Afleveringen
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Bigger AI models dominate the headlinesâbut what if the real breakthrough lies in making AI smaller?
In this episode, I sit down with Ramin Hasani, Alexander Amini, and Daniela Rusâwho are at the helm of Liquid AIâto discuss how their approach challenges conventional architectures and unlocks new frontiers for AI deployment.
Also on the docket:
⢠Ramin explains how insights from a microscopic worm led to a novel AI model.
⢠Alexander breaks down why Liquid AI operates efficiently on local devicesâwithout compromising modality.
⢠Daniela exposes a critical flaw in todayâs AI incumbents and why efficiency is the next major battleground.
We also unpack all things DeepSeekâits implications for OpenAI, Meta, and enterprises scaling private AI.
00:00 Introduction
02:03 Meet the Co-Founders
03:01 The Birth of Liquid Neural Networks
06:28 Applications and Impact of Liquid AI
09:38 The Worm Model and Its Significance
16:05 Mathematical Foundations and Breakthroughs
24:29 Scaling AI for Real-World Applications
28:05 Edge Computing and AI
29:58 Future Prospects and Use Cases
31:36 The Commoditization of AI Models
32:22 Liquid AI: Reducing Intelligence Costs to Zero
32:53 Diverse Applications of AI
33:43 Case Studies and Real-World Examples
38:05 The Impact of Deep Seek on the AI Ecosystem
44:13 Advice for Aspiring AI Founders
45:40 The Importance of Technical and Non-Technical Collaboration
51:03 Ramin's Journey from Scientist to Entrepreneur
53:31 Liquid AI's Vision for 2025
55:10 Conclusion and Future Prospects
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For years, $7.2B in U.S. government-backed neuroperformance research sat untouchedâproven cognitive enhancements with no commercial application.
David Bach saw the gap. Optios is bridging classified IP with market demand, transforming military-grade neuroscience into real-world performance gains.
The upside? Monumental. The imbalance? Even bigger.
We dive into:
⢠how declassified DOD research is unlocking a new frontier in neurotech
⢠the hidden psychology behind winning investor buy-in
⢠what $600M+ in exits taught him about product-market fit
Connect with us here:
1. David Bach:https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-bach-md-0b81b29/
2. George Bandarian:https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian/
3. Untapped Ventures:https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventures
00:00 Trailer
01:20 Introduction
01:46 David Bach
04:46 Journey to Harvard
10:26 Founding Optios
16:08 Tech Transfer and Market Research
22:09 The Future of Neuro-Performance
28:33 Key Lessons for Founders
33:34 Fundraising Insights
37:29 Closing Thoughts
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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AI agents will drive the next wave of automationâbut only if they stop breaking.
In this episode, Iâm joined by Alex Reibman, Adam Silverman, and Braelyn Boynton, the powerhouse team behind Agency.
Together, theyâre tackling the toughest challenges in AI agent development, from failure recovery to debugging and slashing operational costs.
In this episode:
⢠Alex reveals why todayâs AI agents break in unpredictable waysâand how Agency is solving it.
⢠Adam unpacks OpenAIâs latest agent release and its ripple effects across the ecosystem.
⢠Braelyn explains how theyâre standardizing agent development, lowering barriers for builders everywhere.
Letâs dive in.
Connect with us here:
1. Alex Reibman- https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-reibman-67951589/
2. Adam Silverman- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamsil/
3. Braelyn Boynton- https://www.linkedin.com/in/braelyn-boynton-75911974/
4. George Bandarian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian/
5. Untapped Ventures: https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventures/
00:00 Trailer
01:31 Welcome to the Agentic Podcast
02:00 Meet the Founders of Agency AI
03:03 The Origin Story of Agency AI
03:31 Challenges and Solutions in AI Agent Development
04:24 Understanding the AI Ecosystem
04:53 Backgrounds of the Founding Team
09:55 The Evolution of AI Agents
18:46 Enterprise Use Cases for AI Agents
21:22 Innovative Applications of AI Agents
29:25 Building an Agentic Process for VC
32:52 Task Generation and YAML Prompting
33:23 Modifying and Scaling Agents
35:34 AgentOps and Prompt Engineering
39:23 Fundraising Journey and Lessons
43:53 Future Vision and Developer Ecosystem
46:47 Advice for Founders and Engineers
54:28 Hackathon Strategy and Community Building
01:02:36 Concluding Thoughts and Final Advice
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AI is a platform shift unlike any other, with far-reaching implications for every startup.
In my recent webinar with the Founderâs Bay community in Silicon Valley, hosted by Mariane Bekker, I explored why AI should be the core focus for founders aiming to build scalable, high-impact companies.
Key takeaways:
⢠thereâs hardly an application that AI canât improve
⢠AI startups are exiting fasterâ7 years on average vs. 13 for others
⢠building in AI is your best shot at hitting $100M ARR
⢠itâs not a zero-sum marketâhorizontal and vertical plays can both win
⢠focus on solving high-value problems using AI to attract funding and top-tier talent
In this episode, I share my views on how you could build a leading AI startup that attracts funding, customers, and talent in 2025.
Connect with us here:
1. George Bandarian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian/
2. Untapped Ventures: https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventures/
00:00 Trailer
03:19 Introduction
05:53 State of AI
11:55 Ideation
15:48 Agentic AI
26:32 Validation
29:06 Traction
31:48 Recruiting
33:00 Fundraising
35:28 Value-add
37:15 Takeawaysâ¨
39:01 Q&A
55:28 Outro
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The insurance industry has a 400,000 agent shortage.
I sat down with Harper's founders, who use agentic AI to deliver enterprise-grade service at 1/10th the cost.
Dakotah Rice and Tushar Nair revealed how they're leveraging the $85B E&S market:
⢠voice AI running quotes to claims
⢠why selling AI tools failed, but becoming a broker worked
⢠how they're hitting software margins in a services business
As insurance carriers exit Florida and California, Harper couldnât have come at a better time.
Connect with us:
Dakotah Rice: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dakotahrice/
Tushar Nair: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tushar-nair-b08988222/
Harper: https://www.linkedin.com/company/harperinsure/
George Bandarian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian/
Untapped Ventures: https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventures/
00:00 Trailer + Introduction
04:33 Dakota's Journey to Founding Harper
05:18 Tushar's Background and Expertise
06:06 The Genesis of Harper
06:38 Challenges and Opportunities in AI-Driven Insurance
13:08 The Evolution of Harper's AI Systems
13:21 Technical Insights into Building AI Agents
16:01 The Future of AI in Insurance
17:36 Advice for Aspiring AI Founders
19:55 Focusing on the ENS Market
22:05 Scaling and Expanding Harper's Services
25:37 Innovative Sales Solutions for Insurance
26:14 Customer Acquisition and Marketing Strategies
27:42 Voice AI: Revolutionizing Customer Interaction
30:15 Leveraging AI for Enhanced Customer Service
33:02 Future of AI in Business Operations
35:49 Fundraising and Business Growth Insights
40:39 Advice for Founders: Building and Scaling Startups
46:16 Co-Founder Dynamics and Relationship
50:08 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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Only 8 companies have shipped AI Agents from production. In this episode of Agentic, I brought together 3 of them, to reveal how they crossed this chasm:
1. Aria Attar (TensorStax) shows how they're tackling the 1:250 data scientist shortage with agents that drop into existing cloud environments.
2. Joe Stolte (Daily.ai), fresh off multiple exits including a $62.5 M acquisition, reveals how they turned 1B newsletter interactions into $1.2M in ARR in just 14 months.
3. Jacky Wong (Nullify) explains how they're helping enterprises where security teams are outnumbered 4:1 by developers.
Key insight? While the AI market races toward $733.7B by 2027â
Solving for deployment and LLM reliability > focussing on model capabilities.
Letâs dive right in.
Connect with us at:
1. Jacky Wong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wongja/?originalSubdomain=au
2. Aria Attar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariaattar/
3. Joe Stolte: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephstolte
5. George Bandarian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian/
6. Untapped Ventures: https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventures/
00:00 Trailer + Introduction
02:26 Agentic AI Overview
06:49 Meet the Founders
10:42 Deep Dive into AI Security
20:01 Building Agentic Models
25:59 Deep Reasoning and Inference in AI Models
26:19 Building and Training Baby Agents
27:37 Trust and Acceptance in AI Solutions
28:49 Lessons Learned and Advice to Founders
29:40 Common Mistakes in LLM Development
33:32 Customer Acquisition Strategies
36:57 Fundraising Insights and Challenges
42:38 Driving Acceptance and Trust in AI
44:37 Reconciling AI as a Deflationary Technology
46:56 Removing Human Evaluators in Development
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With $90B poured into AI over the past year, where is the focus going to be in 2025? I spoke to four top investors to find out.
1. Yipeng Zhao (Embark Ventures) believes AI offers a one-year head start. Fast GTM wins. Slow movers risk irrelevance.
2. Hari Arul (Khosla Ventures) has stopped backing co-pilots altogether. His take? Human-in-loop models wonât survive past 2026.
3. James Shecter (Fika Ventures) says enterprises need the illusion of control over their AI workflows.
4. Nicole Toussaint (TenOneTen Ventures) sees the âScopely momentâ for AI agents approaching fast â and soon, market entry will outweigh engineering breakthroughs.
Tune in now.
Connect with us at:
1. Yipeng Zhao: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yipengzhao/
2. Hari Arul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hariarul/
3. James Shecter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesshecter/
4. Nicole Toussaint: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-toussaint-2874a1106/
5. George Bandarian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian/
6. Untapped Ventures: https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventures/
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While 92% of Fortune 500s realize the surplus alpha that can be created from leveraging AI, only 25% of SMBs realize the same.
I sat with 6 founders who are building Agentic AI solutions: Jacky Wong (Nullify), Aria Attar (TensorStax), Max Ahrens (Maihem), Saurabh Sharma (You.com), Jonas Diezun (Beam AI), and Ashar Rizqi (Bounti.ai).
The key highlights from our conversation were:
- OpenAIâs function calling breaks down when scaling requires consistent outputs and error handlingâjust ask Jacky or anyone building enterprise agents.
- MongoDB could face disruption as AI agents take over infrastructure orchestrationâAria flagged it, and I agree.
- Calling agents "AI workers" simplifies adoption for hesitant enterprisesâa shift that doubled Jonas Diezunâs sales.
- Agentic AI scales across verticals in months, not yearsâAshar says the old SaaS scaling playbook is obsolete.
- Max at Maihem points out that building functional agents hinges on managing the edge cases that crash your system.
Letâs dive right in.
Connect with us here:
1. Jacky Wong- https://www.linkedin.com/in/wongja/?originalSubdomain=au
2. Aria Attar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariaattar/
3. Max Ahrens - https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximilianahrens/?originalSubdomain=uk
4. Saurabh Sharma - https://www.linkedin.com/in/saurabhs/
5. Jonas Diezun - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonasdiezun/
6. Ashar Rizqi - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashar-rizqi-6614487/
7. George Bandarian - https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian/
8. Untapped Ventures - https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventures/
00:00 Trailer
01:26 Welcome to the Agentic Podcast
02:21 Founder Panel Introduction
02:41 Founders' Backgrounds and Insights
10:08 Defining Agentic AI
20:00 Building Effective AI Agents
26:08 Challenges in Early AI Development
26:21 Human in the Loop: Enhancing AI Adoption
26:58 Debating the Importance of Evaluations
27:39 Technical Insights and Mistakes
29:07 Impact of Agentic Paradigm Shift on Infrastructure
29:52 Customer Adoption and Market Strategies
31:21 Go-to-Market Strategies and Early Stage Focus
39:18 Horizontal vs Vertical Approaches in AI
47:39 Final Thoughts
#ai #tech #podcast #vc
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As we transition into agentic models, itâs evident thereâs a blend of optimism and caution.
In this panel discussion, I was joined by Jon Chu (Khosla Ventures), Pranav Reddy (Conviction), Andrew Brackin (Gradient), Arash Afrakhteh (Pear VC), Alejandra Vergara (Bee Partners), and Nahim Nasser (Georgian) as we explored:
⢠why agentic AI will drive systemic shifts across various industries
⢠the need to define scalable, high-impact use cases for agent-driven solutions
⢠shifting dynamics of human-machine interaction
⢠how agentic AI is advancing in parallel with LLMs
⢠why regional disparities and emerging foundation models could profoundly shape future progress, and
⢠how value will accumulate for vertical companies beyond the API
Letâs jump right in.
00:00:00 Trailer
00:02:13 Introduction
00:11:47 Current State of AI
00:21:00 Investment Insights and Startup Pitfalls
00:30:49 Vertical vs Horizontal
00:42:09 Evaluating Business and Team Dynamics
00:51:19 Different ways to look at AI
00:58:06 The AGI Landscape
01:01:17 Outro
Connect with us here:
1. Jon Chu- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jchu/
2. Pranav Reddy- https://www.linkedin.com/in/pranavgreddy/
3. Andrew Brackin- https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbrackin/
4. Arash Afrakhteh- https://www.linkedin.com/in/arasha/
5. Alejandra Vergara- https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandra-vergaral/
6. Nahim Nasser- https://www.linkedin.com/in/nahimnasser/
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To me, agentic is intent meeting capabilityâsystems that act autonomously, adapt intelligently, and drive purposeful outcomes.
Our guests on this episodeâJonathan Corbin, Sami Shalabi, and Eugene Mannâembody that. They're pushing AI agents forward for real-world enterprise use cases with Maven AGI.
We discuss:
⢠solving complex challenges with AI agents
⢠empowering enterprises with cutting-edge tools, and
⢠why agentic AI will create new roles for humankind
Letâs get into it.
Connect with us here:
1. Jonathan Corbin- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcorbin01/
2. Sami Shalabi- https://www.linkedin.com/in/sshalabi/
3. Eugene Mann- https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugenemann/
4. George Bandarian- https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian/
5. Untapped Ventures- https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventures/
