Norwest

If you’ve ever renovated a house, you know how quickly timelines and budgets can spiral out of control. General contractors (GCs) will tell you they manage those same challenges on an exponentially larger scale with commercial developments. BuildVision is simplifying their work with a cloud-based construction procurement platform, and we’re proud to lead its $10 million Series A. The company’s platform connects GCs directly with manufacturers to streamline the sourcing, procuring, financing, and tracking of strategic building equipment. We’ve talked with many GCs who told us that BuildVision’s platform is a game changer for accuracy, efficiency, profitability, and collaboration. And it comes at the perfect time: there’s a backlog of construction projects in the U.S., and the construction and design software market is growing. We’re ready to support BuildVision as they keep building this transformative tool for the construction industry. More from our investors Sean Jacobsohn and Bayan Alizadeh: https://nvp.co/buildvision

Join us in welcoming three new investors to our Venture and Growth Equity teams. ? Amalia Mackenzie: Joining our Venture team, Amalia will focus on early- to late-stage investments in consumer and enterprise software. With a background leading investments at BlackRock and experience in technology investment banking at Goldman Sachs, Amalia is bringing a wealth of knowledge and a determined spirit to the team. ? ?? Ryan Murphy: Joining our Growth Equity team, Ryan will target investments in franchising, consumer products, sports and wellness. And yes, you might recognize that name! Beyond his investment experience, Ryan is a nine-time Olympic medalist and world record holder on the USA Swimming team. We're thrilled to welcome Ryan's optimism and gold-medal consistency to Norwest. ? ?? Jonathan Schwartz: Joining our Venture team, Jonathan is based in Israel and will focus on later-stage investments. Jonathan joins us from Ibex Investors where he focused on early growth investments, leading and supporting investments in the U.S. and Israel. Prior to Ibex he was a tech investment banker at Cowen. We're looking forward to his dedication, energy, and global perspective.?

What happens after the deal closes? That’s the question at the heart of the upcoming panel, “Beyond the Deal – M&A’s Effect on Aesthetics,” at Dermatological Beauty Connect. Norwest General Partner Sonya Brown will join Morgan Ivey, Courtney Nelson, and moderator Caroline Chiaroni to explore: ?? How investing strategies are evolving in beauty and aesthetics ?? Where portfolio companies need the most guidance (especially post-COVID) ?? What founders often overlook when preparing for an exit or capital raise Sonya will also bring insight from one of her recent investments: Divi , a fast-growing brand redefining scalp health. From bootstrapped beginnings to sell-outs at Ulta and Amazon, Divi exemplifies the type of founder-led, values-driven company we’re proud to support.?

Stablecoins are shaking up the world of digital currency, but spending them in the real world is still harder than it should be. That’s where Rain comes in. We’re proud to lead its Series A as the company makes paying with stablecoins as easy as swiping a regular card.? ? Rain’s platform connects stablecoins—which have facilitated more than $6 trillion in transactions in the past year alone—to the traditional payment networks we all use daily. That means businesses can issue cards that work everywhere, and people can spend their stablecoins without dealing with slow, expensive conversions.? ? Rain takes what we call the “mullet approach” to financial innovation: traditional payment up front and sophisticated digital asset infrastructure (AKA the party!) in the back. ? In the past year alone, Rain has grown 15x and processed payments in over 100 countries. We’re excited to back the company as it makes paying with digital currency easier, faster, and more accessible for everyone. ? More from Parker Barrile and Jordan Leites on why we’re all in with Rain: https://lnkd.in/gFBnaUsa

Early AI applications focused on chatbots—helpful, but still requiring constant human oversight. Now, true AI agents are emerging, capable of automating entire workflows and transforming knowledge work at scale. As Jerry Liu, co-founder & CEO of LlamaIndex, explains in this video, AI agents have the potential to move efficiency gains from 10% to 50% or even 80%+. But for AI to operate at this level, the data powering it must be structured, accessible, and optimized for large language models. That’s where LlamaIndex comes in. By providing a knowledge management layer that structures unstructured data—plus an agent framework that enables developers to build sophisticated multi-agent workflows—LlamaIndex is bridging the gap between raw data and custom knowledge agents. ?? Watch the video to hear Jerry’s insights on why 2025 will be the year of AI agents. ?? Read more about our investment from Dave Zilberman and David Glaser and watch their full conversation: https://lnkd.in/gJfRMXBt

“The magic of Vuori is… in the subtlety, and in the textiles, and the fabric. You really need to go in and experience the product physically.” - Joe Kudla, Vuori Founder and CEO. While many brands are pulling back on brick-and-mortar, Norwest portfolio company Vuori is expanding — now with over 80 stores in the U.S. and five overseas, including a major new flagship in London. This physical retail push remains a cornerstone of Vuori’s strategy, with plans to surpass 100 locations by 2026. As Joe shared in Forbes’ Cereal Entrepreneur series, Vuori’s retail approach reflects the brand’s roots in versatility and its mission to connect with customers in meaningful, experiential ways. We’re proud to support Joe and the Vuori team as they redefine what it means to scale an athleisure brand, blending physical and digital channels to build lasting customer connections. More on Vuori’s bold retail strategy ?? https://lnkd.in/gBKUrCP4

That’s a wrap on HumanX 2025! ??? Throughout the week, Norwest’s investment team and portfolio leaders took part in key discussions on AI’s impact across industries like cybersecurity, automation, and customer experience. ?? Norwest General Partner Dave Zilberman emceed the security track, which explored AI’s role in strengthening cyber defenses and the increasing urgency around AI-driven threat detection. ?? Leaders from HoneyBook, Intezer, Aisera, Replicant, You.com, and Minted shared perspectives on AI’s impact, from personalizing customer experiences to automating complex workflows and enhancing decision-making. ?? We co-hosted a dinner with ActiveFence and You.com, where discussions centered on the trust and safety challenges AI is addressing today—and the risks that still need solutions. See you next year!

Last year, female founders’ share of venture funding hit its lowest level in five years. In a recent interview for PitchBook, Norwest Partner Lisa Wu and Rebecca DeGraw sat down to call out what the dip in funding represents: a missed opportunity. Women are expected to control 75% of discretionary spending worldwide in the next five years, and female founders are uniquely positioned to build products and services for them. Check out Lisa’s thoughts below ?? or head to this link to see Pitchbook’s All In: Female Founders in the VC Ecosystem report https://lnkd.in/gRNapQN2

ICON, a Norwest portfolio company, just completed the world’s largest 3D-printed community in Georgetown, Texas. ICON’s proprietary 3D-printing technology is revolutionizing home construction, cutting costs, speeding up timelines, and reducing waste. At Norwest, we invest in category-defining companies tackling critical global issues—and ICON exemplifies that vision. It’s why we doubled down on backing the company in its Series C.

Ritual’s commitment to transparent, authentic communication about its products was one of the key reasons Norwest Partner Lisa Wu chose to invest back in 2016. This level of transparency with consumers is rare in the lightly regulated supplements industry. Time and again, founder and CEO Katerina Markov Schneider has demonstrated her commitment to pushing the industry forward. Ritual’s growth over the past decade reflects the success of that strategy. Ellie Austin has the story in Fortune about Kat’s latest effort: a letter urging Congress to address “safety and efficacy gaps in the supplement industry.” ?? https://lnkd.in/ebEKtjbq