our portfolio companies. https://lnkd.in/eMkTjAgg

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