Ashton Kutcher Leaves Sound Ventures to Found New Venture Fund

Hollywood star and successful investor Ashton Kutcher is leaving Sound Ventures, the venture firm he co-founded 11 years ago with Guy Oseary. According to the Wall Street Journal, Kutcher now plans to launch a completely new investment fund in partnership with Morgan Beller. This move signals a shift in strategy for one of the most influential investors in the tech world. This was reported by Techcrunch.com report states.

Morgan Beller, who will join Kutcher as a co-founder in the new project, has extensive experience in venture capital. She previously led the Libra cryptocurrency project at Meta and served as a partner at prestigious funds such as NFX and Andreessen Horowitz. While the name of the new fund has not yet been disclosed, its primary focus is expected to be AI infrastructure.

Strategic Shifts and a New Approach to AI

Ashton Kutcher's departure from Sound Ventures is not due to problems within the company. On the contrary, the fund achieved great success by investing early in AI giants such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and World Labs. According to reports, the split was caused by differing views on investment stages. While Sound Ventures focuses primarily on established, larger companies, Kutcher now wants to support very early-stage startups.

The new fund's primary focus will be AI infrastructure, energy, and deep tech. This means not just software, but startups based on complex engineering solutions and scientific discoveries. Kutcher and Beller aim to strengthen the industry's foundation by investing in the energy sources and technical base that power AI systems.

Ilya Strebulaev, a finance professor at Stanford University, notes that Kutcher consistently ranks among the strongest unicorn investors. His long-standing relationship with OpenAI founder Sam Altman and his ability to anticipate technological trends may contribute to the success of the new fund.

Despite his departure, Ashton Kutcher will not completely sever ties with Sound Ventures. He will remain an advisor to the fund. In turn, Guy Oseary and Sound Ventures general partner Effie Epstein will also advise Kutcher on his new project. This indicates that the relationship between the parties remains friendly and professional.

This news is also significant for Uzbek tech entrepreneurs and investors. The shift of global venture capital from software products toward fundamental sectors like infrastructure and energy indicates the future direction of the technological market.