Yan-David "Yanda" Erlich

General Partner at B Capital investing in AI co-workers & the infrastructure that supports them. I love to partner with companies enabling the shift from chatbots to colleagues, from seed onwards.

Building AI co-workers? Let's talk
Yan-David Erlich
Investment Thesis

From Chatbots to Colleagues

AI is evolving from tools that assist (help me) to agents that execute (do this for me) to co-workers that own outcomes alongside you (own this with me). The difference is fundamental: co-workers retain context across interactions, develop expertise in your specific business, and operate autonomously within defined boundaries. They don't just respond to prompts; they anticipate needs, learn from feedback, and improve continuously, much like a great new hire.

The agent→co-worker transition is happening now. I invest in the applications (engineering, sales, finance) and infrastructure (memory, orchestration, observability) that will capture the next wave of enterprise value. $5M to $50M checks from seed onwards.

I've been a founder, engineer, operator, and investor. That means I can help at every stage: from first product decisions to scaling GTM to navigating board dynamics. I've written code, closed deals, built teams, and run a P&L. I know what the problems feel like from the inside.

What I Look For

AI technical depth + domain expertise Exceptional founders with strong founder-market fit over traction alone.
Data moat quality & uniqueness As models commoditize, unique high-quality data with continuous feedback loops becomes the primary differentiator.
Workflow embedding depth Products indispensable to users' daily work are defensible. Deep integration creates switching costs.
Progressive defensibility Clear plan for layering-in defenses over time. Technical moats alone don't last.
Portfolio

Selected Investments

Perplexity
Series D · B Capital
AI-native answer engine for every knowledge worker.
Goodfire
Series A · B Capital
Interpretability infrastructure for trustworthy AI.
Unblocked
Series A · B Capital
Organizational memory for engineering teams.
Axiom
Seed · B Capital
AI mathematician accelerating formal proofs.
Weights & Biases
Series A · Coatue
The AI developer platform. Angel → Board → COO & CRO. Acquired by CoreWeave.
Covariant
Series B · Coatue
AI for robotic manipulation. Acquired by Amazon.
Raycast
Series A · Coatue
Productivity layer for developers.
Abacus.AI
Series B · Coatue
AI platform for enterprise applications.
$350M+ deployed into AI across B Capital, Coatue, and angel investments. AI angel investments include Weights & Biases, Forethought, Braintrust, Haize Labs, Twin Labs, and Espa Labs.
Background

Operator-Turned-Investor in AI

Deep AI operating experience combined with a decade of early-stage investing. I started my career in engineering and product at Google and Microsoft, then founded four venture-backed companies: Parsable (acquired by CAI), ChoiceVendor (acquired by LinkedIn), Mogad (acquired by iSkoot/Qualcomm), and Happiness Engines.

In venture, I was a General Partner at Coatue, where I built the enterprise investing practice for their Venture funds and led early AI investments including Weights & Biases, Covariant, Abacus.AI, Infinitus, Impira, and Raycast.

My deepest conviction bet was Weights & Biases: the AI developer platform. I angel invested at Seed (55x DPI), led the Series A & B for Coatue (10x blended DPI), and served as Board Director for 3 years. Then I left venture to join as COO in 2021, building global GTM from scratch and scaling the company from $3M to $50M ARR. As CRO, I hit or beat plan every quarter. Weights & Biases was acquired by CoreWeave in 2025.

Today I'm a GP at B Capital, leading the AI Co-Workers thesis.

$3M → $50M
ARR growth at Weights & Biases as COO/CRO. Hit/beat plan every quarter.
55×
DPI on W&B angel investment. 10x blended DPI on Series A & B for Coatue.
4×
Venture-backed founder. 3 acquisitions (LinkedIn, CAI, Qualcomm).
$350M+
Deployed into AI across B Capital, Coatue, and angel investments.
Resources

Things I've Made

🤝

Negotiation Cheat Sheet

A 6-page pocket guide based on "Never Split the Difference." Thousands of people carry it into meetings.

Read more →
📊

Equity Valuation Tool

A spreadsheet and framework to help startup employees think through what their equity is actually worth.

Read the post →
📚

Book Recommendations

What I'm reading and what's shaped my thinking, from Robert Caro to Carlo Rovelli to Frank Slootman.

See the list →
📖

Personal User Manual

If we work together, this is how to get the best out of me. Modeled on Urs Hölzle's approach at Google.

Read the manual →
🧘

Meditation Resources

Practicing since 2017. Non-dual awareness, jhānas, and the books and teachers that have shaped my practice.

Explore →
✍️

Substack

Occasional writing on investing, AI, negotiation, and building companies.

Read on Substack →
Connect

Let's Talk

Building AI co-workers or the infrastructure that enables them? I'd love to work with you. I'm actively making new investments in AI solutions (engineering, sales, finance, support) and enabling infrastructure (memory, orchestration, observability). $5M to $50M checks.

Reach out