Connie Biel  ·  VP, Montage Ventures

Investing in the most transformative applications of AI

Seed-stage investor focused on vertical AI, financial services, commerce, and the built world. Backing founders with deep insight and exceptional execution.

📍 San Francisco, CA
AI
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A foundation in finance and deep operating experience from Series A startups to enterprise shapes how I invest.

2015 – 2017
Piper Sandler
Investment Banking

Spent three years leading equity and convertible debt transactions including IPOs and follow-ons for public technology companies. Built rigorous quantitative foundations and deep pattern recognition for how capital markets value high-growth tech businesses.

2017 – 2019
PlanGrid (Sequoia-backed, Series B)
Head of Sales & Business Operations

Built the Sales Operations and Business Operations function from scratch at this construction software company. Gained firsthand experience navigating the operational complexity of scaling a venture-backed startup from revenue systems to full go-to-market strategy.

2019 – 2021
Autodesk
Sr. Manager, Sales & GTM

Autodesk acquired PlanGrid for $875M, their largest acquisition ever. Stayed on for two more years through three additional M&A integrations, reorganizing the sales team and GTM functions. Developed a rare understanding of how enterprise software companies absorb and scale acquired products.

2021 – 2022
Karat Financial (Series A)
Growth Lead

Joined this Series A fintech building financial services for creators and led growth for the card product. Compressed years of fintech insight including unit economics, creator monetization, and scaling challenges into six months of intensive hands-on work.

2022 – Present
Montage Ventures
VP (formerly Sr. Associate, Fund III)

Hired as the firm's first Senior Associate in Fund III and promoted to VP mid-fund. Brought in over a third of the firm's deal pipeline, sourced and supported 8 investments, built the vertical AI thesis, rebranded the firm, and hired an Associate to build an AI-powered internal sourcing engine. Currently deploying Fund IV.

Early Stage Portfolio

Check Size
$1M – $2M
Ownership Target
2% – 10%+
Stage Focus
Seed & Series A
Portfolio Size
30 investments
Focus Areas
AI · Fintech · Commerce · Healthcare · Built World
CompanyCategoryStageRole
Augmenta3D spatial intelligence for building design on construction projects, starting with MEP systemsVertical AISeedSourced
SparkAI-powered permitting and underwriting for renewable and critical energy projects including solar, BESS, and data centersVertical AIPre-SeedSourced
Fermat CommerceAI-powered shopping experiences and advertisements for enterprise merchantsCommerceSeed to Series BInvestment Team
Airial TravelAgentic trip planning for consumers and travel agenciesProsumer AIPre-SeedInvestment Team
AnythingNatural-language app and software development for solopreneurs, prosumers, and internal teamsProsumer AIPre-Seed to Series AInvestment Team
AffinitiIntelligent CFO stack with cards, banking, and expense management for SMBs, distributed through trade associationsFintechSeed to Series AInvestment Team
Pylon LendingEmbedded mortgage infrastructure via API, bridging capital markets and software-powered underwriting for fintechs, banks, and proptechsFintechSeed to Series APortfolio
Axyon AIAI-generated alpha and market strategies for institutional asset managersFintechSeedInvestment Team
EoliannAssessing climate risk for critical enterprises in Europe, driven by the EU critical entities resilience directiveClimatePre-SeedInvestment Team (Board)

Anti-Portfolio

Deals I sourced and brought into the investment process, a reflection of pattern recognition and conviction even when the fund did not lead.

CompanyThesisStageLead Investor
Assort HealthVoice agents automating patient call-handling, scheduling, and follow-ups for medical practices, cutting hold times by ~89%Voice to WorkflowSeries BLightspeed
BluefishEnterprise-grade AI marketing platform helping F500s monitor brand sentiment and performance on AI-native platformsCommerce / GEOSeries ANEA
SapiomProgrammable spend controls on top of wallets, enabling a pay-per-use economy via developer microtransactionsAgentic PaymentsSeries AAccel
Sola SolutionsWorkflow automation leveraging computer vision, browser agents, and LLMs to convert repetitive tasks into automated botsRPA / AgenticSeries Aa16z
AccordanceBuilding the OpenEvidence for tax advisory, focused on highest-leverage highest-complexity work for CPA firms and enterpriseTax & AccountingSeries AAltimeter
JuiceboxAI recruiting platform indexing hundreds of millions of professional profiles from 30+ data sources to surface high-signal candidatesRPA / AgenticSeries ASequoia
OuttakeBuilding the trust layer of the internet with threat classification and automated response against deepfakes and social engineeringFraud / DeepfakeSeries BIconiq, CRV

Investment Thesis

New Thesis

One opportunity per line. Format: Title: Description
One criterion per line. Format: Title: Description