Neville T.

🚨 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜 𝐊𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐧𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐡𝐫𝐚 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 Krishna Mehra, ex-Meta executive and co-founder of Capillary Technologies, is now a Partner at Elevation Capital, focusing on SaaS and AI investments. Based in Silicon Valley, Mehra will strengthen the India-US corridor, aiding Indian founders in creating global leaders.  With experience driving $10B revenue at Meta and angel investments in 40+ startups, Mehra brings valuable expertise to Elevation Capital's $2.6B portfolio.  Krishna Mehra Elevation Capital #Learntransformation #SaaS #AI #ElevationCapital #IndiaUS #Startups #VC

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Commoditization of AI models Yesterday evening I had the pleasure of watching Aravind Srinivas' (founder of Perplexity) interview with Aarthi Ramamurthy and Sriram Krishnan . It's a great interview and I would recommend AI founders to watch it if possible. https://lnkd.in/gnM2NeS8 Couple of things that stuck me from the interview: 1. Aravind believes in the commoditization of AI models in the long run. His take his firms like Perplexity which focus on user problems and solve for it using relevant models will win. Perplexity does it quite well, do check them out if you haven't already. This is something that AI entrepreneurs should think about. Creating foundational models is freaking expensive! and for conservative capital allocators like us it is too risky a bet (not betting on AI is even riskier 😅, I guess we need to learn more) I am going to tag the platform Guru and distinguished IIMB alumnus Sangeet Paul Choudary for his take on this. 2. The initial employees (5-10) have to be truth seekers rather than social affirmers(?) It was great hearing him talk about the culture at Perplexity of seeking the truth through open conversations and arguments on Slack rather than provide positive affirmation. I think it's something that every founder should strive for. Truth will prevail in the longer run. This works in technology, finance, politics, society, anywhere. (Satyamev Jayate is true in itself!) But to be able to have an open conversation, the founders need to have depth themselves. This is something that I feel the Indian ecosystem lacks, as most of the founders seem to be managerial in nature. I find them shifting to jargons rather than simplicity when questioned deeper. (By the way this is a classic test to check whether someone really knows it, people who know what they are talking about will make it simpler, those who don't take the cover of jargons to increase complexity and portray intelligence) I understand my analysis could be biased due to self-selection, and I would love to be proven wrong. It's pretty cool that Aravind chose Larry Page as his favourite entrepreneur due to their common background of coming from academic research to entrepreneurship. What I definitely don't agree with Aravind on The idea that luck doesn't play a role in outcomes. Successful people generally attribute success to their hard work/smartness / enterprise without understanding their privilege. For e.g. A smarter/more hardworking/more enterprising Dalit girl from Bihar will never have the kind of opportunities that I had as a Tam Bram born in a lower-middle class but very well educated family in Chennai. One has tried to solve for it using our Sakhi Scholars programme, which supports gifted girls from underprivileged communities to achieve their dream through financial support. On a lighter note, Aravind is a 2017 IIT-M alum and has already built a $8 billion company, what the hell am I doing with my life? 🤔

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Looking forward to meeting women entrepreneurs who are on their journey to create some pathbreaking ideas and inspiring others to do the same. #advaitawomenentrepreneurs #womeninbusiness #entrepreneurship #womenentrepreneurs #EmpowerWomen #womenleaders #businesswomen

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When you find a practical use of AI in an area that has strong tailwinds in the India growth story, you know this is a venture that has a high potential not just for value creation but for job creation in the country. Delighted to back TraqCheck founders Jaibir Nihal Singh, Armaan Mehta and @rishabh jain as they make it easier for over 200 corporations to embrace the new way of work. Traqcheck's Ai-enabled background checks of employees is way, way faster and far more reliable than traditional methods of background verification. Pankaj Bansal (पंकज बंसल)Karann Mittal Danish Dogra Aman Khan Yukta Kelkar Atreyi Dass

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The abolition of #angeltax has opened many doors for #FDI, as well as domestic money. With the removal of difficult tax regulations, domestic and foreign #investors now have more freedom to support Indian #startups. As a result, more private, individual and family office money is expected to flow into the #startup ecosystem in the coming days. This will unleash Indian startups to conquer the world and will be a powerful factor in translating research into #commercialisation. I spoke to Shereen Bhan of Young Turks on various intricacies of budget and its impact on our ecosystem. Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gsDzuH8b

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Regulation.ai@India: Striking a balance between innovation and safety! India must not delay implementing comprehensive AI regulations to ensure technology serves humanity's best interests and upholds core values. India, which took nearly five additional years to implement its Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, cannot afford a similar delay with its AI regulation. Interesting insights Business Standard Ajay Kumar #ai #regulation #india Angshuman Kaushik Tanvi Ratna INDIAai Emerging Technologies Wing, Govt. of Telangana AI Rezoomex https://lnkd.in/dbaXqDt2

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🌟 India’s Incredible Contributions to AI in the U.S. 🌟 Did you know that Indian innovators are leading the charge in building some of the largest AI-focused billion-dollar companies in the U.S.? 🇮🇳✨ Here are some remarkable achievements: 🔸 HighRadius – Valued at $3.10 Billion 🔸 Uniphore – Valued at $2.5 Billion 🔸 Eightfold.ai – Valued at $2.2 Billion 🔸 Moveworks – Valued at $2 Billion 🔸 H2O.ai – Valued at $1.5 Billion 🔸 Cambridge Mobile Telematics – Valued at $1.5 Billion 🔸 SparkCognition – Valued at $1.4 Billion 🔸 SeekOut – Valued at $1.2 Billion These companies are transforming industries with cutting-edge AI technologies, thanks to Indian founders and co-founders. India’s talent continues to redefine global innovation in technology and artificial intelligence. 🚀 #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #India #Innovation #TechLeadership #Startups #Entrepreneurship #Technology #GlobalImpact #IndianTech

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Loved the conversation with Deborshi Chaki on the Uniqus Consultech Inc. build and how deep specialization; an integrated global delivery model backed by tech/AI; and high-performing talent are propelling Uniqus to being a $500 million company by the end of the decade. #startups #growth #consulting #technology #accountingadvisory #esg #grc #AI https://lnkd.in/dQjdSEpe

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Luv Gupta Amrita Agrawal Ambrish Gupta Mayank Chouhan Abhinav Mehta Rohit Kumar Singh Saransh Mahere Dr. Kartikey Gupta Thrilled to unveil Forescribe's xAI suite, featuring Smart Alerts and AI Post Mortem—innovations in SaaS Ops designed to elevate strategic oversight for CIOs, COOs, and their teams. 📨 Smart Alerts delivers proactive, tailored insights, enabling faster decision-making to keep your digital landscape aligned with your vision. ✨ AI Post Mortem now offers executive summaries on product spend, usage, and benchmarks with Forrester’s Digital Transformation Maturity Model—empowering leaders with clear, instant actionable insights. With xAI, unlock real-time data to drive transformational outcomes and make every tech investment count. 💰 🥂 Kudos to the teams involved in taking this live. Learn more about Forescribe xAI initiative here: https://lnkd.in/gzxxxh6W

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This is really exciting ....LF India will engage regional startups and Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) with an initial focus on open source projects including cloud native, telecommunications, Edge/IoT, blockchain, security, and domain-specific AI technologies across all vertical segments. #opensource #india #linuxfoundation The Linux Foundation LF Decentralized Trust LF Decentralized Trust India Chapter Daniela Barbosa Julian Gordon

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I had a lot of fun recording a podcast episode with Shiva Singh Sangwan. We discussed the evolution of Humba Ventures & Susa Ventures; tips for raising and building a fund; how to improve investment sourcing & picking; the role of luck in investing, and so on. https://lnkd.in/eiqsStej

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It was a great day learning from some of the brightest minds in engineering at our 3rd annual Hypergrowth Engineering Summit. The evolution of LLMs has the potential to revolutionize software development education and training. A few snaps from my fireside chat with Amjad Masad, Head of Engineering & Founder Replit all about AI’s emerging impact on the SDLC below. 📸 #SapphireHypergrowthENG

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Episode 341 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Somak Chattopadhyay, Managing Partner at Armory Square Ventures. Yes, markets like the Bay Area, NYC, and Boston get a lot of attention when it comes to building startups and having the ability to raise capital, but there are lots of other places to build a successful company. This has always been the case, but the pandemic definitely pushed this reality further.  This is why a firm like Amory Square Ventures exists. There are lots of secondary markets where entrepreneurs need access to capital and it is also a very important matter for the local economy for these companies to grow and create jobs, versus relocating. Somak shares the details of what led him down the path to start Armory Square Ventures, a seed and early stage venture fund, and why their approach of investing in seconday markets has not only been a differentiator for their firm but what they also consider as an optimism engine and a community catalyst for regions outside Silicon Valley. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * Advice on how founders can push back on advice from investors. * Somak’s background story and his early career in startups. * How he landed in venture capital at Edison Ventures and Tribeca Venture Partners. * The details on what they are targeting for investments and portfolio company examples like Machinery Partner and ACV Auctions, a Buffalo company that went public. * Somak’s anti-portfolio, companies that he reviewed and an investment didn’t work out and went on to be a successful company. * Advice on building a marketplace. * And so much more. #venturecapital #startups #marketplaces

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Interesting article by ET Prime on Softbank’s evolving investment strategy based on The Arc scoop on the Ultrahuman deal Thanks for citing us, Manu P Toms 🙏 More on what’s working for Ultrahuman and the round here - https://lnkd.in/gcQimTAS

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Fintech x AI - $100 billion opportunity? I recently had the fascinating opportunity to host Vignesh Krishnakumar, Co-founder and CTO of HyperVerge, a company that started in a college dorm and has risen to global prominence in AI-powered identity verification services. Vignesh shared HyperVerge's journey, from its inception at IIT Madras, where the team was deeply involved in student-led R&D, participating in international robotics competitions and developing cutting-edge computer vision technologies. This background laid the groundwork for HyperVerge’s innovative solutions in facial and scene recognition, which are now integral to their offerings in fintech and other sectors​ A notable milestone in their journey was when HyperVerge raised $1 million from US investors to expand their technical team and further develop their technologies. This investment was not just about funds; it brought invaluable mentorship that helped shape the strategic direction of their business​ Today, HyperVerge's technology is deployed globally, providing AI-based identity verification solutions in over 195 countries. Their technology has been especially praised for its accuracy and reliability, ranking highly on NIST's FRVT leaderboards. This recognition is not just for their technological prowess but also underscores their contribution to enhancing security features in customer onboarding processes across various industries​ HyperVerge has verified more than 600 million identities to date, showcasing the scalability and impact of their solutions. Their technology not only streamlines the identity verification process but also significantly reduces the time and costs associated with manual verification​ For anyone interested in the intersection of AI and fintech, this conversation with Vignesh offers invaluable insights into the challenges and triumphs of building a tech startup that aims to lead in a competitive and rapidly evolving field. This session is more than just a conversation; it's a gateway to understanding the nuts and bolts of scaling tech in finance. And, I'm eager to unravel many secrets behind building disruptive tech solutions. Tune in now w The Product Folks :) Huge shout out to Jay Dembani & Kishore Natarajan for making this happen!

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Curiosity has helped us humans not only survive but also thrive. The fast paced and disruptive world that we live in today requires us to unlearn and relearn at a pace never like before. Curiosity, the innate trait we all are blessed with, when activated enables us to explore, discover, invent and reinvent. Other cliff notes from the stimulating chat with Richard Gerver: 1. To solve complex problems in Education and Health, we need to tackle more problems Upstream. One of my favorite quotes — “Intellectuals solve problems. Geniuses prevent problems”. 2. The "Prevent --> Predict --> Personalize" mindset will help us take on the complex education and health challenges much for efficiently (ROI + Impact) 3. Learning agility (powered by Curiosity), Initiative and Drive are three skills that will help us navigate this VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world, stay relevant and drive impact. How are you preserving and amplifying your curiosity? #innovation #AI #education #healthcare #learningagility #curiosity

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Delighted to share this enlightening episode of 'Why Leadership Fails' with the insightful Surajit Chanda In this episode, we explore: ✅ The entrepreneurial spirit that drives success ✅ Essential team-building strategies ✅ Overcoming the inevitable hurdles in the startup journey Surajit's journey is a testament to the power of resilience and innovation in entrepreneurship. If you're looking to gain some practical tips and be inspired, this episode is a must-listen. Toyow HT Smartcast #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #TeamBuilding #Resilience #WhyLeadershipFails

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An interview process, by definition, can only cover so much content in a given time period. But decision-making is a topic that, when prioritized, can increase executive job satisfaction down the line. When we compare survey respondents who did have an interview conversation about decision making versus those who did not, we find that those who did are 1.4x more satisfied with their jobs overall. Kingsley Gate sheds light on this often-overlooked skill for HBR.

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The decisions and actions of our brightest minds in the coming years will play a crucial role in defining our trajectory for the century and where we land with the technology of our time. We have a special fireside chat in Bangalore this week that will explore an Investor perspective on the India opportunity in AI. We’re joined by Pratik (from Nexus VP) and Matt (from EF) who’ve been investing in AI for more than a decade. Expect us to delve into key topics like the role of capital, talent, compute, the importance of alignment and safety, and the future of AI among other things (more on this in the link). RSVP here: https://lu.ma/h589mcrs #venturecapital #technology #ai #entrepreneurship #startups #vc

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