Opto Investments announced the close of its AI-focused venture fund, a multi-strategy vehicle designed to provide registered investment advisors (RIAs) and family offices with exposure to private companies developing foundational technologies and real-world applications across the artificial intelligence ecosystem.
The New York-based company, which helps RIAs and family offices build proprietary private markets funds while also creating its own investment vehicles, said the fund reflects its belief that the most durable opportunities in AI will emerge from the infrastructure, developer tools, and specialized frameworks that support enterprise adoption over the coming decade.
The fund combines investments in venture capital funds with select direct and co-investments sourced through Opto’s research network and diligence process. The strategy is intended to provide exposure beyond the semiconductor, enterprise software, and analytics companies that currently dominate public market AI benchmarks.
Among the fund’s direct and co-investments are xAI, the artificial intelligence company founded by Elon Musk; Epirus, a defense technology company focused on high-power microwave systems; ExoWatt, a renewable energy company developing modular thermal energy systems for data centers and other high-demand users; and Higgsfield, a browser-based generative AI platform for creating short-form video content.
The portfolio also includes investments in venture funds such as Fusion Fund IV, which targets AI and data-driven startups across healthcare, enterprise AI, and industrial technology; Neo Fund 4.0, led by entrepreneur Ali Partovi and focused on technical founders; and Zero Prime Ventures Fund II, which invests in enterprise technology companies specializing in data infrastructure, AI and machine learning, developer tools, blockchain, and cloud technologies.
According to Opto, the fund is part of its broader effort to create thematic, actively managed private markets vehicles that provide access to investment opportunities that many wealth management firms may find difficult to source, evaluate, and execute independently.
The company said the strategy is designed to help advisors and family offices gain diversified venture capital exposure while leveraging institutional-quality infrastructure and due diligence capabilities typically associated with larger investment organizations.
KEY QUOTES:
“Opto sees opportunity in active, selective investing that separates signal from noise. We built our AI Fund to give our partner RIAs’ clients exposure to the companies actually putting AI to work. These RIAs came to us seeking a smarter way to access AI—not just the largest, high-valuation names everyone already knows.”
Matt Malone, Head of Investment Management, Opto Investments
“Our diligence process is designed to find the companies solving the harder, less obvious problems across the stack: energy, compute, cybersecurity, tooling, orchestration, and the vertical applications that turn intelligence into output.”
Emmanuel Uwakwe, Portfolio Manager, Opto Investments
“Achieving scalable, differentiated exposure to private markets requires institutional-quality infrastructure. Opto redefines that equation by making sophisticated fund construction accessible across the wealth management ecosystem. The AI Fund is a great example. Opto enhances the effectiveness and productivity of an established investment team and serves as a particularly valuable partner for firms without sophisticated internal resources.”
Stuart Katz, Chief Investment Officer, Robertson Stephens
