Ashton Kutcher Exits Sound Ventures for New AI-Focused VC

Ashton Kutcher is departing Sound Ventures, the investment firm he co-founded 11 years ago alongside Guy Oseary. The actor and venture capitalist is transitioning to launch a new, as-yet-unnamed firm in partnership with Morgan Beller.

Beller brings significant industry experience to the new venture. She most recently served as a general partner at the seed-focused firm NFX and held a partnership role at Andreessen Horowitz for nearly three years. Her background also includes co-leading the cryptocurrency project Libra during her tenure at Meta.

Strategic Shift in AI Investment

The move marks a pivot in investment strategy. While Sound Ventures built its reputation on high-conviction bets in category-leading AI labs—including early stakes in OpenAI, Anthropic, and Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs—Kutcher’s new fund intends to target the foundational layers of the industry.

According to reports, the departure stems from differing perspectives on investment stages. Sound Ventures has increasingly gravitated toward more established companies, while the new firm will concentrate on:

• Early-stage investments in AI infrastructure.
• Energy solutions required to power modern computing.
• Deep tech startups rooted in hard science and engineering breakthroughs.

Continuity and Professional Ties

Despite the separation, the transition maintains strong professional ties between the two entities. Kutcher will remain an adviser to Sound Ventures. Reciprocally, Oseary and Sound general partner Effie Epstein are set to act as advisers for the new firm being formed by Kutcher and Beller.

The exit does not appear to be linked to performance issues. Sound Ventures, which has also backed companies like Brex and Gusto, remains a high-performing player in the space. Stanford finance professor Ilya Strebulaev, who monitors top-tier venture capital performance, noted on X that Kutcher consistently ranks among the top unicorn investors.

Kutcher’s long-standing connections in the sector remain a key asset for the new endeavor. His relationship with OpenAI’s Sam Altman, for instance, predates the rise of ChatGPT, stretching back to Altman’s time at Loopt.