Code Story: Insights from Startup Tech Leaders

Ben Lerner, Co-founder and CEO of Espresso AI and former Google and DeepMind engineer, shares his journey in the tech world. He reveals how large language models significantly enhance code understanding and their application in optimizing data workloads. Discussing the founding of Espresso AI, he emphasizes rapid product development and the critical role of customer success. He also touches on the importance of effective tech teams and strategic communication in fostering innovation and ensuring user-friendly experiences.

Kolton Andrus, CEO and Founder of Gremlin, shares insights from his experience at Amazon and Netflix, emphasizing the significance of chaos engineering for system reliability. He discusses Gremlin's evolution and the launch of Gremlin 3.0, designed to enhance user experience by identifying system failures. Kolton also delves into the cautionary role of AI in chaos engineering and shares advice for aspiring founders, highlighting the importance of self-trust in the startup journey. Exciting times lie ahead for Gremlin and the broader SRE community!

Buchi Reddy, Founder and CEO of Levo.ai, shares his dynamic journey from a farming family in south India to the tech landscape of Silicon Valley. He explores the critical gap in API testing he discovered while working at Traceable, which inspired him to create an automated solution for enterprises. Buchi discusses the rise of API vulnerabilities and the necessity of proactive security measures, emphasizing the balance between innovation and customer needs. His insights on team dynamics and the importance of listening make for an inspirational listen for entrepreneurs.

Evan Henshaw-Plath, aka Rabble, is a pioneering tech founder known for creating Odeo, the precursor to Twitter. He dives into his journey of developing Rabble Labs and the push for decentralized social media protocols. Discussing the challenges faced post-Elon Musk's Twitter acquisition, he emphasizes the need for user privacy and community empowerment. Rabble also shares insights on the evolution of team dynamics in startups and his advocacy for digital rights, showcasing his unique blend of tech expertise and activism.

Jesse Pollak, the creator of BASE and former head of consumer products at Coinbase, shares his fascinating journey from competitive soccer to the crypto world. He reveals the challenges of scaling blockchain technology and the need for robust infrastructure. Pollak also discusses the inspiration behind BASE, aiming to democratize access to blockchain solutions. Insights into building effective tech teams and leveraging AI for engineering workflows showcase his innovative approach to overcoming hurdles in the fast-paced crypto landscape.

Gaurav Bhattacharya, Co-founder and CEO of Jeeva AI, shares his inspiring journey from New Delhi to building superhuman agent AI for sales. He discusses his early fascination with programming and pivoting from healthcare to tech entrepreneurship. Gaurav explores the challenges of developing a sales tool that offers hyper-personalized outreach and the importance of trust and teamwork in building an effective startup. He also reflects on the lessons learned in entrepreneurship, emphasizing empathy and long-term commitment to success.

Artem Rodichev, CEO of X-Human, previously led AI at Replica, focusing on emotionally intelligent AI companions. He shares his journey from gaming and hacking to creating empathetic AI. Artem discusses the challenges of content moderation and balancing creativity with safety on AI platforms. He emphasizes the importance of user feedback in developing user-centric experiences. Additionally, he reflects on the positive impact of digital companionship on mental health, as well as the need for ethical standards in technology.

Keren Fanan doesn't come from a tech based family, yet has worked in tech for the last 15 years. She's not a developer herself, but has always been drawn to software in general, as in her words, software runs the world. She studied Industrial Engineering, but quickly moved into product roles, working for AT&T, Gett and Moon Active in the past. Deep down, she always wanted to found a company of her own. Outside of tech, she lives near Tel Aviv in Israel, and has lived there her whole life. Her and her 3 kids like to travel, go camping, and be in nature as much as possible.Keren and her co-founders felt similar pains in the industry, all from different angles. No matter how good their ideas were, no matter the initiative, there is always a long process in software dev to bring it to life. This was especially true for non technical founders. They wanted a way to bring their ideas straight to production, without having to wait on the full life cycle.This is the creation story of MyOp.SponsorsPaddle.comSema SoftwarePropelAuthPostmanMeilisearchMailtrap.TECH Domains (https://get.tech/codestory)Linkshttps://www.myop.dev/https://www.linkedin.com/in/keren-fanan/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/code-story/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Michael Sacca didn't start out coding - he started out as a musician. In college, he studied music business and wanted to go into that world. Eventually, he figured out that people didn't care that you had a music business degree, and he ended up waiting tables for a few years. After watching his roommate write software and get paid well to do it, he decided to learn to code himself. Outside of tech, he lives in Vancouver with his wife and 2 kids, coaching soccer and flag football. He mentioned it can be a pain to go out to eat with him cause he has celiac, and avoids gluten.Prior to his current role, Michael was the Chief Product Officer at Dribbble. After he left that company and dabbled in some other ventures, he was approached about a CEO role at a well known darling company in Minneapolis.This is Michael's creation story at Leadpages.SponsorsPaddle.comSema SoftwarePropelAuthPostmanMeilisearchMailtrap.TECH Domains (https://get.tech/codestory)Linkshttps://www.leadpages.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsacca/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/code-story/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ofir Bibi grew up in Jerusalem, and is where he is today because of his love for photography. He has always been a tinkerer, taking apart of radios and such, and was drawn to the early days of training neural networks and computational photography. He spent a number of years in academia, but eventually was drawn outside of that world. Outside of tech, he is married with 3 boys who play sports. His family is surrounded by nature, so they enjoy biking and walking as much as they can.In 2012, a company was formed around bridging the gap between imagination and creation, through video, apps, and studio grade tools. Ofir recently celebrated 10 years with the company, and came in with the title "Neural Networks" guy.This is Ofir's creation story of Lightricks.SponsorsPaddle.comSema SoftwarePropelAuthPostmanMeilisearchLinkshttps://www.lightricks.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/ofirbb/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/code-story/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy