The Flex - Oct '23
The Flex - Oct '23
A collection of topics on tech and the startup industry brought to you by Flex Capital.
Our Latest Thinking.
AI Is Booming. This Is How CEOs Are Actually Using It.
AI is all anyone can talk about this year, but it can be tough to determine what’s merely headline fodder vs. what’s actually happening on the ground. In our latest survey of fellow software CEOs, we dug into the details of what’s happening inside companies when the AI rubber hits the road.
Not surprisingly, a majority of CEOs in our network reported that AI is having a significant impact on the direction of their product, and they are committing both talent and dollars to building AI capabilities. The two main themes that emerged from our CEOs were the sheer dominance of incumbent platforms and how they’re already starting to see the second order effects of this tidal wave shift in tech.
We dive into the results in our latest article.
News from the Flex Portfolio.
Funding Announcements:
Resemble AI announced an $8 million Series A to continue their journey in generative AI for voice cloning technology
Sincera Technologies announced its $4 million seed round, another step towards its vision to develop the first “metadata engine” for digital advertising
M&A Activity:
E-commerce enablement and analytics platform MikMak completed a strategic acquisition, adding hundreds of new brands to the platform and expanding its global reach
Product Releases:
Regal.io continues to release new features at lightning pace, improving on its outbound calling technology powering sales and marketing teams
LaunchScience launched its public beta, making its product launch tools and AI generally available for the first time
Daffy, the tech-enabled platform for giving through donor-advised funds, celebrated its second birthday with the release of a new version of Daffy Gifts
What We’re Listening To.
SafeGraph CEO & Flex Capital GP Auren Hoffman hosted his longtime friend, mentor, and former boss Peter Thiel on World of DaaS. With almost no need for introduction, Peter is one of the greatest entrepreneurs and investors of his generation.
Tune in for what Auren has dubbed his favorite episode ever as they discuss:
💰 Investing and VC monopolies
🔬 Scientific stagnation
🧠 AI and breakthrough technologies
📈 US debt and economic growth
🎧 Audio versions are available here. World of DaaS is a weekly podcast for data enthusiasts. For more episodes, visit https://www.safegraph.com/podcasts.