BootstrapLabs Joins Forces with Ares
This morning, Nicolai Wadstrom, founder of Silicon Valley’s AI-focused venture firm BootstrapLabs, announced that BootstrapLabs is now part of Ares Management Corporation. The deal was finalized earlier this year, and the companies are now moving forward together.
The acquisition, finalized earlier this year, integrates BootstrapLabs into Ares’ newly formed AI & Innovation Group, with Nicolai Wadstrom and co-founder Benjamin Levy leading the firm’s AI initiatives.
“We’re excited to embark on this journey with Ares to accelerate and strengthen their AI strategy. Along with managing a leading AI-first venture capital approach, the BootstrapLabs team has laid the groundwork for the Ares AI & Innovation Group”, Wadstrom wrote on Linkedin.
BootstrapLabs was founded by Wadstrom, a Swedish entrepreneur, and Benjamin Levy, both of whom have been key figures in shaping the firm's successful AI-first investment strategy.
BootstrapLabs, a pioneer in applied AI investments since 2015, manages $115 million and has invested in over 70 AI-driven companies across health, mobility, and financial infrastructure sectors. Its portfolio includes companies such as Pryon, Looq AI, and Hayden AI, all of which are at the forefront of AI innovation.
For Ares, which manages $447 billion in assets across credit, private equity, and real estate, this acquisition strengthens its push into AI and innovation. Ares’s portfolio includes companies like Avalara, a leader in cloud-based tax compliance software, and Coupa Software, specializing in business spend management platforms.
Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)