Telescope, a venture firm with offices in Washington, D.C., and New York, has named John Lyman, a former partner at Alphabet’s venture arm, as a managing partner, with an eye on leveraging AI-based startups.
“I’m thrilled to join Telescope and to support founders who are taking advantage of significant platform shifts to build new companies,” said Lyman, who spent 16 years with Google. “These companies use AI, but go far beyond that. Built correctly, they will scale profitably while also making the world more prosperous and secure – and we can help.”
Telescope said its early investment portfolio, developed with Lyman, includes companies such as Reticular, Sunset, Revise Robotics and CopyCat. Each of the startups leverages AI and other emerging technologies to improve drug discovery, support families and small businesses, with some using robotics and AI to modernize supply chains.
“John’s combination of investing experience, deep networks, and commitment to meaningful innovation makes him the ideal leader for this initiative,” said Telescope founder, Chairman and CEO Eric Braverman, a former McKinsey consultant. “We’re excited to back founders who are putting powerful tools like AI to work in ways that align with our mission.”
Braverman has also worked at Schmidt Futures, a nonprofit started by former Google Chairman Eric Schmidt and his wife, and served as CEO of the Clinton Foundation and the Rex Group. Since 2012, he has taught public leadership at Yale University.
At GV, formerly known as Google Ventures, Lyman helped launch early-stage products and supported high-growth startups. In seven years at GV, he led investments in startups such as StockX, Toast, Podium, Tend, Gametime, Andela and Flock Freight. Prior to GV, he led Google’s global partnerships with startup accelerators such as Y Combinator and Techstars, and managed business development and marketing teams. He was also involved in the launch of the search giant’s philanthropic arm, Google.org.
Early in his career, Lyman was a public policy professional, working at the Clinton Global Initiative and the Center for American Progress. He graduated from Georgetown University with an AB in Government, and later received an MPP from UC-Berkeley. He serves on the board of the Oakland Fund for Public Innovation.
So far, Telescope has made $250 million in direct venture investing in companies at seed, Series A and Series B stages. It claims identifying three notable entrepreneurs who went on to win Nobel Prizes. Besides venture investing, Telescope runs several programs. One, called Telescope Technology Offset Program, is building a market for financial instruments to mitigate risks associated with deep tech innovations such as AI, bioengineering and quantum computing. The program is funded by the Ford Foundation.
