Edo Liberty, CEO of Pinecone, focuses on enhancing genAI prototypes, while Harrison Chase, CEO of LangChain, crafts production-ready tools. Sarah Wang, a General Partner at a16z Growth, guides scaling efforts. They delve into the challenges of transitioning from prototypes to production. The trio discusses the choice between building versus buying tech solutions, highlights the critical nature of data selection, and underscores the importance of strategic partnerships for successful genAI implementation—all while balancing immediate needs with long-term goals.

In this episode, which took place at a16z's Connect Fintech event, a16z General Partner David George interviews Capital Group's Mark Casey on his investment philosophy, what sends him into what he calls "barnacle mode," his preference for customer-focused North Star metrics, and more.  0:00-1:42 Intro1:42-5:58 Approach to investing5:58-8:20 What Casey told Jeff Bezos, and what he learned8:20-12:57 How CEOs communicate with public market investors; unconventional North Star metrics12:57-15:48: Why Casey loves dividends15:48-20:44 Macro trends and investing theses20:44-21:37 Ecommerce predictions 21:37-23:15 Opportunities and choke points in AI23:15-25:18 What makes a great public company?25:18-26:04 OutroPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

In this conversation, which took place at a16z's Connect Fintech event, a16z General Partner Angela Strange, Plaid CEO and cofounder Zach Perret, and Marqeta CEO Simon Khalaf discuss how AI will shape the future of banking, the battle between payment rails in the U. S., and how there's still opportunity to transform the basic credit card into a fully digital product. 0:00-1:42 Intro1:42-1:56 Topics: Generative AI, payment rails shift, and regulation in open banking and sponsor banking1:56-4:46 GenAI's potential impact on credit modeling and fraud4:46-7:09 Implications of payment products becoming digital products ("The open face of the internet")7:09-8:33 Why brands need to embed finance, and why every company will eventually be a fintech company8:33-11:01 The card vs. pay-by-bank debate11:01-12:24 New infrastructure to combat fraud12:24-17:27 Reassessing traditional "top-of-wallet" tactics and longstanding business models17:27-20:04 Potential implications of Visa/Mastercard antitrust suit20:04-24:12 Regulation around open banking and sponsor banks24:12-24:40 OutroPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

Marty Chavez, partner and vice chairman of Sixth Street Partners, discusses merging technology and finance. Topics include his transition to Wall Street, AI's impact, AI in biotech, and the regulatory challenges of AI in finance.

Goldman Sachs CIO Marco Argenti discusses merging fintech and finance, converting developers into clients, and AI's impact on technology. They delve into AI in financial services and the shift towards external resources for strategic growth.

Former Global Payments CEO Jeff Sloan discusses spotting industry trends, making strategic bets, and the impact of AI on financial services with a16z General Partner Angela Strange.

Bob Moore, CEO of Crossbeam, discusses ecosystem-led growth and the data revolution in partnerships. They delve into ecosystem-qualified leads, integrating GTM motions, and ELG as an AI force multiplier. Sarah Wang and Bob Moore explore leveraging partnerships for improved acquisition, expansion, and access to new markets.

CEO of Quora Adam D’Angelo discusses how building infrastructure for creators can democratize AI, in conversation with a16z’s David George. [01:07] Social networks as compliment to AI[03:59] Poe: bringing AI to the masses[05:51] The future of AI is multi-model and multimodal[08:11] Is the model the product?[11:31] Building AI infrastructure for creators[13:41] Navigating platform shifts[16:02] Sharing human- and computer-generated knowledge[17:43] Knowledge sharing on the internet[20:41] The benefits of scale for AI[21:59] Competing on scale or feature differentiation[25:01] Fault tolerance as a wedge for startupsThis conversation is part of our AI Revolution series, which features some of the most impactful builders in the field of AI discussing and debating where we are, where we’re going, and the big open questions in AI. Find more content from our AI Revolution series on www.a16z.com/AIRevolution.

Hiring executives can be daunting for founders. In this podcast, a16z talent partner and executive search process experts discuss assessing talent, measuring success in talent assessment, referencing, personal growth vs. mistakes, vetting EQ, hiring veterans for startups, talent landscape in 2024, recruiting top talent in a tight market, and the value of tough feedback.

Garrett Langley, Co-founder of Flock Safety, discusses building trust with communities through technology. The podcast explores Flock Safety's impact on public safety, product roadmap, drones as first responders, data privacy, and the future of tech in public safety.