BuildGroup
Venture capitalAustin · Series A–Late Stage · 7 people tracked
Also known as BUILDGROUP MANAGEMENT, LLC · BuildGroup Syndicate Three
Investment thesis
BuildGroup invests in AI-enabled workflow companies and focuses on helping founders through the 'awkward phase' of growth—the period after achieving initial product and customer traction when a company must build a sustainable business. The firm is a collective of former operators turned investors, some from Rackspace and OpenStack backgrounds, who take a high-touch, long-term approach. It deliberately limits the number of investments so its operators can dedicate time to each company. Rejecting the standard five-year exit horizon, BuildGroup aims to prime companies for sustainable growth over the timeline suited to each company's market conditions rather than an arbitrary expiration date.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 25, 2026.
Team · 7 people
from curated & public directoriesWhat they invest in
from 12 of 13 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×7Enterprise Software ×7SaaS ×7Cloud Computing ×2AdTech ×1Advanced Manufacturing ×1Cybersecurity ×1Data & Infrastructure ×1
HQs:United States×7Canada×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 7 portfolio companiesAccelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
Investments · 13 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2023 · 12020 · 23 dated
SoundHound AI develops a voice AI platform that enables conversational interactions with products, services, and applications across industries.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSector AgnosticSanta Clara, US
Keyvan Mohajer(Co-Founder & CEO)inMajid Emami(Executive Officer)James Hom(Executive Officer, Director)Nitesh Sharan(Executive Officer)Timothy Stonehocker(Executive Officer)Michael Zagorsek(Executive Officer)
Co-investorsArrowshare VenturesFelicis VenturesHonda Innovations Silicon ValleyKensington Capital Partners LimitedKT investment Inc.Structural Capital+3 more
Mesa, US
Noam Ohana(Director)Richard Counihan(Executive Officer, Director)Barry Libert(Director)
Board seatLanham NapierJim Curry· per SEC Form D · $10M raise · filed Jul 2020
Vidmob provides software to help brand marketing teams discover top-performing creative requirements, maintain consistent brand guidelines across advertising platforms, and manage creative data at scale.
AdTechAI & Machine LearningMarketing TechNew York, US
Alex Collmer(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inStephanie Bohn(Executive Officer)inGreg Lieber(Executive Officer)inJason Donnell(Executive Officer, Director)George Rose(Director)Craig Coblenz(Executive Officer)
Board seatKlee Kleber· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsDentsu VentureseGateway CapitalInterlock PartnersJDS SportsPROOFShamrock Capital+1 more
Anaconda provides a secure, governed platform for building and deploying AI at scale, using open-source software and the Conda package manager to ensure compatibility and reproducibility across development and production environments.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper Tools
Peter Wang(Chief AI and Innovation Officer and Co-founder)Travis Oliphant
Benefitfocus provides cloud-based software solutions for benefits and health care administration, serving employers, health plans, and brokers.
Cloud ComputingEnterprise SoftwareHR TechCharleston, US
Mason R. Holland, Jr.(Executive Chairman, Director)Shawn A. Jenkins(President and Chief Executive Officer, Director)inFrancis J. Pelzer, V(Director)Donald R. Taylor, Jr.(Chief Technology Officer)Raymond A. August(Chief Operating Officer)Milton A. Alpern(Chief Financial Officer and Secretary)
Co-investorsCouncilOak HC/FTOak Investment Partners
Thomson Reuters is a content and technology company providing AI-powered tools and information services—including CoCounsel and ONESOURCE—for legal, tax, accounting, risk, fraud, and government professionals.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareLegalTechSan Francisco, US
Jake Heller(Founder/CEO)inSteve Haskerin
BoardJohn Buttrick(Director)
Co-investors8VCAccess Venture PartnersAllen Institute for AI (AI2) IncubatorCanvas VenturesCerity Partners VenturesCrosslink Capital+13 more
Cybrary provides online cybersecurity training courses, certification prep programs, and hands-on labs for individuals and enterprise teams.
CybersecurityEdTechSaaSRiverdale, US
Ryan J. Cory(Executive Officer, Director)Ralph, Jr. P. Sita(Executive Officer, Director)Jeremy Gehring(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardKlee Kleber(Executive Officer, Director)inRon Gula(Director)inJim Curry(Director)in
Co-investorsGula Tech AdventuresInner Loop CapitalNew Stack VenturesStoneMill VenturesArthur Ventures
DigniFi provides financing solutions for vehicle repairs, parts, and accessories to consumers through dealership partners.
Fintech
Co-investorsFraser McCombs Capital
Fiix provides a cloud-based CMMS (computerized maintenance management software) for managing asset performance and maintenance operations, with IoT integrations to connect sensors, PLC, SCADA, and enterprise systems.
Advanced ManufacturingCloud ComputingEnterprise SoftwareIoTSaaSPerth, CA
Co-investorsSWO Angel Group
Flowspace provides end-to-end fulfillment and logistics services for e-commerce brands, offering warehousing, order management, and logistics support across the United States.
E-commerceEnterprise SoftwareLogistics & Supply ChainSaaSLos Angeles, US
Ben Eachus(Founder/CEO)inJason Harbert(Founder/CTO)in
Co-investorsCanvas VentureseGateway CapitalIndustrious VenturesMoment Ventures, LlcPLG VenturesY Combinator+1 more
Granicus provides cloud software and customer experience services for government agencies, including online meeting and agenda management, digital permitting and licensing, public records request automation, resident communications, and an AI layer for public services.
AI & Machine LearningGovTechSaaS
Co-investorsVista Equity PartnersJMI Equity
Squirro provides an enterprise AI platform with a catalog of ready-to-deploy AI agents for tasks such as regulatory search, HR helpdesk, RFP responses, IT support, contract analysis, and research.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Co-investorsDigital Space VenturesElevate Innovation PartnersFinch CapitalRiverside Acceleration Capital
Rows marked “SEC filing” are inferred from directors named on the company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.
Exits · 1
IPOs and acquisitions across the tracked portfolioSoundHound AINASDAQ: SOUN
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Casetext · esgtoday.com · Jul 19, 2026
SoundHound AI · stocktwits.com · Jul 18, 2026
Vidmob · morningstar.com · Jun 10, 2026
Granicus · finance.yahoo.com · Mar 7, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has BuildGroup made?
- BuildGroup has 12 tracked investments, 2 of which have exited via acquisition or IPO.
- What stage does BuildGroup invest at?
- BuildGroup invests at the Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth, Late Stage stages.
- What sectors does BuildGroup focus on?
- BuildGroup focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Enterprise Software, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is BuildGroup located?
- BuildGroup is headquartered in Austin, US.
- Who does BuildGroup co-invest with?
- BuildGroup most often shares deals with Canvas Ventures, eGateway Capital, PROOF, among 37 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamM&P Ep. 99: Lanham Napier, CEO of BuildGroup & Bud Scruggs, Managing Director of Cynosure Group
Silicon Slopes · Lanham Napier
Lanham Napier, CEO of BuildGroup
AIMatters · Lanham Napier
Lanham Napier the former CEO of Rackspace Hosting & Co-Founder of BuildGroup, took part in the CWRU Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship Speaker Series... | By CWRU Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship
Lanham Napier · facebook.com
Similar investors
8VC is a venture capital firm investing across logistics, life sciences, healthcare, IT infrastructure, and government/defense, guided by its Smart Enterprise thesis focused on data integration and platform network effects.
Accel is a venture capital firm that partners with exceptional teams, positioning itself as a first partner to founders globally.
Partech is a global investment firm that backs founders across multiple continents and at every stage through dedicated teams and funds.
OUP (Osage University Partners) is a venture firm that invests in science-driven startups commercializing deep technology innovations emerging from university and breakthrough research.













