Singularity University Ventures

Singularity is a global community of thought leaders and innovators who believe in the power of exponential technology to create positive change in the world. The organization was founded in 2008 as Singularity University by Ray Kurzweil and Peter Diamandis, to bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds to learn about and apply cutting-edge technology to address global challenges.

Singularity has evolved over the years and is now a benefit corporation that helps leaders navigate a world of accelerating change and merge technology and impact to build 10x businesses and a better tomorrow for all. Singularity's mission is to empower leaders to leverage technology to improve the lives of one billion people over the next five years.

Singularity's investment criteria are focused on companies that have the potential to make a significant positive impact on society and the environment. The organization seeks to invest in companies that are aligned with its values, including a commitment to sustainability, social responsibility, and ethical business practices.

Singularity's portfolio includes a range of innovative companies working on cutting-edge technologies such as AI, robotics, biotech, and renewable energy. These companies are focused on solving some of the world's most pressing challenges, from climate change and healthcare to education and poverty.

Singularity's values are centred around collaboration, innovation, and impact. The organization believes that by bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise, and by leveraging exponential technology, we can create a better future for all. Singularity is committed to promoting a culture of innovation and creativity, and to empowering individuals and organizations to create positive change in the world.

Singularity was founded in 2008 by Ray Kurzweil and Peter Diamandis to help individuals and organizations better understand and apply technology to solve grand challenges and build a better future. Singularity started as Singularity University, offering an annual 10-week summer program called the Graduate Studies Program (GSP).

The original corporate founding partners and sponsors included Google, Nokia, Autodesk, IDEO, LinkedIn, ePlanet Capital, the X Prize Foundation, the Kauffman Foundation, and Genentech. Singularity University aimed to bring together individuals wanting to understand how they could use technology to tackle global challenges.

In the early days, Singularity's focus was largely on technology, specifically the range, growth, and convergence of emerging technologies that were unlocking solutions to the most intractable problems, fueling new industries, and enabling massive disruption. Singularity's experts would paint a picture of the future driven by exponential technologies and simply blow people’s minds. The organization quickly gained a reputation as a platform for promoting new ways of thinking and innovating, a launchpad for emerging ventures, and a powerful global community of doers and leaders—all poised to solve humanity’s biggest problems.

Over the past decade, Singularity has empowered leaders of major corporations, world governments, nonprofits, startups, and others to solve humanity’s biggest challenges by helping them develop an exponential mindset and apply emerging technologies to create a better and more equitable future for us all.

Singularity's commitment to helping individuals and organizations better understand and apply technology to solve grand challenges and build a better future remains steadfast. Today, Singularity focuses on five key areas of exponential technology:

1. Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
2. Biotechnology and Bioinformatics
3. Digital Fabrication and Nanotechnology
4. Energy and Environmental Systems
5. Networks and Computing Systems

Singularity believes that exponential technologies are changing the fundamentals of how our societies, economies, and governments work. These technologies must be used with care and wisdom to ensure they benefit all.

In 2012, Singularity University became a benefit corporation, solidifying its commitment to promoting a positive impact on people and planet. Singularity continues to evolve, adapting to a world of accelerating change and empowering leaders to leverage tech to improve the lives of one billion people over the next five years.

In conclusion, Singularity's journey started as Singularity University, with the aim to bring together individuals wanting to understand how they could use technology to tackle global challenges. The organization quickly gained a reputation as a platform for promoting new ways of thinking and innovating. Over the years, Singularity has empowered leaders to solve humanity's biggest challenges, and its commitment to a better tomorrow for all remains steadfast. Today, Singularity focuses on five key areas of exponential technology and aims to positively impact a billion people over the next five years

Singularity Group invests in companies that leverage exponential technologies to create a positive impact and build 10x businesses. The firm's investment criteria are focused on identifying startups that have the potential to transform industries, solve significant global challenges, and create a massive positive impact on people and the planet.

Singularity's investment thesis is based on three key principles:

• Exponential technologies: Singularity seeks to invest in companies that are leveraging exponential technologies such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, blockchain, robotics, and nanotechnology to create transformative solutions. The firm believes that these technologies have the potential to disrupt traditional industries, unlock new markets, and create new growth opportunities.
• Impact: Singularity invests in companies that are creating a positive impact on the world by addressing significant global challenges such as healthcare, education, energy, and sustainability. The firm believes that investing in companies that prioritize impact can create both financial returns and a better future for all.
• Entrepreneurial leadership: Singularity looks for founders and teams with a clear vision, deep expertise, and a track record of execution. The firm believes that investing in exceptional entrepreneurs is key to building successful companies that can create a positive impact at scale.

In addition to these three principles, Singularity also considers other factors such as market size, competitive landscape, intellectual property, and business model when evaluating potential investments. The firm typically invests in early-stage companies, providing seed funding, series A and series B rounds, as well as follow-on investments to support the growth of its portfolio companies.

Singularity's investment approach is driven by a belief that exponential technologies can create abundance for all and that investing in companies that leverage these technologies to solve global challenges can generate both financial returns and a better future for everyone. By focusing on impact, Singularity seeks to build a portfolio of companies that can create positive change on a global scale while delivering value to its investors.

The company is committed to fostering a community of leaders who are passionate about leveraging technology to tackle global challenges and improve the lives of one billion people over the next five years. Some of the key values that Singularity espouses include:

• Abundance mindset: Singularity believes that the world has all the necessary ingredients to tackle its biggest challenges and create abundance for all. This means embracing a mindset of possibility and positivity, rather than one of scarcity and limitation.
• Exponential thinking: Singularity encourages leaders to adopt an exponential mindset, which means embracing the rapid pace of change and innovation in the world today. This involves being open to new ideas and technologies and being willing to take bold risks to achieve impact at scale.
• Global community: Singularity believes that solving global challenges requires collaboration and partnership across borders and cultures. The company fosters a global community of doers and leaders who are committed to making a positive difference in the world.
• Impact-driven: Singularity is deeply committed to creating positive impact in the world. This means focusing on solutions that have the potential to improve the lives of billions of people, and measuring success based on the scale and scope of impact achieved.
• Ethical considerations: Singularity recognizes that the rapid pace of technological change has ethical implications that need to be carefully considered. The company is committed to promoting ethical practices and principles in the use of technology, and to ensuring that its investments and initiatives are aligned with its values.

Singularity's mission statement is to help leaders adapt to a world of accelerating change and empower them to leverage technology to improve the lives of one billion people over the next five years. The company was founded on the idea that exponential technology can give anyone, anywhere the ability to create a positive impact, and that the world's greatest problems are also its greatest opportunities.

Singularity's mission is focused on empowering leaders from diverse backgrounds and industries to leverage emerging technologies to solve some of the world's most pressing challenges. The company believes that the convergence of exponential technologies has the power to create abundance for all and shift humanity from an era of scarcity to one of abundance.

Singularity's portfolio is focused on five key areas of exponential technology: artificial intelligence and machine learning, robotics and automation, digital biology and biotech, nanotechnology and digital fabrication, and energy and environmental systems. Within each area, Singularity invests in a portfolio of companies that are developing nascent technologies with the potential to make a step change from today.

Singularity's portfolio includes a diverse range of companies, from early-stage startups to established enterprises. Some examples of companies in Singularity's portfolio include:

• Zymergen: a biotech company that uses machine learning to engineer microbes for industrial applications, such as producing sustainable materials and chemicals.
• CarbonCure: a company that develops technology to capture carbon dioxide and use it to make concrete stronger and more sustainable.
• Bright Machines: a company that provides a software-driven approach to factory automation, enabling manufacturers to build and operate production lines with greater speed and flexibility.
• Ampaire: a company that develops electric aircraft, to reduce emissions and make air travel more sustainable.
• Osaro: a company that develops AI software for robotic automation in logistics and manufacturing, with the goal of increasing efficiency and reducing costs.