3d-simulation
(5)
Schemata, Inc.
Schemata is a San Francisco spatial intelligence company building an AI-native interface to the physical world. It turns 2D images and physical assets into photorealistic, interactive 3D training environments where an AI instructor coaches workers through procedures, inspections, and maintenance - claiming content built roughly 10x faster and up to 85% cheaper than traditional simulation. Founded in 2023 and out of a16z Speedrun, it serves defense and enterprise customers including NAVSEA, multiple U.S. Air Force units, Northeastern University, Nestle, and Nabors, and raised a $5M seed led by Owl Ventures in May 2025.
Bifrost AI
Bifrost AI builds simulation and evaluation infrastructure for physical AI. Its platform generates photorealistic 3D synthetic data and stress-tests robotics and computer-vision systems across thousands of simulated scenarios - weather, sensor noise, rare edge cases - so teams can train and validate models in minutes instead of months. Used across maritime, geospatial, aerial, off-road, industrial, and off-world domains, with collaborators including NASA JPL and the U.S. Air Force. Founded in 2020 and backed by an $8M Series A led by Carbide Ventures with participation from Airbus Ventures and Peak XV's Surge.
Ali Merchant
Ali Merchant is the founder and CEO of iQ3Connect, a Woburn, Massachusetts company building a web-based, ultrafast XR platform that lets enterprise teams step into shared 3D spaces for design review and training straight from a browser - no heavy installs, no specialized hardware required. An MIT-trained aeronautical engineer with a Ph.D. in turbomachinery, he spent two decades building high-performance 3D design and simulation software for aerospace before turning a decade-plus of MIT research into a platform that aims to make immersive 3D as easy to build as a slide deck and as collaborative as a video call.
Charles Wong
Charles Wong is the CEO and Co-Founder of Bifrost AI, a San Francisco-based generative 3D data platform that lets robotics, aerospace, maritime, and industrial teams train and test AI models in hours instead of months. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree from Singapore, Wong built Bifrost after working on AI perception models for autonomous vehicles at NuTonomy (an MIT spinout). Bifrost has raised $13.7M in total funding, counts NASA JPL and the U.S. Air Force among its clients, and generates synthetic datasets for some of the world's most demanding physical-world AI challenges - from Mars rover navigation to maritime collision avoidance.
Jonathan Lai
Jonathan Lai is a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) where he leads the Speedrun investment program and the Games vertical. A Harvard-trained economist turned product manager turned VC, he built his career arc through Morgan Stanley's investment banking floors, Riot Games' League of Legends product team, Dots (acquired by Take-Two for $192M), and Tencent's North America investments desk before landing at a16z. His investment thesis sits at the intersection of AI and creative technology - believing that the same retention-loop design principles that made League of Legends the world's most-played PC game are now reshaping enterprise software, fintech, and the next generation of AI-native consumer apps.