U&I Ventures

U&I Ventures Research

Investment Thesis

U&I Ventures (U&I stands for Urgent and Important, and is also a play on "You and I") is a San Francisco early-stage fund that leans into AI-native cloud innovation. The firm looks for exceptional founders building enduring AI-native software infrastructure companies at the intersection of engineering, IT, and security, solving large business problems. Its stated edge is a curated community of technical operators in CIO, CTO, and CISO roles. That community does two things: it shows the firm where enterprise technology gaps and advances are, which informs where markets move, and it gives entrepreneurs a direct line to the buyers and users of enterprise infrastructure.

The firm describes itself as working in service of entrepreneurs and says it wants to reshape who gets access to capital and who holds power, influence, and ownership in venture. Its opening question to founders is "What would help you most right now?" and it says the answer is almost always connections to customers, talent, and the right operators.

Stage Focus

The firm invests very early. Third-party listings place it at Pre-Seed through Series A, with the website describing high-conviction early-stage bets. The portfolio is a mix of pre-seed and seed companies, and public data trackers show a small number of larger rounds in which the firm took part, for example a $40M Series B in Hypernative in June 2025. Stage by company is not stated on the firm's own site, so no per-company stage is recorded here.

Check Size

The website states the firm looks to invest $250K to $600K in high-conviction founders building category-defining software infrastructure companies. It calls itself a flexible investor first and foremost.

Lead Tendency

The site does not say whether the firm leads rounds. The check size suggests it often takes a smaller slice of a round, but lead tendency is recorded as unknown.

Recent Activity

• PitchBook lists the latest investment as Mate Security (network management and security software) on 2026-07-28.
• Portfolio page currently lists Pluto (Pluto Security), Plurai, ZeroDrift, Autoheal, Fig, Mate, Vellum, Gradient, and one undisclosed stealth company.
• ZeroDrift appears on the Managing Partner's LinkedIn as a seed investment from April 2026.
• The firm hosts frequent events: a CXO Leadership Summit in San Francisco, CISO and CTO brunches around AWS re:Invent and Black Hat, and an RSA 2026 CISO and Security Leaders Breakfast Summit.

Fund size and fund status are not published. The firm's Carta investor portal and the pace of recent deals suggest it is actively deploying, but fund status is recorded as unknown.

Portfolio Highlights

The portfolio is concentrated in AI, security, and enterprise infrastructure: Pluto Security (CEO Shahar Bahat is quoted on the portfolio page praising the firm's feedback, network, and involvement), Plurai, ZeroDrift, Autoheal, Fig, Mate Security, Vellum, and Gradient. A further company is shown only as a stealth placeholder. Its events page shows ties to Knox Systems, Chronosphere, Panther, and Sysdig as co-hosts and partners. Vellum is also shown on the same graphic as BigID, Knox Systems, and WHEN Insurance, which may reflect earlier or related investments, but only the companies with their own portfolio caption are recorded.

Team

• Kim Moore: Founding Managing Partner. Founded U&I in San Francisco in 2024 after building the operator community that preceded the fund.

The firm's team page lists two LinkedIn profiles but the page content did not render names in the capture. Only Kim Moore is confirmed by name. Joaquin ([email protected]) handles event inquiries.

Decision Process

The firm says it will communicate next steps within 24 hours of meeting founders, and its diligence process takes 2 to 4 weeks. Whether decisions are solo or by committee is not published. Pitches go to [email protected].

Founder Preferences

The firm backs founders with deep domain expertise across data and AI, engineering infrastructure, and cybersecurity, plus an understanding of SaaS with usage- or value-based pricing. It wants clear product differentiation with a technical moat and a plan for velocity, and exceptional teams with founder-market fit. It names grit, tenacity, and resilience: builders who stay obsessed with the problem and keep going when it gets hard.

Value Add

The network is the pitch. The firm cites 1,800 curated technical operators: 845 CTOs and engineering leaders, 645 CISOs and security leaders, and 310 CIOs and IT leaders. It also says it gets hands-on with go-to-market, makes strategic introductions, and offers long-term support.

Geographic Focus

The firm is based in San Francisco (500 Bryant St. #102) and runs events in San Francisco, New York, London, and at major conferences. Investment geography is not restricted on the site, and the portfolio includes companies with Israeli founders, so geography is recorded as US-led with global openness.