AI on Tap

AI Venture Pulse

5.0 (2)
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Welcome to the AI on Tap, where the future of technology meets business innovation. Join us as we dive into the dynamic world of artificial intelligence startups and investments. Each episode features candid interviews with the brightest minds in the AI industry – from pioneering startup founders to visionary investors.

JAN 22

Building a non-linear career in AI - a reflection on LLM in real life, building start up with Enoch

Hope you all had a relaxing holiday season! Join us for an episode filled with laughter and reflection as we sit down with our friend Enoch. We explore his inspiring journey—from growing up in Hong Kong to studying in the US, giving up a PhD for work opportunities, move to the UK, becoming a technologist with an artistic heart, and ultimately discovering his passion for building startups.

1h 2m
09/07/2024

Interview with Xuhui Shao, Partner at Foothill Ventures and Early Investor in WeRide, Otter AI, Bubble, D-Matrix

In today's episode, we're thrilled to have our first VC guest, Xuhui Shao, the managing partner at Foothill Ventures. With a $250 million fund focused on early-stage deep tech investments, Xuhui brings a wealth of knowledge from the venture capital world. Before diving into venture capital, Xuhui had an impressive career in engineering analytics at startups, and held significant roles at Yahoo and other tech giants. Xuhui's Journey: From an engineer to a VC, learn about his transition and the insights gained from both worlds. Deep Dive into Deep Tech: Explore Foothill Ventures' focus areas including software, deep tech, and life science, and discover some of their notable investments like WeRide. The WeRide Story: Hear about the rollercoaster journey of WeRide, from its inception to its upcoming IPO, and the strategic bets that paid off. Investment Philosophy: Xuhui shares his approach to investment, emphasizing the importance of backing people and technology in complex fields. Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Investors: Xuhui gives advice for young people looking to join the startup world. Chapters (Powered by ChapterMe) - 00:00 - Introducing our first investor interview 00:55 - Recap & Highlights 02:13 - Intro for Xuhui Shao 03:32 - WeRide's upcoming IPO 07:51 - WeRide's CEO Tony's leadership and teams resilience 11:45 - AI deals at the highest level in 2 years, what's Xuhui's take on this? 14:49 - Key areas for AI funding 16:43 - Key investment highlights 2024 18:51 - Infrastructure company investment paid off 20:07 - Google's foresight and missed opportunities in AI 21:27 - Which companies did Xuhui wish he invested in? 22:09 - Power law, great companies, risktaking 27:01 - Portfolio design and risk management 30:07 - Foothill Ventures's key focus this year 33:42 - Jumped into startup as firstgeneration immigrant 35:35 - Advantages of joining a startup over big companies 38:55 - How to evaluate a start up? Employee vs VC mindset 42:30 - PhD An overlooked path for tech founders right now? 44:21 - Deep tech companies rely on immigrants, PhDs 47:25 - Key founder characteristics perseverance, grit, dedication #aivp #aiventurepulse #InvestorInsights #StartupFunding #TechStartups #AIInvestments #VentureFunding #EmergingTech #BusinessGrowth #FoundersJourney #TechTrends #VentureVisionsPodcast #VentureCapital #DeepTech #StartupLife #Innovation #TechInvesting #Entrepreneurship #WeRide #FoothillVentures #TechPodcasts

54 min
08/01/2024

Special - Fireside Chat with Sean Chen, Building EdTech Startup at Antler London

Today's episode is a special one, where we have a fireside chat with our friend Sean Chen. Recently, Sean quitted his job at Sam's Club and moved from SF Bay Area to London. He's all in to pursue his startup dream. We debated a lot on our opinions regarding Big Tech vs Startup for career, especially as young expats. And we also shared some of the caveats for people working in Big Tech looking to switch roles/join startup. If you have anything to share from your perspective, we'd love to hear from you! Chapters - 00:00 - Intro Clips 01:31 - Seans career highlights data scientist, PM, startup, blind 05:26 - Sean's international background - China, Australia, UK, US 07:31 - Deep dive in Data Science career 13:08 - Enjoy any job as your own product 17:43 - Big corporate vs start up life 23:15 - TypeScript and Python as AI tools 25:21 - Expanding team, finding complementary skillsets 28:13 - Application to Y Combinators 29:45 - Antler vs YC

38 min
07/16/2024

AI Therapist in your pocket? Making mental health accessible to everyone - Sonia (YC W24)

Is this the future of AI Therapy? We are excited to have Chris Aeberli, the Co-founder at #sonia (#ycombinator W24), on the show to talk about his #vision for the #future of #mentalhealth and how #ai (#llm) can play a critical role in making therapy free and accessible for everyone, across the world. Chapters - 00:00 - Highlights 00:37 - Sonia intro 01:25 - Chris intro - international founder in US, MIT, and more 02:39 - Where did the name "Sonia" come from? 04:31 - Building a start up 05:11 - Unofficial Entrepreneur in ResidenceUnofficial Entrepreneur in Residence experience at Verkada 06:20 - Current state of mental health 08:53 - 2 things you need to get right when you build AI theraphist 11:20 - Teaching AI to "think" as a therapist 14:51 - Most important data in training & fine-tuning? 16:52 - What is the user journey? 19:33 - Most loved feature with Sonia so far? 23:40 - Usage drop-off? vs talking in person with therapist 24:59 - Organic growth vs paid growth? 26:53 - Potential business-to-business (B2B) collaboration? 27:18 - Sonia's plan for the future #aivp #podcast #ai #interview #startup #business #innovation #therapy #ml #sonia #ycombinator #mentalhealth #health

30 min
06/12/2024

AI Meets Handicraft: Local Marketplace Gamechanger - LocalBy

In today's episode, we're glad to interview Jackie Bernhelm, Founder and CEO of LocalBy. Previously, Jackie was the director at Google's internal incubator Area 120, and has been a growth equity and angel investor and startup PM. LocalBy is transforming how we discover and buy unique, handmade goods directly from local makers. Using cutting-edge technology like LLMs, generative media, and image recognition, LocalBy optimizes the local shopping experience. #marketplace #startup #AI #AIVP #retail #gigeconomy

30 min
06/07/2024

Unify (YC W23) - Building LLM Router with Daniel Lenton

Welcome back to AI Venture Pulse! In today's episode, we dive deep into the world of Unify.ai, a groundbreaking LLM-router startup aiming to revolutionize how we use Large Language Models (LLMs) across various models and providers. Daniel also shared his journey and insights at YCombinator, the top startup accelerator in the world, and pivoting the strategy coming out of it. Too busy to watch but want to stay on top of AI startup deep dive? Check out our newsletter at AI Venture Pulse. #machinelearning #nvidia #funding #llm #ycombinator #AI #AIVP #AIVenturePulse #Innovation #Startup #Invest

33 min
05/29/2024

AI and Wholesale: Bazarr.ai Building the Future of Wholesale Market Making

🔍 AI-Powered Deal Engine for Wholesalers Bazarr.ai stands out by providing an AI deal engine designed to help online wholesalers grow through AI-generated resale deals. Alon shares how this innovative approach is changing the landscape of wholesale by making processes more efficient and profitable. #AI #AIVP #AIVenturePulse #Wholesale #Innovation #Startup #Invest

32 min
04/10/2024

The “Uber/Lyft” of Non-Emergency Medical Transport — Nirav Chheda of Bambi

We're glad to have Co-Founder and CEO of Bambi, Nirav Chheda on our show. Bambi is a company offering AI-optimized scheduling, routing, dispatching, and business management for US NEMT (Non-emergency medical transport) businesses. Landscape: NEMT is a $10 billion industry. Projected to more than double over the next ten years because the entire baby boomer generation is now getting into the age range where they need non-emergency medical transport services. Supply is having a hard time catching up. #Logistics #Transporation #Medical # Software #AI #Optimization

28 min
03/17/2024

Computer Vision for ... Chicken Farming

This time, we're glad to have conversation with CEO ⁠Imtiaz Shams⁠ of FLOX. FLOX utilizes computers to improve animal welfare for modern farming. It monitors the condition of chickens in the sheds, providing feedback and compliance solutions for farmers and integrators.

25 min
02/01/2024

Revolutionizing Film Industry with Generative AI — Russell Palmer (CyberFilm AI)

Revolutionizing Hollywood with Generative AI, CyberFilm AI is setting the stage for a new era of storytelling. Co-founder and CEO Russell Palmer shared his story from leading AI/ML products in big tech to launching CyberFilm AI, funded by renowned Angel Investor Jason Calacanis. Check out our newsletter at: https://www.aiventurepulse.com/ Try out Saga from CyberFilm AI at: https://writeonsaga.com/

57 min

10 Episodes

out of 5

2 Ratings

Creator

AI Venture Pulse
Years Active

2024 - 2025
Episodes

10
Rating

Clean
Show Website

AI on Tap

AI on Tap

Episodes

Building a non-linear career in AI - a reflection on LLM in real life, building start up with Enoch

Interview with Xuhui Shao, Partner at Foothill Ventures and Early Investor in WeRide, Otter AI, Bubble, D-Matrix

Special - Fireside Chat with Sean Chen, Building EdTech Startup at Antler London

AI Therapist in your pocket? Making mental health accessible to everyone - Sonia (YC W24)

AI Meets Handicraft: Local Marketplace Gamechanger - LocalBy

Unify (YC W23) - Building LLM Router with Daniel Lenton

AI and Wholesale: Bazarr.ai Building the Future of Wholesale Market Making

The “Uber/Lyft” of Non-Emergency Medical Transport — Nirav Chheda of Bambi

Computer Vision for ... Chicken Farming

Revolutionizing Film Industry with Generative AI — Russell Palmer (CyberFilm AI)

Ratings & Reviews

About

Information