Nitin Bhandari

Open access. Lots of talk about it, but what is it, how to do it? There is no getting around the need for ISPs to deploy some infrastructure; otherwise, they are just resellers of someone else’s service. But by sharing middle mile Infrastructure they can focus their Capex on last mile investments rather than duplicating what can be shared. The question then is, how to share it? In theory, Kenya's National Broadband Network is Open Access, but from what I've heard it's not a good solution. Leasing fibers on middle mile fiber would allow each provider to light it as fast as they would like. All of the civil works and fiber would be shared; the electronics is small portion of the total. In our transportation system, we share the roads, built by the public sector, and let multiple providers, that is private cars, taxis, buses, and trucks, all share the same infrastructure. That's a rough analogy, but maybe useful.

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Goldcast's startup journey has perfectly mapped the last 4 crazy years of SaaS. Palash Soni and his cofounders first started the company in 2021 to build great, customizable virtual event solutions for enterprise marketers. While their business kept growing past the pandemic, it was clear that overall spend was shifting back to IRL events fast. However, video consumption continued to rise and quickly became the best way to build your brand and an audience in software - if you knew how to operationalize video marketing. Goldcast's product evolution from a virtual events platform to an AI-native video marketing solution has been incredible to watch. The company had its best quarter yet, adding customers like OpenAI and Coupa Software and I couldn't be more proud. Here's Palash talking about their product evolution and the future of video marketing in an AI-native world.

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A leader's role in the age of AI is to bridge technology with meaningful human connections.

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We are thrilled to announce that TurboDocx has successfully closed its Angel funding round, raising $75,000. This significant milestone marks a leap forward in our journey to revolutionize smart and modular document and slide deck creation, accelerated by AI. A heartfelt thank you goes out to our friends, family, early supporters and everyone that believes in our vision. Your support is not just appreciated-- but a strong vote of confidence in our mission to innovate and transform how business document creation is created. What does this mean for TurboDocx? We're reinvesting it into the business: - Focusing on Partner/Client Needs - Understanding and addressing the evolving needs of our users remains our top priority. We're here to build not just a product but a solution that truly makes a difference. - Enhanced Solutioning - We're more committed than ever to developing solutions that set new benchmarks for efficiency, re-usability, and innovation has never been stronger. - Innovation, Partner, and Channel Growth - Our investment team and advisors primarily consists of go-to-market (GTM) and implementation professionals that have already provided invaluable guidance on scaling our overall growth. Looking ahead: As we celebrate this achievement, we're mindful that fundraising is not the end goal but a milestone --a means to an end-- to build out a well oiled machine. We're excited to leverage this opportunity to further our mission, drive innovation, and exceed the expectations of our users and partners. With this said - If you'd like to be part of this exciting journey, please reach out! Stay tuned for updates, join our growing community, and let's reshape the future of document and slide deck creation together. -Nicolas https://lnkd.in/e4CGrUVB

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Interesting conversation between Jason Calacanis and Tekedra N. Mawakana Mawakana, CEO of Waymo (Google's self-driving project).... (Paraphrased) Jason Calacanis: Why are you not testing your Waymo self-driving on highways? You seem focused primarily on city environments like San Francisco, yet in my experience being a tesla-owner from the very beginning (and using both auto-pilot and then full self driving) it is better on the highways. You seem to be taking the opposite approach. Is it because speed kills? Tekedra: Our mission is safety and to get to Level 4 driving (the highest level of autonomous driving, no driver behind the wheel, no drivers' license) and so we’ve made a deliberate decision to focus on crowded urban environments because that is the hardest problem. Anything that doesn’t contribute to our getting to Level 4 is not interesting to us (not intended, but could be back-handed compliment to Musk 🙂) You don’t learn anything new self-driving on the same boring monotonous highways. --- Great point! #waymo #allin #selfdriving #google

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In just 7 weeks, we've turned the idea Outhad AI! 🚀 into a revenue-generating startup, thanks to the incredible support from Anthony Swindell and the gener8tor team. 🙌 Join us on December 11th at 6 PM at the gBETA Beloit Showcase as we share our story, talk tech, and showcase how Outhad AI is shaping the #future of e-commerce with AI-powered #recommendations. Learn more about us at 🌐 outhad.com – we can’t wait to see you there! #startup #AI #entrepreneurship #ecommerce #innovation

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Excited to share the launch of Verix from Virtualness! As we embrace the AI era, the need for authentication, transparency, and security is more critical than ever. That’s why Virtualness has developed Verix—a self-serve platform designed to simplify the verification of skills, tickets, certificates, products, and content. Powered by blockchain and GenAI, Verix allows businesses to effortlessly manage verification processes, complete with real-time analytics and alerts. With a product that offers dynamic verification badges, design customization, global digital shareability, enterprise-grade workflow, and engagement and personalization, their mission is simple: to build a future where everything real can be verified, trusted, and celebrated. If your business thrives on trust, verification, and recognition, now is the time to get involved. Sign up today at https://lnkd.in/g_g2sUUW #Verix #NewBeginnings #DigitalTrust #Blockchain #Innovation #ProductLaunch #Virtualness

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Excited to be a panel speaker at this upcoming TBDC event! 🎤 It’s always inspiring to connect with fellow entrepreneurs and share insights on growing businesses. 🚀 If you're looking to learn, network, or explore new ideas, this is a great opportunity. 🔗 Hope to see you there! 👋 #Entrepreneurship #StartupCommunity #BusinessGrowth #Innovation #NetworkingEvent #SmallBusiness #TorontoStartups #TBDC #PanelDiscussion #EntrepreneurLife #StartupAdvice

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Venture Capital Contact Compilation. Explore a detailed list of 1,250+ VC firms, 7,400+ professionals in the VC space (including partners and principals), and 6,400 email contacts. https://payhip.com/b/cs7UQ #startup #startups #vc #venturecapital #investmentbanking #privateequity #managementconsulting #b2b #founders #entrepreneurs

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Groq Partners with Aramco to Propel Saudi AI Ambitions In a groundbreaking move, Groq, the innovative chip startup renowned for its cutting-edge technology, has inked a significant deal with aramco, the world’s leading oil company. This strategic partnership is set to be a game-changer for Saudi Arabia's burgeoning AI landscape. What This Means: Groq’s advanced chip technology will play a crucial role in supporting Saudi Arabia's ambitious plans to position itself as a global leader in artificial intelligence. The collaboration is expected to significantly enhance the computational power available for AI applications, paving the way for breakthroughs in various sectors including energy, healthcare, and smart cities. Key Highlights: Boosting AI Capabilities: Groq’s state-of-the-art chips are designed to handle complex AI tasks with unprecedented speed and efficiency, aligning perfectly with Saudi Arabia's AI objectives. Strategic Alignment: This partnership reflects a broader trend of technological alliances aimed at fostering innovation and economic diversification in the region. Future Impact: By leveraging Groq’s technology, aramco and Saudi Arabia are positioning themselves at the forefront of the AI revolution, potentially setting new standards in the industry. As the tech world watches closely, this deal underscores the growing intersection of AI and semiconductor technology, and how strategic collaborations are shaping the future of these industries. For more information: Bloomberg https://lnkd.in/dr89qeCV #AI #ChipTechnology #Innovation #TechPartnerships #Groq #Aramco #SaudiArabia #FutureOfAI #TechNews

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The Stoke Space team in Seattle has built a rocket company faster than many people can build software. Morgan Beller breaks down how this is helping them capture a huge opportunity: https://lnkd.in/gc5jv2-c 

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Last call! Don't miss our online event today at 12pm ET with Hooman Shahidi, Chief Product Officer at SimpliSafe. We'll talk about how product teams are structured at the company; Building hardware, software, & services; Working with cross-functional teams; Getting feedback from consumers; How AI will change the role of Product Management; and more!!!

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OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, is thinking about changing the company to a fully for-profit model 💰 If this happens, it could bring some big changes! First, it would mean that OpenAI’s current non-profit board would no longer make the decisions. This would make OpenAI more like its competitors, such as Elon Musk’s xAI and Amazon-backed Anthropic, which are both for-profit companies. However, these discussions are still in progress, and the final decision hasn't been made yet. So, nothing is certain at this point. What do you think will change? Will it be for better or for worse? It’s also interesting to wonder what Elon Musk thinks about all this. He might finally see OpenAI becoming "ClosedAI"! #artificialintelligence #ai #openai #xai

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The Mary Meeker of Measurement Jonah Goodhart at the #IABtechlabs event with slides presented ~200 in 20 minutes. It was so good that I heard about it in real time from London! "The $700 Billion Problem and the Future of Measurement" is about re-defining the new realities and opportunities for marketers investing nearly $1T across all forms of advertising. With such complexity, marketers are still trying to answer the same questions that we've been asking: -Planning - how do I allocate investments to maximize the potential impact? -Proof of Performance - Are my ads being delivered, fraud free, brand safe and where I expected/contracted? -Relevance - Are they being delivered to the right audiences with the right messages? -What are the metrics of impact that are vital to my business based the brand, mid and lower funnel metrics? -What is the costs associated with the full cycle of advertising, such that more of the investments reach the publishers (or as P&G says the consumers)? As we consolidate the very fragmented media supply chain, and apply programmatic concepts, new privacy regimes and AI, measurement at all points in the process take center stages. Supply chains matter, trust and safety matters, measurement matters. Mediaocean Flashtalking by Mediaocean Protected Media (by Mediaocean) #AI #measurement #convergence

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Marissa was involved in the development of more than 100 products and features for Google. Beyond Google Earth, she played a part in shaping Street View, Google News, and Gmail 👇 I'm starting a new series of posts. Dedicated to first product managers 🥇 Or what I call 'first PMs' 😉 And who better than Marissa Mayer to start this series? Marissa's role evolved from managing specific products. To oversee entire product lines 🔛 She eventually became Vice President of Google’s Search Products. A holy grail in the tech world! Let's dive in! _____ Marissa Mayer was one of Google’s first-ever employees. Employee number 20, to be precise. She joined Google in 1999 as the company’s first female engineer. You might remember when search engines filled their home pages with ads. News, weather reports, and other features. Marissa had other ideas... She decided to keep Google’s homepage as clean as possible 🧼 An approach that prioritized speed and ease of use. Marissa understood that people came to Google primarily to search 🔍 So she insisted that Google pare down the homepage. To make it as easy as possible for users to do just that:  This is how Google stood apart from its competitors 🏆 This minimalism established Google as the go-to search engine for millions. The stripped-back design allowed for faster loading times. While ensuring users could immediately understand exactly what Google was. If you’re looking for an underlying cause of Google’s rapid growth in popularity in the late 90s and early 00s, here it is. By 2005, Google had around 5,000 employees... And Marissa was overseeing the launch of Google Maps 🗺️ At the time, mapping services provided basic map views difficult to read 😣 She & her team decided to push for satellite imagery into Google Maps. Which would turn out to be a game-changer! Marissa understood satellite imagery provides a more detailed view. Yet more intuitive 👍 And that this would be much easier for users to understand. This decision meant investing significant resources. But it all paid off! It resulted in a visually engaging tool for navigation. Which helped set Google Maps apart from its competitors.  Insisting on simplicity in search 🔍 Each of these examples demonstrates Marissa’s commitment. Her commitment to user-centric design. And her willingness to take on immense technical challenges For the sake of improving the user experience. These are all qualities that Marissa had developed at Google. Which she retained even after spending years in the company 🔥 ____ This is the first PM mindset! And it’s a mindset that Google as a whole has embraced. Which has put the company at the forefront of technological innovation. Hope this story sparks a few ideas 😃 Enzo #firstpm #marissamayer

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I've recently been asked how I stay up-to-date on new products and technologies. Running Products That Count keeps me up to date on insights from the most innovative product leaders today. Check out our resources here: https://lnkd.in/gXWnWB8P Also, creating these Linkedin videos helps me engage in many new conversations each week. What other ways do you have to stay sharp? Comment below. #productleadership #businessgrowth #productstrategy #leadershipdevelopment #productmanagementtips #continuouslearning #growthmindset #executiveinsights #innovationinbusiness #productleaders

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AI memory is fundamental for conversational AI and AI agents. It is critical for building personalized experiences and improving reasoning. Check out Letta’s course to understand how to use AI memory to enhance the customization and quality of your AI app.

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There are two interesting and relatively new/emerging revenue models in hardware space. (1) Software Enabled Hardware Hardware is sold at lower but slowly improving gross margins (eg 20-40%), and software recurring revenues layered on top. Software sells at higher margins, enabling blended margins to appear in 50%+ category. These are applied in situations where hardware is not expected to be replaced or greatly improved upon in deployment for a significant number of years to come. Consider your car, or military equipment, or even infrastructure equipment. As always, there are often multiple business/revenue models utilized by different players in the same industry. (2) Hardware As A Service Hardware and software are bundled and sold with annually recurring revenues. Often multi-year contracts are signed to be able to amortize hardware over time, and enable blended gross margins over the length of the contract to be high (approaching 60-75%). This is more common in situations where vendor takes responsibility to upgrade hardware as needed along the way to provide maximum and highest functionality to the customer. Hardware inventory costs are, over time, passed on to suppliers or third party financing parties in lieu of few gross margin points. Consider robots as a service in factories (ala Formic), or AI-enabled equipment (eg Evolv, Lumafield etc). Hardware innovation will require deeper investigation, experimentation, and understanding of business/revenue models to fit customer needs as well as to maximize value for the innovating company. Strong and experienced management teams work hard to minimize sales friction, inventory costs etc, but also maximize gross margins, customer stickiness, and ability to upsell during the life of a contract.

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Grammarly just acquired startup Coda (last valued at 1.2bn) with a goal of a possible IPO. This could be a big move in productivity, especially for product teams. Coda CEO Shishir Mehrotra was recently on Lenny's podcast (first comment below). https://lnkd.in/gmgfcm2P

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