Consumer VC Finds Growth Beyond DTC

• (01:52) - AllBirds turns to AI Compute Provider
• (15:04) - Snaps Cuts 16% of Workforce
• (22:45) - Amazon + Globalstar
• (31:00) - Kiva Dickinson, founder and managing partner of Selva Ventures, leads investments in emerging health and wellness brands. In the conversation, he discusses his transition from investment banking to venture capital, highlighting his focus on supporting early-stage consumer brands that promote healthier living. He emphasizes the importance of providing strategic resources to these companies, aiming to make healthier living more accessible and enjoyable.
• (50:30) - Aron D'Souza, an Australian lawyer and entrepreneur, is the founder of the Enhanced Games, an upcoming sporting event that permits the use of performance-enhancing drugs. In the conversation, he discusses the inaugural event scheduled for late May in Las Vegas, highlighting the participation of Olympic gold medalists and world record holders, and mentions the organization's plans to go public through a SPAC combination on the New York Stock Exchange. Additionally, D'Souza introduces his new venture, Objection.AI, an AI-driven platform designed to challenge and verify claims made in the media, aiming to establish an objective arbiter of truth in society.
• (01:02:31) - Uber Commits $10B to RoboTaxis
• (01:04:28) - Michael Mignano, co-founder of the podcasting platform Anchor and former head of Spotify's talk audio division, has joined Union Square Ventures (USV) as a General Partner. In his conversation, he discusses his longstanding relationship with USV, highlighting their thesis-driven investment approach and willingness to support unconventional ideas. He emphasizes the importance of in-depth discussions within small teams to develop clear strategies, a practice he values from his experiences at Anchor and Spotify.
• (01:26:00) - 𝕏 Timeline Reactions
• (01:30:03) - Wade Foster, co-founder and CEO of Zapier, discusses the recent launch of Zapier's SDK, which integrates with various coding agents to automate tasks across numerous tools. He highlights the surge in internal tool development within companies, noting that Zapier's marketing team created over 80 new internal tools during a recent hackathon. Foster also emphasizes the importance of maintaining accountability when using AI-generated content and shares insights on how remote work enhances documentation and institutional knowledge.
• (01:51:35) - Ankur Nagpal, founder of Teachable and Carry, discusses the recent acquisition of Carry by AngelList and Lettuce Financial. AngelList acquired Carry's parent company to enhance its financial product offerings, while Lettuce Financial acquired Carry's retirement platform to provide comprehensive services for self-employed individuals. Nagpal highlights the importance of these partnerships in expanding access to financial tools for solopreneurs and plans to continue his involvement as a strategic advisor.
• (02:01:09) - Bailey Pumfleet, co-founder and CEO of Cal.com, discusses the company's transition from open-source to closed-source scheduling software due to escalating AI-driven security threats. He highlights that advancements in AI have enabled rapid exploitation of open-source code, compromising application security. To protect sensitive user data, Cal.com has decided to close its source code while maintaining its commitment to user trust and data integrity.
• (02:09:54) - Han Wang, co-founder and CEO of Mintlify, discusses the company's mission to empower developers by providing AI-native documentation solutions, which have been adopted by over 10,000 companies, including Anthropic, Microsoft, and Coinbase. He highlights the increasing role of AI in consuming documentation, noting that currently, approximately 50% of their documentation traffic comes from AI agents, a figure expected to rise to over 90% by year's end. Wang also announces Mintlify's recent $45 million Series B funding at a $500 million valuation, emphasizing the importance of accessible and up-to-date documentation in the rapidly evolving software landscape.

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