John Shaw
About John Shaw
John Shaw is a serial entrepreneur in cloud computing, based in Austin, Texas. His Crunchbase bio cites 10 years in CEO roles at various companies and two recent exits, to Microsoft and Equinix. His LinkedIn profile says he has worked in the cloud since 2007 and in tech since 1995.
He was CEO and co-founder of Nimbo, a cloud services company that Equinix acquired in 2015. Built In Austin also credits him with an earlier exit, SphereGen, in 2010. The Microsoft exit is Cycle Computing, a high-performance computing company where he was an angel investor and board member. Microsoft acquired it in 2017.
More recently he was president of ELE.AI, an AI professional services firm, from January 2017 to November 2019. He then worked at Amazon Web Services, first leading AI/ML business development for global healthcare and life sciences, and later for private equity, from July 2021 to January 2023. His profiles list him as CEO of Add Value Machine, a generative AI startup focused on LLM security. His LinkedIn lists PraxisIQ as his current company. He has been a Techstars mentor since 2016.
Crunchbase lists 13 investments across 12 portfolio companies, with 5 exits and no lead investments. Its most recent listed investment is a seed round in Tackle.io. Crunchbase names Tackle, Shep and Cycle Computing as his most notable exits.
He has served on boards and advisory boards. Crunchbase lists him as a board member of Cycle Computing from February 2016 to August 2017, an advisory board member at Chowbotics from August 2016 to 2018, and an advisor at Vic.ai from April 2017. His bio also says he serves on the board of CTAN, the Central Texas Angel Network. Other public profiles describe him as a seed investor in Tackle.io, Plnar, Loko AI, MissionOG and BlueCheck.
In September 2017 VentureBeat included him in its list of the top 10 angel investors in AI. It ranked him fifth.
VentureBeat's 2017 list named two AI investments: Vic.ai, which automates bookkeeping and financial support, and Kairos AR, which does face recognition across multiple media platforms. Crunchbase describes Vic.ai as an AI platform for accounting firms and enterprise finance departments, focused on invoice processing. He is listed as a board member and advisor there.
Other public investor profiles also list Loko AI and Plnar among his investments. His own operating work has stayed close to AI. It includes ELE.AI, the AI services firm he ran, and Add Value Machine, which he describes as an enterprise generative AI startup working on LLM security.
His Crunchbase bio says he focuses on new B2B startups in connected systems, AI, robotics and IoT. Crunchbase places him in the Southern US region, and nearly all of his listed activity is early-stage. Third-party investor databases also tag enterprise software, fintech and health-related companies in his past investments.
He has not published a check size, a fund size or a target round that we could find. Founders who want to pitch him should treat those as unknown. A cloud or infrastructure background, an enterprise customer, and a clear B2B use case fit the pattern of his public investments and board roles.
- Cycle Computing: high-performance computing company; angel investor and board member from February 2016 to August 2017; acquired by Microsoft in 2017.
- Chowbotics: maker of robotic salad machines; seed investor and advisory board member from August 2016 to 2018 per Crunchbase; later acquired by DoorDash.
- Vic.ai: AI platform for accounting and invoice processing; advisor from April 2017 and listed as a board member.
- Tackle.io: his most recent investment on Crunchbase (a seed round) and one of his listed exits.
- Shep: listed by Crunchbase as one of his notable exits.
- Kairos: face recognition company that VentureBeat named as one of his AI investments in 2017.
- Plnar: listed as a seed investment on his public profiles.
- Loko AI, MissionOG and BlueCheck: listed as seed investments on public profiles; dates not public.
- crunchbase.com/person/john-shaw
- venturebeat.com/ai/the-top-10-angel-investors-in-ai
- linkedin.com/in/jzshaw
- builtinaustin.com/articles/digital-nebula-takes-ai-enterprise
- mindmaps.ai-ecosystem.org/map/firms/28509
- theorg.com/org/add-value-machine/org-chart/john-shaw
- me.sh/profile/john-shaw-0f8dfde1
- investorhunt.co/investors/john-shaw
Investing activity
John Shaw has made 13 investments according to Crunchbase across 12 portfolio companies, and has seen 5 exits and founded 1 company.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about John Shaw
Who is John Shaw, the Austin angel investor?
John Shaw is a cloud computing entrepreneur and angel investor in Austin, Texas. He co-founded Nimbo, which Equinix acquired in 2015, and he was an investor and board member at Cycle Computing, which Microsoft acquired in 2017.
What does John Shaw invest in?
His Crunchbase bio says he focuses on new B2B startups in connected systems, AI, robotics and IoT. His listed investments include Vic.ai, Chowbotics, Cycle Computing, Tackle.io and Kairos.
What check size does John Shaw write?
He has not published a check size, so we do not list one. Crunchbase shows 13 investments and no lead investments.
Has John Shaw invested in AI startups?
Yes. VentureBeat named him one of the top 10 AI angel investors in September 2017 and cited Vic.ai and Kairos AR as AI investments. He also advises and sits on the board of Vic.ai.
Does John Shaw lead rounds?
Crunchbase lists 0 lead investments, so his public record is mostly participation in rounds led by others. Founders should check this with him directly.
How can founders contact John Shaw?
His LinkedIn profile is the public way to reach him. He is also involved with the Central Texas Angel Network, which Crunchbase lists as a board role, and he is a Techstars mentor.
Is John Shaw an angel investor?
Yes. John Shaw invests personally as an angel. Crunchbase counts 13 investments and 5 exits.
Where is John Shaw based?
John Shaw is based in Austin, Texas, United States.
How can founders reach John Shaw?
Founders on Lounge can see John Shaw's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add John Shaw to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.