The Exchanges

Q How do they lend to you as an investor, having EIRs there working with you at Redpoint? Obviously, they lend to you in the way that you can invest in the companies they produce. But other than that, are there any other tangible benefits?

A Yeah, I think there's a few different aspects to it. So recently we had, uh, Meena Radhakrishnan, who was the head of product at Uber, uh, from kind of its earliest days until about a year or a year and a half ago. And she, you know, had kind of a range of things she helped the platform out with. So we held a number of events for people in our ecosystem, people, you know, either portfolio companies or friends of the, of the firm to come in and listen to her talk about lessons learned at Uber. Like, here's how we'd Thought about building marketplaces. Here's how we manage labor supply. Here's how we thought about, um, you know, managing internal metrics. And so there's kind of an education and support of our existing portfolio and friends across the portfolio, which I think is meaningful for, for companies in our portfolio, but also for that, uh, for the IR to help them kind of think through all the things that they've learned and help even potentially refine, uh, the framework that they think about going forward. Uh, and then you can sit down with, with someone like Mina, who's also seeing a breadth of things, And think through new opportunities. Like, hey, I mean, if we're thinking about a marketplace in this category, what are the characteristics that we should be looking for? And so it helps us kind of refine our point of view and our framework for how we assess companies as…

AI assessment note: “helps us kind of refine our point of view and our framework for how we assess”

Q So, so then what were the big takeaways from your time at Twitter that you can now apply to your more formative years now building the pattern recognition in venture?

A It's a good question. I think, you know, you learn a lot of patterns and some anti-patterns. I think, uh, you know, Twitter specifically, one of the things that really jumped out to me is how much kind of values matter. Uh, I really respected and loved working at that company because of what it stood for and the impact in the world and the way they They wanted to operate. That has really carried on with being something that both I want to carry into the way I work within Redpoint, but also the way that I think about, you know, learning from companies and trying to see which companies are kind of principle driven from the beginning. Uh, because those are the things that kind of help you steer in those really hard times, uh, to understand what matters to you and what your kind of North star is. I think the other one that I went in, you know, not, uh, not having known much about ahead of time, but walking away with a real deep respect for is kind of organizational behavior and how you structure companies and teams that Uh, to drive towards these goals in the most efficient way possible. Uh, and it's just something that I watched, you know, what worked at 30 broke again at, you know, 75, which broke again at 150, which broke again at like 500. So, you're in this kind of constant reorganization of, uh, of teams and reorganization of principles and alignment and kind of priorities. I…

AI assessment note: “one of the things that really jumped out to me is how much kind of values matter”

Q Everyone in VC is reading it. I've heard it several times now, so. I must get on it. Uh, okay. Biggest mentor to you and how that came about?

A You know, I think the different stages of your life probably require different mentors. Uh, so I think I have probably a few different ones. Obviously I'm close to my parents and they were really fundamental and, and, you know, creating who I am today and my principles. And so obviously they're a big piece of that. Hockey was a huge part of my life and my high school hockey coach, uh, was a huge influence and kind of me growing up and becoming a, you know, an adult and figuring out how to live life outside of the confines of your own community. Um, And then I think kind of in our industry, uh, Chris Saka has been a close friend and probably the, the person I go to the most for kind of personal and career advice. And I've always said he's kind of like Yoda. He always kind of deploys like the best, uh, most personal advice. So I have to give Chris that credit.

AI assessment note: “Chris Saka has been a close friend and probably the, the person I go to”

Q And what was it then that enticed you really to venture? Was there a realization or a turning point That made you think that it was the viable career that you now have instead of the hands-on operational role?

A Yeah, I think, you know, it's a culmination. There isn't any kind of one decision that flips it, but I think, you know, just kind of introspectively looking back at my own career and the parts and times I felt most fulfilled, it was in those kind of early foundational, you know, building something from nothing moments, you know, where you're three people, 10 people, 30 people, and I enjoyed that a lot more than the thousand person, 3000 person, uh, you know, kind of Larger scale company management. And it felt like, uh, investing was a way to kind of get to do that over and over again and get to work with these, you know, really smart teams, that foundational time and be able to do it across a bunch of categories. And so I thought it'd be worth going at least trying. And I feel like, you know, if you're, if you're not being a great VC or if, you know, the team doesn't love me or, you know, whatever, uh, you can always go back to doing a startup. And it felt like a rare opportunity to get into a great firm with a group that I really enjoyed in a role that I thought was going to be going to be interesting.

AI assessment note: “investing was a way to kind of get to do that over and over again”

Q How do they lend to you as an investor, having EIRs there working with you at Redpoint? Obviously, they lend to you in the way that you can invest in the companies they produce. But other than that, are there any other tangible benefits?

A Yeah, I think there's a few different aspects to it. So recently we had, uh, Meena Radhakrishnan, who was the head of product at Uber, uh, from kind of its earliest days until about a year or a year and a half ago. And she, you know, had kind of a range of things she helped the platform out with. So we held a number of events for people in our ecosystem, people, you know, either portfolio companies or friends of the, of the firm to come in and listen to her talk about lessons learned at Uber. Like, here's how we'd Thought about building marketplaces. Here's how we manage labor supply. Here's how we thought about, um, you know, managing internal metrics. And so there's kind of an education and support of our existing portfolio and friends across the portfolio, which I think is meaningful for, for companies in our portfolio, but also for that, uh, for the IR to help them kind of think through all the things that they've learned and help even potentially refine, uh, the framework that they think about going forward. Uh, and then you can sit down with, with someone like Mina, who's also seeing a breadth of things, And think through new opportunities. Like, hey, I mean, if we're thinking about a marketplace in this category, what are the characteristics that we should be looking for? And so it helps us kind of refine our point of view and our framework for how we assess companies as…

AI assessment note: “helps us kind of refine our point of view and our framework for how we assess”

Q And we spoke about your engaging in early stage investing there and very early stage investing, but you also do slightly later stage investing. So I'm intrigued by the common dilemma that often occurs at this stage, which is how do you mitigate signaling risks? When doing both early and later stage investing.

A Yeah. That generally happens when the late stage investing is a follow on to deals that the companies or the firm is already in an early stage, um, where what, you know, red point strategy is to look at it almost as two totally from portfolios. And very, very rarely, I think there's probably, you know, one exception, uh, does our late stage fund invest from our early stage fund? It's generally better within the community to have outside firms kind of price and set valuations for your own companies. So, Um, for us specifically, it's not really a signaling risk. Um, but the nice thing is it allows me, you know, just to go find teams at whatever stage and whatever scale. Um, and Redpoint kind of can support that company with an investment at almost any stage, which makes it really fun and exciting for me.

AI assessment note: “for us specifically, it's not really a signaling risk.”

Q Is it not, do you think it's got a danger of becoming a monopoly play with the large data sets being owned by the massive incumbents?

A Yeah, so that's actually, I think, one of the most interesting things about it, and one of the scariest things about it. Now, this is specifically in Personally, you know, uh, currently based on how neural networks work, that they require large data sets to be able to improve their models over time. And so therefore people with large data advantages can have better models, which then lead to better end products, which bring in more data. So it creates that kind of data network effect that, you know, we've seen in social networks. It's creating network effects in this model. So I think there for sure is a, a, uh, concern that the big groups are going to run away with it. But I think, you know, things like Andy and the playground group are doing is looking at that thing and saying, okay, how do we go build up? Our own proprietary data sets that those guys don't already have. And so the way I would be thinking about, you know, as a, as a founder and the way we think about as investors is how do you create new, uh, data assets, new kind of proprietary data assets that the other guys don't currently have. And generally the point of view that I think we share is that hardware and sensors are big new kind of channel for that to happen. You know, one we were talking through recently is imagine, you know, image processing has gotten like exponentially better through these kind of deep n…

AI assessment note: “there for sure is a concern that the big groups are going to run away”

Q So, so then what were the big takeaways from your time at Twitter that you can now apply to your more formative years now building the pattern recognition in venture?

A It's a good question. I think, you know, you learn a lot of patterns and some anti-patterns. I think, uh, you know, Twitter specifically, one of the things that really jumped out to me is how much kind of values matter. Uh, I really respected and loved working at that company because of what it stood for and the impact in the world and the way they They wanted to operate. That has really carried on with being something that both I want to carry into the way I work within Redpoint, but also the way that I think about, you know, learning from companies and trying to see which companies are kind of principle driven from the beginning. Uh, because those are the things that kind of help you steer in those really hard times, uh, to understand what matters to you and what your kind of North star is. I think the other one that I went in, you know, not, uh, not having known much about ahead of time, but walking away with a real deep respect for is kind of organizational behavior and how you structure companies and teams that Uh, to drive towards these goals in the most efficient way possible. Uh, and it's just something that I watched, you know, what worked at 30 broke again at, you know, 75, which broke again at 150, which broke again at like 500. So, you're in this kind of constant reorganization of, uh, of teams and reorganization of principles and alignment and kind of priorities. I…

AI assessment note: “Twitter specifically, one of the things that really jumped out to me is how much kind of values matter.”

Q I've, I've heard people say before that it's never been easier to build these smart devices. So, so why do you think that, and where do you think there are still fundamental challenges which make it still hardware is hard, as I always hear?

A I think those are not, uh, mutually exclusive. So it is easier than it has ever has been, but hardware is still very hard. And I think that's, you know, the focus has been around the, the supply chain is getting better. There's better tooling. There's all the systems kind of like, you know, software went through and hardware went through, you know, uh, server infrastructure, hardware went through. Over the past decade or two decades, that's just now started to happen in kind of the hardware world. Um, and so it's getting there, but, and it's easier, but it's still not fully there. I mean, it's just, you're talking about physical devices, and if you don't have the right hood over your, um, over your manufacturing line, you have too much dust that settles into the devices, and all of a sudden you manufacture a thousand devices that are totally invalid, and you've had to wait for them to come from China before you find that out. Like, that's, that's the kind of stuff that happens, and it just takes longer than trying to ship software and do integration testing. So, It's getting better, and I think we're getting that infrastructure, and I think one of Playground's missions is to, is to build that platform, both from the software and hardware side, and build those primitives that make it easier for people to kind of build on top of it.

AI assessment note: “supply chain is getting better. There's better tooling... you're talking about physical devices”

Q And what was it then that enticed you really to venture? Was there a realization or a turning point That made you think that it was the viable career that you now have instead of the hands-on operational role?

A Yeah, I think, you know, it's a culmination. There isn't any kind of one decision that flips it, but I think, you know, just kind of introspectively looking back at my own career and the parts and times I felt most fulfilled, it was in those kind of early foundational, you know, building something from nothing moments, you know, where you're three people, 10 people, 30 people, and I enjoyed that a lot more than the thousand person, 3000 person, uh, you know, kind of Larger scale company management. And it felt like, uh, investing was a way to kind of get to do that over and over again and get to work with these, you know, really smart teams, that foundational time and be able to do it across a bunch of categories. And so I thought it'd be worth going at least trying. And I feel like, you know, if you're, if you're not being a great VC or if, you know, the team doesn't love me or, you know, whatever, uh, you can always go back to doing a startup. And it felt like a rare opportunity to get into a great firm with a group that I really enjoyed in a role that I thought was going to be going to be interesting.

AI assessment note: “investing was a way to kind of get to do that over and over again”

Q And we spoke about your engaging in early stage investing there and very early stage investing, but you also do slightly later stage investing. So I'm intrigued by the common dilemma that often occurs at this stage, which is how do you mitigate signaling risks? When doing both early and later stage investing.

A Yeah. That generally happens when the late stage investing is a follow on to deals that the companies or the firm is already in an early stage, um, where what, you know, red point strategy is to look at it almost as two totally from portfolios. And very, very rarely, I think there's probably, you know, one exception, uh, does our late stage fund invest from our early stage fund? It's generally better within the community to have outside firms kind of price and set valuations for your own companies. So, Um, for us specifically, it's not really a signaling risk. Um, but the nice thing is it allows me, you know, just to go find teams at whatever stage and whatever scale. Um, and Redpoint kind of can support that company with an investment at almost any stage, which makes it really fun and exciting for me.

AI assessment note: “very, very rarely... does our late stage fund invest from our early stage fund”

Q Is it not, do you think it's got a danger of becoming a monopoly play with the large data sets being owned by the massive incumbents?

A Yeah, so that's actually, I think, one of the most interesting things about it, and one of the scariest things about it. Now, this is specifically in Personally, you know, uh, currently based on how neural networks work, that they require large data sets to be able to improve their models over time. And so therefore people with large data advantages can have better models, which then lead to better end products, which bring in more data. So it creates that kind of data network effect that, you know, we've seen in social networks. It's creating network effects in this model. So I think there for sure is a, a, uh, concern that the big groups are going to run away with it. But I think, you know, things like Andy and the playground group are doing is looking at that thing and saying, okay, how do we go build up? Our own proprietary data sets that those guys don't already have. And so the way I would be thinking about, you know, as a, as a founder and the way we think about as investors is how do you create new, uh, data assets, new kind of proprietary data assets that the other guys don't currently have. And generally the point of view that I think we share is that hardware and sensors are big new kind of channel for that to happen. You know, one we were talking through recently is imagine, you know, image processing has gotten like exponentially better through these kind of deep n…

AI assessment note: “for sure is a, a, uh, concern that the big groups are going”

Q that you were potentially going to join Redpoint as an EIR. And Redpoint have got quite a famous kind of name for, for their dedication towards their EIR program. So talk to me a little about the history behind that. Why you have it, and what the benefits are of having an EIR program? I think often it's that mystical, what do EIRs actually do at a venture fund style?

A Yeah, that's a good question. I think, you know, and each firm's different. I talked to a number of different firms at the time, and every single one of them kind of had a different answer of what EIR meant to them, and I think for each entrepreneur, they need to assess, is that the right path, or is, you know, forming it out on your own the right path to go to, and there's, there's good answers on both sides, but I think, you know, Redpoint's had a really strong background in the IR program that definitely predates my time here, but I get to be kind of the benefactor of it. But Satish, one of our other partners, was an IR here, founded a company, or sorry, founded a company that Redpoint invested in, came back as an IR, and then eventually became a partner here. Famously, we had Andy Rubin as a IR here, and he actually founded Android out of our Menlo Park offices, and eventually helped them sell that into Google. Obviously, that turned into the massive platform today, and it would maintain a great relationship with Andy.

AI assessment note: “Famously, we had Andy Rubin as a IR here, and he actually founded Android”

Q Yeah, that's a cracking story, um, but, but yeah, sorry, so, and then VC, how did that, how did that come about?

A Yeah, so I, uh, you know, worked a few different startups in Boston. Uh, last one was one called Skyhook, where we did kind of Wi-Fi self-taught triangulation, Leverage that to get to know the Twitter team very early on in their trajectory. And then, uh, you know, probably 2000, I got to know them around 2007 and kind of late 2008, early 2009. I actually got a DM from one of the employees at the time and said, Hey, would you, you know, think about a job out here? And I just got my then fiance to move from San Francisco to Boston at the time and almost said no to the DM thinking that she would kill me. Uh, but after kind of quick discussion, we all both agree that we both agree we want to be in San Francisco anyway, and the Twitter opportunity to be a great one. So During Twitter, 2009 spent, you know, four great years there working on kind of platform and partnerships and BD stuff along the way. Uh, and then kind of at the end of the tenure went from about, you know, 30 employees to about 3000 employees, uh, decided it was time to time to move on and go try something new. And I've been thinking a lot about, you know, starting my own thing. I want to take the summer off to kind of clear my head. And I started talking to a few venture firms about an EIR role. I had gotten to know the Redpoint team very early and they had sort of reaching out and heavy thought about investing full…

AI assessment note: “I started talking to a few venture firms about an EIR role.”

Q Yeah, that's a cracking story, um, but, but yeah, sorry, so, and then VC, how did that, how did that come about?

A Yeah, so I, uh, you know, worked a few different startups in Boston. Uh, last one was one called Skyhook, where we did kind of Wi-Fi self-taught triangulation, Leverage that to get to know the Twitter team very early on in their trajectory. And then, uh, you know, probably 2000, I got to know them around 2007 and kind of late 2008, early 2009. I actually got a DM from one of the employees at the time and said, Hey, would you, you know, think about a job out here? And I just got my then fiance to move from San Francisco to Boston at the time and almost said no to the DM thinking that she would kill me. Uh, but after kind of quick discussion, we all both agree that we both agree we want to be in San Francisco anyway, and the Twitter opportunity to be a great one. So During Twitter, 2009 spent, you know, four great years there working on kind of platform and partnerships and BD stuff along the way. Uh, and then kind of at the end of the tenure went from about, you know, 30 employees to about 3000 employees, uh, decided it was time to time to move on and go try something new. And I've been thinking a lot about, you know, starting my own thing. I want to take the summer off to kind of clear my head. And I started talking to a few venture firms about an EIR role. I had gotten to know the Redpoint team very early and they had sort of reaching out and heavy thought about investing full…

AI assessment note: “started talking to a few venture firms about an EIR role”

Q that you were potentially going to join Redpoint as an EIR. And Redpoint have got quite a famous kind of name for, for their dedication towards their EIR program. So talk to me a little about the history behind that. Why you have it, and what the benefits are of having an EIR program? I think often it's that mystical, what do EIRs actually do at a venture fund style?

A Yeah, that's a good question. I think, you know, and each firm's different. I talked to a number of different firms at the time, and every single one of them kind of had a different answer of what EIR meant to them, and I think for each entrepreneur, they need to assess, is that the right path, or is, you know, forming it out on your own the right path to go to, and there's, there's good answers on both sides, but I think, you know, Redpoint's had a really strong background in the IR program that definitely predates my time here, but I get to be kind of the benefactor of it. But Satish, one of our other partners, was an IR here, founded a company, or sorry, founded a company that Redpoint invested in, came back as an IR, and then eventually became a partner here. Famously, we had Andy Rubin as a IR here, and he actually founded Android out of our Menlo Park offices, and eventually helped them sell that into Google. Obviously, that turned into the massive platform today, and it would maintain a great relationship with Andy.

AI assessment note: “Famously, we had Andy Rubin as a IR here, and he actually founded Android”

Q And, and this is a question that might prioritize some in the VC community, but do you think VCs inherently have hustle then?

A Um, I think it's all relative. It is definitely, having gone and seen both sides of this, this job was less stressful than, you know, being an operator and for sure being a founder. There's no doubt, you know, you have a whole team of people riding on you. And I think the, the biggest difference I've realized is that not having a team that actually reports to you makes a massive difference in how you can manage your own time. Uh, venture requires a lot of hours. And the tough part is you have no No checklist or no scorecard along the way to tell you if you're doing well or not. And so you can always add more meetings. You can always add more hours to the day. Uh, and so you got to try and figure out the right balance of that because you don't know if, you know, we're, you know, taking 12 meetings a day might not lead to success. It might've just been the one meeting you need to take that wasn't in that list of 12 that was the one that was really going to matter. So, uh, you know, I think grit, hustle, determination are all important. Lock is a huge part of it. Um, and then being, you know, a value in, in creating a good Brand a name for yourself amongst entrepreneurs, because as you know, that community is small. And if you're trying to pitch someone on why you should be the person to come sit on their board and, you know, take up that slot within the ownership of their company…

AI assessment note: “I think it's all relative. It is definitely, having gone and seen both sides”

Q And, and this is a question that might prioritize some in the VC community, but do you think VCs inherently have hustle then?

A Um, I think it's all relative. It is definitely, having gone and seen both sides of this, this job was less stressful than, you know, being an operator and for sure being a founder. There's no doubt, you know, you have a whole team of people riding on you. And I think the, the biggest difference I've realized is that not having a team that actually reports to you makes a massive difference in how you can manage your own time. Uh, venture requires a lot of hours. And the tough part is you have no No checklist or no scorecard along the way to tell you if you're doing well or not. And so you can always add more meetings. You can always add more hours to the day. Uh, and so you got to try and figure out the right balance of that because you don't know if, you know, we're, you know, taking 12 meetings a day might not lead to success. It might've just been the one meeting you need to take that wasn't in that list of 12 that was the one that was really going to matter. So, uh, you know, I think grit, hustle, determination are all important. Lock is a huge part of it. Um, and then being, you know, a value in, in creating a good Brand a name for yourself amongst entrepreneurs, because as you know, that community is small. And if you're trying to pitch someone on why you should be the person to come sit on their board and, you know, take up that slot within the ownership of their company…

AI assessment note: “I think it's all relative. It is definitely, having gone and seen both sides”

Q And I'd love to discuss now your, your strategy towards early stage investing. You said That, you know, you really like working with the three man, the small man teams. So, so at this stage then, why do you love helping founders at this stage? And what's the philosophy to what you look for in an investment proposition at that stage?

A God, I wish there was probably more of a, of a complete strategy. Um, I think in the end, the things I look for are just like, you know, it, my job is to get out and hustle and try and meet the smartest, uh, kind of most engaged and hardest working teams out there. Working on big problems, and so that, it sounds pretty cliche, because I think most VCs would say that, uh, just comes down to how much you hustle, and kind of what network you build, and then selling yourself to those teams to be the right investor for them. There's the cliche things, like, make sure you're working in big markets, or markets that you think can get big over time, uh, and then I think, you know, having, being close to Travis and Ryan Graves and Garrett, kind of the early days of Uber, the thing that really stood out to me from there is just the total grit and hustle that those guys put into that company. You know, it's kind of not very well known, but I've been interviewing with, With Travis in kind of 2011 for a product role there. And I remember my interviews being at 11 p.m. at night. This is when they were probably, you know, less than a hundred people. 11 p.m. at night. The office is full. And Travis, my interview with him is us pacing around the perimeter of the office nonstop all night. And like, that's just the amount of hustle and time put into that business I think a lot of people don't real…

AI assessment note: “you look for teams that have grit and determination because, you know, startups are incredibly hard.”

Q And I'd love to discuss now your, your strategy towards early stage investing. You said That, you know, you really like working with the three man, the small man teams. So, so at this stage then, why do you love helping founders at this stage? And what's the philosophy to what you look for in an investment proposition at that stage?

A God, I wish there was probably more of a, of a complete strategy. Um, I think in the end, the things I look for are just like, you know, it, my job is to get out and hustle and try and meet the smartest, uh, kind of most engaged and hardest working teams out there. Working on big problems, and so that, it sounds pretty cliche, because I think most VCs would say that, uh, just comes down to how much you hustle, and kind of what network you build, and then selling yourself to those teams to be the right investor for them. There's the cliche things, like, make sure you're working in big markets, or markets that you think can get big over time, uh, and then I think, you know, having, being close to Travis and Ryan Graves and Garrett, kind of the early days of Uber, the thing that really stood out to me from there is just the total grit and hustle that those guys put into that company. You know, it's kind of not very well known, but I've been interviewing with, With Travis in kind of 2011 for a product role there. And I remember my interviews being at 11 p.m. at night. This is when they were probably, you know, less than a hundred people. 11 p.m. at night. The office is full. And Travis, my interview with him is us pacing around the perimeter of the office nonstop all night. And like, that's just the amount of hustle and time put into that business I think a lot of people don't real…

AI assessment note: “I think in the end, the things I look for are just like”

Q And you mentioned Andy Rubin a little before, founder of Android, and he runs Playground, obviously, as you know. And I've heard you say before that one of the reasons the partnership with Playground works so well is due to your shared belief on AI as the next transformational platform. So what does AI as a platform really look like to you?

A Yeah, that's a good question. I think, uh, we take a lot of benefit and, uh, have really, really enjoyed the relationship with Andy and the Playground team. I think they're just one of the most capable and ambitious groups out there. And actually for those of the people that don't know about Playground, uh, it's about a three hundred million dollar kind of investment fund slash incubator based in Palo Alto. And they have a huge, uh, I want to say a 100,000 square foot lab down there. That's part fab, um, you know, supply chain, kind of everything you need to think about building connected hardware, AI systems. Uh, they have some internal resources, and they also incubate and invest in other companies, so it's a whole, a whole suite of things to help accelerate, uh, companies that are out there. You know, I think why we're both so bullish on AI is, you know, there's a, the law of kind of compounding investment and return and things, so I think, one, there's just been a few major breakthroughs in AI that are creating this kind of exponential growth in the opportunities and in the, uh, the results that come out of AI. You know, Google, Facebook, Microsoft have kind of, like, collectively spent Billions to fund development of neural networks that can understand things like human speech, recognize faces in photos, do image processing, and I think over the next decade, you know, AI i…

AI assessment note: “why we're both so bullish on AI is, you know, there's a”

Q And you mentioned Andy Rubin a little before, founder of Android, and he runs Playground, obviously, as you know. And I've heard you say before that one of the reasons the partnership with Playground works so well is due to your shared belief on AI as the next transformational platform. So what does AI as a platform really look like to you?

A Yeah, that's a good question. I think, uh, we take a lot of benefit and, uh, have really, really enjoyed the relationship with Andy and the Playground team. I think they're just one of the most capable and ambitious groups out there. And actually for those of the people that don't know about Playground, uh, it's about a three hundred million dollar kind of investment fund slash incubator based in Palo Alto. And they have a huge, uh, I want to say a 100,000 square foot lab down there. That's part fab, um, you know, supply chain, kind of everything you need to think about building connected hardware, AI systems. Uh, they have some internal resources, and they also incubate and invest in other companies, so it's a whole, a whole suite of things to help accelerate, uh, companies that are out there. You know, I think why we're both so bullish on AI is, you know, there's a, the law of kind of compounding investment and return and things, so I think, one, there's just been a few major breakthroughs in AI that are creating this kind of exponential growth in the opportunities and in the, uh, the results that come out of AI. You know, Google, Facebook, Microsoft have kind of, like, collectively spent Billions to fund development of neural networks that can understand things like human speech, recognize faces in photos, do image processing, and I think over the next decade, you know, AI i…

AI assessment note: “Google, Facebook, Microsoft have kind of, like, collectively spent Billions to fund development”

Q Uh, that's interesting. So, so then how do you as an investor, now you've switched sides of the table, how do you collaborate and work with the EIRs in, in red point?

A Yeah. You know, it's funny because whenever I'm trying to pitch someone on being a EIR here, you know, they ask me like, Hey, what, what's it like? And I'm like, it's really, it's, It's what you make of it, and our view of what an EIR is, and like when I was assessing it for myself, I personally like having structured to my day a place to come to a repeatable set of people that I can bounce ideas off of and start kind of formulating a point of view on where I want to go with an idea. Some other people don't like that process, and they'd rather be at home and work with a totally diverse set of people and, you know, work through it that way. I remember I was talking to a very accomplished entrepreneur friend of mine about EIRing at one point, And he said, you're crazy. You should sit at home, come up with the idea, take it to the VCs and stab them in the heart with it.

AI assessment note: “whenever I'm trying to pitch someone on being a EIR here”

Q Uh, that's interesting. So, so then how do you as an investor, now you've switched sides of the table, how do you collaborate and work with the EIRs in, in red point?

A Yeah. You know, it's funny because whenever I'm trying to pitch someone on being a EIR here, you know, they ask me like, Hey, what, what's it like? And I'm like, it's really, it's, It's what you make of it, and our view of what an EIR is, and like when I was assessing it for myself, I personally like having structured to my day a place to come to a repeatable set of people that I can bounce ideas off of and start kind of formulating a point of view on where I want to go with an idea. Some other people don't like that process, and they'd rather be at home and work with a totally diverse set of people and, you know, work through it that way. I remember I was talking to a very accomplished entrepreneur friend of mine about EIRing at one point, And he said, you're crazy. You should sit at home, come up with the idea, take it to the VCs and stab them in the heart with it.

AI assessment note: “whenever I'm trying to pitch someone on being a EIR here, you know”