About Bee Partners
Michael Berolzheimer founded Bee Partners in 2011 with a thesis that machines would reshape every industry. Fifteen years later, that bet is consensus. What hasn’t changed is how we invest: conviction-first, at inception, with founders who see what the market doesn’t yet.
Earned Conviction
A decade of technical conviction. We’ve backed founders at inception across AI, robotics, advanced manufacturing, and synthetic biology since before these categories were fundable. 60% of portfolio companies historically reach Series A. The portfolio has raised $2B+ in follow-on capital.
Venture Partners who do real work. Domain experts across every technical frontier, deployed into portfolio companies at critical moments. AI infrastructure. Edge computing. Bio-manufacturing. Enterprise GTM. Talent. The bench is deep.
Building, not just backing. Bee Partners operates as an AI-first firm: investing in the future of work and living it. Tomorrow requires new tools; we’re building them.
Repeat founders repeat. Multiple founders in the portfolio are on their second or third company with Bee Partners. They came back because the firm delivered when it mattered.
The Evolution
Bee Partners was founded when “machines will win” was a contrarian thesis. Over four funds, the firm backed founders building AI, robotics, and advanced manufacturing before these categories were fundable.
In 2025, the firm evolved: a leaner structure, an AI-first operating model, and a deeper commitment to the tools and systems that make pre-seed investing work at the speed innovation demands. The thesis sharpened. The team adapted. The conviction held.
What hasn’t changed: partnership as identity. Showing up when it matters. Conviction at inception.
Our Team
Michael Berolzheimer
Founder & Managing Partner
Michael founded Bee Partners fifteen years ago to back radical technical founders at inception. He is a hands-on builder developing proprietary AI and graph-based tools for portfolio intelligence; a practice rooted in the conviction that if AI will reshape every industry, venture capital should be no exception. Read full bio →
Tim Smith
Venture Partner
Tim served as Partner, Portfolio Operations at Bee Partners, working directly with dozens of portfolio founders on operations, design, and growth. He co-architected the firm’s trajectory as an AI-first operation alongside Michael. A serial founder himself; he grew Red Sky Interactive from employee number one to nearly 600 people across eight offices worldwide. Tim continues to advise Bee Partners portfolio companies on product development and rapid prototyping.
Kira Noodleman
Venture Partner
Kira spent six years at Bee Partners as Partner, leading investments across climate technology, food security, and machine intelligence. She co-created and hosted the Pathfinders podcast series and opened the firm’s Denver office. Kira is now building her own company; she continues to advise Bee Partners portfolio founders on go-to-market strategy and product development.
Alejandra Vergara
Venture Partner
Ale served as Principal at Bee Partners, leading investments with a human-centered approach to venture capital. She previously held investment and business development roles at JP Morgan and Falcom Asset Management; she holds an MBA from UC Berkeley. Ale is now Head of GTM at Coval (coval.dev); she continues to support Bee Partners portfolio founders.
Austin Grisham
Venture Partner
Austin served as Principal, Portfolio and Firm Operations at Bee Partners, leading portfolio operations, network growth, and fund strategy. A 2x founder and former owner/operator, he brought hands-on operational experience to the firm’s portfolio companies. Austin is now building his own company; he continues to advise Bee Partners founders.
Bee Partners benefits from a deeper bench of Venture Partners with domain expertise across AI, enterprise, bio-manufacturing, robotics, growth, and talent; deployed into portfolio companies at critical moments. If you’d like to chat about supporting the portfolio, reach out.
Jenn Kendrick
Executive Assistant
Jenn is the Executive Assistant to Michael Berolzheimer at Bee Partners. She brings over 20 years of experience working alongside executive teams across a variety of environments and organizations. She is an outcome-oriented collaborator who takes pride in her work, proactively seeks opportunities to support, and is always striving to be the best at everything she does. Jenn lives in Texas with her sports-loving, highly competitive family and can be found most weekends on the soccer pitch.
Jocelyne Cooke
CFO
Jocelyne is the CFO of Bee Partners. She brings more than 20 years of diverse finance, tax, and multi-stage business experience to the firm. As Chief Financial Officer, she is responsible for the firm’s financial management, reporting, tax, investor relations, and human resources. Jocelyne holds a BA in History from UC Davis and is a licensed CPA.
Get in Touch
If you’d like to chat about deeper insights into the market, or have questions about co-investing or LP investing with Bee Partners, we’d welcome the conversation.