a16z speedrun 🧊

Ben Horowitz: Your ONLY job is "right product, right time"

@audrlo @RKRigney my unc @Chen needs one of these

Hi, I'm Audrey. I'm making 1,000 AI caretakers for seniors. Here's my story:

@Rumingzh @a16z lfg

Today, we're officially launching Bota, backed by @speedrun, @a16z's early-stage fund.

@yusan_lin @mirrormirror_ai they're calling it a frontier model drop

Today @mirrormirror_ai is launching the marketplace where fashion models license their likeness and brands get stunning AI-generated imagery featuring real people. Commercially licensed, model-approved. Try our platform: mirrormirrorai.com As a fashion model I used to spend hours on fashion photoshoot sets. I later did my PhD in CS and became a Research Scientist on AI for fashion. I can see clearly that AI image generation is replacing a large portion of my old job. But brands that use AI recklessly have already paid the price. It damages reputations and hurts the bottom line. Putting real people at the core of AI-generated imagery isn't just about avoiding backlash. It's better business. That's what Mirror Mirror AI is built for. Right now, Mirror Mirror AI houses agency-signed models who have graced the covers of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. You can digitally book them using our fashion-centric AI software, get your campaign done in hours instead of weeks, and never have to fly anyone in. You purchase a license for commercial use upon approval, and the models get paid. Mirror Mirror AI is also opening a global call for independent models from anywhere in the world to apply to be featured on the platform. Work with fashion brands internationally, choose the projects you take on, and earn from your own likeness on your own terms. Selected models will be announced at an exclusive event in New York during @Techweek_ this June. Apply for the open call: mirrormirrorai.com/open-call A huge thank you to our incredible team for pouring their hearts into this launch, and to a16z @speedrun for believing in our vision from the start. We're just getting started.

Vercel founder and CEO @rauchg on the biggest mistake founders make with their landing pages:

@harpriiya @a16z mfw I have to tell security we have Hotbox in the office

I can finally talk about this!! Hotbox is backed by @a16z @speedrun :) I spent the last 14 months in Korea and now I’m back in SF, where it all began. My entire career exists because of social media. From early NeurIPS papers, to working on ranking algorithms, and then building viral playbooks for startups. The thing I kept coming back to is: every company has no choice but to become a media company. To distribute. To get attention. That is the next generation of entrepreneur’s biggest challenge. That’s the next single person unicorn’s moat. Hotbox is built for that next gen entrepreneur. Businesses run entirely on social now. Hotbox is the sales infra for the social economy. more to come. sign up on our waitlist & lmk if you’ll be at the a16z speedrun demo day 🤫

@_CallMeMacy APPLYAPPLYAPPLYAPPLYAPPLY

Do you build for startups? Apply to become an a16z speedrun Marketplace partner and get your product in front of some of the most ambitious founders building the future. We’re looking for B2B companies with products that are a strong fit for startups from pre-seed and beyond.

Read Ben's original essay: a16z.com/good-product-m… And the full talk is in our newsletter: speedrun.substack.com/p/ben-horowitz…

Ben Horowitz: Your ONLY job is "right product, right time"

@eleelenawa @MaCVentureCap @fcubedvc LET'S GO TAYA

Taya is jewelry first. Surveillance never. We just raised $5M led by @MaCVentureCap, @fcubedvc, a16z @speedrun. Directional mics and voice isolation capture just you. Single-player mode. Privacy isn't a feature, it's an architectural decision. TechCrunch exclusive in the comments! 👇

Congrats to @smayan98 and @tzartaraporvala of Anchr (SR005) on raising $5.8M to modernize the food supply chain!

@smayan98 ⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️

AI is eating the food supply chain. We've raised $5.8M to modernize one of the most important industries in America. Every piece of food that has ever touched your plate has made it through a supply chain that runs on emails, spreadsheets, pieces of paper, and decade old ERPs. anchr is here to change that. Our agents plug directly into a distributor’s workflows, automating away the administrative burden and giving our customers significant operating leverage. They can now grow without growing headcount - and in an industry operating on 3% margins, the math just makes sense. More from Forbes (Ilona Limonta-Volkova) and Axios (Natalie Breymeyer) in the comments below. Couldn't be more grateful to have an incredible group in our corner. Our investors: @andrewchen @Tocelot @tkexpress11 , Mike Geraty, Maarten Goossens, Adam Anders, Yuri Namikawa, @davemorin , @zebird0, @ndrewlee, @far33d , @_CallMeMacy , @justmazer , Jordan Carver, @nazzari , Emlyn Thompson, @RKRigney , @SamiraBehrouzan , @tmhammer @Chen , @JoshLu , Kenan Saleh, Alec Daughtry, Colin M Evans, Larry James Erwin and Cyan Banister a killer team: Erik Hansen, Nasser Al-Rayes, Aryan Nair, Harsh PV, Desmond Chang, Beatriz de Lucio And my brother and co-founder, Tzar Taraporvala.

baby says ONE MORE DAY TO APPLY TO ALPHA!!!! It's never too early to start building. 🙃 Alpha is our fellowship for technical students and recent grads. This summer, we're giving a $20K equity-free grant to start building, with up to $250K in investment, or help you join a breakout portfolio company. -->alpha.a16z.com