FutureSight

FutureSight Research

Investment Thesis

FutureSight is a venture studio that co-founds and funds vertical B2B AI software companies from day zero. Unlike traditional VCs that invest in existing companies, FutureSight operates as an institutional co-founder, partnering with experienced Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIRs) to build AI-powered SaaS businesses through a rigorous studio process. The firm believes the biggest gap in the startup ecosystem is that founders need more than capital — they need active operational partners, hypothesis testing frameworks, and a repeatable methodology for de-risking company formation.

FutureSight focuses exclusively on vertical B2B AI software, targeting specific industries underserved by automation and AI tooling. Recent venture themes include voice AI interfaces for business, workflow automation for professional services, field productivity tools for construction and industrial sectors, and AI-assisted healthcare communication. The firm's thesis around voice AI posits that voice is becoming the default interface for B2B workflows, and they are actively building companies in this direction.

Studio Model & Process

FutureSight's four-stage process sets them apart from both traditional VCs and accelerators:

1. Ideation — Concept development and market hypothesis formation, often proprietary ideas generated internally
2. Validation — Rigorous testing designed to kill most ideas; only ~1% of concepts survive this stage
3. Company Building — A 24-week program providing pre-seed capital, customer recruitment, MVP development, go-to-market strategy, and leadership coaching
4. Growth — Scaling support with continued operational involvement

FutureSight reviews approximately 1,000 founder inquiries monthly but only selects about 2 EIRs per month. EIRs serve as co-founding CEOs while FutureSight provides the full operating team (product, design, engineering, marketing) and initial capital. The firm takes a significant equity stake reflecting its role as institutional co-founder.

Stage & Check Size

FutureSight invests exclusively at the pre-seed / day-zero stage, before a company is formally incorporated. This distinguishes it from most investors who require at least an MVP or initial traction. The firm's $15M AI Company Creation Fund (final close November 2025) supports a portfolio of vertically-focused AI companies. Given the fund size and studio model, typical initial capital deployment per company likely ranges from $250K to $1.5M, supplemented by shared operational resources including design, engineering, and GTM support from the studio team.

Geographic Focus

FutureSight is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario and San Francisco, California. The majority of portfolio companies are Canadian-founded, with a particular concentration in the Ontario tech ecosystem. The firm has connections to major Canadian innovation organizations including the Ontario Centre of Innovation. The dual HQ structure positions them to access both Bay Area AI talent and the Canadian technology and deep-tech ecosystem.

Recent Activity

FutureSight closed its $15M AI Company Creation Fund in November 2025, signaling active deployment. The studio is building at least six new AI ventures as of mid-2025, with published updates on WealthTech, Customer Success AI, StateTax compliance, Home Services Voice AI, Immigration Workflow automation, and Supply Chain communication agents. Portfolio company CrewScope raised over $1M in pre-seed funding in August 2025, led by GroundBreak Ventures and supported by the Ontario Centre of Innovation and strategic partner EllisDon. Portfolio company Caring.ai received an early stage VC investment in May 2025. Landslo, another portfolio company, closed $500K from serial entrepreneurs and Canadian family offices.

Portfolio Highlights

FutureSight has co-founded and supports the following portfolio companies:

• CrewScope (crewscope.com) — Jobsite productivity platform for construction, mining, and industrial field crews. Uses behavioral psychology and performance-based incentives. Raised $1M+ pre-seed in August 2025 led by GroundBreak Ventures.
• Medivox Health (medivox.health) — AI-assisted medical visit recordings and patient recall solutions to enhance healthcare communication and patient outcomes.
• Addie (getaddie.com) — AI assistant empowering school counselors with personalized, evidence-based college application guidance.
• Mercata (mercataintel.com) — AI research operating system for fundamental investors; processes and analyzes unstructured investment data.
• Caring.ai (getcaring.ai) — AI-powered cognitive testing and care platform for patients, providers, and care teams in behavioral health. CEO Justin Mason previously exited a behavioral health company and managed $60M+ P&L.
• Landslo — PropTech/construction startup; closed $500K from Canadian family offices and serial entrepreneurs.
• NoPath — Construction tech company in the FutureSight portfolio.

Additional ventures in development (as of July 2025): WealthTech AI, Customer Success AI, StateTax compliance tool, Home Services Voice Agent, Immigration Workflow AI, and Supply Chain communication agent.

Team

• John Carbrey, Managing Partner & Founder: Serial entrepreneur who built SharpSchool (serving ~10% of U.S. K-12 schools) and Intrafinity, both sold to West Corporation in 2015. 20+ years experience, 4 software companies founded. Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year recipient. FutureSight's studio model draws directly from his operational playbook.
• Prathna Ramesh, Partner, Capital & Talent: Formerly Managing Director at Maple Leaf Angels, where she led 39 pre-seed/seed investments with 15 realized outcomes. Focuses on business model design, go-to-market strategy, and capital strategy.
• Joshua Auslander, CFO: Former assurance partner at Schwartz Levitsky Feldman; 20+ years in software industry CFO roles; experience with EventMobi, Triversity, Digital Rapids.
• Alan Smith, Operating Partner: Creator of $120M+ in products; built teams to 100 people; Strategyzer co-founder.
• Dennis Ensing, Venture Partner: Former CEO TransGaming Inc., Chartered Business Valuator, former Chief Venture Advisor at MaRS, facilitated $500M+ in M&A.

Competitive Positioning

FutureSight occupies a unique niche between traditional early-stage VC and corporate accelerators. Unlike accelerators, they take substantial founding-level equity and remain operationally embedded through growth. Unlike traditional VCs, they generate their own deal flow through internal ideation rather than relying on inbound pitch submissions. Key differentiators include: proprietary idea generation, embedded engineering and product teams, systematic validation designed to eliminate poor ideas early, and focus on experienced repeat founders as EIR candidates.

Founder Fit

FutureSight targets experienced operators — primarily repeat founders who have previously built and exited companies. They prefer values-driven leaders who want operational partnership, not just capital. The EIR model requires full-time commitment. The firm explicitly positions its approach as ownership over hand-holding, meaning founders drive their ventures while FutureSight provides the infrastructure and resources.