Betaworks Doubles Down on AI Applications with New Camp Cohort

Betaworks has announced its latest Application Layer AI Camp cohort, featuring nine companies building AI-native experiences across diverse sectors. This follows the firm's thesis from a year ago that value in AI would shift from foundation models to the application layer as infrastructure matured and competition intensified at the base level.

Key Investment Themes

The cohort reflects Betaworks' refined "App Layer thesis," focusing on companies that combine rapidly improving AI foundation capabilities with purpose-built design and architecture. Their investments target the future of work, productivity tools, SMB automation, and disruption of legacy vertical industries.

Co-investors include Slack Fund, True Ventures, and Fermont Capital, with Mercury as the camp sponsor.

Notable Portfolio Companies

Developer Tools & Productivity:

• Decode (getdecode.dev): A visual whiteboard interface that generates code from design requirements across multiple platforms
• Hopper (hopper.dev): AI planning companion for scaling engineering teams from idea to production
• JigsawML (jigsawml.com): AI-powered cloud management platform with architectural visualization

Workflow Automation:

• Trampoline AI (trampoline.ai): Automates complex RFP responses for service companies, saving 30-80% of time
• TabTabTab (tabtabtab.ai): Computer-layer AI that works seamlessly across all applications without prompting

Specialized Verticals:

• Superposition (superposition.ai): AI recruiter specifically for startup founders and early-stage hiring
• Afterimage: Platform helping patients understand medical errors and seek justice
• NetAssist (netassist.live/seniors): Voice and text agents simplifying digital experiences for seniors
• Graze Social (graze.social): Infrastructure toolkit for building custom feeds on Bluesky/ATProto

Betaworks emphasizes that these companies aren't just automating existing workflows but creating "truly native experiences" that take full advantage of AI capabilities. The cohort represents a maturation of the application layer, where improved reasoning capabilities at the foundation level act as "force multipliers" for application-layer innovation.

The firm notes that interface-level innovation in AI has "only just begun," suggesting significant untapped potential in how users interact with AI-powered applications.

Applications for the next cohort (H2 2025) will open soon, indicating continued momentum in this investment thesis.