The List
Introducing the IA40 — the top private companies
building with AI that will shape our future.
Introducing the IA40 — the top private companies
building with AI that will shape our future.
In 2022, we received over 250 private company nominations from over 50 venture capital investors from over 40 top-tier venture capital and investment firms. This year, we also partnered with PitchBook to further expand our nomination list by identifying the top-performing companies in the intelligent applications sector to ensure we were not missing out on any companies. Each judge had the opportunity to nominate companies for consideration in each category. The Madrona team vetted the companies to ensure they met the definition of intelligent apps.
After we collected the nominations, we asked the same venture capital investors to vote on their top 5 companies in each sector (early, mid, late, and enabler). Each venture capital investor was limited to voting for only 2 of their portfolio companies.
To tabulate the 2022 list, we then leveraged PitchBook’s “Venture Exit Predictor Tool.” Their model considers and weighs many data points, including total venture dollars raised, number of employees, and latest post-money valuation. We weighted the venture community votes and PitchBook’s Venture Exit Predictor Score to produce a final composite score that resulted in the 40 winners.
Research-driven, industry-sourced list derived from investors who have put several billion into the sector.
The methodology for the IA40 is based on Madrona's experience investing in founders and engaging with researchers involved in AI and Machine Learning for over a decade, and inspired by a research and survey methodology developed by Wing.vc. This list was compiled by and voted on by experts in the space: investors who are funding the next generation of intelligent application companies, technology companies and a leading investment bank.
Full Methodology
