Generative Now | AI Builders on Creating the Future
Generative Now is a weekly series from Lightspeed, highlighting the stories, strategies and insights behind today’s most exciting AI companies and how they’ll change everything about the way we work. Inspired by the popular in-person Generative Meetups in places like New York, San Francisco, LA and Europe, host and Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano will speak with founders, engineers, designers and other leaders that are leveraging AI to take their product to new heights. Listen and follow Generative Now wherever you get your podcasts.
Avsnitt
Moritz Baier-Lentz: How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Gaming
This week, Lightspeed Partner Mike Mignano sits down with Moritz Baier-Lentz, Partner and Head of Gaming and Interactive Media at Lightspeed. From the world’s #1 ranked Diablo II player to Goldman Sachs banker to VC, Moritz has lived multiple lives—all shaped by a deep passion for games. In this episode, Moritz joins Michael Mignano to talk about the AI revolution in gaming: how generative tech is transforming studios, gameplay, and player experiences. They dive into what makes games work in 2025 and why the next billion-dollar games may not look like games at all.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Guest Overview
01:16 Moritz Bayer's Gaming Journey
02:53 The Economics of Gaming
06:28 Competitive Gaming and Personal Growth
09:32 Marathon Adventures and Life Philosophy
13:16 Venture Capital in Gaming
24:38 AI's Impact on Gaming
29:50 Future of Gaming and AI
39:40 Game Theory Podcast and Final Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.com
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
How Jobs Will Change as AI Gets Better
What is the future of AI in the workplace? What kinds of jobs would you trust an AI to do? In this episode of Generative Now, host and Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano explores how AI is transforming the workforce, with insights from four sharp thinkers: Semil Shah, founding general partner at Haystack and Lightspeed Venture Partners, on the risks of replacing junior talent with agents, Suno Co-founder Mikey Schulman on AI’s power to unlock creativity, Anu Atluru, founder, physician and angel investor, on how AI is reshaping medicine, and Marissa Mayer, former CEO of Yahoo and current CEO of Sunshine, on what companies must do now to adapt—or risk being left behind.
Episode Chapters
00:00 Introduction: AI and the Future of Work
00:20 Exploring AI's Impact on the Workforce
01:14 The Co-Pilot Phase of AI
02:47 AI in Investment Banking and Consulting
06:00 Artificial Super Intelligence: The Next Frontier
09:33 Mikey Shulman on AI's Role in Creativity
11:59 Anu Atluru on AI Transforming Medicine
20:18 Marissa Mayer on AI's Organizational Impact
26:56 Conclusion: Embracing AI's Potential
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Reinventing Wall Street: Rogo’s AI Revolution with Gabriel Stengel
This week, Lightspeed Partner Mike Mignano sits down with Gabriel Stengel, founder and CEO of Rogo, to explore how AI is transforming the world of finance. Gabe shares his journey from sleepless nights as a junior investment banker at Lazard to building Rogo, a cutting-edge AI platform that automates the grueling work of benchmarking, earnings analysis, and pitch deck creation in seconds. They discuss the origins of Rogo from Gabe’s time at Princeton, the challenges of building AI tools for elite financial institutions, and why the next generation of analysts might just be digital. Gabe also unpacks the technical edge that sets Rogo apart and the ways in which financial services may look very different in the near future.
Episode Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction to the Interview
(00:55) Gabe Stengel's Background and Rogo's Inception
(02:44) Early Challenges and Evolution of Rogo
(07:29) The Role of AI in Finance
(12:07) Investor and Customer Reception
(13:49) Pivotal Moments and Product Market Fit
(21:53) Balancing Enterprise Security and Feature Development
(23:45) Navigating the Challenges of AI Startup Speed
(25:45) Rogo's Impact on Investment Banking Workflows
(28:34) AI's Role in Professional Services and Legal Work
(32:33) Future of Rogo and Financial Services
(37:18) Challenges and Strategies in Enterprise Sales
(42:02) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Mike Krieger: Product Building Lessons from Instagram and Anthropic (Encore)
This week, we are revisiting a conversation between Lightspeed partner Michael Mignano and Anthropic’s head of product, Mike Krieger. Mike is known for co-founding Instagram, one of the most beloved pieces of consumer technology, and now he has taken his talents to Anthropic. They discuss the challenges AI product builders face and the evolution of product innovation and draw parallels between two transformative eras: the social media revolution that gave birth to Instagram and today's AI renaissance.
Episode Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:54) Mike Krieger's Journey to Anthropic
(03:17) Building Product Strategy at Anthropic
(07:43) Rapid Iteration and Safety
(10:58) Differentiating AI Models and User Experience
(17:57) Impact of AI on Consumer Products and Business Models
(24:39) Enterprise vs. Consumer Product Strategy
(29:19) AI in Personal Life Management
(30:15) Open Source and Claude Integrations
(33:09) AI-Assisted Product Development
(37:13) Scaling Teams and Processes at Anthropic
(42:17) Reflections on AI and Future Prospects
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Arvind Jain: Why Now Is the Time to Solve Enterprise Search (Encore)
This week, we are revisiting a conversation between Lightspeed partner Michael Mignano and Arvind Jain, the founder and CEO of Glean about the evolution of AI-assisted enterprise search.
Arvind shares what insights helped to start Glean's journey in 2019, how the company leveraged transformer-based models early on, and how Glean developed the market for this product. They also talk about competition, the technical aspects of integrating Glean across SaaS platforms, and the monumental impact of ChatGPT on the industry.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(01:15) Why Arvind Created Glean to Solve Enterprise Search Problems
(03:50) Technical Foundations: Building Glean with Transformers
(09:04) Product Market Fit and Early Challenges
(12:16) The Impact of ChatGPT and Market Evolution
(13:42) Glean's Architecture and Model Integration
(17:58) The Future of AI in Enterprises
(27:52) Leadership, Competition, and Company Culture
(35:48) Reflections and Lessons from Rubrik to Glean
(41:15) Lightning Round and Closing Remarks
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Chris Pedregal + Sam Stephenson: Making Meetings More Effective with Granola
How can AI make meetings better? That’s the simple question that inspired Granola, a productivity tool that can tell you what was actually discussed in that meeting last week and what the real next steps are.
In this episode of Generative Now, host Michael Mignano, partner at Lightspeed, sits down with Granola co-founders Chris Pedregal and Sam Stephenson at their headquarters in London. They talk about how they first met, their early product bets, and how they decided to focus on solving one painful problem: the chaos that follows every meeting. They share the story behind their early experiments with GPT-3 and how that eventually evolved into a tool designed especially for people who find their days filled with back-to-back meetings.
Chris and Sam explain why they avoided flashy AI features to focus on simplicity and habit-forming design, how they quickly found their product-market fit, and what it means to adapt quickly in the age of LLMs.
Episode Chapters
00:00 Welcome and Introduction
01:15 Finding the Right Co-Founder
01:51 Tools for Thought and AI
03:24 Identifying the Problem
04:38 Building the Solution
05:07 The Evolution of AI and App Layer
07:46 Challenges and Innovations
11:20 Business Model and Future Outlook
14:24 The Launch and Early Success
17:52 Theoretical vs. Practical User Needs
18:17 Stress and Software Design
19:28 Scaling with AI
22:05 Maintaining Quality and Taste
24:10 Building a Silicon Valley Startup in London
28:03 The Future of Granola
30:27 Early Feedback and Iteration
35:09 Privacy and Data Handling
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Jon Noronha: How Gamma’s big bet on AI paid off
Can a pivot to AI actually save a company? In the case of Gamma, it did that and more. In this episode of Generative Now, host Michael Mignano, partner at Lightspeed, talks with Jon Noronha, the co-founder of Gamma, an AI-powered platform that helps users create interactive and engaging presentations, websites, and social media assets.
Nearly four decades since the creation of PowerPoint, they talk about how Gamma is treading new ground in the presentation space. Jon discusses how Gamma almost failed until they made the bold decision to pivot to AI in 2023, and how that move brought them millions of new users around the world. They get into the company's initial struggle for product-market fit, the impact of generative AI models like ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion, and the strategic moves they made to adapt and thrive. Jon also shares where he thinks Gamma might go next.
Episode Chapters:
(00:00) Welcome and Introduction
(00:41) Founding Gamma and Initial Vision
(04:00) Challenges and Pivot to AI
(07:04) AI Integration and Breakthrough
(08:38) Expanding Beyond Presentations
(15:45) User Experience and Prompt Engineering
(20:11) Building Value Beyond AI
(21:14) Competing with Industry Giants
(25:03) The Future of AI Interfaces
(29:43) Voice Interaction and AI
(34:35) Gamma's Growth and Team Dynamics
(36:47) Anticipating AI Model Innovations
(39:05) Conclusion
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
AI Recruiting at NVIDIA, Pika, and Eleven Labs: How to Build Exceptional Teams
Exceptional AI products begin with exceptional teams, but in 2025, AI staffing has never been harder.
In this episode of Generative Now, Lightspeed partner Michael Mignano dives into the realities of AI recruiting and team building, sharing insights from some of today’s top AI leaders. You’ll hear from:
Demi Guo, CEO and Co-Founder of Pika
Mati Staniszewski, CEO and Co-Founder of Eleven Labs
Bill Dally, Chief Scientist of NVIDIA
Dan Shipper, CEO and co-founder of Every
Amy Anton, Vice President of Talent, AI at Lightspeed
Together, they explore what defines a strong AI team, the evolving role of creative talent, how to scale without losing culture, and why generalists may thrive in an AI-powered workforce. The episode also touches on the shift from the knowledge economy to the allocation economy, and what that means for hiring in the AI era.
Whether you're an AI founder, operator, or just thinking about your next hire, this episode unpacks what’s working (and what’s not) in AI HR, staffing, and team design.
Chapters:
(00:00) What’s Challenging about Hiring AI Teams?
(01:25) Demi Guo and Mati Staniszewski: Creative Talent in AI
(03:36) Dan Shipper: Finding Space to Experiment
(08:05) Scaling AI Teams: Insights from NVIDIA
(10:52) Building Strong AI Teams: Advice from Lightspeed
(16:48) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Rohan Nayak: How Pocket FM is Using AI to Reinvent Audio Storytelling
There’s no doubt we have more choices for entertainment than at any other point in history. And yet, once a series ends, it can be difficult to find something you like just as much. But what if AI could give you a seemingly endless supply of quality content? In this episode of Generative Now, host Michael Mignano, partner at Lightspeed, sits down with Rohan Nayak, CEO and co-founder of Pocket FM, an audio platform that has pioneered the audio series format.
Rohan talks about how he identified a gap in the audio entertainment space and how Pocket FM leverages AI to optimize everything from audience retention to discovery to identifying hit shows. He also discusses how Pocket FM’s employment of AI has allowed for the making of an all-in-one content creation and consumption platform, where creators can use AI as a writing coach, editor, and productivity partner — all in one. The conversation offers a glimpse into the future of storytelling and how AI is reshaping the way content is created, discovered, and consumed.
Episode Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction
(02:23) Story of Rohan and Pocket FM
(06:02) Solving for a content gap
(08:42) Creating a new audio entertainment format
(11:06) Building Pocket FM
(17:17) Using AI in audio content creation
(21:11) Human and AI partnership in content creation
(24:07) Challenges of improving an AI writing model
(28:45) Using AI to identify blockbusters
(33:00) AB testing with content
(36:11) Training AI to create webtoons
(41:14) Evaluating and propagating content
(43:47) Matching content with users
(44:50) Future of Pocket FM
(48:02) Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Your Questions Answered: Vibe Coding, Consumer Defensibility, and the Future of Agent Management
In this special mailbag episode of Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano tackles your questions from X and LinkedIn. He gets into AI's market expansion, startup defensibility, which verticals investors are watching, and how the most interesting new roles are being shaped by AI. Plus, Michael shares what is exciting about consumer AI products right now.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(00:35) AI Opportunities: New vs. Existing Markets
(02:09) Will SaaS TAMs Expand or Contract with AI?
(02:59) Creating Defensibility for Consumer AI Startups
(05:29) Emerging Roles: Agent Engineers vs. Agent Managers (08:25) Best Verticals for Consumer AI
(11:39) What Acquisition Could Fix Apple's AI Lag?
(13:19) AI's Potential in Dispute Resolution
(14:38) The State of VC Funding in AI
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Generative Quarterly with Semil Shah: Seed Markets, Vibe Coding, and the Flappy Bird Effect
History may not repeat itself, but it certainly rhymes. Vibe coded games, like a flight simulator from @levelsio, are reminiscent of early iPhone app store games like Flappy Bird and Paper Toss. How else are consumer tech cycles evolving? Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano welcomes back investor Semil Shah for their quarterly check-in. They talk about the landscape of VC seed investing, the impact of AI on tech hubs like New York, LA, and the Bay Area, and whether accelerators like Y Combinator still have the same edge?
Flight Simulator: fly.pieter.com
Episode Chapters:
(01:22) LA vs NYC Tech Scenes
(02:54) AI's Geographic Pull
(05:37) Gaming as Future Consumer Tech
(08:35) Vibe Coding
(17:40) Seed Investing in the AI Era
(25:13) The Series A Crunch
(36:03) Rising Series A Standards
(41:14) Bootstrapping vs VC for AI
(45:26) Value of University Degrees
(55:32) YC's Expanded Cohorts
(57:52) Overlooked Seed Trends
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Scott Belsky: Content Creators, Creativity, and Marketing in the AI Landscape (Encore)
This week, we’re revisiting a conversation with Scott Belsky, who recently announced a new role leading innovation at A24. Lightspeed Partner and Host Michael Mignano talks with Scott about the evolution of marketing with generative content, the future of personalization, and overlooked opportunities in the AI landscape.
This conversation took place at the Robin Hood Opportunity x AI Summit. Robin Hood is the largest foundation fighting poverty in New York City. The group has invested nearly $3.5 billion over 35 years and Robin Hood supports all five boroughs with food pantries, high-performing schools, job-training programs, shelters and more. The group has a venture-like approach; they scale programs that are working and find new programs to fill gaps.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Intro
(00:32) Scott Belsky on AI and Creativity
(04:06) The Role of Creators
(5:18) AI Generated Content on Social Media
(7:59) Customers Inspiring Product Development
(09:59) The Hyper Personalization of Digital Experiences
(13:57) Overlooked Business Opportunities in AI
(18:38) How AIs Can Scale SMBs
(20:46) Legal Risks with Enterprise Adoption
(25:02) Custom Tuned Models Generated From IP
(26:34) The Rise of AI Agents
(29:12) Why Scott Belsky is An AI Optimist
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Lulu Cheng Meservey: The New Rules of Founder Comms (Encore)
Lulu Cheng Meservey puts founders in control of their narrative using one simple principle: Go Direct. This week, we’re revisiting our conversation with the CEO and Founder of Rostra, the go-to communications agency for Silicon Valley founders. Lulu joins Lightspeed Partner and Host Michael Mignano on the podcast to talk about her modern communications playbook for founders of places like Ramp, SSI, Scale, Anduril, Suno, and The Free Press. They talk about why a comms strategy is just as important as a product strategy. Plus, Lulu shares her after action reports on Based Zuck, SpaceX, Tesla, and Waymo.
Episode Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:29) Why Founder Led Communication Works
(03:47) Challenges and Strategies for Founders
(06:49) Lulu's Career Experience
(08:34) Substack
(12:11) Have a Clear Company Mission
(18:01) The ‘Go Direct’ Manifesto
(23:59) Traditional Media in Communication Strategy
(24:40) Targeted Communication: Persuading Key Decision Makers
(25:54) Effective Use of Press and Media Outlets
(28:30) Lulu’s After Action Report: Tesla's Recent Event
(36:11) Apple's Strategy and Public Perception
(38:46) Waymo's Underrated Progress in Autonomous Vehicles
(40:17) Meta's Positive Feedback Loop and Based Zuck
(43:42) The Importance of Founder-Led Companies
(47:27) Final Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Johnny Ho: The Future of Online Search (Encore)
This week, we are revisiting a conversation between Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano and Johnny Ho, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Perplexity. Perplexity is the AI powered search engine that is rapidly growing and challenging the industry status quo. Johnny and Michael talk about his background as a competitive programmer, the business model of search, and Perplexity’s Publisher Program, where publishers earn a share of advertising revenue.
Johnny has been ranked number one in the world of competitive programming. He previously worked at Quora as a software engineer – he accomplished all of this before graduating from Harvard.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(00:40) Johnny Ho's Engineering Background and IOI Achievements
(02:44) Transition to Product Strategy
(05:39) Perplexity: The Answer Engine
(11:06 )Technology Behind Perplexity
(15:47) Challenges and Future of AI Models
(19:41) Growth and Distribution Strategy
(23:54) Setting and Achieving Team Goals
(25:35) Perplexity's Business Model and Future Plans
(31:01) Challenges and Opportunities in AI and Search
(32:55) Publisher Program and Content Credibility
(39:59) Voice and Multimodal Experiences
(42:04) What's Next for Perplexity?
(43:12) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Dan Shipper: The First MultiModal Media Company
Code is content. Writers build apps. App builders write newsletters. This is Every CEO & Founder Dan Shipper’s vision for the modern media company. Michael Mignano, Partner at Lightspeed, sits down with Dan to talk about building the first multimodal media company, developing viral software like Cora, and cultivating an audience and talent at Every.
Check out our episode with Nathan Baschez, Every cofounder and Lex CEO
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(02:54) Dan's Journey into Coding
(03:47) Cofounding Firefly
(06:53) The Evolution of Every
(15:40) Vibe Coding
(24:37) The Creation of Cora
(30:12) Every's Product Ecosystem
(34:47) AI&I Podcast
(35:37) Innovative Uses of AI Tools
(37:46) Deep Background and Research Tools
(41:07) Exploring AI Models and Their Capabilities
(49:14) Voice as the Future Interface
(57:04) The Future of AI and Startups
(01:03:26) Final Thoughts
Stay in touch:
www.lsvp.com
X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Josh Mohrer: Is the Future of AI Businesses A Solo Pursuit?
AI is rapidly expanding what we can get done in a day. So, can entrepreneurs leveraging AI start companies of one? In this episode of Generative Now, host Michael Magnano, partner at Lightspeed, sits down with Josh Mohrer, the founder and CEO of Wave, a revolutionary AI app that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings and conversations. Josh talks about his entrepreneurial journey, transitioning from running Uber's New York operations to building a successful solo venture. He shares how he leveraged AI technologies like GPT-3 to learn to code and develop Wave, the challenges and advantages of being a solo founder, and his hands-on approach to customer support.
Episode Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:31) Josh's Journey with Uber
(09:29) Transition to Building Wave with AI
(24:41) Embracing the Solo Entrepreneurial Journey
(25:26) Balancing Expectations and Investor Influence
(26:20) The Role of AI in Engineering and Development
(27:17) Improving App Performance and User Experience
(29:03) The Future of Solo Ventures and AI-Driven Companies
(31:54) AI's Impact on Coding and Development Practices
(35:53) Leveraging AI for Customer Support and Internal Tools
(38:59) How Josh Leverages AI Tools
Stay in touch:
www.lsvp.com
X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Mikey Shulman answers your questions about Suno and making music with AI
Mikey Shulman, Co-Founder and CEO of Suno, comes back on the podcast to answer your questions from X with Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano. Mikey shares about Suno’s growth over the past year, introducing new models, and launching their mobile app. They also address numerous questions from the audience about the potential of AI in creating realistic music, copyright issues, and the future vision for AI-generated compositions.
Episode Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
01:09 Suno's Recent Developments
01:45 Mobile App and User Experience
02:01 AI Music Models and Quality
05:06 Community Questions and API Discussion
06:43 Future of AI in Music
12:14 Copyright and Legal Considerations
14:24 Challenges and Opportunities in AI Music
23:17 Open Source AI Models
26:54 Future Enhancements and User Controls
29:50 Collaborative Music Creation
31:42 AI Voice Enhancement
33:12 Future of Music Videos
34:20 User Demographics and Live Jamming
36:09 Multimodal Inputs and Personalization
38:47 Blockchain and Music
41:29 AI's Sense of Taste in Music
44:37 Social Music and Prompting Tricks
48:41 Educational Features and Future Vision
52:02 Building an AI Startup
58:32 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Arvind Jain: Why Now Is the Time to Solve Enterprise Search
Enterprise search is a problem that’s plagued companies since the advent of working on computers. Now, AI promises solutions. In this week’s episode, host Michael Mignano from Lightspeed sits down with Arvind Jain, founder and CEO of Glean, to discuss the evolution of AI-assisted enterprise search. Arvind shares what insights helped to start Glean's journey in 2019, how the company leveraged transformer-based models early on, and how Glean developed the market for this product. They also talk about competition, the technical aspects of integrating Glean across SaaS platforms, and the monumental impact of ChatGPT on the industry.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(01:15) Why Arvind Created Glean to Solve Enterprise Search Problems
(03:50) Technical Foundations: Building Glean with Transformers
(09:04) Product Market Fit and Early Challenges
(12:16) The Impact of ChatGPT and Market Evolution
(13:42) Glean's Architecture and Model Integration
(17:58) The Future of AI in Enterprises
(27:52) Leadership, Competition, and Company Culture
(35:48) Reflections and Lessons from Rubrik to Glean
(41:15) Lightning Round and Closing Remarks
Stay in touch:
www.lsvp.com
X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Mike Krieger: Product Building Lessons from Co-Founding Instagram to Leading Product at Anthropic
Mike Krieger is known for cofounding Instagram, one of the most beloved pieces of consumer technology, and now he is leading product at Anthropic. This week, host and Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano talks to the product building legend to discuss the challenges AI product builders face and the evolution of product innovation. They draw parallels between two transformative eras: the social media revolution that gave birth to Instagram and today's AI renaissance.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(00:54) Mike Krieger's Journey to Anthropic
(03:17) Building Product Strategy at Anthropic
(07:43) Rapid Iteration and Safety
(10:58) Differentiating AI Models and User Experience
(17:57) Impact of AI on Consumer Products and Business Models
(24:39) Enterprise vs. Consumer Product Strategy
(29:19) AI in Personal Life Management
(30:15) Open Source and Claude Integrations
(33:09) AI-Assisted Product Development
(37:13) Scaling Teams and Processes at Anthropic
(42:17) Reflections on AI and Future Prospects
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app:generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please seelsvp.com/legal.
Rajarshi Gupta: Artificial Intelligence and Crypto at Coinbase
This week on the podcast, we’re looking at how machine learning is optimizing how crypto giant Coinbase operates. Coinbase Head of Machine Learning Rajarshi Gupta joins the Generative San Francisco stage to discuss with Anand Iyer, Lightspeed Venture Partner focused on crypto.
(00:00) Introduction
(00:26) Rajarshi Gupta’s Career Journey
(01:54) Exploring Early Android Malware Detection
(04:44) Machine Learning at Coinbase
(09:03) Generative AI Initiatives at Coinbase
(13:52) Evaluating and Managing AI Deployments
(21:10) GPU Availability Challenges
(23:27) Workflow with Specific Hosted Instances
(25:43) Coinbase: Scaling and Future Plans
(29:09) Opportunities for AI Startups
(31:46) Audience Q&A: Data Gap with AI Startups
(34:48) Audience Q&A: Agentic AI and Crypto Integration
(38:26) Audience Q&A: Guardrails and Frameworks for AI
(42:43) Audience Q&A: Evaluating LLMs
(45:40) Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
www.lsvp.com
X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Anu Atluru: Will AI Change How We Use Social Utilities?
In this episode of Generative Now, host Michael Mignano, Partner at Lightspeed, chats with Anu Atluru—a startup founder, operator, angel investor, and co-runner of Slang—a product studio dedicated to social consumer products. Anu shares her insights on the evolving landscape of social products, the difference between social utilities and social networks, and how AI could reshape the healthcare landscape.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Generative Now
(02:55) Exploring Social Utilities and Networks
(10:21) Subscription Services and Consumer Behavior
(17:14) The Role of AI in Social Utilities
(34:06) The Future of Software Creation
(37:34) The Value of Software Creation
(38:34) Ecosystem and Marketplaces for Software
(39:34) Artistic Side of Software
(47:42) AI in Medicine and Healthcare
(52:21) Will we have AI Doctors?
(01:05:19) Lightning Round
(01:12:13) Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Bill Dally: NVIDIA’s Evolution and Revolution of AI and Computing (Encore)
Inspired by NVIDIA’s announcements at CES, we are looking back at one of our favorite episodes. The explosion of generative AI-powered technologies has forever changed the tech landscape. But the path to the current AI revolution was paved by many breakthroughs. Bill Dally had a hand in quite a few of them.
In this week’s episode of Generative Now, we are revisiting a conversation Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano had with Bill Dally, NVIDIA's Chief Scientist and Senior Vice President for Research, whose nearly four-decade long career spans from experiments with neural networks in the 1980s to leading NVIDIA's groundbreaking research. He discusses the work at NVIDIA in advancing GPU technology, as well as the shift towards generative AI. Michael and Bill also explore the challenges of keeping up with rapid advancements in AI, the future implications for the industry, and advice for aspiring engineers.
Bill Dally joined NVIDIA in January 2009 as chief scientist, after spending 12 years at Stanford University, where he was chairman of the computer science department. He has published over 250 papers, holds over 120 issued patents, and is an author of four textbooks. Bill received a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech, a master’s in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from CalTech.
Episode Chapters (00:00) Introduction (00:22) Bill Dally's Journey from Neural Networks to NVIDIA (01:39) The Evolution of AI and Computing: A Personal Account (05:48) The AI Revolution: Expectations vs. Reality (08:58) Inside NVIDIA: The Role of Chief Scientist and the Power of Research (11:30) Exploring the Frontiers of Generative AI and Research (15:24) AI’s Role in the Future of Autonomous Vehicles (21:54) The Impact of AI on Chip Design and Efficiency (26:56) Building NVIDIA's Elite Research Team (37:01) Anticipating the Future: Advice for the Next Generation (40:59) Closing Thoughts Stay in touch: www.lsvp.com X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/ Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Nir Zicherman: Looking Back at Anchor and the Future of Oboe
Nearly a decade after launching Anchor, cofounders Michael Mignano and Nir Zicherman have a new venture: Oboe. Oboe’s mission is to make humanity smarter through AI-powered tutors. The duo delves deep into their entrepreneurial journey, starting from the early days of Anchor to their latest venture, Oboe, where Nir is the CEO. They discuss the trials and errors of building Anchor, their vision for Oboe, and why AI-driven learning could revolutionize education. Additionally, they touch upon the evolution of social audio, challenges in growth marketing today, and answer questions from X.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction (00:36) Reflecting on Anchor's Early Days (02:08) Podcasting Challenges and Insights (03:11) Introducing Oboe: The New Venture (05:03) The Limitations of LLMs in Education (09:40) Lessons from Being a Second-Time Founder (13:04) The Evolution of Product Development (17:36) Are MVPs relevant anymore? (24:56) Reflecting on Social Audio and Anchor (28:32) The Early Days of Anchor (29:33) The Bet on Podcasting (30:27) Distribution Challenges (31:29) What if Anchor Had Pivoted to Video? (34:14) The Future of Audio and Video (37:30) Hybrid Work Model (43:26) Acquisition by Spotify (52:27) The Future of Learning with AI (57:26) Closing Thoughts Stay in touch: www.lsvp.com X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/ Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Generative Quarterly with Semil Shah: AI Expectations vs Reality, Tech Trends, and 2025 Predictions
Did 2024 live up to the AI hype? Investor Semil Shah joins Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano for another installment of Generative Quarterly. They cover key tech trends from 2024, including Jensen Huang’s Rockstar CEO status and AI consumer devices. Looking ahead to 2025, the duo delves into venture capital dynamics, IPO and M&A prospects, and the influence of tech in Washington D.C. Plus, Michael spins Juan Soto's signing into a lesson for Tech.
Episode Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:09 Reflecting on 2024: AI Expectations and Reality
02:31 The Cost and Progress of AI
09:53 Funding and Valuation in AI
11:42 Private vs Public Markets
18:21 AI Devices: Hits and Misses
28:59 Jensen Huang: The Rockstar CEO
32:58 The Rise and Risks of AI Giants
35:29 Tech's Influence in Washington
38:45 M&A Predictions and IPO Outlook
43:32 Emerging GPs and Venture Capital Trends
57:41 Juan Soto and the Tech-Baseball Connection
01:02:54 Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Dr. Olga Russakovsky: Shaping the Next Generation of AI Leaders
Dr. Olga Russakovsky, Computer Science at Princeton University, joins Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano to discuss what the next generation of AI talent is learning and where she expects to find the next big innovation in artificial intelligence.
From her research in computer vision and human-computer interaction to her work in fairness, accountability, and transparency in AI, Dr. Russakovsky has earned many awards, including the MIT Technology Review’s 35-under-35 Innovator award and the Foreign Policy Magazine’s 100 Leading Global Thinkers award. Dr. Russakovsky is also the co-founder and Board Chair of AI4ALL, a nonprofit that aims to increase the diversity of thought in Artificial Intelligence.
Episode Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Guest Overview
01:17 Olga's Career Journey
02:30 Understanding Computer Vision
04:43 Generative AI and Computer Vision
06:36 Interdisciplinary AI Research
15:00 AI4All: Diversity of Thought
17:44 Challenges and Bias in AI
30:01 Future of AI and Data
40:08 ImageNET
43:38 Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Marissa Mayer: AI to Make the Mundane Magical
What is the future of AI in consumer technology? Marissa Mayer believes this future includes AI that makes the mundane magical. Marissa has been leading consumer technology that affects billions of lives since the dawn of the modern Internet. She was one of the first 20 employees at Google and worked on Google Maps, Gmail, and Google Search. She served as the CEO at Yahoo! where she reinvented the website for the mobile era. Now she is the co-founder and CEO of Sunshine Products, a technology startup focused on making everyday tasks, like contact management or scheduling, magical.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(01:23) The Evolution of AI: Learning, Reasoning, and Expressiveness
(05:22) Scaling Laws and the Future of AI
(09:00) AI's Impact on Business and Team Dynamics
(14:47) The Future of Search and Advertising
(19:52) Sunshine: Making Mundane Tasks Magical
(24:04) The Future of Advertising in an AI World
(35:39) Looking Forward: The Future of AI and Sunshine
(37:55) Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Logan Kilpatrick: Building Google Gemini
This week, Logan Kilpatrick joins Michael Mignano on the Generative NYC Stage to discuss leading the product for Google AI Studio. He and his team built the Google Gemini API into one of the best platforms in the world for developers to build with AI. Logan worked at OpenAI before Google, and he has had a front row seat to the meteoric rise to AI over the past few years. Michael and Logan discuss how Google feels like a startup, why consumers care about product over anything else, and what’s the future landscape of artificial intelligence.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Logan Kilpatrick
(01:15) Logan's Journey in AI
(02:38) Life at Google AI Studio
(03:28) Understanding AI at Google
(09:15) The Future of AI Applications
(14:29) Scaling Limits and Compute Power
(18:37) The Role of Talent in AI
(20:35) Thoughts on AGI
(29:24) Audience Q&A
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
M.G. Siegler: VC’s Crisis, Defensible Startups, and Hack-quisitions
Writer and investor M.G. Siegler joins Host and Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano from London to discuss the European tech scene and his experiences stepping back from venture capital after a decade with GV. The discussion covers the current 'VC Crisis', including CRV Ventures' decision to return funds, and the complex M&A and IPO landscape. Siegler offers his perspective on investing in people vs ideas, the defensibility of startups, and the anticipated evolution towards AGI.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(00:32) M.G. Siegler's Background and Move to London
(01:07) Investing in London vs. San Francisco
(03:56) Exploring the London Tech Scene
(10:32) Venture Capital’s Crisis
(13:26) AI and the Future of Startups
(18:03) The Role of Acquisitions in Tech
(22:15) Challenges and Opportunities in Venture Capital
(36:06) Current M&A Environment
(39:17) VC Funds and the AI Market
(42:01) Scaling AI and Future Breakthroughs
(54:00) Is the Consumer Market Dead?
(59:39) Apple's Position in the AI Race
(01:11:26) Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
PART 2: Matthew Hartman | The Value of Premium Content and the Shifting Economics of the Internet
We are back with PART 2 of our conversation with Matthew Hartman, a managing partner at the venture firm, Factorial Capital. Factorial partners with angel operators, with a focus on startups in the AI space. Host and Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano talks with Matt about the value of premium content, software on demand, and the shifting economics of the Internet. Plus, is this actually the moment for product managers?
(00:00) Introduction
(00:38) AI in B2B SaaS Products
(02:58) www.nysignal.com
(07:05) The Future of Advertising and AI
(09:07) Attention Is All You Need
(11:23) Entertainment and Productivity
(19:02) Zero Coding Apps and Products
(21:39) www.myrequestroom.com
(24:28) Is it an AI wrapper or does it lack defensibility?
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
PART 1: Matthew Hartman | How Factorial Invests in the Future
This week, we are sharing PART ONE with Matthew Hartman, a managing partner at the venture firm Factorial Capital. Factorial partners with angel operators, with a focus on startups in the AI space. Host and Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano sits down with Matt to discuss how Factorial partners with technical founders to explore opportunities. They discuss OpenAI, Apple Intelligence, WebGPU, Suno, and much more. Join us next week for PART TWO of this conversation.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(01:42) Factorial and Technical Founders
(06:24) WebGPU
(10:47) Future of AI and LLMs
(15:47) AI and Calendars
(18:16) Understanding Scout Funds
(23:07) The Role of Angels in Investment
(24:12) Focus on AI and New Tech Products
(25:42) Transformers and Predictive Models
(27:26) Making Music with Suno
(33:27) The Future of Creative Tools
(42:30) The Economics of Content Creation
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Lulu Cheng Meservey: Go Direct
Lulu Cheng Meservey puts founders in control of their narrative using one simple principle: Go Direct. Lulu is the Founder and CEO of Rostra, the go-to communications expert for Silicon Valley founders of places like Ramp, SSI, Scale, Andruil, Suno, and The Free Press.
Lulu joins Lightspeed Partner and Host Michael Mignano on the podcast to talk about her modern communications playbook for founders and why a comms strategy is just as important as a product strategy. Plus, Lulu shares her after action reports on Based Zuck, SpaceX, Tesla, and Waymo.
Episode Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:29) Why Founder Led Communication Works
(03:47) Challenges and Strategies for Founders
(06:49) Lulu's Career Experience
(08:34) Substack
(12:11) Have a Clear Company Mission
(18:01) The ‘Go Direct’ Manifesto
(23:59) Traditional Media in Communication Strategy
(24:40) Targeted Communication: Persuading Key Decision Makers
(25:54) Effective Use of Press and Media Outlets
(28:30) Lulu’s After Action Report: Tesla's Recent Event
(36:11) Apple's Strategy and Public Perception
(38:46) Waymo's Underrated Progress in Autonomous Vehicles
(40:17) Meta's Positive Feedback Loop and Based Zuck
(43:42) The Importance of Founder-Led Companies
(47:27) Final Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Toshit Panigrahi: Navigating the Future of Content Monetization
Toshit Panigrahi, CEO and co-founder of TollBit, joins Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano for this week’s episode of Generative Now. TollBit is a platform that enables publishers and content creators to extract revenue from AI companies that use their data. Toshit and Michael discuss how advancements in AI are already reshaping the economics of the internet, TollBit’s innovative “bot paywall” for publishers, and how to incentivize content creation in this constantly evolving landscape.
Toshit previously spent nearly a decade at restaurant software company Toast, where he helped build many consumer products as well as Toast’s contextual ad business. Toshit earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and minored in business administration at Boston University.
Episode Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:40) Toshit’s Background at Toast
(05:08) Building an Ads Business at Toast
(07:15) AI and Content Monetization
(10:52) The Birth of TollBit
(12:53) Opportunities and Challenges for Publishers
(16:17) The Role of AI in Content Strategy
(20:52) The Importance of SEO in the Age of AI
(22:04) Introducing the Bot Paywall
(23:45) Market Dynamics vs. Regulation
(25:03) Challenges in AI Licensing
(27:28) The Future of Content Creation and Monetization
(33:18) Unlocking the Full Potential of AI Agents
(36:15) Current Publisher Collaborations with TollBit
(41:38) The Future of Advertising and Content Valuation
(44:55) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Andrew Mason: Craft and Control in AI Content Creation with Descript
Descript CEO and founder Andrew Mason joins Lightspeed Partner and Host Michael Mignano on the podcast to talk about the future of content creation with AI tools. Michael and Andrew talk about the evolution of Descript as an AI product designed for podcast and video creators, navigating a world of synthetic content, and Descript’s new features including Descript Rooms and Underlord. Andrew talks about raising a $50 Million Series C led by OpenAI Startup Fund and how seeing an early version of ChatGPT inspired confidence in Descript’s foundational vision and goal to simplify media production.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(00:09) Introducing Descript Rooms
(01:10) Descript's Versatility with Media Creation
(04:22) Social Clips and Longform Content
(07:15) Craft and Control in AI in Content Creation
(13:16) Descript AI Tools, OpenAI, and ChatGPT
(17:30) Multimodality and Improving Quality
(26:17) Trust and Adoption of AI Features
(29:29) Detour and Groupon
(37:31) Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
PART 2: Generative Quarterly with Semil Shah | ASI, AI Agents and The Future of Work
This week, we are back with part two of Generative Quarterly with Semil Shah and Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano. Semil is a founding General Partner of Haystack and a Venture Partner at Lightspeed. Semil and Mike pick up their conversation on consumer AI technology, starting with innovative consumer tech like Friend AI by Avi Schiffmann. Mike and Semil consider the impact of Artificial Super Intelligence on the future of work, debate the future evolution of software on demand, and ask if we need AI agents to help us solve our boredom?
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(00:31) Consumer AI Tech
(03:05) Autonomous AI Agents Versus Copilots
(04:19) Matt Levine: Robots Make Good AI Junior Analysts
(05:53) Future of Training Entry Level Consultants
(07:55) Artificial Super Intelligence as a Drop in Coworker
(09:38) Will We Have Our Own Agentic Consultants?
(11:50) Software On Demand
(16:32) AI Generated Music and Content
(20:31) Conclusion
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
PART 1: Generative Quarterly with Semil Shah | Consumer AI Tech, Seed Investing, and Apple
Semil Shah is back for another episode of Generative Quarterly with Michael Mignano, Lightspeed Partner and host of Generative Now. Semil is a founding General Partner of Haystack and a Venture Partner at Lightspeed. Semil and Mike discuss the seed investing landscape, challenges and opportunities in building consumer tech, and competition between Apple and Google.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Welcome and Introduction
(00:37) Shohei Ohtani and Baseball
(03:25) State of Seed Investing
(11:04) Semil’s Advice on Pitching Venture Capitalists
(14:26) VC Fund Dynamics and AI Hype Machine
(18:42) Miami’s Tech Scene
(19:18) Building the Next Big AI Consumer Product: Hype vs Reality
(26:52) Apple’s New iPhone: Where is the Apple Intelligence?
(32:17) Google Android
(34:04) Conclusion
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Johnny Ho: Perplexity’s Opportunity to Reinvent Search
Johnny Ho, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Perplexity, joins Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano for this week’s episode of Generative Now. Perplexity is the AI powered search engine that is rapidly growing and challenging the industry status quo. Johnny and Michael talk about his background as a competitive programmer, the business model of search, and Perplexity’s Publisher Program, where publishers earn a share of advertising revenue.
Johnny has been ranked number one in the world of competitive programming. He previously worked at Quora as a software engineer – he accomplished all of this before graduating from Harvard.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(00:40) Johnny Ho's Engineering Background and IOI Achievements
(02:44) Transition to Product Strategy
(05:39) Perplexity: The Answer Engine
(11:06) Technology Behind Perplexity
(15:47) Challenges and Future of AI Models
(19:41) Growth and Distribution Strategy
(23:54) Setting and Achieving Team Goals
(25:35) Perplexity's Business Model and Future Plans
(31:01) Challenges and Opportunities in AI and Search
(32:55) Publisher Program and Content Credibility
(39:59) Voice and Multimodal Experiences
(42:04) What's Next for Perplexity?
(43:12) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Chris Urmson: The Future of Autonomous Vehicle Technology
Generative AI is making it possible to not only remove the human from the driver seat, but, in the world of trucking and freight, from the vehicle entirely.
This week on Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano speaks with Chris Urmson, CEO and co-founder of Aurora Innovation, a company that makes software for autonomous vehicles with a focus on the trucking industry. Chris shares his journey from participating in the self-driving vehicle DARPA Grand Challenge early in his career, to leading the autonomous vehicle program at Google. Michael also talks with Chris about why Aurora focuses on the trucking and freight industry, the challenge of designing AI systems for self-driving technology, and how technological advancements in radar and LiDAR have helped make autonomous vehicles possible . Chris discusses his insights about developing AI systems to mimic human driving, and how he sees the future of autonomous vehicles for both trucking and personal cars.
Chris Urmson is the co-founder and CEO of Aurora Innovation. Before co-founding Aurora, Chris led the development of Google’s autonomous vehicle project (later known as Waymo) from 2009 to 2016. As a graduate student, he also led the Carnegie Mellon University team for the DARPA Grand and Urban Challenge as the Director of Technology, winning second and third place in 2005, and first place in 2007. Chris received his BEng in Computer Engineering from the University of Manitoba, and his Ph.D. in robotics from Carnegie Mellon.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(01:44) Chris Urmson’s Early Work
(04:43) Founding Aurora Innovation
(06:25) Aurora’s Focus on Freight and Trucking
(09:32) The Challenges in Trucking
(17:08) Advancements in Autonomous Vehicle Technology
(25:01) Using AI to Enhance Safety in Autonomous Vehicles
(27:06) Handling Complex Driving Scenarios
(31:40) Addressing Maintenance and Fueling for an Autonomous Vehicle
(36:36) Regulatory Considerations
(45:47) Predictions for the Future of Autonomous Vehicles
(48:57) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Gustav Söderström: Catapulting Spotify to the Front of the AI Revolution (Encore)
Spotify’s personalized recommendations have set it apart from the pack of music streaming platforms for years. Those curated recommendations have only gotten stronger with the onset of AI, with the ability to power things like your own personal AI DJ. This week on the podcast, we’re revisiting a conversation with Spotify’s Co-President, CPO & CTO, Gustav Söderström. Gustav joins host and Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano to talk about building UX that can power more efficient AI, the future of AGI, and what the technology could look live over the next few iterations.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) An introduction to Gustav Söderström
(01:29) How Spotify became one of the first consumer AI companies
(05:57) A philosophical shift: UI that works for AI, not the other way around
(12:52) “Talk is cheap, so do a lot of it”
(15:00) Building for the tech we will have, not the tech we do have
(19:43) What will AI do for media creation?
(25:00) The Wild West of model training
(29:45) How anthropomorphizing AI can help you understand its potential
(37:04) What happens when cognitive labor gets automated?
(40:42) How much more intelligent could AI get?
(47:45) Is AGI on the horizon, or already here?
(53:48) Should we be worried about AGI?
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Gaurav Misra: Building an AI-Powered Creative Studio (Encore)
Captions.AI is taking the world of video creation by storm. With features like AI-corrected eye contact and automatic captions in 28 languages, more creators than ever can bring their ideas to life. This week, we’re revisiting a conversation with Captions.AI Co-Founder and CEO Gaurav Misra. Guarav joined Lightspeed Partner and Host Michael Mignano for a conversation spanning from his days as a design engineer at Snap to finding a surprise $500k in his Apple account.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) An intro to Gaurav Misra, co-founder and CEO of Captions.AI
(06:03) Gaurav got an early start in startups
(09:24) Getting a phD in machine learning before it was cool
(12:04) From Lattice Engines to Microsoft to Localytics
(17:26) Making the leap to Snapchat’s elite engineering team
(20:57) Keeping innovation alive at a huge consumer company
(26:48) Being on the ground floor of Snapchat’s major feature overhauls
(30:47) Leaving Snapchat to found a top-tier AI company
(33:48) It all started as a social network
(38:10) The happy accident of the original Captions.AI tool
(44:08) They raised a series A for the social network only to find a $500k surprise
(50:00) Building a text-based video editor from the ground up
(58:25) Beyond the editor - launching the AI-powered Lipdub
(01:04:14) What will video editing look like 5 years from now?
(01:06:52) Is Captions.AI hiring?
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Mikey Shulman: Suno and the Sound of AI Music (Encore)
Most of the hype around AI has revolved around its text capabilities, and the powers of LLMs like ChatGPT. But Suno is focusing on the unsung hero of AI - music. Suno is building a future where anyone can make good music - all you need to do is type in a prompt, and out will come a song that’s never existed before. This week, we’re revisiting a conversation with Mikey Shulman, CEO and Co-Founder of Suno. He joined Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano earlier this year to talk through the intricacies of programming for sound, and what this technology could mean for music.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Mikey Shulman and Suno
(04:03) How transcribing S&P earnings calls inspired Suno
(08:41) There’s no Common Crawl for audio - they had to make their own
(12:37) Hacking text-to-speech to make music
(16:25) What’s the product market fit for generative music?
(21:15) How will AI change the format of music?
(28:44) Suno’s highlight reel so far
(31:39) Designing with the end user in mind
(38:26) Can AI transcend the creativity ceiling?
(40:48) How does Mikey think regulation and music rights will shake out?
(46:19) Is Suno hiring?
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Chris Pedregal: Revolutionizing Meetings with AI
For many of us, meetings take up a disproportionate amount of our time at work. But with the advent of AI-powered tools, meetings may become more manageable and even productive, all without the sacrifice of control.
This week on Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano speaks with Chris Pedregal, CEO and co-founder of Granola, an AI-powered notepad and meeting assistant. Chris discusses the unique features that set Granola apart from other AI meeting bots, as well as the challenges of building AI-driven products. Michael also talks with Chris about Granola’s development, user feedback, and the importance of AI-human collaboration. Chris shares his insights about the nuances of effective note-taking, and the future potential of augmented thinking tools.
Chris Pedregal is the co-founder and CEO of Granola, an AI-powered meetings tool designed to to change the way we work, with tools that understand us, anticipate our actions, and augment our abilities. In May 2023 they raised a $4.25m Seed round from Lightspeed Venture Partners, betaworks and FirstMinute. He is based in London. Prior to Granola, Chris studied Computer Science at Stanford before joining Google as a Product Manager, where he worked on Gmail, Search and Maps. In 2013 he quit to launch Socratic, an AI-powered tutor for high school students, which was acquired by Google in 2018.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(00:39) Life in London - from Shoreditch to Street Art
(02:10) Building Startups in London vs. New York
(03:53) The AI Talent Pool in London
(05:03) Deep Dive into Granola's Product Design
(11:33) Granola's Unique Approach to AI Meeting Bots
(18:38) Avoiding the Feature Trap
(20:14) User-Centric Design in Granola
(21:07) Ensuring Accuracy in AI-Generated Notes
(23:43) Collaborative AI Interfaces
(26:23) Future Directions for Granola
(31:43) Insights from User Behavior
(37:20) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Mati Staniszewski (Eleven Labs) and Demi Guo (Pika): The Future of Media and Generative AI
This week on Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano talks to Mati Staniszewski (co-founder of Eleven Labs) and Demi Guo (co-founder and CEO of Pika). This conversation was part of a special Summer Edition of Generative NYC, a monthly meetup for AI builders hosted by Lightspeed. Demi and Mati discuss the landscape of AI generated content creation, AI foundation models, and perspectives on the future of the industry.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(02:52) The impact of Eleven Labs on AI content creation
(04:54) Demi Guo on the creative applications of Pika
(05:43) Building high-quality AI video generation tools
(10:40) AI models for content creation
(14:20) The research behind AI advancements
(17:17) Future perspectives on AI-driven video creation
(23:16) Overcoming challenges in model development
(26:11) Teams behind Eleven Labs and Pika
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Naveen Rao: Inside the Legendary Databricks Acquisition of MosaicML
This week on Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano talks to Naveen Rao about big bets in his career, hardware to develop AI, and open source as the key to safety. Naveen Rao is the founder of Nervana Systems and MosaicML, which was acquired by Databricks in 2023. He is currently the VP Generative AI at Databricks and is the former vice president and general manager of the Artificial Intelligence Products Group at Intel.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Naveen Rao's Background and Career
(01:39) Insights on AI and Neuromorphic Computing
(05:37) Founding Nervana and Acquisition by Intel
(08:54) Transition to MosaicML
(17:07) MosaicML's Mission and Growth
(19:36) Open Source AI and Safety
(23:07) Acquisition by Databricks
(24:57) Cultural Alignment and Acquisition Proposal
(36:24) Databricks' Role in the AI Landscape
(43:50) Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Josh Miller: Building a Better Browser with AI
Browsers have been with us for nearly as long as the internet, and not too much about them has changed. But with this new wave of products enhanced by generative AI, that may be about to shift.
This week on Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano speaks with Josh Miller, the co-founder and CEO of The Browser Company, about their innovative web browser, Arc, which seeks to transform our experience on the internet. Josh discusses the impact of AI on browsers, as well as the challenges of using AI to summarize web content. Michael and Josh also talk about the pressures and ambitions of tech startups, the challenges of balancing innovation with ethical considerations, and how Josh envisions the future of personal computing.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(01:05) The Inspiration Behind Arc
(02:51) Navigating Distractions in Tech
(03:46)The Role of AI in Modern Browsing
(11:05) The Future of Browsing with Arc
(19:17) Competitive Dynamics in AI
(23:50) The Browser as Your Operating System
(25:12) AI-Powered Functionality: Incremental vs. Leapfrog
(28:02) Challenges and Opportunities in AI Summarization
(34:53) Thoughts About Regulating AI
(38:14) Raising Capital and Managing Pressure
(45:06) Josh’s Experience Living in France
(48:34) Conclusion
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Madhumita Murgia: Exploring AI Safety
Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano speaks with Madhumita Murgia, AI editor of the Financial Times, about her new book ‘Code Dependent’. They discuss the rapid evolution of AI, the balance between technological advancements and human consequences, and the real-life stories from various countries that highlight both the benefits and the harms of AI. Madhu outlines guiding principles for ethical AI development and touches on regulation challenges, the role of big tech, and the positive potential of AI in healthcare.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(03:05) Writing the Book on AI
(05:31) Madhumita’s Career Path
(10:18) Separating the Wheat from the Chaff
(14:32) Stories to watch in AI
(18:58) Closing in on General Intelligence
(22:40) Big Tech vs. Media
(28:32) Code Dependent
(33:34) AI Safety
(38:07) Guiding Principles for AI
(42:37) The Stakeholders in AI Regulation
(46:44) AI’s Positive Impacts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Nathan Baschez: The New Age of AI Writing Tools
We’ve all experienced writer’s block at some point in our lives. But thanks to emerging AI-powered tools, writer’s block may soon become a thing of the past.
In this week’s episode of Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano speaks with Nathan Baschez, Founder and CEO of Lex, an AI-assisted writing tool. Nathan discusses Lex's development from a simple alternative to Google Docs to a sophisticated collaboration tool with AI features, as well as the challenges of developing AI-integrated writing software. Michael and Nathan also talk about the future possibilities for AI-driven writing tools, the implications of AI in the creative process, as well as the broader AI landscape, including competition with major companies like Google for dominance in search.
Nathan Baschez is an entrepreneur, programmer, and writer. He is the founder and CEO of Lex, a collaborative word processor with AI editing tools to unlock your best writing. Previously, he co-founded Every, was the first employee at Substack, and led product at Gimlet Media.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(00:43) Early Days of Lex and AI
(04:06) Frustrations with Google Docs
(04:53) The Birth of Lex
(06:18) AI Integration in Lex
(10:06) ChatGPT’s Impact on Lex
(18:41) Future of AI in Creative Tools
(22:29) Improving Team Workflows with AI
(26:47) Enhancing Collaboration in Writing
(31:09) The Evolution of AI Models in Startups
(37:09) Innovations on the Horizon at Lex
(41:15) The Future of Search
(46:55) Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Guillaume Verdon: Exploring the Intersection of Quantum Deep Learning and AI
At some point, we’ve all asked ourselves the core questions to the meanings of life and the universe. It should come as no surprise that tech’s most dynamic players have too, and see generative AI-powered technologies as a way to start answering those questions. This week on Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano speaks with Guillaume Verdon, the founder of Extropic, about the fascinating intersections of physics, AI, and computing. Guillaume discusses how his interest in understanding the universe led him to explore theoretical physics, only to transition into AI and deep learning due to the inherent complexity of natural systems. Additionally, Michael and Guillaume talk about the significance of optimism and adaptability in driving societal growth and technological advancements. They also discuss his creation of the e/acc movement, involvement with the Twitter Anon community, and what Guillaume is doing at Extropic to leverage AI for society’s best possible future.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(02:15) Quantum Deep Learning and AI
(05:27) Guillaume’s Career Path
(10:17) Scaling Intelligence and Civilization
(13:53) Adapting to Change and Growth
(17:16) Optimism and Cultural Impact
(20:10) Regulation and Policy
(27:12) Selective Pressure in AI Development
(28:24) The Birth of Based Beff Jezos
(32:09) The Genesis of Extropic
(35:52) Thermodynamic Computing Explained
(41:06) Future of AI and Thermodynamic Computing
(45:27) Current Progress and Future Plans
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Soumith Chintala: Meta’s AI Strategy, PyTorch, and Llama
This week on Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano talks to Soumith Chintala at Generative NYC, a monthly meetup for AI builders hosted by Lightspeed. Soumith is a Vice President and Fellow at Meta and he co-created PyTorch, one of the world’s most beloved ML libraries. He’s had a front row seat to the rise of AI over the past few years at Meta and previously as a researcher at New York University. Michael and Soumith discuss Meta's open-source strategy, and the role of AI models such as LLAMA, and the broader strategy behind AI advancements.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Soumith Chintala, VP at Meta and Co-Creator of PyTorch
(01:05) How PyTorch Was Created
(04:08) Building a Community Around PyTorch
(05:32) Explaining PyTorch and Its Impact
(08:40) Meta's Open Source Strategy and LLAMA
(11:03) AI Models and the Future of Generative AI
(14:16) Implications of AI
(19:45) Open Source vs. Closed Source AI
(23:45) Audience Q&A
(35:03) Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
- www.lsvp.com
- X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
- Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
- Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Semil Shah: Apple Intelligence, “The End of Software,” and Where Technology Won’t Go
Semil Shah sits down with Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano for a quarterly conversation about AI and its evolving impact on startups, VCs, and incumbents. They also discuss Chris Paik’s essay “The End of Software,” tech cleanses, Apple’s WWDC, and the difference in thinking between LCs, GPs, and VCs in the landscape of AI. Semil Shah is the Founding General Partner of Haystack and a General Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Intro to Episode
(4:42) “The End of Software”
(7:30) Computer Science and Philosophy
(11:19) Where Technology Won’t Go
(19:33) Tech Cleanse
(24:07) WWDC24 - Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference
(26:40) ChatGPT & Apple Intelligence
(33:13) Tim Cook
(45:20) Ben Thompson
(48:10) Google
(52:09) VC and AI
(59:11) How LPs think about AI
(01:06:57) How GPs think about AI
(01:12:56) Vinod Khosla, OpenAI, and Square
(01:14:49) Opposite George
(01:25:40) Jerry Seinfeld, Neal Brennan, Rick Rubin, Lex Friedman
(01:28:53) “The Greatest Show on Earth”
Stay in touch:
- www.lsvp.com
- X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
- Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
- Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Bill Dally: The Evolution and Revolution of AI and Computing
The explosion of generative AI-powered technologies has forever changed the tech landscape. But the path to the current AI revolution was paved by many breakthroughs. Bill Dally had a hand in quite a few of them.
In this week’s episode of Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano speaks with Bill Dally, NVIDIA's Chief Scientist and Senior Vice President for Research, whose nearly four-decade long career spans from experiments with neural networks in the 1980s to leading NVIDIA's groundbreaking research. He discusses the work at NVIDIA in advancing GPU technology, as well as the shift towards generative AI. Michael and Bill also explore the challenges of keeping up with rapid advancements in AI, the future implications for the industry, and advice for aspiring engineers.
Bill Dally joined NVIDIA in January 2009 as chief scientist, after spending 12 years at Stanford University, where he was chairman of the computer science department. He has published over 250 papers, holds over 120 issued patents, and is an author of four textbooks. Bill received a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech, a master’s in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from CalTech.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(00:22) Bill Dally's Journey from Neural Networks to NVIDIA
(01:39) The Evolution of AI and Computing: A Personal Account
(05:48) The AI Revolution: Expectations vs. Reality
(07:58) Inside NVIDIA: The Role of Chief Scientist and the Power of Research
(10:29) Exploring the Frontiers of Generative AI and Research
(14:23) AI’s Role in the Future of Autonomous Vehicles
(20:53) The Impact of AI on Chip Design and Efficiency
(25:55) Building NVIDIA's Elite Research Team
(36:00) Anticipating the Future: Advice for the Next Generation
(39:58) Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
www.lsvp.com
X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Matthieu Rouif: How Photoroom Creates a Standout AI Product
What makes AI truly useful and impactful for users? That’s the question that drives Matthieu Rouif, CEO and co-founder of Photoroom, the AI-first photo editing app for mobile. This week on Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano talks to Matthieu Rouif about what he learned from his previous ventures in app development, how Photoroom found product market fit early, and how Photoroom went from a feature to a product with more than 150 million downloads and 30 million monthly active users.
Matthieu started working on photo apps decades ago while studying at Polytechnique in France and Stanford in the United States. Matthieu created the first mobile apps for ski resorts and co-founded the HeyCrowd app to make surveys more social. He later was a product leader for Replay Video Editor (Awarded ‘Best App of the Year’ by Apple and Google). While working as a Product Manager at GoPro, he became frustrated with the time-consuming process of manually removing backgrounds in Photoshop and realized that there was a demand for a better solution on the App Store. This led Matthieu to study machine learning, and he met with Eliot Andres, a machine learning expert, and together they created the first version of Photoroom in just two weeks.
Episode Chapters
00:00) Introduction to Matthieu Rouif & Photoroom
(01:57) Matthieu Rouif's Entrepreneurial Journey
(04:44) Early Startup Successes and Lessons Learned
(10:30) The Creation of PhotoRoom: Bridging AI and Usability
(16:45) Finding Product-Market Fit & The Power of User Feedback
(19:40) Scaling PhotoRoom Amidst COVID-19
(21:05) Unlocking User-Centric AI with Open Source
(23:30) Evolving Beyond Background Removal
(30:19) Wider Application of the APIs and Success Stories with Barbie and Netflix
(37:12) Building a Remote Team Culture & “No DM” Policy
(40:37) Landscape of AI Innovation in Paris
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Rahul Roy-Chowdhury: AI as a Tool for Co-Creation at Grammarly
AI has been powering Grammarly before the current wave of AI adoption. So what can we learn from this beloved AI tool? This week on Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano talks with the CEO of Grammarly, Rahul Roy-Chowdhury. Michael asks Rahul about privacy and safety when it comes to AI products, the future of AI agents and tools, and why he sees Gen AI as a tool for co-creation. Before becoming Grammarly’s CEO, Rahul was Grammarly's Global Head of Product. Prior to Grammarly, he spent 14 years at Google leading product and Privacy, Safety, and Security.
Chapter Episodes
(00:00) Introduction to Rahul Roy-Chowdhury
(01:01) Rahul’s Career: Product at Google to CEO of Grammarly
(07:58) Grammarly's Mission and the Impact of AI on Product Development
(16:23) The Future of AI: Open Source Models and Safety
(19:08) The Future of AI in Browsers and Beyond
(20:32) Gaining User Trust and Data Privacy
(21:55) Generative AI's Impact on Consumer and Enterprise Sectors
(27:38) The Co-Creation Model of Writing with AI
(35:16) Exploring New Frontiers in AI Technology
(39:15) Closing Thoughts and Future Predictions
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Josh Silverman: Using AI to Transform Etsy’s Consumer Experience
Human creativity and AI are often characterized as being at odds with each other. But as the capabilities of AI grow, so too grow the possibilities for empowering humans in creative endeavors.
This week on Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano speaks with Etsy CEO Josh Silverman about the integration and impact of AI technologies in enhancing the consumer and seller experiences. He shares insights into his journey of scaling technology companies and the evolution of internet technologies, starting with founding Evite. Michael asks Josh how Etsy uses generative AI to keep human connection in commerce and empowering sellers and consumers. Josh shares the challenges and opportunities presented by AI in creative marketplaces, Etsy’s engineering culture, and the future of AI in enhancing online shopping experiences.
Josh Silverman previously served as President of Consumer Products and Services at American Express, CEO of Skype, and CEO of shopping.com, and he held various executive roles at eBay. Josh also co-founded Evite, Inc. where he also served as the company's CEO. He is currently on the board of directors of Shake Shack.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(01:24) Josh Silverman’s Career Spanning The Evolution of Technology: from Internet to AI
(06:16) Etsy’s Mission and AI Integration
(08:36) Enhancing Etsy’s Search and Discovery with AI
(15:27) Empowering Creative Entrepreneurs & SMBs with AI
(16:10) Balancing AI Innovation with Etsy’s Human-Centric Mission
(20:51) Etsy's Engineering Culture and Democratizing Machine Learning
(25:26) Audience Q&A: Creativity, AI Challenges, and Consumer Expectations
(32:57) Closing remarks
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Lisha Li: Lessons on Creating Consumer AI Products from Creating Generative Games with Rosebud AI
This week on Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano talks to Lisha Li, Founder and CEO of Rosebud AI. Rosebud AI allows users to generate video with a few simple prompts by leveraging AI for every aspect of game design. Lisha shares her diverse background from academia to venture capital and acting, leading up to the inception of Rosebud. Michael and Lisha talk about lessons learned when developing consumer AI products and the different iterations of Rosebud AI and its evolution including stock photos and the viral app TokkingHeads.
Lisha is the Founder and CEO of Rosebud AI. She is a former principal at Amplify Partners. Lisha completed her PhD at UC Berkeley focusing on deep learning and probability applied to the problem of clustering in graphs. While at Berkeley she also did statistical consulting, advising on methods and analysis for experimentation and interpretation, and interned as a data scientist at Pinterest and Stitch Fix. She earned her Master of Science in Mathematics at the University of Toronto, with Highest Distinction advised by Prof. Balazs Szegedy in the area of Graph Limits.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Lisha Li and Rosebud AI
(00:47) Lisha Li’s Career: Academia, Acting, VC, and AI
(07:54) The Genesis of Rosebud AI: Creating a Creative Consumer AI Product
(12:14) Navigating Game Development with AI
(17:43) Democratizing Game Creation with Rosebud
(31:20) Building Rosebud's AI-Powered Platform
(35:56) Looking Ahead: The Future of AI in Gaming
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Sara Beykpour: The Next Wave of AI’s Impact On Journalism
One could argue that the model for the news business is broken. So can AI help fix it? This week on Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano talks to Sara Beykpour, CEO and Co-founder of Particle. Particle is an AI-driven news platform designed to help people learn exactly what they want to know about what's going on in the world in the most efficient way possible. Michael and Sara talk about the central product role she played for groundbreaking products like Twitter, Vine, Secret, and Periscope, as well as why she started Particle and how AI could help make new business models work for publishers.
Sara has been on the forefront of creating novel media platforms throughout her entire career. She has built and launched three apps that set the stage for today’s multimedia social landscape online: Vine, Secret, and Periscope. She previously worked as Twitter’s Senior Director of Product Management, leading Twitter Blue, Twitter Video, and conversations.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Sara Beykpour
(00:58) Sara's Journey Through Silicon Valley's Startups
(02:43) The Early Days at Twitter and the Birth of Vine
(06:42) Vine's Impact, Decline, and Shutdown
(12:21) From Vine to Secret (Anonymous Social Media)
(14:45) The Periscope Era: Live Streaming's Rise
(21:47) Exploring the Evolution of Social Media and News Consumption
(22:26) The Impact of Twitter on News and Journalism
(27:57) Challenges and Innovations in News Consumption
(32:14) The Rise of Generative AI and Its Effects on News Publishing
(33:26) Leveraging AI in Particle for a New News Experience
(46:15) Exploring New Business Models for Journalism with AI
(49:28) Opportunities With Particle
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Andrew Feldman: Building the World’s Largest and Fastest Computer Chip for AI
Cerebras recently announced the launch of The Wafer Scale Engine Three. This is the largest and fastest chip in the history of chips.
This week on Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano talks to Andrew Feldman. Andrew is the CEO and cofounder of Cerebras, the hardware company that builds AI supercomputers known for its Wafer Scale Technology. The Wafer Scale Engine Three is about the size of a dinner plate and promises compute design for AI. Andrew and Michael talk about what it takes to have the conviction to make big bets and push the limits of hardware innovation.
Prior to Cerebras, Andrew co-founded and was CEO of SeaMicro, a pioneer of energy-efficient, high-bandwidth microservers. SeaMicro was acquired by AMD in 2012 for $357M. Before SeaMicro, Andrew was the Vice President of Product Management, Marketing and BD at Force10 Networks which was later sold to Dell Computing for $800M. Prior to Force10 Networks, Andrew was the Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Development at RiverStone Networks from the company’s inception through IPO in 2001.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Welcome to Generative: A Deep Dive into AI Supercomputing
(00:26) The Wafer Scale Engine 3
(00:56) Andrew Feldman's Journey: From Startup to AI Supercomputing Pioneer
(04:53) The Foresight in AI Chip Development: Outpacing the Giants
(07:32) The Wafer Scale Engine 3: A Technological Leap in AI Compute
(17:12) The Future of AI Compute: Expanding Horizons and Synthetic Data
(23:18) Challenges in Chip Design
(23:51) Innovations in Cooling and Powering Chips
(25:02) Overcoming Precedent Challenges
(26:40) The Revolutionary Impact of Wafer Scale Engine 3
(29:08) Diverse Customer Applications
(34:05) Future Directions in Chip Technology and AI Applications
(39:11) Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
Verity Harding: How to Build Trust in AI
When the world of AI feels so dramatically new, it’s hard to look anywhere except toward the future. But previous examples of technological innovation can teach us a lot about building public trust and collaboration.
This week on Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano talks to Verity Harding, one of TIME magazine’s most influential people in AI. Her debut book is AI Needs You: How We Can Change AI's Future and Save Our Own. She points to moments like the Space Race, the development of IVF, and the internet as inspiration for today’s potential regulatory framework for AI.
Verity is the Director of the AI and Geopolitics Project at the Bennett Institute of Public Policy at Cambridge. She also runs the tech consultancy Formation Advisory. She previously directed policy for Google DeepMind and worked for Deputy Prime Minister the Rt Hon Sir Nick Clegg.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Verity Harding
(01:36) Verity Harding's Transition from Politics to Google DeepMind
(08:28) AI Needs You: Unpacking the Book's Message
(11:43) Building Public Trust and Engagement in a Polarized Environment
(20:34) Advice for Builders Who Don’t Want to Decelerate
(24:11) Who are the Stakeholders of AI Governance?
(36:06) AI and the Future: Optimism, Challenges, and the Path Forward
(41:18) Closing Thoughts and Where to Find the Book
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
Alan Cowen: Creating Empathic AI with Hume
What if AI could understand what we, humans, are feeling? This week on Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano talks to Alan Cowen, CEO & Chief Scientist of Hume AI. Hume creates empathic AI that learns our preferences from our vocal and facial expressions. Their goal is to maximize our happiness and quality of life. Hume is now announcing their API for EVI, Hume’s Empathic Voice Interface.
The conversation covers Cowen's journey from being a researcher to founding Hume AI, the importance of emotional intelligence in AI for quality human interaction, and the potential to transform user experiences across various apps and devices. Plus, we ask how empathic AI could impact the road to AGI.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Alan Cowen & Hume Demo
(01:38) The Genesis of Hume AI: From Research to Startup
(04:01) Affective Computing and Its Impact
(10:55) Hume AI: Bridging Human Emotions and Technology
(15:37) The Future of AI: Beyond Text to Empathic Interactions
(20:37) Introducing EVI: Empathic Voice Interface
(21:46) Real-World Applications of Empathic AI
(31:19) The Potential Role of Empathic AI in Achieving AGI
(36:53) Trust and Privacy
(40:02) Opportunities with Hume AI
(41:18) Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Alex Heath: Tech Journalism in the AI Era
AI news moves fast. But reporters covering AI move faster. This week on the podcast, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano talks to journalist Alex Heath about predictions for independent model companies, the conversation around training data, and how journalists are adapting to AI disruptions. Alex Heath is the Deputy Editor of The Verge and the author of Command Line, a weekly newsletter about the tech industry’s inside conversation.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Alex Heath
(1:20) Inside the AI News Cycle
(6:41) Covering OpenAI and Meta Rebrand Breaking News
(10:14) Top of Mind Trends: Databricks, Perplexity, Meta
(13:35) Google’s AI Strategy and Gemini Fallout
(20:25) Second Order Effects of Microsoft’s Inflection Deal
(24:02) Journalism Adapting to AI & Future of Industry
(32:08) What’s Beyond SEO?
(36:19) The Value of Content in Training
(38:10) Elon Musk’s X and Grok
(41:11) Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Jordan Singer: Building AI Design Tools at Figma
Imagination becomes a reality when building the design tools of the future. This week on Generative Now, we’re talking with someone who has been tinkering with AI and design for about ten years. Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano talks to Jordan Singer, Product Designer at Figma, about how Figma acquired his startup Diagram, what it’s like building AI tools at Figma, and how the role of designers is evolving.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Jordan Singer
(01:19) Jordan Singer's Journey from Coder to Designer
(09:27) Creating the Experiment that Became a Startup
(14:10) Leaving Square to be CEO & Founder of Diagram
(22:09) Figma's Acquisition of Diagram
(30:24) Designers as Creative Directors in the AI Era
(37:14) Other Areas of Interest in AI
(40:41) Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Semil Shah: Venture Capital Trends in the Age of AI
Semil Shah, General Partner at Haystack and Venture Partner at Lightspeed, is known for at least two things: his insightful Twitter presence and his smart investments at Haystack VC. Semil joins Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano to talk venture capital insights and the unpredictable nature of startup success. The conversation also covers the evolving landscape of AI investments, the unique nature of Reddit's IPO, and the future of unique user-generated content. Additionally, they discuss the dynamics between LPs, venture funds, and startups in the current market environment.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Semil Shah
(03:31) Semil Shah’s Twitter Presence
(05:46) Navigating the AI Investment Landscape: Insights and Predictions
(10:19) The Role of Acquisitions and Talent in Shaping AI's Future
(18:57) Venture Capital Strategies
(19:33) Capital as a Weapon in Venture Capital
(23:27) The Art of Investment Decisions
(25:45) How AI has Changed the Venture Landscape
(27:52) The Venture Ecosystem: LPs, Funds, and Startups
(32:22) The Future of AI and Open Source
(36:26) The Reddit IPO: A Market Turning Point?
(41:21) Closing Thoughts
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Scott Belsky: Content Creators, Creativity, and Marketing in the AI Landscape
What is the role of a human content creator in a world with AI generated content? It’s a critical piece of the puzzle, according to Scott Belsky, Chief Strategy Officer and EVP of Design and Emerging Products at Adobe. Lightspeed Partner and Host Michael Mignano for a conversation about the evolution of marketing with generative content, the future of personalization, and overlooked opportunities in the AI landscape.
This conversation took place at the Robin Hood Opportunity x AI Summit. Robin Hood is the largest foundation fighting poverty in New York City. The group has invested nearly $3.5 billion over 35 years and Robin Hood supports all five boroughs with food pantries, high-performing schools, job-training programs, shelters and more. The group has a venture-like approach; they scale programs that are working and found new programs to fill gaps. Robin Hood has also announced $1 million challenges for tools using AI to fight poverty. You can learn more at https://www.aipovertychallenge.org/. You don't have to be a non-profit or based in NYC to apply.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Robin Hood Opportunity x AI Summit.
(00:43) Robinhood: Fighting Poverty with AI
(01:42) Scott Belsky on AI and Creativity
(02:02) The Impact of AI on the Creative Process
(05:16) The Role of Creators
(6:28) AI Generated Content on Social Media
(9:09) Customers Inspiring Product Development
(11:09) The Hyper Personalization of Digital Experiences
(15:07) Overlooked Business Opportunities in AI
(19:48) How AIs Can Scale SMBs
(21:56) Legal Risks with Enterprise Adoption
(26:12) Custom Tuned Models Generated From IP
(27:44) The Rise of AI Agents
(30:22) Why Scott Belsky is An AI Optimist
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Gary Hustwit: Revolutionizing Filmmaking with Generative AI
Since the beginning of cinema, movies have held to the same format - a linear narrative, told the same way each time. Filmmaker Gary Hustwit wants to change all that. With his new documentary Eno, he’s broken the mold on movies. Hustwit has harnessed the power of generative AI to produce a movie you can never see twice. Through careful editing and groundbreaking software development, Hustwit and his collaborators built an engine that assembles a one-of-a-kind movie for every viewing. Same footage, different sequence. You have to see it to believe it.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Gary Hustwit
(04:06) “Eno,” Generative Film about Brian Eno
(10:14) Making a Movie That’s Different Every Time
(13:04) Programming a Generative Film
(15:56) Poetry, Code and Software
(19:09) Role of Human Editors
(21:09) How will Streaming Platforms Adapt?
(24:44) AI Disrupting Traditional Filmmaking
(28:19) Sora from OpenAI
(32:07) Anamorph, Filmmaking and Technology Company
(36:45) What’s Next for Gary Hustwit
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Mikey Shulman: Suno and the Sound of AI Music
Most of the hype around AI has revolved around its text capabilities, and the powers of LLMs like ChatGPT. But Suno is focusing on the unsung hero of AI - music. Suno is building a future where anyone can make good music - all you need to do is type in a prompt, and out will come a song that’s never existed before. Mikey Shulman, CEO and Co-Founder of Suno, joins Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano to talk through the intricacies of programming for sound, and what this technology could mean for music.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Mikey Shulman and Suno
(04:03) How transcribing S&P earnings calls inspired Suno
(08:41) There’s no Common Crawl for audio - they had to make their own
(12:37) Hacking text-to-speech to make music
(16:25) What’s the product market fit for generative music?
(21:15) How will AI change the format of music?
(28:44) Suno’s highlight reel so far
(31:39) Designing with the end user in mind
(38:26) Can AI transcend the creativity ceiling?
(40:48) How does Mikey think regulation and music rights will shake out?
(46:19) Is Suno hiring?
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Gustav Söderström: Catapulting Spotify to the Front of the AI Revolution
Spotify’s personalized recommendations have set it apart from the pack of music streaming platforms for years. Those curated recommendations have only gotten stronger with the onset of AI, with the ability to power things like your own personal AI DJ. In this episode, Spotify’s Co-President, CPO & CTO, Gustav Söderström, joins host and Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano to talk about building UX that can power more efficient AI, the future of AGI, and what the technology could look live over the next few iterations.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) An introduction to Gustav Söderström
(01:29) How Spotify became one of the first consumer AI companies
(05:57) A philosophical shift: UI that works for AI, not the other way around
(12:52) “Talk is cheap, so do a lot of it”
(15:00) Building for the tech we will have, not the tech we do have
(19:43) What will AI do for media creation?
(25:00) The Wild West of model training
(29:45) How anthropomorphizing AI can help you understand its potential
(37:04) What happens when cognitive labor gets automated?
(40:42) How much more intelligent could AI get?
(47:45) Is AGI on the horizon, or already here?
(53:48) Should we be worried about AGI?
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Sarah Guo and Elad Gil: The Future of AI Investing
In this episode, long-time entrepreneur and startup investor Elad Gil and former Greylock General Partner and Conviction founder Sarah Guo join host and Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano to take a look at the broadening world of AI investing. The three discuss the surprise of ChatGPT3, the future of AI consumer products, and the potential UI evolution AI platforms could bring.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Sarah Guo and Elad Gil, investors extraordinaire
(03:45) 2023 was the year of AI - did they see it coming?
(11:12) The go-forward opportunity for foundational models
(16:31) What does the next app wave look like?
(19:01) Who’s winning AI: Consumer or Enterprise??
(23:35) Will SMBs leverage AI or will SMBs be the new BigCo’s as a result of AI??
(31:30) Vertically integrated models
(39:54) Chat as an interface: the future or the past?
(49:19) Hardware x AI
(55:45) Will Web3 be the way to verify authenticity?
(01:00:11) Where is regulation headed?
(01:02:13) Where to listen to No Priors
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Ariel Cohen: How Navan Leveled Up with a Pivot to AI
Generative AI took the world by storm with the launch of ChatGPT, and set companies worldwide scrambling to catch up to the possibilities. Navan, the only integrated business travel and expense solution, knew it had to run hard towards AI. Navan co-founder and CEO Ariel Cohen sat down with host and Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano to discuss the mechanics of shifting a big company on the fly, and how Navan managed to pull it off.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Ariel Cohen and Navan
(06:39) How Navan makes business travel less of a headache
(10:11) Navan leverages personalization to make bookings more efficient
(12:38) Leveling up on expense tracking through innovation
(17:34) How a company with a $500 million run rate ran hard towards AI
(23:29) UI’s post-AI future
(25:29) The mechanics of pivoting a 3,000 person team in a new direction
(29:09) Will AI be a platform shift?
(33:07) Navan uses AI to make expenses a breeze
(39:09) A look into the year ahead for Navan
(39:58) Is Navan hiring?
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Steve Ruiz: The TLDR of the Collaborative Whiteboard tldraw
A collaborative digital whiteboard. Sounds simple, right? Steve Ruiz, founder of tldraw, found out the hard way that building this kind of tool was anything but easy. Steve joins host and Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano to talk about iterating with an audience, following a problem through to its end, and his take on the future of open source software.
Episode Chapters
[00:00] Introduction to Steve Ruiz, founder of tldraw
[07:41] Building out an audience by building out the perfect arrow graphic
[12:42] Your idea of the end result shifts the way you build the product
[14:20] How the quest to draw the perfect line kicked off Steve’s development career
[19:10] Twitter spurred on Steve’s developer chops
[25:16] Steve’s philosophy on open source
[27:41] Perfect Freehand’s perfect line led to tldraw’s perfect whiteboard
[31:04] Taking 6 months off to see the whiteboard project through
[36:14] A split in the road - go to Adobe or go all in on tldraw?
[41:26] What ChatGPT-4 Vision brought to tldraw
[46:36] Making a collaborative whiteboard into an AI-powered web developer
[54:07] Make Real’s tension - developer tool or end user product?
[59:15] What else will AI open up for tldraw?
[01:04:21] Is tldraw hiring?
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Adam Wenchel: How Arthur AI is Making LLMs Trustworthy
Over the last year, AI and LLMs have experienced an explosion of use. But the tech isn’t foolproof - hedging and hallucinations are just a couple of the concerns. That’s where Arthur AI comes in. They’ve built out firewalls, validation tools, and benchmarks to make sure that an LLM’s answer is one you can trust, whether you’re a military contractor or investment broker. Arthur AI Co-Founder and CEO Adam Wenchel sat down with Lightspeed Partner and Host Michael Mignano to talk about just how Arthur AI is allowing for the safe, responsible, and trustworthy adoption of AI.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Intro to Adam Wenchel, co-founder and CEO of Arthur AI
(5:31) Working on AI at DARPA 20 years ago
(8:39) From cybersecurity to Capital One
(14:20) How Arthur lends transparency to AI decision-making
(21:45) ChatGPT ripped up Arthur AI’s roadmap
(26:18) Arthur AI’s guardrails can make AI trustworthy
(31:46) Who will win the LLM wars?
(37:00) What the ChatGPT sea change looked like at Arthur AI
(44:22) How Arthur AI’s firewall clamps down on hallucinations
(47:11) Are we on the right path for regulation?
(51:22) Adam’s prediction for the year ahead? Unpredictability
(52:39) Is Arthur AI hiring?
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Looking Back on 2023
In this last episode of 2023, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano takes a look back at the first ten episodes of Generative Now to share a few favorite moments.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Introduction
(00:41) Connor Zwick on sneaking into early Berkeley courses on AI
(04:08) Max Child on being first to a new platform
(07:49) Gaurav Misra on how product market fit and a surprise $500k changed their business plan
(15:19) Hilary Mason on the nuanced definitions in AI
(20:57) Victor Riparbelli on the new paradigm AI can bring into being
(23:58) Scott Belsky on his AI “aha” moment
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Klinton Bicknell: Leveraging AI to Power Language Learning
Duolingo is a worldwide powerhouse for consumers looking to learn a language, with a reputation for being engaging and interactive. Less known? All that AI does to power it.
In this episode, Duolingo’s Head of AI sits down with Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano to chat about AI’s exponential growth, the connection between AI and the human brain, and what comes next.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Klinton Bicknell at the Generative NYC Meet-Up
(03:04) What separates the human mind from an LLM?
(08:15) What exactly makes Duolingo an AI company?
(10:49) Why a behemoth like Duolingo can keep pace with nimble startups
(13:33) How will AI transform learning down the line?
(18:36) Caught off guard by ChatGPT
(21:19) What will AI revolutionize beyond education?
(22:48) Audience Q & A - Solving tricky learning modalities with AI
(25:53) Audience Q & A - Is AI development nearing a plateau?
(29:45) Audience Q & A - Quality vs. Quantity of data
(32:15) Audience Q & A - Harnessing AI’s learning efficiencies
(33:57) Audience Q & A - Will language-learning become obsolete?
(38:30) Audience Q & A - How AI can teach pronunciation
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Gaurav Misra: Building an AI-Powered Creative Studio
Captions.AI is taking the world of video creation by storm. With features like AI-corrected eye contact and automatic captions in 28 languages, more creators than ever can bring their ideas to life. Captions.AI Co-Founder and CEO Gaurav Misra joined Lightspeed Partner and Host Michael Mignano for a conversation spanning from his days as a design engineer at Snap to finding a surprise $500k in his Apple account.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) An intro to Gaurav Misra, co-founder and CEO of Captions.AI
(06:03) Gaurav got an early start in startups
(09:24) Getting a phD in machine learning before it was cool
(12:04) From Lattice Engines to Microsoft to Localytics
(17:26) Making the leap to Snapchat’s elite engineering team
(20:57) Keeping innovation alive at a huge consumer company
(26:48) Being on the ground floor of Snapchat’s major feature overhauls
(30:47) Leaving Snapchat to found a top-tier AI company
(33:48) It all started as a social network
(38:10) The happy accident of the original Captions.AI tool
(44:08) They raised a series A for the social network only to find a $500k surprise
(50:00) Building a text-based video editor from the ground up
(58:25) Beyond the editor - launching the AI-powered Lipdub
(01:04:14) What will video editing look like 5 years from now?
(01:06:52) Is Captions.AI hiring?
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Kylan Gibbs: How Inworld is Bringing Games to Life with AI NPCs
Kylan Gibbs got his start in social sciences, but after stumbling into startups via a winning pitch at a Singaporean business competition, he never looked back. He spent time as co-founder of FlowX, a consultant at Bain & Company, and Product Manager at Google. Kylan talked with Lightspeed Partner and Host Michael Mignano about where he’s at today, and how Inworld AI is leveling up is changing the way people interact with games throughAI powered NPCs.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Intro to Inworld’s Co-Founder
(11:16) How a background in social science helped launch AI interactive gaming
(17:54) Accidental success with FlowX - building infrastructure for autonomous vehicles
(23:41) Innovating in a traditional firm - Kylan’s experience at Bain & Co.
(28:49) Generative AI has massive untapped capacity
(30:44) How Inworld brings the world of gaming to life
(33:48) Making social puzzles part of the core gameplay
(39:45) Leveraging unique interaction without derailing the plot
(44:04) A day in the life of a Chief Product Officer
(47:17) Keeping the lid on hallucination
(51:08) Scaling up over long time horizons
(54:40) AI can level up gaming with more than just characters
(01:02:19) Inworld works beyond the world of gaming
(01:04:44) ChatGPT woke up the market
(01:09:49) Is Inworld hiring?
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Edo Liberty: How Pinecone Revolutionized AI’s Long-Term Memory
Pinecone is one of the preeminent companies building in the generative AI space. Pinecone is able to integrate AI models and vector search databases to ensure that AI applications are getting the most relevant and up to date information as quickly as possible. Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano spoke with Pinecone Founder and CEO Edo Liberty at a Generative NYC meet-up in early 2023.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) An intro to Edo Liberty and Pinecone
(04:02) “It’s either now or never.”
(05:11) Building the “smartest person in the room”
(06:48) Giving AI the context it needs
(08:02) Building an AI startup before it was the coolest thing in the world
(12:09) Incumbents vs. Startups - where do we go from here?
(14:41) “We’ve been stumbling in the dark and someone flipped the switch.”
(16:52) Model dominance vs. Vector database dominance
(19:01) What role do vector databases play in a world of LLMs?
(21:29) Go-to-market insights from Pinecone
(23:26) An on-the-fly feature request
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Dan Siroker: Giving Humans the Superpower of Perfect Memory
Rewind is a personalized AI powered by everything you’ve seen, said, or heard. Rewind’s co-founder and CEO Dan Siroker lived several lifetimes before starting the company: product manager at Google, Director of Analytics for the 2008 Obama campaign, and co-founder of Optimizely. Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano spent some time with Dan talking about the roads that got him to Rewind, and where he sees things going next.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Early days
(06:32) How going deaf inspired products that give humans superpowers
(09:53) How A/B testing helped Obama win
(12:57) The worst ways to come up with startup ideas
(14:36) A breakthrough at Y Combinator
(18:42) Getting Optimizely off the ground
(22:18) Customer empathy is the most important thing
(23:50) Bad advice for a CEO
(25:45) How Dan’s “grass is greener” mentality led to Rewind
(27:31) What exactly is Rewind?
(31:03) How Rewind is creating a shift in user behavior
(36:22) Hacking the standard fundraising model
(40:26) The mechanics of Rewind for macOS and iOS
(44:58) New Rewind release: the Rewind Pendant
(47:48) How Rewind thinks about privacy
(50:43) Privacy product decisions
(53:21) Incumbents’ next moves
(57:27) When will the Rewind Pendant be available?
(01:01:04) Is Rewind hiring?
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Hilary Mason: Deterministic vs. Probabilistic, and How AI is Changing Storytelling
Hilary Mason was on the ground floor of data science research, and now she’s bringing that same pioneering spirit to generative AI. For this episode, Host and Partner at Lightspeed, Michael Mignano, talks with Hilary about how to safeguard probabilistic systems and how researchers and founders can form the most effective teams.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) - Intro
(05:18) - A founder’s thoughts - NYC vs. Silicon Valley
(09:50) - Why Hilary thinks non-linear storytelling was wrong
(13:44) - Understanding online traffic through bit.ly
(15:57) - The taxonomy of data science
(19:06) - Founding Fast Forward Labs - “Hire your nerd best friend”
(23:05) - Can academia and startups coexist?
(26:50) - Machine learning (ML) vs. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
(34:00) - Selling Fast Forward Labs to Cloudera
(38:51) - Hidden Door’s inception
(44:29) - The challenge - and opportunity - of AI hallucinations
(48:07) - What is Hidden Door?
(52:38) - Building an architecture for unstructured input
(57:38) - How can you try Hidden Door?
(01:00:45) - Shifting the software engineer mindset
(01:04:17) - How will product-building shift with generative AI?
(01:07:34) - Is AI hype dangerous?
(01:12:36) - Where to learn more about Hidden Door
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Max Child: Reinventing Gaming for the AI Era
In this episode of Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano sits down with Max Child, CEO and Co-Founder of Volley. Volley led the charge of voice controlled gaming that uses Alexa as a platform. Max gives an inside look into what it was like to be a platform pioneer, and all the steps along the way.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) - Intro
(05:11) - Lessons from The Harvard Crimson
(07:14) - How a failed dating app launched Max’s coding career
(11:47) - From Infatuation restaurant critic to iOS developer
(19:30) - The birth of chat-based games
(21:17) - Chatbots: 2015 vs. 2023
(25:34) - Amazon Echo and Volley's breakthrough
(28:15) - The trouble with being first to market
(34:00) - Expanding from little speakers to big screens
(38:57) - Voice AI stack enables natural communication for non-gamers
(41:39) - Why isn’t Siri as good as ChatGPT?
(46:13) - Why generative AI is a game-changer for Volley
(58:34) - How generative AI has infected Volley’s strategy
(01:02:44) - The second annual Cerebral Valley
(01:07:58) - Is Volley hiring?
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Scott Belsky: How Startups (And Incumbents) Can get Ahead of the AI Curve
In this episode of Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner and host Michael Mignano showcases a live, in-person interview from a Generative Meet-Up in early 2023. Michael sat down with Adobe’s Chief Strategy Officer & EVP, Design & Emerging Products, Scott Belsky. The two discussed Adobe’s AI initiatives, what’s on the horizon for the industry, and how the future of AI can take us back toward the intimate communities of our past.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) - Introduction
(02:00) - Interview with Scott Belsky
(05:18) - The origins of AI at Adobe
(07:18) -Firefly: past, present, and future
(09:25) - Startups v. incumbents
(11:28) - The personalization wave
(13:04) - The good and bad of hyper-personalized experiences
(15:15) - Verify, then trust: the future of content authenticity
(16:20) - Will AI enable creators or creative directors?
(18:40) - Compensating IP in an AI-first world
(22:16) - How LLMs will transform the way we work
(26:05) - Generative AI products Scott wants to see exist
(27:28) - Audience Q&A
(39:24) - Outro
Stay in touch:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Connor Zwick: Making Language Immersion Possible Through AI
Connor Zwick was a formidable founder on the day he graduated high school, and that hasn’t changed in the intervening years. He’s the founder of Flashcards+, which was acquired by Chegg, and CEO and co-founder of Speak, the cutting edge app using AI speech models to help users perfect their conversational English. In this episode, Connor Zwick sits down with host and Partner at Lightspeed Michael Mignano to talk software iteration, finding a useful use case, and building a new business abroad.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) - Intro to Connor Zwick
(04:48) - Building Flashcards in high school
(08:42) - Lessons from Flashcards product market fit pull and how to value for sale
(13:31) - The hype of becoming a Thiel Fellow
(23:45) - Sneaking into a Berkeley graduate course on reinforcement learning
(27:45) - John Schulman built OpenAI’s playground for a homework assignment
(36:07) - The big AI unlocks went to incumbents
(38:33) - ChatGPT proved that UI matters
(41:49) - Language learning models don’t need perfection to be viable
(46:40) - Speak is a painkiller for English language-learners, not a vitamin for English speakers
(57:09) - Operating in San Francisco while iterating in Seoul
(01:05:13) - What does product market fit feel like?
(01:09:30) - One-on-one tutors are the holy grail of education
(01:14:33) - The moving goalposts of AGI
(01:17:17) - Is Speak hiring?
Stay in touch:
- www.lsvp.com
- X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
- Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
- Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Victor Riparbelli: Why the Future of Video is Synthetic
In this first episode of Generative Now, Victor Riparbelli, Co-Founder and CEO of Synthesia, joins Host and Partner at Lightspeed, Michael Mignano. The two discuss democratizing video production, the role of regulation in AI’s future, and what it takes to make it through three years in the wilderness.
Episode Chapters
(00:00) - Welcome to Generative Now
(05:28) - Learning startup strategy from World of Warcraft
(15:09) - Is your product a utility or a novelty?
(16:09) - Synthesia's cofounder on Jimmy Kimmel
(21:43) - Replacing physical video production
(26:05) - Finding product market fit
(28:30) - 1,000x easier and cheaper
(30:21) - Three years in the wilderness
(33:42) - ChatGPT’s ripples on Synthesia
(39:52) - The life cycle of a hype cycle
(44:00) - Is the camera dead?
(52:58) - AI safety: building on an ethical framework
(1:02:24) - AI-native formats
(1:07:44) - How Synthesia landed Mark Cuban as an investor
Stay in touch:
- www.lsvp.com
- X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
- Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
- Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Introducing Generative Now
Generative Now is a new podcast from Lightspeed dedicated to highlighting the stories, strategies and insights behind today's most exciting AI companies. Host Michael Mignano, Partner at Lightspeed and Co-Founder of Anchor, speaks with Founders, Engineers, Designers and other leaders that are leveraging AI to take their products to new heights.
Stay in touch:
- www.lsvp.com
- X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
- Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
- Email: generativenow@lsvp.com
The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Fler poddar
Podcasten Generative Now | AI Builders on Creating the Future är skapad av Lightspeed Venture Partners. Podcastens innehåll och bilderna på den här sidan hämtas med hjälp av det offentliga podcastflödet (RSS).
En liten tjänst av I'm With Friends. Finns även på engelska.