Vela Partners · Library
The Vela Library
Plain answers to the questions people ask about AI and venture capital: how investors use AI, whether startup success can be predicted, which tools are worth using, and what the numbers really say. Each subject has its own page, built from Vela's research and its own portfolio.
Where to start
Start with the question you have
For LPs
You invest in venture funds
- How do VCs use AI, and does it work?Where AI fits, from finding companies to deciding, and what can be measured at each step.In AI in venture capital
- How can I tell if a fund's AI is real?Seven questions that separate a working system from a slide.In AI in venture capital
- How many investments should a fund make?The chance a fund ends up with no big winner, by how many deals it makes and how well it picks.In Venture capital by the numbers
For founders
You're building a company
- Is my startup ready to raise?Four questions to answer before you reach out to investors.In AI tools for founders
- Which free AI tools can help me?One for each step, from testing an idea to practising your pitch.In AI tools for founders
- How long does a seed round take?And why some investors can decide in days instead of months.In AI tools for founders
For investors
You invest in startups
- What are the best AI tools for VCs?Tools for finding deals, checking them and writing them up, compared side by side.In AI tools for investors
- Can an AI agent do due diligence?What an agent can research for you, and what is left to the partner.In AI tools for investors
- Which AI model is best for venture work?How the leading models did when asked to predict real startup outcomes.In AI tools for investors
For researchers and press
You study or write about venture
- Can startup success be predicted?How accurately models pick winners, measured against the real odds.In Predicting startup success
- What makes a founder likely to succeed?Eight founder types, and how far apart their success rates are.In Predicting startup success
- What share of startups become unicorns?The real odds, with a source for every figure.In Venture capital by the numbers
Every subject in the library
Predicting startup success
Can startup success be predicted? What the research shows
Why it's hard to predictWhat the research showsWhich founder traits predict successBenchmarks and datasetsModels you can readThe limits
AI tools for founders
Free AI tools for founders, from idea to raise
Free AI tools by stageWhat each tool doesHow to know if you're ready to raiseHow long a seed round takes
About the library
How it’s kept
Every figure has a source
Each number links to the paper, post or dataset it comes from, so you can check it instead of taking it on trust.
Every page is dated
Each page says when it last changed. When new research lands or a new tool launches, the page that covers it is updated.
It grows with the work
The subjects come from Vela's research with the University of Oxford and from investing only in AI since 2017. New subjects join as the work does.
Behind every page are the papers it draws on. Browse the research