$2B Allergy Drug, ChatGPT Ads, Mansion Section | Billy Boman, Benjamin Miller, Faris Sbahi, Evan Loomis, Anvisha Pai, Ryan Tseng
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Fundrise Makes Private Tech Publicly Tradable
Benjamin Miller explains how Fundrise built VCX, why it trades above NAV, and how investor networks can help portfolio companies grow.
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- (06:33) - Novartis to Buy Excellergy for $2B
- (15:44) - 𝕏 Timeline Reactions
- (28:48) - Anthropic Stories
- (37:46) - Mansion Section
- (59:03) - Billy Boman, an AI visual creator and educator, discusses his journey from a creative upbringing and formal design education to roles in fashion and tech, culminating in his current focus on AI-driven content creation. He highlights his work on high-profile projects, including AI-generated commercials and music videos, and emphasizes the transformative impact of AI on the creative industry. Boman also shares insights into his teaching role at Berghs School of Communication, where he integrates AI tools into the curriculum to prepare students for the evolving landscape of digital storytelling.
- (01:32:07) - Benjamin Miller, co-founder and CEO of Fundrise, discusses the company's mission to democratize real estate investing through technology, making high-quality investments accessible to a broader audience. He highlights the recent public listing of the Fundrise Innovation Fund (VCX) on the New York Stock Exchange, emphasizing its role in providing investors with exposure to private technology companies. Miller also elaborates on Fundrise's strategic approach to venture capital, focusing on building relationships with top private companies and leveraging their extensive customer base to add value beyond capital investment.
- (01:53:27) - Faris Sbahi, Founder and CEO of Normal Computing, discusses how his company collaborates with leading semiconductor firms to design custom silicon and is developing ultra-efficient ASICs focused on energy efficiency. He highlights the industry's shift towards heterogeneous computing, emphasizing the need for specialized chips tailored to specific workloads, and introduces thermodynamic computing as a novel approach to enhance energy efficiency in AI workloads. Sbahi also announces a $50 million accelerator round led by Samsung to further these initiatives.
- (02:00:18) - Evan Loomis, General Partner at Overmatch Ventures and co-founder of ICON, discusses the firm's recent $250 million fund closure aimed at investing in deep tech, defense, and space sectors, with plans to build a concentrated portfolio of approximately 25 companies. He emphasizes the urgency for the U.S. to lead in critical technologies like artificial intelligence and advanced defense systems, expressing confidence in the nation's innovative capacity despite current challenges. Loomis also highlights ICON's achievements, including 3D-printing the first home in the U.S. and collaborating with NASA to construct a lunar habitat.
- (02:08:58) - Anvisha Pai, founder and CEO of Moda, discusses the launch of Moda, an AI design tool that enables non-designers to create fully editable slides, social graphics, and landing page mockups. Unlike other AI design tools, Moda offers a fully editable canvas, allowing users to adjust text boxes and move elements freely. The company recently announced a $7.5 million funding round led by General Catalyst, with participation from the founder of Dropbox, Arash Ferdowsi.
- (02:22:53) - Ryan Tseng, President, Co-Founder, and Chief Strategy Officer of Shield AI, a defense technology company specializing in AI-powered autonomous systems, announced the completion of a $2 billion financing round at a $12.7 billion valuation and the acquisition of Echelon Technologies, a leader in physics-based simulation for high-end aviation training. He discussed the company's mission to protect service members and civilians through advanced aircraft and AI pilots, emphasizing the importance of autonomy in modern defense operations. Tseng also highlighted the integration of Echelon's simulation capabilities to enhance the development and deployment of autonomous systems, aiming to accelerate the proliferation of high-performance, high-assurance autonomy in defense applications.
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