Meet Antigravity

Daniel Ha, February 2025

Occasionally, a new wave of technology doesn't just bend the arc of software but snaps it clean in half. Right now, that wave is AI. By 2025, we're not just on the cusp of change — we're already deep in the thick of it, watching tiny teams spin up AI-driven products at speeds that seemed impossible just a few years ago. That's why we started Antigravity Capital. We believe this era isn't for founders who see AI as a hook or edge feature — it's for those who embed AI into the very bones of their companies.

The premise is simple: Gravity is real — market downturns, competition, resource constraints — but the best founders learn to engineer around it. They build contraptions to fly anyway. It's a mindset I (Daniel) picked up the hard way — launching a startup in one of the worst economic climates — a mindset that kept me pushing forward until we found product-market fit. Let's talk about how that story led us here, and why we think the next decade will be owned by AI-first builders.

A Personal Jump

I cofounded Disqus in 2007, right as the economy took a nosedive. Venture checks were drying up, but we still found a way to grow by staying obsessed with product-market fit. The key was a simple insight — if you can make something people love so much they can't help but share it, you can thrive even in tough markets. Disqus went from a simple, fun idea to a platform that reached millions, eventually leading to a successful acquisition.

That journey taught me some timeless lessons. One, tough markets are like gravity. They keep you honest and force you to double down on what truly matters. Two, product-market fit isn't a one-shot bullet — it's an iterative loop that never stops. And maybe most importantly: small, relentless teams can defy big forces when they focus on building value people actually use

By late 2022, I saw a familiar pattern: markets were cooling off, but the tech world was catching fire with a new spark: generative AI. Founders could suddenly tap cheap, powerful AI models to do work that used to require an army of engineers. My cofounder, Gadi Borovich, and I had been funding early-stage teams through the XX Fund, watching firsthand how real-world outcomes were driven by hands-on support plus the founders' own grit. We decided it was time for a fund dedicated to scaling that approach in a new AI-powered era.

That's how Antigravity Capital was born.

Why Antigravity Capital Exists

We aren't here to put AI on a pedestal; we're here to see it fully integrated into every layer of a startup's business. It's no longer enough to say "we use AI." The real magic is in weaving AI from product build to go-to-market to operations.

We focus on a few guiding principles:

1) Back the true seed-stage: Invest early, when founders are just forming their product

2) Hands-on: Help teams through the messy product-market fit process, making intros to domain experts and potential first customers

3) Distribution baked in: We know that the best founders are thinking about reaching their initial users from Day One, not after the product is "done"

4) Capital efficiency: It's not about how much money you raise; it's about how fast you learn, iterate, and secure real traction

We live by this ethos of antigravity because we've seen how bold founders can transcend seemingly immovable constraints.

Investment Focus

In 2025, AI is table stakes. The question is not "do you use AI?" but "how deeply is it embedded?" Our thesis spans three fronts:

1) AI Infrastructure: Foundational MLOps, data orchestration, and compliance tooling may sound like the unsexy plumbing of a system, but we can't scale AI without them. These platforms become indispensable because once they're integrated, they enable better performance and lock in workflows.

2) AI Agents: We're watching tasks once labeled "human-only" get automated (or at least turbocharged) by specialized AI. Whether it's sales outreach or complex logistics, these "agents" free humans to concentrate on creative, high-level work. Put simply, the cost of scaling knowledge work has dropped like a rock.

3) Industry Transformation: Some sectors (healthcare, defense, education) are slow to adopt change, but when a solution finally takes hold, it can redefine an entire market. If you can navigate the regulatory swirl, the upside can be huge. We love founders who blend on-the-ground expertise with AI in these high-barrier fields.

At seed stage, you can't just parachute in a check and wave goodbye. For us, it's about doing whatever we can (as operators who know how to use high-leverage tools) to help founders progress quickly and solve important problems

Service + Software: Delivering strong proof points may require consultative or even bespoke engagements early on. This builds credibility and sharpens your product roadmap. As machines get smarter and better than us at many things, there will be a special premium to the human experience

Operate Lean: AI drastically lowers the operational overhead for many functions. That's why we like small squads that move with agility — the more overhead, the slower you'll learn

Meaningful Connections: We introduce founders to potential customers, domain experts, or even other founders in the portfolio who've tackled similar challenges

If you're a "we'll figure it out on our own" founder, we respect that. But we also know that the path to success often comes from deep resourcefulness and getting all the help you can.

The New Blueprint

This isn't just about a new wave of tools; it's about rewriting how startups operate at their core:

1) Hiring with a first-principles mindset: Maybe you don't need a 10-person support team. An AI-driven chatbot could handle 80% of that load

2) Flattened hierarchies: AI can handle repetitive tasks, so smaller cross-functional teams can iterate like crazy

3) Continuous feedback loops: Daily or weekly updates become natural because testing is automated and feedback is instant

It resembles the lean manufacturing revolution from decades ago; only now, the factory floor is in the cloud, and AI is the automation belt. The net effect: small, bold teams can tackle problems once reserved for big incumbents.

AI is powerful, and with power comes a responsibility to build with ethics in mind. Biased data, privacy concerns, and potential misuse are real. We don't believe in perfect guardrails, but we do believe in founders who care about doing things right. We encourage a human-in-the-loop mindset, constant monitoring, and user empathy. If you're forging the future, do it with your eyes open.

If the '08 downturn taught me anything, it's that headwinds can inspire a new generation of industry giants. We see this moment as the next renaissance for software — except this time, it's not just about building the next web or mobile app, it's about launching entire companies with AI as the foundation.

At Antigravity Capital, we want to support the inventors, the gritty experimenters, and the fearless doers. If you're an early-stage founder weaving AI into the soul of your product, we'd love to talk. We're also keen to collaborate with operators, domain experts, and fellow believers who want to redefine what it means to be a modern software startup. Gravity is real, but we're excited to build a future where it doesn't hold us down.