RRE POV

In this episode of RRE POV, hosts Raju Rishi and Will Porteous sit down with Tive founder and CEO Krenar Komoni for a deeply personal and forward-looking conversation on building at the intersection of hardware, software, and AI.Krenar shares his journey from growing up in Kosovo during political upheaval, to becoming a full-stack entrepreneur leading one of the world’s most advanced real-time supply chain visibility platforms. What began as a scrappy solution to a family trucking problem has evolved into Tive, a global company powering mission-critical logistics for thousands of customers.The conversation explores how AI, first-party data, and full-stack thinking are reshaping logistics, and why companies like Tive, with years of real-world data and embedded infrastructure, are uniquely positioned to define the future of autonomous supply chains.Highlights: (00:00) Welcome and Guest Intro(01:55) Early Coding in Kosovo(06:09) War Displacement and Grit(09:30) Falling for RF Engineering(14:03) Founding Tive from Trucking Pain(18:31) From Term Sheet to Trust(19:21) Hitting One Million Trackers(20:21) Soft Skills and CES Connections(23:05) Tive Today Product and Metrics(27:35) AI Roadmap and Wrap Up

In this episode of RRE POV, Raju and Will dive deep into the evolving science and philosophy of longevity. Moving beyond the simple goal of living longer, they explore what it really means to live better for longer.Raju shares his latest thinking on the five major sectors shaping the longevity landscape: health data, insights and planning, personalized medicine, verticalized solutions, and frontier technologies. Along the way, the guys unpack everything from wearables, blood work, and full-body MRIs to the limitations of today’s healthcare system and the need for better feedback loops in personal health.At the heart of the episode is a powerful idea: longevity is not just about correcting biomarkers or adding years to life, but about improving the body’s ability to recover, adapt, and regenerate.  From personal reflections on aging and lifespan expectations to the societal implications of extended life (think careers, marriage, and even prison sentences), this conversation spans both the practical and philosophical and takes a thought-provoking look at the future of health, wellness, and longevity.Shownotes: (00:00) Welcome (00:49) Why Longevity Matters Now(03:08) Living Forever Tradeoffs(08:52) Five Longevity Startup Sectors(10:13) Health Data and Wearables Deep Dive(19:56) Battery And Recharge(20:15) Stress States And Regeneration(22:07) Resilience And HRV(24:38) Exercise Ceiling Recovery Floor(28:24) Recursive Feedback Healthcare(30:32) Precision Dosing Personalization(33:04) Longevity Clinics Reality Check(34:17) Microbiome Early Navigation(37:44) Vertical Apps And GLP Ones(41:10) Frontier Tech And Wrap Up

Dan Rosenberg, founder and CEO of Octane11 and former MediaMath exec, reflects on early startup hires and building company culture. He explains why he started Octane11 to solve B2B attribution, how marketing signals are mapped to companies, and the data-first approach to powering AI insights for revenue-driven marketing decisions.

In this episode of RRE POV, Raju and Will sit down with Nick Leonard, co-founder and CEO of VoiceRun — the world’s fastest, most extensible voice agent platform. The guys unpack Nick’s career pivots and hard-earned startup lessons, and go deep on the business behind the technology.  They discuss why voice AI has historically fallen short, why enterprises, not startups, are driving real adoption, and how a code-first, serverless, LLM-native architecture enables speed, extensibility, observability, and trust. Nick shares what it truly takes to deploy production-grade voice agents across banks, insurers, and restaurant platforms, and why owning the code has never mattered more.Show Notes: (00:00) The Big Decision: College or Career?(00:47) Introducing the Guest: Nick Leonard(03:17) Nick's Journey from Muncie to MIT(14:44) Early Career and Entrepreneurial Lessons(28:56) The Evolution of People Leadership(31:02) The Rise of Voice AI(32:58) Building Voice Run: Challenges and Insights(36:17) Future of Voice AI and Final Thoughts

In this episode, Will and Raju pull back the curtain on what it really takes to invest in AI right now — amid trillion-dollar forecasts and valuations, and a pace of change that’s rewriting company building in real time. From “vibe coding” to AI agents that find the hottest DJ sets, they explore how the tech is reshaping daily life, work life, product roadmaps, and the venture math behind it.  Drawing from decades of pattern recognition across the PC, internet, and mobile eras, they share how to separate hype from lasting value — unpacking RRE’s framework for backing durable AI businesses. Whether you’re building the future, backing the future, or just trying to understand it, this is the episode you don’t want to miss.Show Notes: (00:00) Introduction(01:41) The Staggering Numbers in AI Investment(04:41) Should Entrepreneurs Start an AI Company?(07:03) How Raju Uses AI(09:16) Why AI Won't Kill the Music Industry(12:18) Will's AI Use as (18:50) AI Valuations Are Bonkers(20:54) Comparing Four Tech Inflection Points(24:02) Three Unsolved Problems in AI Business Models(27:47) Raju's Four Characteristics for AI Investments(31:45) Why Nanit Is the Perfect AI Investment Example(34:41) The Fraudulent Satellite Imagery Problem(36:10) Data Authenticity as Investment Opportunity(38:30) Final Advice

What happens when your company wasn't born with AI, but now has to compete with those that were? In this episode of RRE POV, Raju Rishi and Will Porteous tackle what established companies should do when AI-powered competitors start knocking at the door. They break down how to protect your business while using AI to get better at everything you do. You’ll hear real company stories and experiences, plus practical advice on which AI tools to adopt right now.Show Highlights: (00:00) Introduction (00:45) How do Old Companies Survive AI?(02:00) Competing with Companies Built with AI from day one(04:06) Smart Baby Monitor Beats AI-Native Competition(07:00) Five Ways to Protect Your Business from AI (12:28) Using AI to Improve Sales and Marketing(15:06) Two Examples of AI-native Tools Driving Efficiency(18:02) How Some Founders Are Training Agents to Code like Them.(23:01) VoiceRun’s AI Support Breakthrough(26:32) Why Finance is the Next Frontier of AI transformation(31:00) How AI Is Changing Fundraising Expectations(34:36) Why SaaS Might Be Dead(40:12) Advice for Company Leaders Navigating AI(40:51) Gatling Gun: Will AI Replace Us?(44:11) How to Contact Us

This episode of RRE POV turns history into a high-stakes trivia match as Raju quizzesWill on the 20 greatest inventions of all time. From the wheel and the compass to electricity and the computer, Will puts his historical memory to the test — nailing dates, inventors, and surprising details along the way. Together, they trace humanity’s most game-changing breakthroughs, exploring how each invention reshaped the world and paved the way for today’s technological revolutions.Show Highlights:(0:00) Introduction(5:29) Writing Systems & Languages: Sumerians, Egyptians, Chinese(7:41) The Compass: Chinese invention, global navigation(10:53) Gunpowder: Chinese alchemists, global impact(12:13) Printing Press: Gutenberg, mass communication(16:06) Vaccination: Edward Jenner, public health(18:55) Sanitation Systems: Modern sewage, clean water, public health(25:03) Light Bulb: Edison, Swan, Davy(25:30)Automobile: Benz, mass mobility(26:31) Airplane: Wright Brothers, first flight(27:16) Antibiotics: Penicillin, Alexander Fleming(28:07) Computer: Turing, Zuse, ENIAC(33:19) Vulcanization, PlayStation, Chick-fil-A, and other fun mentions(36:00) Wrap-up & reflections on the impact of these inventions

The hardest startup decisions are the ones you can’t undo. In this episode of RRE POV, partners Raju Rishi and Will Porteous share the critical early choices that can make or break a company, from branding and pricing to hiring, titles, and product design.Drawing on real boardroom experiences and founder stories, they share where startups often trip up, how to avoid costly missteps, and practical frameworks for making decisions today that won’t limit your options tomorrow.

You’ve closed your funding round. The wire’s hit. Your team is pumped. Now what?  In the latest episode of RRE POV, General Partners Raju Rishi and Will Porteous dive into the crucial early days AFTER a deal is done — when expectations are fresh, possibilities seem endless, and the real work of building a high-functioning relationship between founders and investors begins.If you're a first-time founder or just kicked off a fresh relationship with a new VC, this episode is your playbook for getting it right from day one.Show Highlights: 00:00 Introduction and Opening Remarks00:58 Post-Funding Expectations02:14 First Conversations with Entrepreneurs04:10 Onboarding and Initial Steps07:22 Board Meetings and Communication12:36 Establishing Board Culture18:52 Reality Check and Adjustments22:19 Maximizing Board Member Contributions23:01 Engaging with Directors Beyond Meetings24:21 Leveraging Board Members' Superpowers26:21 Effective Communication Strategies30:16 Handling Bad News and Financial Literacy33:25 Worst Board Meetings and First Dates40:14 Fun and Final Thoughts

In this episode of RRE POV, Raju and Will sit down with Samir Dutta and Noah Faro, co-founders of Farsight, an AI platform reshaping how financial institutions operate. Raju first connected with the Farsight team through a fun coincidence they all happened to be part of the same MIT fraternity, Phi Beta Epsilon. Though they were there years apart, that shared bond made teaming up on this company a natural fit. The guys dive into how Farsight helps analysts move faster by generating slide decks and models in minutes, not weeks, and how it’s already driving real revenue for clients. With proactive AI agents on the horizon, Farsight is quickly becoming a must-have tool for modern financial workflows.