Generative Now | AI Builders on Creating the Future

Lightspeed Venture Partners
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.

  1. Bucky Moore: The Next Decade of AI Infrastructure

    3 DAYS AGO

    Bucky Moore: The Next Decade of AI Infrastructure

    This week, Lightspeed Partner Mike Mignano sits down with his colleague Bucky Moore, a fellow partner at Lightspeed to explore the rapidly shifting landscape of AI and infrastructure. They unpack the evolution from hardware to cloud to AI-native architectures, the growing momentum behind open-source models, and the rise of AI agents and reinforcement learning environments. Bucky also shares how his early days at Cisco shaped his bottom-up view of enterprise software, and why embracing the new is the key to spotting trillion-dollar opportunities. Episode Chapters:  (00:00) Introduction to the Conversation (00:38) Bucky Moore's Background and Early Career (01:39) Insights from Cisco: Old World Meets New World (03:54) Transition to Venture Capital (08:15) The Evolution of Infrastructure Investment (15:50) Impact of AI on Infrastructure (24:37) Training AI Agents: Challenges and Innovations (25:07) The Future of Reinforcement Learning Environments (25:51) Infrastructure for AI Agents (26:49) Emerging Opportunities in AI Infrastructure (28:58) The Impact of Salesforce's Data Policies (33:00) The Evolution of AI Compute (39:47) The Role of New AI Architectures (42:47) The Future of Venture Capital in AI (46:44) Predicting the Next Trillion-Dollar AI Companies 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.

    48 min
  2. Moritz Baier-Lentz: How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Gaming

    19 JUN

    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: www.lsvp.com www.lsvp.com/gametheory  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.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.

    43 min
  3. How Jobs Will Change as AI Gets Better

    12 JUN

    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 Work00:20 Exploring AI's Impact on the Workforce01:14 The Co-Pilot Phase of AI02:47 AI in Investment Banking and Consulting06:00 Artificial Super Intelligence: The Next Frontier09:33 Mikey Shulman on AI's Role in Creativity11:59 Anu Atluru on AI Transforming Medicine20:18 Marissa Mayer on AI's Organizational Impact26:56 Conclusion: Embracing AI's Potential 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.

    28 min
  4. Reinventing Wall Street: Rogo’s AI Revolution with Gabriel Stengel

    5 JUN

    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: 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.

    43 min
  5. Mike Krieger: Product Building Lessons from Instagram and Anthropic (Encore)

    29 MAY

    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: 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.

    54 min
  6. Arvind Jain: Why Now Is the Time to Solve Enterprise Search (Encore)

    22 MAY

    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: 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.

    45 min
  7. Chris Pedregal + Sam Stephenson: Making Meetings More Effective with Granola

    15 MAY

    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: 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.

    38 min
  8. Jon Noronha: How Gamma’s big bet on AI paid off

    8 MAY

    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: 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.

    40 min
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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.

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