Venture with Grace

Grace Gong
  • 4.8 (22)
  • Investing
  • Daily

I host a top VC podcast called Smart Venture Podcast (SVPpro.com). Past guests include C-level/VPs of Google, Meta, Amazon, Sephora, Dunkin' Donuts, Chipotle, Pepsi, Instagram, Deloitte, Reddit, Lyft, etc. Managing Partners of top funds (many were featured on the Forbes Midas List) and unicorn founders (founders of Craigslist, Square, Loom, Cruise, etc.) Venture with Grace is my new spin-off series that features top LPs, GPs, solo GPs, Angel Investors, top AI founders, and other experts in tech and business to cover specific domain expertise. Watch this Live on LinkedIn/ YouTube: Grace Gong

  1. 2d ago

    Jerry Tworek, Core Automation CEO on AI Reasoning, Agents and Research

    Jerry Tworek is the Co-Founder and CEO of Core Automation, an AI research lab focused on automating AI research and developing new approaches to machine learning. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~Before founding Core Automation in 2026, Jerry spent nearly seven years at OpenAI, where he rose to Vice President of Research. His work spanned neural program synthesis, reinforcement learning, and language model reasoning, with major contributions to ChatGPT, GPT-4, Codex, and the development of OpenAI’s o1 and o3 reasoning models. At Core Automation, he is pursuing a new vision for AI development: building systems that automate research workflows while exploring learning algorithms and architectures beyond conventional large-scale pretraining. His work focuses on how AI systems can become better at reasoning, learn from experience, and help accelerate the research process itself.Topics What it takes to build systems that can solve increasingly complex problems.Automating AI research with agents, including how systems work.Moving beyond conventional pretraining toward continual learning.#ArtificialIntelligence #AIResearch #AgenticAI #MachineLearning #AIReasoning

  2. 2d ago

    Vitaly Gordon, Faros AI Leaders on AI Engineering & GTM

    Vitaly Gordon is the Co-founder and CEO of Faros, a company working at the intersection of AI and software engineering to help organizations manage agentic software factories. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Before founding Faros, Vitaly served as VP of Engineering at Salesforce, where he founded Salesforce Einstein, one of the first comprehensive enterprise AI platforms. His experience spans engineering leadership, enterprise AI, and building systems that bring machine learning into real-world business workflows. At Faros, he is focused on helping organizations understand and manage the growing role of AI agents in software development, as engineering teams move toward increasingly automated workflows. As AI agents take on more coding and engineering tasks, companies face new challenges in measuring productivity, coordinating work, and maintaining visibility across increasingly complex software delivery processes.Topics Managing agentic software factories and measuring AI's impact on engineering productivityPositioning and scaling AI infrastructure startups through effective go-to-market strategiesHow AI engineering intelligence connects developer workflows, productivity metrics, and business outcomes#ArtificialIntelligence #AIAgents #SoftwareEngineering #DeveloperProductivity #StartupGrowth

  3. 2d ago

    Juha Vartiainen, IQM Co-Founder on Quantum Computing & Global Strategy

    Dr. Juha Vartiainen is the Co-Founder and Chief Global Affairs Officer of IQM Quantum Computers, a European quantum computing company developing full-stack superconducting quantum computers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~He co-founded IQM in 2018 as a spin-out from Aalto University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, serving as Chief Operating Officer before moving into global affairs. In his current role, Juha works at the intersection of quantum technology, industrial strategy, and geopolitics, engaging with governments, policymakers, and strategic partners to advance quantum computing adoption and strengthen sovereign quantum capabilities. With a PhD in quantum computing and a background spanning software engineering, medical diagnostics, and space technology, he brings both technical and operational experience to the challenge of commercializing advanced computing. His work focuses on translating scientific breakthroughs into scalable quantum systems and helping shape Europe’s role in the emerging global quantum economy.Topics Moving quantum computing from scientific research to commercially deployable systemsBuilding a global quantum industry through government partnerships, sovereign capabilities, and international technology strategyScaling deep-tech companies from university spin-outs to global businesses #QuantumComputing #DeepTech #QuantumTechnology #EuropeanTech #FutureOfComputing

  4. 6d ago

    Boris Sofman, Bedrock Robotics CEO on Scaling Autonomous Construction

    Boris Sofman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Bedrock Robotics, which develops autonomous technology for heavy construction equipment.~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~The company recently raised a $600 million Series C at a $4.1 billion valuation, co-led by CapitalG and Emergence Capital, bringing its total funding to nearly $1 billion. Bedrock plans to use the funding to expand deployments across the United States and has doubled its customer base year over year. Previously, Boris spent nearly five years at Waymo, leading autonomous trucking and engineering initiatives. He also co-founded and led Anki, an AI robotics company that shipped more than 3.7 million consumer robots and devices and approached $100 million in annual revenue. He holds a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University.Topics Bringing autonomous AI systems to heavy construction equipment to address labor shortages and accelerate infrastructure developmentScaling robotics companies from technical research to commercial deployment Building and financing deep-tech companies#Robotics #AutonomousSystems #PhysicalAI #ConstructionTech #VentureCapital

  5. 6d ago

    Beatrice Aliprandi, Praktika CRO on AI Operations, Scaling and Revenue

    Beatrice Aliprandi is the Chief Revenue Officer at Praktika, an AI-powered language learning platform using generative AI avatars to help people learn languages. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~She leads finance, operations, and revenue, having previously served as the company's Chief of Staff, overseeing initiatives across business development, investor relations, legal, HR, and general operations. At Praktika, Beatrice has helped navigate the practical challenges of scaling an AI startup, from financial planning and investor reporting to building AI-powered workflows that automate operational tasks. Before joining Praktika, she was a Principal at Lakestar, a leading European venture capital firm, where she focused on games and media investments, including Modulate.ai, Quest Portal, Fuse Games, and Included Games. She is also the co-host of Top of the Ops, a podcast offering candid insights into startup operations, leadership, and the realities of scaling companies.Topics Moving from venture capital into startup leadership .Using AI agents and automation to streamline finance, investor reporting, and legal support workflowsScaling an AI startup through disciplined cash management, operational systems, and practical decisions about growth#ArtificialIntelligence #StartupOperations #AIAgents #VentureCapital #Leadership

  6. 6d ago

    Arnab Bose, Asana CPO on AI Teammates, Workflows and Productivity

    Arnab Bose is the Chief Product Officer of Asana, where he leads the company’s product strategy and innovation with a focus on advancing AI capabilities and expanding the platform's enterprise functionality. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Arnab has extensive experience driving product vision, strategy, and development, most recently serving as Chief Product Officer for the Okta Platform. Prior to that, Arnab was a Vice President of Product Management at Salesforce, where he led several efforts from integrating Quip into the Salesforce Platform, to Process Automation and Chatter. Before Salesforce, he was a Senior Program Manager Lead at Microsoft. Arnab holds a BS in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University. Topics Building AI teammates that coordinate work and collaborate with humans across enterprise teamsUsing organizational context and shared workflows to make AI more reliableScaling enterprise product platforms through major technology shifts, from cloud computing and identity security to agentic AI#ArtificialIntelligence #Asana #AIAgents #EnterpriseAI #FutureOfWork

  7. Oct 24

    PANEL: What CIOs Are Actually Buying

    Yousuf Khan, Founder of Clario and former CIO of Moveworks, sits down with Sree Kancharla, CIO of SailPoint, to explore how enterprise buyers evaluate AI products, what earns founders a second conversation, and where CIOs see the greatest opportunities for AI. The discussion examines why successful enterprise pitches start with a clearly defined business problem, a deep understanding of the customer, and a compelling path to time to value, rather than a generic sales deck. Sree shares how the CIO role is evolving as AI adoption expands, requiring leaders to balance cost management and security with enabling employees to experiment and build AI agents tailored to different roles. The conversation also explores enterprise AI priorities across go-to-market, customer experience, data, security, and sales productivity, alongside the concerns that can slow adoption. Together, they discuss how founders can demonstrate real customer value, navigate enterprise buying processes, and build the relationships needed to turn an initial pitch into a business opportunity. Topics Winning enterprise buyers by leading with real business problems, and a clear path to time to valueHow CIOs are adopting AI across go-to-market, customer experience, data, security, and sales What earns founders a follow-up meeting.#EnterpriseAI #ArtificialIntelligence #CIO #B2BSales #AITechnology

  8. Oct 24

    PANEL: Building AI Companies That Last

    Anyone can build an AI product, but building a durable AI company requires more than access to powerful models. In this fireside, Sri Viswanath, CEO of Sycamore and former CTO of Atlassian and Managing Director at Coatue; Snehal Antani, CEO of Horizon3; and Brendan Ittelson, Chief Ecosystem Officer at Zoom, join Grace Gong, Founder and CEO of Smart Venture Media, to explore what separates lasting AI businesses from products that are quickly replicated. The discussion examines why proprietary data, domain expertise, execution, and customer trust are becoming critical advantages as models evolve. The speakers also explore enterprise adoption challenges, including data security, auditability, unpredictable AI costs, pricing, and gross margins. Topics Building durable AI moats through proprietary data, deep domain expertise, customer trust, and productsScaling enterprise AI sustainably by navigating usage-based pricing.Evolving from early product-market fit to repeatable sales while combining human expertise with AI agents#ArtificialIntelligence #AIStartups #EnterpriseAI #VentureCapital #StartupStrategy

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4.8
out of 5
22 Ratings

About

I host a top VC podcast called Smart Venture Podcast (SVPpro.com). Past guests include C-level/VPs of Google, Meta, Amazon, Sephora, Dunkin' Donuts, Chipotle, Pepsi, Instagram, Deloitte, Reddit, Lyft, etc. Managing Partners of top funds (many were featured on the Forbes Midas List) and unicorn founders (founders of Craigslist, Square, Loom, Cruise, etc.) Venture with Grace is my new spin-off series that features top LPs, GPs, solo GPs, Angel Investors, top AI founders, and other experts in tech and business to cover specific domain expertise. Watch this Live on LinkedIn/ YouTube: Grace Gong

Information

  • Creator
    Grace Gong
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    681
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Grace Gong
  • Show Website
    Venture with Grace

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