Businesses need to clearly define what they excel at and what they don't engage in to grow intentionally and effectively. Rapid growth demands a high level of focus and specificity to differentiate from competitors and drive success. Emphasizing expertise in specific areas like insurance or managed care organizations is crucial for business impact. Demonstrating the value of the product by showcasing success stories, such as cutting costs or improving overall performance, helps in attracting the right customers. By setting high standards and identifying champions who align with the company's vision, businesses can politely decline engagements that do not align with their objectives, ensuring sustained growth and success.
May Habib is the co-founder and CEO of Writer, a full-stack generative AI platform built for enterprises. The model is trained on a customer’s own data to create content that is consistent with their brand style and voice. Writer recently raised $100M at a valuation of around $500M. Prior to Writer, May co-founded Qordoba, an AI writing assistant.
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In today’s episode, we discuss:
- Advice for AI founders in 2024
- Why it’s difficult to scale AI products for enterprise
- The secret to finding champions
- Signs of a healthy co-founder relationship
- The future of agentic AI
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Referenced:
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Where to find May Habib:
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Where to find Todd Jackson:
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Where to find First Round Capital:
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Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
(02:34) Writer’s origin story
(06:30) Building a full-stack generative AI platform for enterprise
(11:56) The #1 challenge building Writer
(15:41) Writer’s approach to finding champion customers
(20:29) How Writer is winning the enterprise space
(27:11) Signs Writer found product-market-fit
(29:26) Scaling LLMs for specific use cases
(31:53) Writer’s goals for 2024
(33:57) Advice for 0 to 1 founders
(35:53) Creating a culture of “connect, challenge, and own”