Benjy Boxer

Today we’re announcing an $8.75M seed round for Phaze.

Companies aren’t ready for how many computers people and AI agents are about to need. And it’s happening just as computer prices are up 3x.

Chris and I spent years building Parsec to make a computer thousands of miles away feel like it’s sitting right in front of you. We sold that company, and we’re starting over because people aren’t the only users of computers anymore.

Now, agents need access to real computers to run applications, test software, and get work done. They need to work alongside people, hand off control when necessary, and operate within the security policies companies already have in place. And companies need to start managing computers like infrastructure.

That’s why we’re building @Phaze_in: secure, high-performance access to computers, wherever those machines happen to be.

An engineer can connect to a CAD workstation from any device and forget about being physically stuck at that workstation. A video editor can ask an AI agent to connect to a render machine to monitor and fix broken renders. An IT support person can fix multiple machines at the same time with an AI agent connecting to employees’ computers. If the agent needs help, it can hand control back to the technician in the same session.

We loved working with the firms who backed Parsec, so we’re running it back. Our Seed round is led by @martin_casado at @a16z, with @bryce at @indievc, @davidbeisel at @NextViewVC, @BenjLerer at @LererHippeau, and @Ryann_Lai at @makersfundvc.

We all have this friend

The question is when, not if. Booms are a feature of capitalism. As Perez and Hobart/Huber point out, the install phase is part of the cycle and arranges capital to support the new productive tech revolution. This time is never different. And you shouldn’t try to time markets, so what should you do? Expect a buying opportunity for the best assets in the world at lower valuations than today and ride them back up as the market shakes out. Also try to find the app layer investments that will benefit during deployment phase.

The agent cloud is coming. @jaminball writes about the different infrastructure requirements when each agent needs its own computer to do work. We think there’s a place for remote access to machines in, especially when an enterprise wants to control the infrastructure and access the model has to that device.

Walking is not part of my job description.