Sara Clemens

💪💡Wisdom is learning from past mistakes from others but also oneself. Retrospection with action is powerful. An insightful weekend read from the WSJ… Christopher Mims shares his list, from 10 years of covering consumer tech for the The Wall Street Journal: ( link here: https://lnkd.in/eKj2wX_t ) 1. Disruption is overrated. 2. Human factors are everything in tech adoption. 3. People lie to themselves… and to you. 4. Tech bubbles are productive, even if wasteful. 5. We’ve got more power to shape how tech impacts us. Some of my list, from 25 years of early stage consumer internet investing and operating: 1. Tech disruption is overestimated in the short run, underestimated in the long run. (Amara’s Law) 2. Social proof is powerful in tech adoption. 3. Hope kills. Execution is everything. 4. Run towards tech bubbles. 5. Tech optimism empowers positive change.

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Want a front-row seat to the frontier of tech? We’ve got the role (or two) for you! We’re expanding our frontier-tech team at Blackbird by hiring a Frontier Tech Investments Associate and Foundry Fellows! Got questions? We've got answers... 1️⃣ What are the roles? 🧪 Associate = a full-time VC investment gig in our Blackbird Investments team, working directly with me. We’re looking for someone with a science and/or engineering background and more curiosity than they can handle. You’ll grow your own investment brand and practice, support our portfolio founders, and will help build Foundry, our early-stage frontier-tech accelerator. ✨ Foundry Fellow = a casual/contract gig in our Blackbird Investments team, ~15h per week for 3 months. The Fellowship is ideal for PhD students and ECRs who want to learn more about startups and VC. You’ll go deep on emerging areas relevant to your expertise (or curiosity!), get a front-row seat to groundbreaking companies in those areas, build out your non-academic network, and develop a solid writing practice. 2️⃣ Why are you hiring? We love frontier tech, and we’re ready to grow our team. 3️⃣ Wow, it’s so great that you’re starting to look at deep tech! Look, we get it: we don’t make a lot of noise about our frontier tech investing. Buuuut we’ve been deep-tech investors since we backed Tim Kentley-Klay to found Zoox back in 2014—we’ve been on incredible journeys with PsiQuantum (building the world's first utility-scale quantum computer right here in Australia!), Inventia Life Science (transforming drug discovery with high-fidelity cell models), Remedy Robotics (surgical robots for remote endovascular procedures), Opto Biosystems (minimally-invasive neural implants to treat cancer), and more. We believe that frontier technologies, and great frontier-tech investing, will be part of the solutions to the greatest problems humanity faces today. 4️⃣ When do applications close? May 31st at 11:59pm AEST. 5️⃣ I have more questions! I’m sure you do! Clare Birch and I are hosting an AMA to answer any and all questions about these roles. Want to know what a week in the life of our team looks like? What’s keeping us up at night? What our ideal candidate looks like? Come along and find out - registration link in the comments 👇 Apply for these roles: Associate - https://lnkd.in/gCfj4EUJ Foundry Fellowships - https://lnkd.in/gj6ATZVZ If you know anyone that we should meet, send me their details! Cameron Elise Ben Andrew Robin Joseph Adelaide James Olivia Lucinda Raghav Jesse Christie Mohamed Tom Amee Pablo Haya Loong Hon Joshua Benjamin Megan Harry Denzil Matthew Diana Daniel Tom Deanna Justin Amar Lilly Stone Thomas

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👏 👏 👏 Well done Nielsen for getting closer to a meaningful, holistic consumption snapshot. Next step: Parse this by age/demo to allow trend prediction modeling to become clearer. #TV #television #CTV #streaming #FAST #AVOD #SVOD #measurement #broadcast

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I've seen NO ONE read this correctly; the headline is pure clickbait. More GPs are planning to fundraise now (as they say "nearer") than last year. This is the largest YoY jump, instead of not planning another raise. Why? The data here suggests those who pushed a decision further out have decided. • Not decided: from 44% to 27% • No plan to raise: 6% to 13% = 2x increase • Deciding to fundraising now: 4% to 12% = 3x increase https://lnkd.in/gkAC6GGr

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I'm back with the New York edition of our Doxxing and Drinks event! If you couldn't make it to one at RSA, come join us for this one at New York Tech Week. We'll show you firsthand how easily your phone number can be compromised and how Cloaked can protect you. With Cloaked, you can generate unique, unlimited phone numbers and email addresses, shielding you from spam, scams, and fraud. Why is this important? The more you share, the higher your risk. We’re here not just to react to threats but to prevent them, ensuring that every interaction—online shopping, traveling, or socializing—remains secure. 🔐 Event Details: Where: Midtown Manhattan When: June 5th, evening Highlights: Interactive QR code scans, food, drinks, and invaluable privacy insights If you value your privacy and are ready for a safer digital life, join us to turn the tide against digital threats. Share this with someone who values their privacy and help us strengthen our defenses together. 🍹🛡️ RSVP now: https://buff.ly/3ystJLW #NYTechWeek #TechWeek #Tech #Privacy

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Got some big wins with our latest innovation for Onsite Opt-in. While we wish 100% of SMS subs always completed the sign up, that's just not the reality - with any opt-in method. But with Onsite Opt-in Reminder, you get a second chance at capturing leads that already provided you with their phone number. Site visitors that dropped off will get a “Reply Y” message to try and capture them again. We’re also the first major SMS provider to offer Checkout Extensibility because we build for Shopify and SMS first, allowing us to consistently be on the forefront of innovation in both of these areas. Both Onsite Opt-in Reminder and Checkout Extensibility allow Postscript brands to compliantly collect more subscribers, faster, which is critical to any best in class SMS program. DM me if you aren’t on PS yet. 

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Summary: The article discusses tech mogul Vinod Khosla and his recent success as a prominent investor. Khosla's main focus is on AI and its potential impact on various industries. He also addresses concerns regarding AI regulation and competition with Chinese AI. Key takeaways: Khosla's recent $50 million investment in OpenAI has garnered attention and success. He is passionate about the potential for AI to disrupt and improve various industries. Khosla's focus on AI regulation and concerns about Chinese AI competition. Counter arguments: Some may argue that Khosla's intense focus on AI may overshadow other important areas of technology. Critics may question the sustainability of AI in certain industries and its potential negative effects on job displacement. #ai #artificialintelligence #tech #venturecapital #vc #startups

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On our latest podcast, Peter Marton, CEO of OpenMeter, dives into the challenges and opportunities of usage-based billing for AI companies. As the industry shifts towards models like those pioneered by OpenAI, accurate metering and cost control become crucial. In This Episode, We Discuss: -The Rise of Usage-Based Billing in AI: How it aligns with the industry's needs. -The Engineering Challenges: Processing massive amounts of data in real time while maintaining a seamless user experience. -OpenMeter's Solution: How their platform helps companies implement and manage complex billing models. -Use Cases: How OpenMeter enables features like balance updates, usage limit enforcement, and customer notifications. Don't Miss the Full Episode: Get the complete story on how OpenMeter is empowering AI companies to optimize their monetization strategies. Listen on your favorite podcast platform or watch on YouTube - https://lnkd.in/ebAQFhi7 . . . . . #OpenMeter #AIMonetization #UsageBasedBilling #YCombinator #SaaS #Startups #Engineering #AI #CostManagement

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Thrilled to share our latest podcast episode featuring Peter Marton, co-founder & CEO of OpenMeter! We talked about how OpenMeter is transforming AI billing with their usage-based pricing model. Peter shares his journey from Netflix & Stripe to building this Y Combinator-backed startup, plus insights on: - The pain points of traditional billing for developers - Why open-source is key to transparency in AI monetization - How OpenMeter is empowering companies to manage AI costs effectively - ...and much more! Check out the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/ebAQFhi7 Let me know: What's your biggest challenge with adopting usage-based billing for your products or services? #startups #entrepreneurship #AI #API #monetization #OpenMeter

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There's a certain look I get when I tell founders & investors that we're an early-stage VC that invests entirely based on algorithms. It's a mix of confusion, amusement and bewilderment. When i tell them "The algorithms don't support our investment committee, they ARE our investment committee" they usually laugh. Not in derision or skepticism - but they seem genuinely tickled. They've never quite heard of something that radical. And then a really engaging conversation ensues. Since I'm in NYC @ TECH WEEK by a16z, I know i'll be getting a LOT of these looks. For everyone that can't be part of the conversations in person, here's a post I wrote explaining a little bit of my personal perspective on Data-Driven investing vs. how it's been done in the past:

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⚡ Kicking off 🌎 Earth Day with exciting news as we unveil 8090 Industries' latest investment in Exowatt led by Hannan P. along with Sam Altman Andreessen Horowitz, Atomic, Overmatch Ventures, Protagonist, and many more. As the boom in AI heightens the energy demand for data centers, Exowatt is pioneering a fundamental breakthrough in baseload renewable energy that helps makes $0.01 per kilowatt-hour, 24 hours a day a reality for commercial and industrial use cases. 🏗 How does it work? The Exowatt P3, represents a breakthrough 3-in-1 modular system, a heat collector, a heat battery, and a heat engine capable of providing dispatchable power and heat 24 hours a day. Unlike traditional solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity directly, Exowatt uses a unique approach by storing solar energy in a thermal battery, which can retain this energy for up to 24 hours per day. The Exowatt P3 modules are designed to fit the space of a standard 40-foot shipping container. They can be deployed on small and large commercial and industrial projects, linearly scaling with workload size and infrastructure requirements. Best captured by Founder and CEO Hannan P. himself, an industrialist you're going to want to pay close attention to: “You don’t have to go back to fossil fuels to solve the data-center energy problem…That’s counterproductive and unlike traditional renewable solutions that require significant upfront costs and extended setup times, Exowatt's modular system can be deployed rapidly and cost-effectively – and it's available THIS YEAR. Exowatt is built to respond quickly to the escalating energy demands of the modern world, especially those spurred by the rapid growth of AI." 👀 Who Cares? Exowatt has a backlog of demand for OVER 500 megawatts for data centers across the U.S. and plans to begin deployments later this year. With this $20 million seed funding, Exowatt intends to expand its team and deploy the Exowatt P3 with its first set of data center customers. Stay tuned! Lots to come! cc Kerem Ozmen Wes Mendenhall Filip Vurdelja Haluk Sabanci Dincer Grant Brown Ishan Meswani Garuth A. Andrew Irwin Charles Oppenheimer Fatimah Bello #energyabundance #decarbonization #climatetech

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I seem to (tend to) share more interesting MediaTech industry news as it pertains to entertainment (music, film, and video games) but keep in mind as you consider and refer people to our world that media is also #advertising, news, publishing, and social media. In the news today: Media Tech (unaffiliated with MediaTech Ventures) Veterans Adam H. and Jesse Redniss Launch Precise.ai If I am correct in summarizing what ADWEEK says they do... Digital advertising, AI-powered platform that drives performance through higher-quality data and privacy-centric audience targeting. Precise provides consent management, secure data collaboration, and privacy preservation, to improve ROAS while maintaining regulatory compliance and fair value exchange for data partners. Primary, is a federated (decentralized) data network, which allows brands to leverage permissioned first-party data and enrich custom audiences with contextual insights in a privacy-safe manner. Okay, so it's decentralized, opted in user data, so brands can enhance their look-a-like ad targeting, without actually, necessarily, having direct user consent nor access to that additional profile data.  I think. (I want to add on a personal note, this is a good example of why our incubators focus so heavily on good, clear communication, "AI-powered data optimization and activation infrastructure combines Qonsent’s customer engagement platform with Valence’s identity and rights management back-end" So.... what the hell does it do?? -- meant as friendly criticism! This is cool news AND why it's so important to simplify your startup's talking points - I fully expect the advertising industry gets this but do most?) Check it out (and congrats to them): https://lnkd.in/gnm5ygVg

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Founders building from 0 to IPO effectively build multiple 'companies within the company' across the years: a seed company, a mid-stage company, a growth company, a pre-IPO company, a public company - all with different requirements, success metrics and, often, teams. I'm in awe of founders who manage to grow as fast and as much as their companies does over the years, and somehow transform themselves again and again -- from a visionary founder who can inspire and recruit those first employees and customers, to a savvy public company leader who can manage with a highly complex organization with deep operational rigor and predictability. Often this requires founders to learn multiple jobs on the job, and not just do them, but also fully embrace and love them. Daniel Dines, founder and CEO of UiPath is one such founder, and in this quick clip he describes his personal growth journey. https://lnkd.in/eYK5JV3X

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Very impressed with the Wevo Energy story and I share those feelings. It is never easy facing all challenges and complexities. #Podcast #StartupJourney #SolarEnergy #Entrepreneurship #WEVO #SolarEdge #Acquisition

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This is quite a piece on accusations of unethical pay-to-play within the #cyber #VC ecosystem. -Guaranteed first-year sales for portfolio companies -Formal loyalty program for CISOs -Points awarded within the program for CISO commitment level to portfolio companies (meetings, PoCs, product purchases) -Share of GP fees for CISOs in the loyalty program https://lnkd.in/gDta7Gp7

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🚀 Dive into @philstockworld's latest post featuring the inimitable @RoboJohnOliver, who brings a sharp, witty edge to the discussion of AI's transformative power! 💡🤖 #AIRevolution 📈 As we navigate through technical market tests, Robo John reveals how AI can level the playing field, empowering small businesses to compete against giants! A must-read for #SmallBusinessOwners and #AITech enthusiasts. 🌐 Explore how AI tools can optimize operations and deliver strategic insights, previously the domain of big corporations, right into the hands of agile small enterprises. The future is here, and it's evenly distributed thanks to AI! #TechForGood #BusinessTransformation 👀 Don't miss out on this insightful commentary. It's not just a read; it's a call to action for embracing AI to reshape markets and challenge corporate dominance. Be part of the revolution! #Innovation #SmallBizSuccess Read more about how your business can benefit from AI! 🌟🔗 https://lnkd.in/esHbWpth

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🎉 NEW INVESTMENT NEWS 🎉 I'm proud to share our Bread and Butter Ventures investment in Ducky, an innovative startup poised to transform the customer support sector with generative AI. As they step out of stealth mode, our enthusiasm for this partnership is sky-high for many reasons, most of all because of our excitement to work with co-founders Hongbo Tian and James O'Brien. From the get go, James and Hong impressed us with their synergy and expertise in AI, machine learning, and SaaS. Their user-first product design, fueled by a deep understanding of support agents' challenges, has led to a solution that integrates effortlessly with tools like Slack, Notion, and JIRA. And Ducky's AI doesn't just automate; it empowers support agents, enhancing productivity and customer experiences. We believe that this human-centered approach, combined with cutting-edge AI, positions Ducky to be an indispensable tool for support teams globally. We're proud to join forces with lead investor Penny Jar Capital, NOMO Ventures, and others fantastic leaders who believe in Ducky's vision. As they grow, we're committed to supporting their mission to empower customer support teams. Here's to the journey ahead with Ducky—a journey towards more productive, less frustrated support agents and exceptional customer service experiences. Lets' go!! 🦆 https://lnkd.in/gyfaR6w4 #CustomerSupport #VentureCapital #Startups #SaaS #Entrepreneurship

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Thoughts on Rockset acquisition 🚀 🚀 OpenAI announced the acquisition of Rockset today. This acquisition felt a a bit out of blue at first to me but made lot more sense on a deeper reflection. Rockset has one of the strongest Infrastructure teams in the world. Cofounder Dhruba Borthakur was one of the creators of RocksDB, which btw is powering nearly every common data system in the world. And I'd imagine that OpenAI might want to build out a search engine to directly compete with Google, Perplexity etc. One of THE hardest problems in software engineering is powering indexing/retrieval of a webscale corpus. At Facebook, Unicorn, the system responsible for doing this, was widely considered as one of the most complex services. Having access to Rockset technology and talent should make this problem lot more tractable I suppose. This is a great ending for both OpenAI and my friends over at Rockset. It also shows the momentum in the realtime data space, which is great for us at Fennel. However, it unfortunately also means that Rockset product is getting sunset. If any of you use Rockset and are exploring alternative options, maybe do reach out to me? At Fennel, we have built a very powerful compute engine that can ingest CDC aware batch/streaming data from over a dozen places, do powerful transformations on it, and either send the results out to another system or simply provide storage and low latency serving. Check out the docs here: https://fennel.ai/docs

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