There’s plenty of debate about the state of the US and global economies, but two things are clear from our perspective. 

First, both enterprises and consumers are slowing down decision-making and tightening their budgets. We could speculate about the causes, such as geopolitical tensions, interest rates, redirecting spend towards AI or lingering effects from past spending habits, but the trends are undeniable.  

Second, every early-stage VC will attest to the surge in pace and quality of early-stage ideas in the first half of 2024. Again, we could debate why: lessons from past missteps, shifts in funding cycles, or the effective harnessing of GenAI, but the fact remains it’s been a busy year for Seed & Series A funds and Founders alike. 

The CFO’s influence on spending is more pronounced than ever, steering enterprises toward efficiency while navigating increased risk and a flood of software pitches. The mandate is clear: deliver real, measurable impact. Candidly, it’s a concept that wasn’t a priority in most startup pitches back in 2020 or 2021, but now it’s front and center. 

We saw a rush to fund AI innovation in 2023, but the recent macro environment is shifting focus from chasing novel ideas to investing in software that truly delivers. 

At Jump, we’ve zeroed in on solutions that modernize outdated infrastructure, boost operational efficiency, and tackle compliance and risk head on. 

Whether it’s using AI to streamline workflows, overhauling core systems in stagnant industries, or simplifying digital payments, we’re focused on innovations that drive efficiency, enable smarter operations, and de-risk enterprises. And right now, we’re particularly interested in the following categories: 

Regtech & Compliance

It’s already hard to run an enterprise. Accelerating risk and compliance demands are making it a whole lot harder and navigating complex government interactions and their impact on operations is a significant challenge.  

We’re looking for solutions that answer, “How do we mitigate risk, reduce time, and increase customer value without adding people?” Whether it’s model risk management, government permitting, communications compliance and oversight, or audit and tax enablement, we’re focused on tools that streamline these needs.  

Resurgence of Vertical SaaS Solutions 

Investing in platforms is so 2020. We’re focused on vertical SaaS solutions in massive markets that tackle acute, specific problems. These solutions deliver exceptional time to value, but we’re zeroing in on those that rely on system-of-record data to function. Provide clear value now, ingest the data to execute and become a platform later.  

Our interest lies in enterprise legaltech, manufacturing & supply chain, field operations and service industries, life sciences, pharma, medical summarization and retrieval, and other sectors where AI-enabled solutions can make an immediate impact.  

Infrastructure Modernization in Old-line Industries 

Front-of-house innovations have dominated the last decade, leaving many industries with neglected core infrastructure that now hampers further progress. Escalating costs, security issues, and development queues stall further innovation investments. 

We’re focused on solutions that modernize the capital markets infrastructure, core banking, private credit, and automation of workflows harnessing AI. Solutions enhancing connectivity and collaboration between systems and departments are crucial for sustainable growth.  Enable the knowledge worker with better systems. 

Enterprise Data and Development Tools 

One year post widespread exposure to ChatGPT, everyone understands the value of AI and harnessing vast amounts of data. Enterprises are sprinting to refresh development and data tools to support the growing adoption of AI while maintaining a strong security backbone. Not only are there new solutions to take advantage of this growing capability but shadow AI is creeping into existing platforms, making it harder to manage the extent of risk exposure.  

We’re particularly interested in data & model observability, LLM Operations, the software supply chain, WASM Infrastructure, the AI Risk Stack (Security, Privacy, and Compliance) and data infrastructure for the AI economy.  

Digital Payments 

How many ACH, auto-debits, wires, credit cards, digital wallets, and payment apps have YOU used in the last month? The growing complexities of the digital payments ecosystem are creating challenges in debt, fraud, and global infrastructure.  

We’re looking for tools that address these challenges, whether it’s dispute resolution, decentralized networks and new settlement rails, wire fraud, funds flow management solutions, cross-border payments & trade, or payment/processor orchestration.  

Demand Generation & Revenue Stack 

The enterprise sales funnel is broken, and we need to stop pretending it’s not. We’re seeking solutions that transform the broken, overcrowded, and underperforming demand generation and revenue function.

Techniques to build and convert the funnel must evolve to reflect today’s competitive and market realities. It’s simply harder to rely on old methods, the market is exhausted from decades of SaaS, uneasy about the macro environment, and confused by the potential impact of AI.  

Our interest here is on tools that replace the interaction-based SDR function, enhance pipeline conversion tools, and improve customer engagement. We’re also interested in customer intelligence layers that add value post-sale, especially solutions that accelerate time to value starting with faster and more effective implementations.   

Empowering the CFO Suite 

The CFO’s suite is exerting its influence…it sounds ominous, but it highlights the critical role of empowering the CFO’s team to drive organizational efficiency, cut costs, and revisit/rationalize past spending decisions. In times of macroeconomic uncertainty, CFOs tend to wield more influence, with a sharp focus on efficiency gains.  

A big theme here is also AI-powered workflow automation, which is shifting the CFO’s role toward higher-order strategic work. This decentralizes analytics, pushing capabilities out to operating teams and allowing for smarter, more agile decision-making across the organization.  

We’re focused on CFO Suite enablement, cash management solutions, tax optimization, and software procurement tools that deliver measurable impact. 

As we move forward, the trends shaping enterprise are clear: efficiency, impact, and adaptability are more important than ever. Companies are no longer chasing the latest novelty; they’re looking for solutions that solve real problems and deliver measurable outcomes.  

If you’re building solutions that fit these themes, we’re eager to connect with you. Let’s work together.