S32
About S32
Venture firm founded by Bill Maris investing across AI, frontier tech and life sciences.
S32 was formerly called Section 32. Bill Maris, the founder and first CEO of Google Ventures (GV), launched it in 2016 to 2017. In May 2017 the first fund closed at $150M, up from an initial target of $100M. Trade press has since reported a first close of $413.5M on a sixth flagship fund, with a stated target of $600M. A complete list of fund sizes and vintages is not public. S32's site lists four General Partners: Bill Maris, Andy Harrison (CEO), Andrew Conrad (founder of Verily) and Michael Pellini. Bayan Alizadeh is a Partner who focuses on enterprise software, AI and deep tech. Kenzo Fong is a Partner for product. The firm also runs an in-house talent team that helps portfolio companies hire, including AI talent.
S32 describes its focus as software-driven businesses in technology and healthcare. Areas named in third-party summaries include AI, computational biology, physical AI, cybersecurity and enterprise software. Those summaries say it avoids commoditized AI application layers that large incumbents could give away. Recent activity includes co-leading the $350M Snorkel AI Series E in September 2026 with Insight Partners. The Lounge deals desk also shows S32 leading Empirik's $21M seed in September 2026. A March 2026 seed in Autoscience Institute, which works on autonomous AI research labs, was also reported. The firm's LinkedIn page highlights Cohere, Scale AI, SandboxAQ and Black Forest Labs as AI companies in the S32 family.
S32 describes itself as investing across the entirety of technology. Its recent AI rounds run from seed (humans&, Empirik, RunSybil, SciFin, UpDoc) to Series B (Ema) and Series E (Snorkel AI). S32 does not publish a standard check size or ownership target, so none is given here. It has led some rounds, such as Empirik and Snorkel AI, and joined others.
- Snorkel AI: AI training data and evaluation datasets; $350M Series E in September 2026 co-led by S32 and Insight Partners at a $3.5B valuation.
- Ema: $77M Series B in September 2026.
- humans&: $480M seed in January 2026.
- Empirik: $21M seed in September 2026, led by S32.
- RunSybil: $40M seed in March 2026.
- SciFin: $44M seed in September 2026.
- UpDoc: $18M seed in June 2026.
- Autoscience Institute: autonomous AI research labs; seed in March 2026.
- Cohere, Scale AI, SandboxAQ, Black Forest Labs: named by S32 as part of its family of AI companies. Round details are not given here.
Investing activity
S32 appears in 7 AI deals tracked by the AI Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $1.03B, and led 2 of them. The rounds are mostly Seed, Series E and Series B, with a median round size of $44M and the largest at $480M. The most recent are Snorkel AI (Series E, $350M, Sep 2026), Ema (Series B, $77M, Sep 2026) and SciFin (Seed, $44M, Sep 2026).
S32 most often invests alongside Alumni Ventures, Insight Partners, Greylock and Creaegis, and the companies it backs on AI Lounge are mostly in AI, AI training data and Enterprise AI agents.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about S32
Who founded S32?
Bill Maris founded S32, which was originally called Section 32. He is the founder and former CEO of Google Ventures. The firm's first fund closed at $150M in 2017.
How big are S32's funds?
The first fund closed at $150M in 2017. Press has reported a first close of $413.5M on a sixth flagship fund, with a $600M target. Other fund sizes are not public.
What stages does S32 invest in AI startups?
Its recent AI deals range from seed to Series E. It has led rounds such as Empirik's seed and co-led Snorkel AI's Series E. S32 does not publish a check size range.
Who are the partners behind S32's AI investing?
The General Partners are Bill Maris, Andy Harrison, Andrew Conrad and Michael Pellini. Bayan Alizadeh is a Partner who focuses on enterprise software, AI and deep tech.
What AI companies has S32 backed?
Recent AI rounds on Lounge include Snorkel AI, Ema, humans&, Empirik, RunSybil, SciFin and UpDoc. S32 also names Cohere, Scale AI, SandboxAQ and Black Forest Labs as part of its portfolio family.
What AI companies has S32 invested in?
S32's AI investments include Snorkel AI, Ema, SciFin, Empirik, UpDoc, RunSybil and humans&. The 7 rounds on AI Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Where is S32 based?
S32 is based in San Diego, US.
What stage does S32 invest at?
In the rounds tracked on AI Lounge, S32 has invested at Seed, Series E and Series B, with a median round of $44M. S32 led 2 of those rounds.
Who does S32 co-invest with?
S32's most frequent co-investors on AI Lounge are Alumni Ventures (2 deals), Insight Partners (1 deal), Greylock (1 deal), Creaegis (1 deal) and Prosus (1 deal).
How can founders reach S32?
Founders on AI Lounge can see S32's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with the firm under Warm Paths, and add S32 to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.