The Better Economy: Unlocking Opportunity in a Time of Transformation

The world is experiencing a profound period of transition. Rapid advancements in AI, escalating geopolitical tensions, extreme weather events, and increasing societal division. It’s easy to become consumed by the constant stream of headlines, and there is a necessary continuous delicate balance to be held between fear and optimism about what the future holds. As VCs, we must always be thinking beyond the present to what lies five to ten years ahead, the risks and the immense potential opportunities. Our work is about maintaining a vision for the future and identifying the individuals who are already actively building it now. As a result, we felt now was a good time to refresh and share our vision and thesis, and what underpins our work at Better Ventures.

We’re investing in the shift toward what we call the “Better Economy” — a future where scientific and technological innovation drives both business success and societal progress. Better Ventures was founded on the thesis that the most valuable companies of the future will be those that solve our greatest challenges. Scientific and technological breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, computing, and biology are converging to unlock solutions that were unimaginable just a few years ago. These advances provide us with unprecedented tools to rethink and rebuild our fundamental systems — from manufacturing and healthcare to education and workforce development. We now have the capabilities to tackle chronic disease more effectively, develop solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and create new pathways for people to thrive and build wealth.

We have always believed in the potential for a realignment of incentives, where profit and purpose amplify each other rather than compete. In this time of massive transition, we see this approach not just as a moral imperative but as one of the most significant investment opportunities of our generation.

A World at an Inflection Point

For over two centuries, economic success has been measured primarily through the lens of growth. While this focus has driven incredible progress, it has also come at an unsustainable cost. We now face a series of interconnected crises that threaten long-term prosperity: climate change, resource depletion, rising wealth inequality, and a healthcare system burdened by chronic disease. These are not isolated environmental or social issues; they are structural economic challenges that demand urgent solutions.

Climate change disrupts global supply chains and destroys infrastructure. Resource depletion drives up production costs and constrains future growth. Inequality reduces consumer spending power and leads to greater social division. Poor health outcomes decrease workforce productivity and burden healthcare systems. Thankfully, with the incredible tools we now have at our disposal, we have an exciting opportunity to tackle each of these challenges and to build the Better Economy, where both people and the planet thrive.

The Opportunity: Building a Better, More Resilient Economy

The pace of scientific breakthroughs has reached an inflection point as powerful technologies such as AI are unlocking unprecedented opportunities to reimagine and rebuild our core industries. These advances are already transforming how we solve problems across industries. Software and AI can now detect patterns in billions of data points in seconds, optimize complex systems in real-time, and automate processes that previously required years of human expertise. We are already seeing the impact everywhere:

• AI is rapidly accelerating scientific discovery, from climate modeling and energy grid optimization to the discovery of novel molecules for improved health and sustainability.
• Synthetic biology is allowing us to program living cells as microscopic factories, producing everything from medicines to materials
• Advancements in materials science and manufacturing technologies are enabling circular systems that eliminate waste and toxic chemicals
• AI is enabling personalized and preventive healthcare with the potential to reduce cost and improve outcomes.
• AI is codifying skills and optimizing the matching of workers’ skills to open positions so they can find better jobs and earn higher pay.

We’re entering an era where our ability to process information, automate discovery, and scale solutions is accelerating exponentially. The companies that successfully harness these converging technologies will not only shape their industries for decades to come but also drive transformative impact on a global scale. This transformation is already underway, and we are excited to continue backing founders building this vision across our three core investment pillars of Sustainable Industry, Human Health, and Tomorrow’s Workforce.

Our Investment Areas

Building Sustainable Industry

The Industrial Revolution fueled economic growth but left a legacy of pollution and resource depletion. We are now at the dawn of a new industrial transformation — one that leverages AI, synthetic biology, and advanced materials to create systems that regenerate rather than deplete our planet’s resources.

The cost of renewable energy is plummeting, making clean alternatives more competitive than fossil fuels. Breakthroughs in biomanufacturing and green chemistry are enabling us to produce essential goods without toxic byproducts. Factories of the future could sequester carbon instead of emitting it, while products could be designed for seamless recycling instead of long-term waste accumulation. We’re investing in novel solutions that dramatically reduce carbon emissions, waste, and pollution across industries:

• Electrification of everything
• Biomanufacturing and green chemistry
• Circular economy and materials recycling
• Advanced manufacturing

These technologies enable continued economic growth while reducing negative externalities, proving that prosperity and sustainability can coexist.

A few companies we have already invested in within this theme are Synop (EV fleet management software), Debut (cell-free biomanufacturing), Refiberd (AI-driven textile recycling), and HILOS (on-demand design and manufacturing).

Improving Human Health

Modern lifestyles and the industrialization of our food system have contributed to a crisis of chronic disease, and our healthcare (i.e. “sickcare”) system is set up to treat symptoms rather than prevent disease and maintain health. We’re looking to invest in solutions that enable healthcare to be predictive, preventative, personalized, and participatory as well as accessible to all. The combined capabilities of software, bio-wearables, AI, genomics, and novel therapeutics are enabling the detection of diseases years before symptoms appear and the development of treatments tailored to each person’s biology. These breakthroughs have the potential to transform medicine from a reactive, standardized practice to one that’s proactive and precise. We’re backing innovations that enable us to overcome historical barriers to improve health outcomes, reduce the cost of care, and improve access:

• Personalized health
• Metabolic health and food as medicine
• Preventive care and wellness
• Digital health applications
• AI-enabled diagnostics and treatments

By leveraging exciting advances in science and technology, we see an opportunity to make outsized returns fixing the challenges vexing our healthcare system and finally reverse our immense health crisis.

A few companies we have already invested in within this theme are RxDiet (AI-enabled prescription nutrition), Zya (enzymes that enhance nutrition), Mimio (biomimetic supplements to support longevity), and One Bio (adding fiber back into modern diets).

Equipping Tomorrow’s Workforce

Work is being fundamentally reinvented. Younger generations are prioritizing purpose and flexibility, while industries from healthcare to manufacturing are facing urgent demands for new skills. Traditional education and career paths are giving way to a much more dynamic and continuous journey that blends learning and work. Meanwhile, technological advances — particularly AI — are transforming not just what we do, but how we learn, work, and create wealth. This convergence of social, technological, and industry shifts is creating opportunities to reimagine how people develop capabilities and contribute value throughout their lives. We’re investing in solutions that provide people with skills and pathways to work opportunities, support small businesses, and democratize access to wealth building:

• Vertically focused workforce augmentation
• Small business enablement through AI
• Workforce development for emerging industries
• Personalized learning
• Alternative credentials and skill validation

The intersection of AI capabilities with a growing acceptance of alternative paths and credentials is creating unprecedented opportunities to reshape how people learn and work.

A few companies we have already invested in within this theme are AdeptID (AI talent matching), Skillfully (AI skill simulations and assessments for hiring), and EDEN (software for HVAC contractors)

We’ll be publishing more soon on each of these investment areas, so stay tuned.

The Path Forward

Building the Better Economy represents a multi-trillion dollar investment opportunity to create value by solving our most pressing challenges. Achieving this requires us to rethink traditional metrics of progress and embrace new models that align financial success with societal and environmental well-being.

The companies that will define the next century are being built today. These ventures will deliver outstanding returns by creating solutions that enable growth that coincides with people and the planet flourishing. By backing these visionary founders, we’re not just investing in companies, we’re investing in the future we want to build.

Our Investment Approach

We partner with mission-driven founders who are creating category-defining solutions at the intersection of technology and impact. Our focus is on B2B businesses leveraging AI, software, and scientific innovation to drive scalable change. We invest at pre-seed and seed, and look for:

• Category-defining potential: Solutions that can reshape entire industries
• Scientific rigor: Deep technical innovations backed by robust research
• Sustainable advantage: Defendable moats based upon technological or scientific differentiation, and/or distribution or network effects.
• Scalable impact: Business models that scale both financial returns and impact
• Expert teams with a lot of hustle: Deep domain expertise combined with demonstrated ability to execute.

If this sounds like you and you’re building solutions for the Better Economy, we’d love to connect.

The Better Ventures team
Lyndsey, Wes, and Rick