Headline

Local AI Models Unlocked: So What? Check out the latest episode of the Headline AI Podcast with Conrad Chu and Sasha Krecinic, as they discuss the advancements in local AI models and whether or not they can challenge big AI incumbents. Check it out 👇 https://lnkd.in/dc82PpVJ

The launch of Google Gemini Live underscored how far we've come: specialized AI models are now compact enough to fit in your pocket, on your phone. But they're being used in far more ways than consumer hardware. These same models are also small enough to deploy on the battlefield. What do these developments mean for the future of defense, privacy, and AI’s role in these critical sectors? Join Conrad Chu and Sasha Krecinic on the latest episode of the Headline AI Podcast, as they explore the advancements of powerful local AI models, the rise of Gemini Live on mobile devices, GPT-4o reclaiming the top spot, and how AI is slowly reshaping our wars. Watch: https://lnkd.in/dc82PpVJ

Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting the GenAI Collective, San Francisco’s largest AI community with 20,000+ founders, researchers, operators, & investors, for a tactical panel and discussion on fundraising for AI startups. Headline Investor Sasha Krecinic joined Amber Illig, GP at The Council and Danielle Jing, Investor at Pear VC on a panel moderated by Naomi Chetrit Band to share insights from their roles and observations of the market. Thank you to everyone who attended the event and to The GenAI Collective for co-hosting. Follow along for more Headline community events and information on how to attend future ones, we’d love to see you soon!

It's not just technical skills that help workers excel; it's soft skills, too. To help with this, CodeSignal just launched 'Conversation Practice,' which provides AI-based learning for anyone to become better at management skills and tough workplace conversations. Read more in Forbes: https://lnkd.in/gbbeS7jH

Another Everything Marketplaces x Headline event in the books! 📚 Thank you to Mike Williams for co-hosting with us and everyone who joined us last week. The room was buzzing with energy around all things #marketplaces. Follow along for more Headline community events and information on how to attend future ones, we’d love to see you soon!

New episode of the Headline AI Podcast! 🍓🍓🍓 Rumor has it, OpenAI has been working on a very special project that pushes the frontiers of AI reasoning. Conrad Chu and Sasha Krecinic break down a project by the name of Strawberry (aka Q*). What are the implications, whether it launches in days or months? We discuss it all here. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/gsfRkgdP

Last week, Headline Partner Jett Fein sat down with Grace Gong for the Smart Venture Podcast. Jett, who leads our consumer pod, talked with Grace about new trends in the SaaS, media, and e-commerce sectors; why areas like the passion economy, experiences, and self-improvement are surging; and how to adapt investment strategies across different geographies — something we do frequently at Headline. Check it out!

Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro has just surpassed OpenAI's GPT-4o on the latest benchmark test, signaling yet another shift in the AI landscape. In this week’s new Headline AI Podcast episode, Conrad Chu and Sasha Krecinic dive into the latest AI and LLM news. They discuss Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro victory, Google’s acquisition of Character.AI’s founding team, Groq’s impressive $640 million funding round, Argentina’s AI security initiatives (which feels like a precursor to Minority Report!), and more. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/g9mJtGqW

Congratulations to this year's Forbes #Cloud100, including two honorees from the Headline portfolio — Mistral AI and Icertis — as a record number of AI companies land spots on the list! Check out the full list here: https://lnkd.in/etRHGNfs

Many founders have fascinating, eclectic histories powering their companies — and LucidLink Co-Founder & CEO Peter Thompson is no exception. How did he prepare for running his startup? 🐓 As a child, growing up in a small farm town in central Minnesota, where his family worried about which farmers would grant access to the best land (and pheasants). ✏ As a college student doing coursework in Japan, teaching English to pay the bills and living inexpensively in a "nearly condemned" apartment, asking neighborhood grocers knew to set aside slightly spoiled or bruised items he could swipe. 🌊 As the underwater photographer and above-water translator for a multiyear expedition to the mountains in Japan’s Iwate prefecture, exploring and mapping a subterranean cave system, spending 8 to 9 hours in 37F degree water. Knowing how to navigate your ever-evolving environment is just part of the job as a founder, and Peter came to LucidLink well-prepared. Read more about his interesting background (and what it taught him) at the link below. https://lnkd.in/gdBwKw4G