Only from the summit can one see the entire mountain and assess. The next climb becomes obvious.

Stepping Down From Prosperity7…and What’s Next

In early 2022, I joined Prosperity7 as its first U.S.‑based executive and Regional Managing Director, with a mandate to build the firm’s North American venture business from scratch. No legacy portfolio, no dedicated team, and no footprint in the U.S.

Over the next four years, I launched the Palo Alto and New York offices and recruited and built a 14‑person investment team in the U.S. We established the processes, investment discipline, and founder networks required to operate at scale in the U.S. venture ecosystem.

In that time, we deployed over $600 million across more than 60 portfolio companies spanning AI infrastructure, data platforms, robotics, mobility, industrial automation, cybersecurity, and enterprise software. I had the privilege of leading or helping to champion investments in companies like Cohere, Hammerspace, Together AI, SingleStore, Cart.com, Artera, AppOmni, Cowbell, Nile, Jeeves, and others whose stories are still in the early chapters.

More important than the logos was the system behind them: the team, the processes, and the ability to consistently see and win non-obvious opportunities.

We took a brand‑new platform and turned it into a major participant in the global innovation ecosystem. We earned our way onto cap tables while building internal systems and a team that can scale well beyond any one individual.

I’ve now decided to step down from my role as Head of U.S. Ventures at Prosperity7 because the timing feels right to build again.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how companies are built, how work gets done, and where value is created. It’s also reshaping venture itself. The characteristics that will define the best performing VC firms over the coming decade will be very different from the characteristics that defined the venture leaders from the last one.

The opportunity set ahead is larger — and less obvious — than most people realize.

Looking ahead, I’m launching a new AI-native venture platform focused on backing founders building the next generation of AI-driven companies and infrastructure across industries undergoing structural change.

Alongside the fund, we’re also building a media platform to share research and insights from operators, investors, and technologists working at the front lines of this shift. I believe the most effective firms of the next decade will combine capital, insight, and distribution — not just one of the three.

To the team at Prosperity7 and our partners: thank you for the trust and the opportunity to build something from the ground up. To the founders: thank you for letting us in at the moments that mattered.

More to come.

***Jonathan Tower has been a global venture investor for over 20 years, having managed more than $5 Billion in AUM, invested in more than 65 companies directly, and seeded 9 companies that went on to become unicorns across three core investment themes: consumer (marketplaces, ecommerce enablement, digitally native brands), enterprise (software, services, infrastructure, storage, data orchestration) and frontier technologies* (AI/ML, IoT, robotics, Fintech, etc).

Jonathan’s investments have resulted in more than $10 Billion in exits, including early bets in Jet.com (acquired by Walmart for $3.5 Billion), Dollar Shave Club (acquired by Unilever for $1 Billion), Freshly (acquired by Nestle for $1.5 Billion), IfOnly (acquired by Mastercard) and MapR Technologies (acquired by HP). Jonathan’s other notable investments include Hammerspace, Jeeves, Cart.com, Madison Reed, Qumulo, InsideView (acquired by Demandbase), and many other companies that have gone on to become market leaders.

Jonathan writes frequently on venture capital and technology topics on his blog, Adventure Capitalist, and he’s been a frequent contributor to The New York Times, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, FastCompany, Forbes, The Washington Post, The LA Times, and other leading publications.

X: @jonathan_tower; instagram: jonathan_tower