Nicholas Chirls

Today we’re announcing an $8.75M seed round for Phaze. Companies aren’t ready for how many computers people and AI agents are about to need. And it’s happening just as computer prices are up 3x. Chris and I spent years building Parsec to make a computer thousands of miles away feel like it’s sitting right in front of you. We sold that company, and we’re starting over because people aren’t the only users of computers anymore. Now, agents need access to real computers to run applications, test software, and get work done. They need to work alongside people, hand off control when necessary, and operate within the security policies companies already have in place. And companies need to start managing computers like infrastructure. That’s why we’re building @Phaze_in: secure, high-performance access to computers, wherever those machines happen to be. An engineer can connect to a CAD workstation from any device and forget about being physically stuck at that workstation. A video editor can ask an AI agent to connect to a render machine to monitor and fix broken renders. An IT support person can fix multiple machines at the same time with an AI agent connecting to employees’ computers. If the agent needs help, it can hand control back to the technician in the same session. We loved working with the firms who backed Parsec, so we’re running it back. Our Seed round is led by @martin_casado at @a16z, with @bryce at @indievc, @davidbeisel at @NextViewVC, @BenjLerer at @LererHippeau, and @Ryann_Lai at @makersfundvc.

A founder reached to @nchirls for a meeting. At the end of their chat Nick asked how he’d heard of us - turns out a tarot reader had mentioned us when he said he was building. We found her, got in touch, and bought a lot of her beautiful tarot decks. Giving them away, come visit!

Launch day! Pool now works with personal agents. 🎉 Big banks are going to great lengths to restrict access to personal agents, which is understandable! Those accounts weren't built for this. But what if there were an account that was? That’s what we’ve been building at Pool (@ourpools). Starting today, you can connect a compatible agent and put it to work. I asked @bot to explain why Pool was useful, and here's what I got back. We know this is all incredibly early. There's a lot to learn about how people will use agents to manage money, and we're committed to building the trust, permissions and controls that make it possible. We'll be sharing more along the way :) Read the post: poolmoney.com/blog/agent-fin…

Thanks for having me on @Beezer232 @nchirls! Really stimulating conversation. Investing in VC as an LP is harder than ever, this gives some insight into how we are managing through it.

“oh shit, those are cooler” - Ben Affleck

$CRWV bonds blow up to 15.1% in a day as company faces existential bankruptcy risks.

Join me, @MegMurph, and @nchirls next Friday at the @asylumventures office for a late morning Vietnamese coffee and music shindig. Murph will be making her DJ debut joined by DJ 5'5'' and DJ Founder Unfriendly on the decks. RSVP and come have some Friday fun.

4/ @downloadlos is a creative developer who drops apps like songs. He also recently launched a live show called Tech Support Live, where he takes calls from people in tech in need of advice about relationships, startups, and fundraising: teapawt.net/downloadlos/status/209…

I wrote about transitions last year, and still connect with a lot of people who are “in between”. Thinking of hosting an intimate breakfast in NYC around that topic. DM open if you’d be interested 💌 lola.substack.com/p/splash