The shot. The cover drive is one of the most elegant shots in cricket. The bowler pitches the ball up, on or just outside off stump. The batter steps forward off the front foot, lowers the head over the line of the ball, and drives it through the gap between cover and point.

Why we named the firm after it. A proper cover drive takes years at the crease. It can't be improvised. The player has to wait for the right delivery, then commit. Front foot forward, played with aggression, but kept on the ground. Four qualities govern the shot: experience, timing, aggression, and not taking undue risk. Those are the same four qualities that govern how we invest.

‍Experience. Our team has spent decades investing in and building software businesses through every major platform shift, from the early internet to mobile to cloud to SaaS, and now to AI. A first-time fund, but not first-time investors.

‍Timing. A cover drive only works when the ball is pitched up. We believe AI is the ball pitched up for software, a once-in-a-platform shift opening for companies already embedded in the workflows about to be automated. We don't expect to see this delivery again for a long time.

‍Aggression. When the right delivery comes, you commit. We take significant ownership, run a concentrated portfolio, and back our convictions with the full weight of Willow, the AI Builders Council, and Century Partners. No half-measures.

‍Not taking undue risk. A cover drive is played on the ground for a reason; the lofted shots get you out. We invest the same way: founders we've spent months getting to know, businesses with real moats, capital structures that don't tax growth, and a transformation thesis we've stress-tested before close.‍