# First Rays Venture Partners

> First Rays Venture Partners is an early-stage venture firm backing the foundation of enterprise AI — investing at Seed and Series A in AI-native software, data infrastructure, cybersecurity, and developer tools.

## About

First Rays Venture Partners is a Silicon Valley-based fund led by seasoned operators and investors. The firm partners deeply with technical founders building infrastructure for the AI-native enterprise, providing hands-on support across product, talent, and go-to-market.

Website: https://firstraysvc.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/first-rays-venture-partners/

## Investment Thesis

First Rays invests at Seed and Series A across four focus areas:

1. AI-Native Software — Applications built ground-up on foundation models, agents, and ML systems.
2. Data Infrastructure — Pipelines, storage, vector and analytical engines powering modern AI workloads.
3. Cybersecurity — Detection, response, and identity in an AI-accelerated threat landscape.
4. Developer Tools — Frameworks, observability, and platforms that compound engineering velocity.

## What Defines Us

First Rays partners with technical founders as an operator-led firm. The team has built, scaled, and exited enterprise software companies, and brings that lived experience to every investment: product strategy, hiring senior technical talent, design partner introductions, and enterprise go-to-market.

## Specialized Support

A four-stage operator model accompanies portfolio companies from seed to scale:

- Foundation: Sharpening positioning, ICP, and early product strategy.
- Traction: Design partner introductions and pricing/packaging.
- Scale: Senior engineering, GTM, and executive hiring support.
- Expansion: Strategic introductions to enterprise buyers and follow-on investors.

## Leadership

### Amit Sridharan, Founding Partner
Two-decade enterprise software operator and investor. Previously led product, engineering, and platform teams at scaled enterprise companies. Focused on AI infrastructure, data, and cybersecurity investments.

### Alok Nandan, Founding Partner
Long-time Silicon Valley investor and operator backing technical founders. Publishes a regular newsletter on early-stage AI investing at https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/alok-nandan-s-newsletter-7404120533757300736/

Full bios: https://firstraysvc.com/bios

## Portfolio

A selection of First Rays portfolio companies spans AI applications, data infrastructure, cybersecurity, and developer tools. See https://firstraysvc.com/#portfolio for the live list, including exits.

## News & Insights

The firm publishes commentary on enterprise AI, cybersecurity, and founder-building. Full index: https://firstraysvc.com/#news

## Contact

For pitches and partnerships, see https://firstraysvc.com/ and reach the team via LinkedIn.