Linus Liang loves working with founders to build companies from the ground up. After eight years at venture capital firm Signia, Liang set out on his own this year, co-founding Kyber Knight Capital, a San Francisco-based firm that invests in early-stage tech companies, particularly those in artificial intelligence, e-commerce, and media. Kyber Knight's inaugural $120 million fund launched in June, with limited partners including former eBay and HP CEO Meg Whitman and former Walt Disney chairman and CEO Michael Eisner.

With his new fund, Liang's investment strategy has radically shifted in response to the boom in artificial intelligence startups, which he calls "the most exciting opportunity we've seen in a decade." READ MORE