Venture Capital Investor at Blitzscaling Ventures @BlitzVentures. I can be found on LinkedIn
Silicon Valley, CA
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- Following 1,008
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Welcome to the Llama Lounge, AI Startup Series that I organize. See the final event of the year hosted by @HanaHaus Palo Alto, Nov 2.
Is this the largest tech event in downtown Palo Alto since the iPhone launch?
Drone video by the talented @spcmonkeyfilms crew. #llamaLounge
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Real photos of sand dunes on Mars from NASA. Quite amazing, we don’t have these patterns on earth.
Community note
This image has been compressed horizontally which distorts the image. In the original the sand dunes look similar to those found on earth.
Original image from NASA: apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/160
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I didn’t even consider my language, I’ve used the phrases on the left too often.
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1/ Superthread: Microsoft Copilot AI means we all have our own executive assistant.
I spent time with the @Microsoft @Microsoft365 team this am, they are partnered with OpenAI/GPT. Here's what you need to know.
#AI
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The Future of Social Audio: Startups, Roadmap, Business Models, and a Forecast
web-strategist.com/blog/2021…
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This is the cheapest home in Palo Alto. It’s *literally* a garage, see photos.
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Not surprised.
A new study by the University of Arkansas pitted 151 humans against ChatGPT-4 in three tests designed to measure divergent thinking, which is considered to be an indicator of creative thought. Not a single human won.
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Who panic sold their Bitcoin this week?
Sad, It's the *new* investors who got scared and sold. The seasoned investors held or purchased the discounted BTC from the frightened novice investors.
Read @APompliano newsletter for details:
pomp.substack.com/p/who-was-…
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1/ 🤖 I attended a milestone moment in AI movement, "Woodstock of AI" last night in SF, and it's clear that AI is about to accelerate.
Let me show you my front row view in the rocketship: 🚀
#WoodstockAI #ai
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Woah, it looks like the image is horizontally compressed. This is likely the original
From NASA website
apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/160…
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When no one was looking, Disney/Marvel launched their *first* NFT, on a quiet exchange called Veve.
In two weeks, Veve connects to the Ethereum network, guess what happens to the demand and price...
Disney. Marvel, DC, On OpenSea.
@veve_official
hypebeast.com/2021/8/spider-…
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I’ve met multiple AI startups who have early data that their product will replace $20-an-hour human workers with 2-cent-an-hour AI agents, that work 24/7/365.
It’s important you prepare your career, company, and family for this change now. Run don’t wait.
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He then suggested to bring the topic to the stand up, which was then shut down as not everyone can stand or will stand.
He then suggested to dicusss it at the huddle, but HR said nope, as it suggests involuntary touching.
He then suggested a casual discussion at the lunch and learn, but the Union said no, as that infringes upon break time.
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Perplexity is so much better than Google search. Period.
I use google search only as a backup now. 20 years of behavior unlearned in just a few months.
Massive disruption, sorry Google friends. Innovate as fast as you can!
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Global crisis. TED talk by Rob Toews on what would happen in a country invaded Taiwan to claim all the chips, fabs & foundries.
-Whoever controls the chips, controls the world.
-TSMC is building a fab in 2025 in Phoenix in 2025.
-Samsung would be second winner compared to TSMC.
-Intel is a distant third.
-If Taiwan falls, AI industry is collapsed, a choke point.
-Speaker said it’s likely a war would happen over Taiwan in next decade.
And yes I have a great seat on the front balcony, stage right. @TEDAI2023
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The AI industry is *booming* in SF.
5,000 AI builders on a Friday night showcasing open source AI.
I haven’t seen this much energy in a few tech cycles.
The world is about to significantly change #ai
🤗 @huggingface #WoodstockAI
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Honored to be an official Airstream Ambassador!
I love the Airstream brand, which is known for innovation & adventure. In this relationship, I'll provide my insights on the Future of Work. This is in addition to my full-time role at Kaleido Insights.
airstream.com/blog/airstream…
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Videos: San Francisco is totally dead, unsafe, and like the apocalypse, do not come here, anyone.
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The AI Boom in SF.
I need to send AI agents to attend all these events on my behalf.
-in SF, there are 44 AI events in two weeks, about three a day.
-There are many private events not even listed.
-NYT says tech workers are returning to SF.
-In SF, self-driving cars can whisk people around to AI events.
-Hot spots: Hayes "Cerebral" Valley and @SHACK15sf at the SF Ferry Building.
-Palo Alto may AI surge this late summer.
Follow @cerebral_valley to stay plugged into the cutting edge AI ecosystem, they manage this calendar. Also subscribe to newsletters of both @nonmayorpete @MurrayNewlands #ai
docs.google.com/spreadsheets…
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New Post: Big Brands Experiment with NFTs.
Overview, early examples, risks, and a few predictions of what's to come.
Insight: NFTs are the setup for the Metaverse, be prepared.
#nft #web3 #Crypto
web-strategist.com/blog/2021…
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See the growing Collaborative Economy is one graphic. Hi-res available here: web-strategist.com/blog/2014…
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SF is the epicenter of AI.
Hundreds are gathered for a hackathon to build plugins for GPT4 on this nice Sunday at @shack15.
60 teams have been building all weekend, the finalists are presenting now. My view from the front row.
This is a very special time to be in SF, the innovation culture is strong, again. #ai
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I built a studio in my backyard for my business speaking. USA Today has the story.
usatoday.com/story/tech/2020…
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Why do executives want employees back to the office?
One reason: I've heard of some employees working part-time (but paid full time salary), or even working on side hustle startups, while on a full-time salary.
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This is the most internet-memey AR art I’ve played with. Thanks @frankkozik. A Nyan-themed Unicorn labbit, with animation.
I think it’s 7 stories tall, placed at my local park.
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MAP: AI Agents seek to automate the things we don't want to do. Here's a map of the ecosystem.
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Let's start a flashmob: When the space shuttle returns, everyone dress up up in Ape outfits.
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Ver 3: See the expanding Collaborative Economy Honeycomb. Hi-res available here: web-strategist.com/blog/2016…
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Silicon Valley Sunday: 175 developers connecting LLMs to external data sources and then generating new applications in just 30 hours (using RAG)
I’ve seen apps for real estate, hiring, ADUs, finance, health, mental wellness, learning, research papers, and more. @llama_index @DataStax
I’m one of the 11 judges
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Question I get from leaders in other cities: “Why can’t we replicate Silicon Valley in our region? We have the money, education, office space, and government support”
The main difference is that Silicon Valley enables founders to try multiple times, Pivot, and Punt until they Progress to product-market fit.
Other cultures Shame, Shun, and Snub founders who fail.
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The AI industry in SF is working 7 days a week.
There are usually two hackathons per week, which often happen on a weekend.
No other city is working this hard in AI, SF is moving light years ahead of any other region.
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SF Bay Area has more AI events in one single month than most countries will have in an entire year.
San Francisco AI Network Effects:
Events attract global talent and VCs, more knowledge and relationships form, more startups are launched, more APIs and features launched, new wealth is generated, funding more startups and events.
Images from @cerebral_valley, 140 SF Bay area AI events in Feb 2024.
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NFTs are a Fad they said.
NFTs from Star Wars, Disney, Iron Man, Simpsons, Pixar, Wall-E in the next few days.
Prob nothing.
In celebration of @DisneyPlus Day, join us for a week of Golden Moments!
Customers in select markets who first purchase an NFT from the collection will also receive 3 or 12 months of Disney+ courtesy of VeVe. Terms apply: veve.me/promotion
#DisneyPlusDay
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It's in Microsoft's interest to hire the OpenAI employees to gut OpenAI and build the Advanced AI team at Microsoft, a wild scenario:
-Microsoft offers *each* of the 770 employees a "modest" $10,000,000 ($10M) signing bonus.
-That would cost a meager $7.7B.
-A $82.3B saving compared to acquiring OpenAI outright.
-Let remaining OpenAI wither.
-Microsoft is basically buying OpenAI team for *8%* of Friday's market value.
Did the board think thru their actions to protect the organization?
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Capitol Hero: Eugene Goodman escorted Kamala Harris at Inauguration.
Our very best to serve.
google.com/amp/s/www.busines…
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I was fortunate enough to get a behind-the-scenes look at what @GM Is working on at CES, many changes ahead. You’re going to want to check out #GMExhibitZero at GMExhibitZero.com. #ad
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1999: "Subscribe to our newsletter"
2009: "Follow me on social"
2019: "Subscribe to my newsletter"
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So great to be interviewed on @mitchjoel's podcast, thank you! Discussing the (past) and future of social audio.
And hello there! From the TAO (Tiny Airstream Office)
sixpixels.com/articles/archi…
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Introducing a new Framework: The AI Technology Stack for 2023.
-AI Apps
-Autonomous Agents
-AI Models / FM
-AI Infrastructure
-Data
Feedback sought, will evolve as market matures. #AI
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A popular social media speaker suggests we should all post 100X a day. After consideration, I'd suggest we should just post when we have something important to say.
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We ridicule the newest technology we don’t understand. Here’s Bill Gates being laughed at for the internet
Future technologies will be mocked, in the same way.
Larry Kim
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Clubhouse:
-Feb 25: I want to create a club!
-March 5: I can create a club!
-March 15: there are too many clubs!
-March 25: I unfollowed most of the clubs!
AmIRight?
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For those that loudly leaving NY, SF, L.A.
Ya don't have to slam the door, publically proclaiming its faults, insulting the city and community that hosted you.
We got it. It wasn't a fit for you. You're moving on. We wish you the best.
Just leave as graciously as you came
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I took a risk and purchased a Spider-Man NFT in August and it’s grown significantly in market value. I also found a tribe of friends who love digital experiences and it’s been a lot of fun to watch innovation first hand. #HT3
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I'm excited to announce: I'm now the CMO of RLY Network Association (@RLYNetworkAssoc), which offers the RLY Protocol, an easy way for developers to tokenize apps. #web3
rly.network
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This is the “Woodstock of AI” 5,000 people assembled this Friday night for this open source meetup here in SF, the epicenter of AI.
***It was planned in less than ONE week***
Explosion of AI startups to birth in next few months.
#WoodstockAI @huggingface #ai
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Big news, Disney and Star Wars NFTs will be launching on Veve
I will update my list of big brands in the NFT space soon.
medium.com/veve-collectibles…
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Damascus is 11,000 years old.
educationworld.in/10-oldest-…
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Shhhhhhh. How can you visually tell if somebody has wealth in Silicon Valley?
You can’t.
You can’t judge people by looks, clothing, or the car they drive.
I’ve met: sloppily dressed 28–year-olds that are worth over 10 million. People who drive 20-year old beater Toyotas but own a mansion. People who wear the same thing every day, but are CEOs.
In Silicon Valley don’t judge on looks.
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Clubhouse wiped out the followers of creators.
Some had 3 Million+ followers which have now been deleted.
Remember: we are building on someone else’s platform.
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I don’t have a Bored Ape, but I do have this rare Spider-Man NFT, see video, full 3D, augmented reality, animated, with sound. Official from Marvel.
Hello from the mean streets of SF.
Cool or Tool?
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Some VCs have super fancy offices to impress founders, which is cool.
Me? I invite them to the Tiny Airstream Office in Silicon Valley to have a casual chat at my backyard camp. Shorts, tshirt, cold drink, let’s chat.
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Yes, augmented reality NFT, this is the FA (first appearance) of Walt Disney and Mickey. Disney announced metaverse commitment this week.
The IRL statue “Partners” is in front of every castle so it’s a digital twin
It’s a “blue chip” or “grail”piece worth passing down to kin
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Career update: I’m thrilled to joining Blitzscaling Ventures as a General Partner; I will be investing in AI startups. I’m joining @chrisyeh @VC_Scott @Jeffreydabbott at @BlitzVentures
Join us for a webinar to discuss the Blitzscaling thesis, on how AI companies can rapidly scale:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F…
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5 ways businesses can cross the chasm to flexible work. Hello from the Tiny Airstream Office.
Thank you ZDNet for the interview on the Future of Work by @ValaAfshar and @karenmangia.
zdnet.com/article/5-ways-bus…
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What's better for the planet?
A) Plastic Star Wars toy: Made from Petrol, made overseas, packaging, supply chain emissions, ends up in landfill
B) Digital version: 3D NFT for AR/Metaverse: Energy for CPU processing/network, *carbon-neutral* blockchain, device resources/waste
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Vibe video: 400 AI developers are building at the @cerebral_valley Hackaton with @MistralAI in SF at @SHACK15sf —I’m one of the first round judges.
There’s no other city that is building as quickly in AI as San Francisco.
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These are the Droids I was looking for.
Historic: these are the very first Star Wars NFTs, from Disney, they are 3D models with AR and are Metaverse ready. Matching mints.
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The question I would pose is: “which set of language suggests collaboration in the workplace for better outcomes?”
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3/ Last night: "Woodstock of AI," a meetup for open-source AI, challenging the idea of a single corporate monopoly. Social media buzz led to 3 venue changes, finally landing at SF's large Exploratorium on the waterfront. 🌉
hosted by @ClementDelangue
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While you catch great tennis at the #USOpen, behind-the-scenes @IBM's hybrid cloud works to help deliver a seamless experience for fans. It accounts for many data sources including courtside stats, as well as sights and sounds from a match. See more at ibm.co/31XVlD5 #ad
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First Movie Tickets sold as an NFT for James Bond movie. Number of editions: 007.
Prediction: most movies, concerts, conferences and events will sell tickets as NFTs. Collectible, reduced counterfeiting, and utility.
link.medium.com/YU28VaN16jb
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RED ALERT: Buyers, armed with AI Agents, disrupt Marketers, Search, & Ecommerce.
Here's my key slide from my speech:
"How Marketers Can Win when AI Leads Buyers"
As AI matures and guides human buying decisions, it's will disrupt search and e-commerce.
#AI #marketing
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USPS is launching Stamps as NFTs, what could be NFT'd next related to US Gov?
-Commemorative coins from the US Mint
-Historical documents from the Library of Congress
-Images of parks from US National Park Service
-NASA images of key moments in history
-What else? Chime in.
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You don’t need to own all three. You just need to own one.
We are exploring proof of ownership methods. Likely making Veve profile public.
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AMA: I work in an Airstream, in my backyard. This is the Tiny Airstream Office (TAO).
I was recently named an official Airstream Ambassador.
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Beam me up.
The most amazing NFT. Look at me 100 meters/yards away in front of the Starship Enterprise. It’s 3D, can rotate, and I can walk around it (takes me five min to walk around it)
NFT is on Veve. This is the 1:1 model.
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It’s worse: Any references to fire starting resulted in fear of further carbon emissions.
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Listening to a 2-hour interview of Sam Altman of OpenAI:
-Each human will have personalized results
-It’s learning from us, and from the actions of other users
-Which means, soon it will predict what we want, before we ask
Once we are analyzed, most humans are easy to predict, like a math problem.
I’m on a long drive, and am diving into @SamaAI mind, who is diving into our minds. Thanks @lexfridman #ai
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Video: Just like ecommerce fulfillment warehouses, AI can track which baristas are the most productive and which customers are top spenders.
BTW: White collar workers are tracked too: keystrokes, cameras, and more.
Lukas Benzl
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Do most humans realize that AI already dictates the media shown in their newsfeed, recommends who gets job interviews, suggests romantic mates on dating apps, flies planes using auto pilots; Uber drivers already report to an AI manager.
Do most humans realize this?
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Rioting after you win the World Series is like punching yourself in the face on your birthday. Behave SF.
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Today's shopping receipts:
-Salesforce buys Slack,
-ServiceNow buys Element AI,
-Facebook buys Kustomer,
-Uber buys Postmates,
Yet I can't even buy some Toilet Paper.
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SF is the Epicenter of AI:
-84 events in June (plus many private events)
-8 events happened on the weekends
-2.7 events per day on average
Why is SF the Epicenter?
The ecosystem is here: Entrepreneurs, Builders, Investors, Partners, Big tech, Cloud companies, Universities, Llama Lounges, & Mission Burritos.
Screenshot of #AI events in SF bay area. Courtesy of @cerebral_valley, see full calendar:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets…
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Are NFTs legitimate now that the federal government is offering them?
Yes or no?
medium.com/veve-collectibles…
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See how the Florida spring breakers are going to infect eastern United States. Did you know your phone emits digital breadcrumbs like this?
This shows the location data of phones that were on a Florida beach during Spring Break. It then shows where those phones traveled.
First thing you should note is the importance of social distancing. The second is how much data your phone gives off.
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Ecommerce History today: At 10am PT, MGM releases the very 1st NFT movie ticket for the James Bond movie.
Only 007 (seven) editions are offered --many will try to buy it.
Good luck! You could resell it for * life-changing* money.
I predict Visa will buy it by Jan 1.
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Veve is NFTs for collectible brands: Disney, Marvel, DC, Star Wars. Also indie artists: KidRobot, Tokidoki, Jermaine Rogers.
They have a new LOYALTY program that rewards HODLing --not flipping.
Will Veve NFTs hold value better than average OpenSea NFT?
medium.com/veve-collectibles…
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Metaverse proof of concept, from Veve. This is a showroom, created by @DeadPooWhale. Each item is an NFT, some are animated with sound.
Future of living, retail, play, entertainment.
DeadPooWhale💀💩🐋
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Sunday: hundreds of developers in SF are committed to AI growth at the hackathon with GPT plugins hosted by @OpenAI @cerebral_valley and @SHACK15sf @jorn_lyseggen #ai
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Framework: 20 Ways Businesses Will Engage Social Audio like Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces, Facebook Audio and beyond.
My thoughts, in collab with @jaimy_marie & @JessGroopman
web-strategist.com/blog/2021…
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NFT powerhouses:
-OpenSea, valued at $13.3B
-Animoca (Sandbox, Quidd), valued at $5.5B
-Ecomi/Veve, OMI market cap: $4.1B
-Axie Infinity valued at $3B
-LarvaLabs (CryptoPunks, MeeBits) valued at $2B
#web3 #NFT #Metaverse
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A few trends I’ve been seeing at AI startup events in SF and Palo Alto (I go to 3 a week):
1/ I hear of Computer vision being on a few roadmaps as this is how AI (GenAI) will see and connect with the world.
2/ Numerous enterprise AI startups are collating disparate data sources for analysis and predictive modeling.
3/ Niche use cases of AI for consumer productivity for every type of persona, some are clinching proprietary data as a moat.
4/ LLM APIs are already table stakes, advanced teams don’t want to get commoditized, “GPT wrappers” are already out of style.
5/ Many companies are being built by moonlighting employees who are on salary at FAANG companies, seek Angel round.
6/ Some founders realize a scalable business model is also needed to win: network effects, viral effects, data effects, and more.
7/VCs are forming networks and informing each other on which startup shows potential and which are growing.
8/ Most believe there is a very short window to be in front of this market: 12-36 months depending on the sector.
9/ SF is the capital of AI; it looks like Palo Alto may be the second city in the region; we should know by Fall.
10/ what are you seeing? .#AI
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Do you know the difference?
@Clubhouse (Project Management)
vs
@joinclubhouse (Drop-in Audio Chat)
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Some news to ponder: UFOs have turned off and on nukes, repeatedly.
Have a pleasant evening!
americanmilitarynews.com/202…
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6/ After you finish that word doc, you can ask Copilot to create a powerpoint slide for you, complete with speaker notes, images and animations in the style you want!
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See this ad from Crypto.com from Superbowl, many many easter eggs hidden in the wall, cd case, logos, messages. Look for the seed phrase!
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Shopping in the future with Walmart Metaverse is amazing —and you don’t need to worry about parking.
Downside: less steps to burn off all those calories you just bought.
Homo Digitalis
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Veve Townhall summary:
-Loyalty program “Master Collector” to reward completed Sets, Secret Rares, app engagement. Many upgrades offered for point redemption
-Bridge out and liquidity coming
-Metaverse features shared
-New brands coming soon
A sophisticated NFT company.
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Simple: pro rated refund so it’s fair. As a courtesy for that loyalty offer a month at no cost, and gently request a review or reference.
End the relationship as gracefully as you started it.
-Ms Manners
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Every movie franchise will launch an NFTs. James Bond is next.
Remember, every one of these 3D NFTs is an item for the virtual metaverse.
You must own in your wallet, the NFT to access, play, rent, earn.
medium.com/veve-collectibles…
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I just impulse ordered two of these robots for my home, the question is: where will I store them?
nitter.app/AlianaBayram/status/14…
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Ironic: Why do AI builders want to meet in-person?
SF Bay Area/Silicon Valley has more AI events in one single month than most countries will have in five years.
The SF Bay is hosting 165 AI events in March 2024:
-138 IRL events
-101 in SF
-16 in Palo Alto, Stanford
-27 are remote
-7 Hackathons, each with 100s of developers, multiple days
Let's compare that to prior periods:
-Feb 2024 held 140 events, so a growth rate of 17%.
-Going back year to March 2023 was a mere 40 events, so a growth rate of 412%, um wow.
The SF Bay has the Foundational Models, Founders, VCs, Chip companies, Infrastructure/cloud companies --and the events bring the community together for faster innovation.
Super thanks to @cerebral_valley for the yummy data.
#AI
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CAUTION: Did you know the thumbs up icon/emoticon is considered hostile?
Yup, younger generations perceive the thumbs-up emoji as a hostile, sarcastic, or dismissive gesture because overuse of a positive tends to lead to insincerity.
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Historic NFTs on Veve, all are First Appearances (FA):
-Batman by Todd McFarland, 1st NFT on Veve, 1st DC
-Spiderman Secret Rare, 1st Marvel NFT
-Superman
-Partners: 1st Disney & Mickey Mouse
-R2D2/3PO: 1st Star Wars
-Marvel 1 Comic: First comic on marketplace, historic twin
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