Congrats to the @standinsurance team on their $70M Series C at a $1B valuation! Since backing Stand in 2024, we’ve watched them rebuild home insurance from first principles, using physics and AI to simulate how each home will perform in a wildfire, hurricane, and beyond, then helping make it more resilient. With a billion-dollar weather disaster now striking the U.S. every 10 days, insurance can’t keep pricing risk by looking backward. Stand’s approach is working, now insuring more than $10B in property, up from $1B a year ago. We’re so excited to keep backing @danpres, @jasonxmueller, @samshank, and @billclerico as they build the future of home insurance.

AI agents can do a lot, but they still hit a wall when the work moves into the real world. Someone has to make the call, handle the payment, confirm the booking, or run the errand. That is the problem our portfolio company @duckbillai has been solving behind the scenes, powering 30M+ real-world interactions for several of the AI agents you may already use. Today they're opening it up to everyone as @getseaworthy, a single API integration that lets any agent complete real-world tasks reliably and at scale, with humans as the backstop. We're proud to back the team and excited to see what builders do with it. If you're building agents, or know someone who is, we'd love to make an introduction!

Our founder and managing partner, @alexavontobel, sat down with @WallStManeet at the @Forbes Future of Work Summit to talk investing in the future of work and building a human economy in the age of AI. It’s something we’ve thought about for a long time at @InspiredCap, and it’s a big reason we invested in @trywindmill, an AI company that bets on humans. They’re rethinking performance reviews so companies can see and grow talent they already have! Thank you @Forbes and @WallStManeet for having us, and was so fun meeting @RealColinRocker backstage!

If you're an engineer who wants to build AI, from physical automation to insurance to customer experience, check out these roles: BrightAI — Senior/Staff Firmware Engineer | SF @KalepaInsurance — Forward Deployed Engineer | NY @Scowtt2025 — Senior Staff / Staff Software Engineer | SF/Seattle @regal_ai — Engineering Manager | NY Share or tag someone who might be a good fit. Join our talent portal to stay on our radar for roles across Inspired's portfolio. ordnl.link/ApchEks

Everyone's asking what AI is going to replace. We've been asking what it can't for years. It can't automate real human connection. The experiences we share. The memories that come from them. That's why we bet on the experiential consumer, businesses built around real spaces and real people. We're already backing companies like @arketafitness and Buywander because of it. Read the full thesis: ordnl.link/Qe5Tdg2

The world is obsessed right now with what AI can automate, optimize, and predict — and rightly so, given how much is changing. But in all that focus on artificial intelligence, it's easy to lose sight of something simpler: real joy, in real life, for real people. Not every great business is trying to replace a human task. Some of the best ones are just trying to make an ordinary day a little more fun. That’s where Buywander comes in. Buywander is an auction-based marketplace connecting value-seeking buyers with returned and overstocked goods from vetted retailers, including Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Home Depot - and the best part is that every auction starts at $1. We're thrilled to announce that Inspired led Buywander's $21M Series A. We've been impressed by Jordan and Brock's leadership since we first started talking with them over a year ago, and it shows in how far they've taken this. Buywander started as one warehouse in Spokane and has now grown to eight cities nationwide, with recent launches in Denver and Chicago and an upcoming opening in Minneapolis. Excited to welcome Jordan, Brock, and the Buywander team to the portfolio! Read why we invested here: ordnl.link/waTg2MW Read more in Axios here:ordnl.link/JztOEnR

We're thrilled to announce the promotion of Lex Gellman to Principal at @InspiredCap! Two years ago, Lex joined Inspired to partner directly with our Founder and Managing Partner, @alexavontobel, on sourcing, evaluating, executing early-stage investments, and everything in between. Since then, she's become someone founders want in their corner, the kind of person who shows up with real conviction and just as much care for the relationship behind every deal. Lex is thoughtful, sharp, and genuinely generous with her time and ideas, and this promotion is a true reflection of just how much she's already given to this firm. Congratulations, Lex, we are so excited for you!