Bruckner Ventures

?? INVESTMENT ANNOUCEMENT: Giant Step Capital is thrilled to announce our participation in the $12M Seed for Picogrid led by Initialized Capital. Led by CEO Zane Mountcastle - Picogrid is building the unified platform to connect defense and autonomous systems. ????????Faraz Khan and I first met Zane and the team a few months ago at his HQ in El Segundo - instantly amazed at the progress and speed at which this company was operating to solve such a critical problem.

We are excited to announce?Rakesh S. as Innovation Director - Cybersecurity at?Giant Step Capital! Rakesh brings decades of proven success working with the largest global enterprises, building IT and Cybersecurity organizations from inception. He is a thought leader in his field and is regularly invited to speak at conferences and events and is sought out by early-stage founders and venture investors as a trusted advisor. Rakesh has a passion for identifying and embracing technologies that are not just transformative but disruptive, poised to change the world. Rakesh is currently the Head of Cybersecurity Assurance for Cleveland Clinic, responsible for managing all aspects of Cyber and IT risk and compliance for this global healthcare enterprise. In this role, he actively collaborates with law enforcement and government agencies to influence Cybersecurity policy for critical infrastructure at the state and federal levels.?Prior to Cleveland Clinic, Rakesh was the Head of CISO Advisory Services for Level Nine Group and has held numerous leadership positions with global investment banks and derivatives exchanges. Rakesh holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, with concentrations in Entrepreneurship, Strategy, and Technology and a BA in Economics and Mathematics from the University of Chicago. Please stay tuned as we make our final team addition announcement tomorrow!

We are excited to announce Panos D. Prezas as Innovation Director - Energy/Energy Storage at Giant Step Capital! With over 20 years of experience in battery sciences, business development, and manufacturing, Panos is a seasoned executive in the energy sector. He has led Business Development at battery technology and manufacturing companies through high growth and acquisitions. At Argonne National Laboratory, Panos served as an energy storage advisor to the US Department of Energy and the US Automotive Battery Consortium, managing and validating innovative technology development. Panos has been instrumental in leading and advising teams through various stages of technology development, patent filing and defense, commercialization, expansion, partnerships, and acquisition. Please stay tuned as we make additional team announcements in the coming days!

Today is a monumental step for?Giant Step Capital! Our partners?????????Faraz Khan ?+?Erik Bruckner?are beyond thrilled to announce the Innovation Director Team they are taking to the battlefield to champion the innovators who dare to chart new territories. Innovation Director Team: Poppy Crum: – Situational Intelligence / Sensing Systems / Biosciences Panos D. Prezas: – Energy / Energy Storage? Rakesh S.: – Cybersecurity? Santi Udomkesmalee: – Aerospace Stay tuned as we release each Innovation Director story over the next few days! ??

Our portfolio company Polymath Robotics is currently hiring: - Principal Roboticist - Robotics Safety Engineer Message Erik Bruckner if you are interested - thanks!

?? Bruckner Ventures?is thrilled to announce our investment in?Taylor AI (YC S23) - training AI models that turn your application codebases into data documentation for Data & Analytics teams. Taylor AI is led by two Stanford engineers:?Brian Kim?and?Benjamin Anderson. They landed a paid pilot with?an international company (> 1,500 employees)?two weeks after launch. Taylor AI closed their seed round in just 3 weeks. Bruckner Ventures is excited to partner with Taylor AI alongside Y Combinator, General Catalyst, FoundersX Ventures, and Gaingels.?

Sharing a personal update today: I have joined Giant Step Capital as a General Partner! The story ?? I was fortunate to meet ????????Faraz Khan, Founder & General Partner of Giant Step Capital, early in my venture journey. Faraz, a former founder & distinguished investor in frontier technology, possesses a remarkable talent for recognizing the most innovative and audacious founders tackling the most challenging problems. Over the years, Faraz and I have cultivated a deep friendship characterized by sincere authenticity, genuine curiosity, and a shared, unwavering desire to support the most ambitious founders striving to make a significant impact in the world. This bond has inspired us to actively pursue our goal of making today a reality. By joining forces - we will champion the innovators who dare to chart new territories. Our ethos is simple - innovation beyond boundaries, to take giant steps where no one has tread before. Stay tuned – additional Giant Step team announcements coming soon! Follow: Giant Step Capital And finally, while Bruckner Ventures will continue to operate, my primary focus & complete dedication will be building Giant Step Capital.