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we invest in software eating the world a16z.com/portfolio a16z.com/podcasts "The Ben & Marc Show": youtube.com/playlist?list=…
The Rise of French Tech
French founders are now building some of the world’s largest companies. 🇫🇷✨
@roxannevarza from @joinstationf, @an21m founder of @amoamoamo, and a16z's @kirbyman01 discuss the infrastructure, community, and government support driving France’s startup boom 👇
May 2023 Fintech Newsletter | a16z
🚨 Our latest fintech newsletter is out: a16z.com/2023/05/31/generative-ai-is-coming-for-insurance-may-2023-fintech-newsletter
In this month’s issue:
⏺ @joeschmidtiv shares why Generative AI is coming for insurance
⏺ @sumeet724 lays out the opportunities and risks with third-party payment links
⏺ @seema_amble discusses Visa+, interoperability, and creating clearinghouses for new payment methods.
Top AI Introductions by Industry Experts
Our AI Canon includes a curated list of articles, ranging from beginner-level to deeply technical.
We think @karpathy @stephen_wolfram @dalequark @mccrmx offer some of the best introductions out there:
AI Canon: A Curated List of Resources for Modern AI
Research in artificial intelligence is increasing at an exponential rate. Even experts struggle to keep up with everything new.
So we've curated a list of 3rd-party resources we’ve relied on to get smarter about modern AI, that we're calling "AI Canon." 👇a16z.com/2023/05/25/ai-canon/
We will update it on an ongoing basis.
AI Canon has something for everyone. From a "gentle introduction" to get anyone up to speed on the most important parts of modern AI, to technical learning resources and practical guides to building with large language models (LLMs).
Bat Out of Hell: Identifying Your Durable Advantage in Fintech
Noninflationary acquisition channels only address the most obvious challenge for most fintech companies—growth—but ignore a key factor: differentiation. 👇
Absent sustainable differentiation, even the most attractive channels (inefficient or budgeted) someday tap out, and Hell’s Flywheel starts spinning anew. a16z.com/2022/11/10/escaping-hells-flywheel-building-non-inflationary-distribution-channels/
It’s Time to Build For America | a16z
We formalized our American Dynamism practice a little more than a year ago, to galvanize support for solving our country’s most vexing challenges with an entrepreneurial and technology-first approach.
We’ve been blown away at how this movement has captured the minds of entrepreneurs, policymakers, and investors across the country and throughout the world.
Startups are facing a radically new market environment. To successfully execute a fundraise, founders will require a different mindset, approach, preparation, and process.
@manascripts, @jaytoj, @melissawasser and Peter Blackwood offer their advice: a16z.com/2023/05/02/the-16-commandments-of-raising-equity-in-a-challenging-market/
Historically, merchants in high-risk industries have had few options for payments, which tend to provide clunky experiences, limited capabilities, and high take rates.
@sumeet724 and @seema_amble on the clear opportunity for new providers: a16z.com/2023/05/01/building-better-payments-platforms-for-high-risk-industries/
If business partnerships are a high-stakes form of matchmaking, the pairing of Lyft and Holman was a bit of an odd-couple proposition at the start.
2 key players in the strategic business partnership tell the story behind their eventual success: a16z.com/2023/04/27/both-sides-of-the-partnership-lyft-holman/
The Future of Ecommerce: Product Discovery | a16z
The way we shop is changing, and fast.
Today, much of the Western world relies on searching for the items they want to buy.
But what about the products that you’re not looking for, asks @conniechan?
"Discovery" of new products—and how it will lead to more conversions and fewer returns—is the future of commerce, @conniechan says.
Here's how it all works: a16z.com/2023/03/23/the-future-of-ecommerce/