🦊/Investors

BuildGroup

Venture capital

Austin · Series A–Late Stage · 9 people tracked

Also known as BUILDGROUP MANAGEMENT, LLC · BuildGroup Syndicate Three

Find your way into BuildGroup

3,301 people in our graph share verified history with the BuildGroup team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Aydin Senkutunlockedknows Klee Kleber · together at The Wharton School (overlapped)
×4knows the team · via Goldman Sachs
×5knows the team · via Harvard Business School
knows the team · via WP Engine
knows the team · via TPG
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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 Sep 15, 2026.

Stage
Series A–Late Stage
HQ
Austin, Texas, US
Instruments
Equity
Founded
2015
AUM
$294.4M
Tracked investments
15
Unicorns
1
IPOs
1
Acquisitions
1

Team · 9 people

from curated & public directories
Kenneth Herz· Executive Officer
Peter Freeland· Executive Officer
Flavia de la Fuente· Senior Associate

What they invest in

from 13 of 15 portfolio companies

AI & Machine Learning ×7Enterprise Software ×7SaaS ×7Cloud Computing ×2Data & Infrastructure ×2Fintech ×2Marketing Tech ×2AdTech ×1

HQs:United States×8Canada×1Switzerland×1

Who they back

founder profiles across 9 portfolio companies
44%
solo founders
4 of 9 mapped founding teams
58%
repeat founders
of 12 founders with career history

Founding team size:solo founder×42 founders×43 founders×1

Where their founders studiedfrom 12 founders with education data

Stanford University ×3Cornell ×2University of Toronto ×2

Where their founders worked beforefrom 12 founders with career history

YPO ×2

Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program

Y Combinator ×2

Investments · 15 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2023 · 12022 · 32020 · 37 dated

SoundHound AIsoundhound.comin𝕏NASDAQ: SOUNJan 2023

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)inJames Hom(Executive Officer, Director)inNitesh Sharan(Executive Officer)inTimothy Stonehocker(Executive Officer)Michael Zagorsek(Executive Officer)in

Co-investorsArrowshare VenturesFelicis VenturesHonda Innovations Silicon ValleyKensington Capital Partners LimitedKT investment Inc.Samsung Catalyst Fund+5 more

Vidmobvidmob.cominDec 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+2 more

Ameliaamelia.aiin𝕏

Amelia is a conversational AI platform that automates front-end interactions between companies and their customers or employees, handling tasks like password resets, returns, and contact center or internal service desk requests.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaS

Chetan Dube(Founder)in

Anacondaanaconda.comin𝕏

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)inTravis Oliphantin

Co-investorsInsight PartnersMubadala Capital

Benefitfocus Incbenefitfocus.comin𝕏

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)in

Co-investorsCouncilOak HC/FTOak Investment Partners

Casetextthomsonreuters.comin𝕏Jan 2022 · $25MAcquired

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+14 more

Colossuscolossus.comin𝕏Jan 2022

Colossus publishes digital and print media covering business, investing, and technology topics, including a magazine and podcast network.

Marketing TechMedia & Entertainment

Patrick

Co-investorsRampTop Corner CapitalPoplar VenturesRTP Global

Continuum Analyticsin

Austin, US

Peter Wang(Executive Officer, Director)inTravis Oliphant(Executive Officer, Director)Michele Chambers(Executive Officer)Matthew Harward(Executive Officer)Jon Shepherd(Executive Officer)

BoardDonald Fischer(Director)

Co-investorsGeneral Catalyst

Cybrarycybrary.itin𝕏Aug 2022 · $25M

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)inJeremy 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

DigniFidignifi.cominJun 2020 · $14M

DigniFi provides financing solutions for vehicle repairs, parts, and accessories to consumers through dealership partners.

Fintech

Co-investorsFraser McCombs CapitalExor Seeds

FIIXfiixsoftware.comin𝕏

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

Marc Castel(Founder)in

Co-investorsSWO Angel Group

Flowspaceflow.spacein𝕏

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

Granicusgranicus.comin𝕏

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

Squirrosquirro.comin𝕏

Squirro is a unified AI platform for enterprise data integration, enrichment, and intelligent automation.

AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSSwitzerland, CH

Co-investorsDigital Space VenturesElevate Innovation PartnersFinch CapitalRiverside Acceleration Capital

Other

Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.

DigniFi Holding

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 · 2

1 IPOs · 1 acquisitions · showing 1

SoundHound AINASDAQ: SOUN

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has BuildGroup made?
BuildGroup has 15 tracked investments, 2 of which have exited.
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.
Does BuildGroup lead rounds?
BuildGroup has led 4 of the 5 rounds where its role is on record.
Who does BuildGroup co-invest with?
BuildGroup most often shares deals with Canvas Ventures, eGateway Capital, PROOF, among 47 tracked co-investors.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

featuring the team

M&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

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