Bhanu Pratap Singh

Discover Mockingbird, Vectara’s advanced Retrieval Augmented Generation #RAG and structured output-focused Language Learning Model #LLM. Suleman Kazi, Vivek Sourabh, Rogger Luo & Abhilasha Lodha take you on a technical deep dive into Mockingbird's impressive performance and capabilities. 1️⃣ Why Another LLM? - Learn why Vectara developed its own LLM focused on tasks that matter to our customers. 2️⃣ Training Mockingbird - Explore the rigorous training process for RAG and structured output tasks. 3️⃣ Evaluation Metrics - See how Mockingbird excels in generation quality, citations, and structured output. 4️⃣ Human Ratings - Understand the human evaluation process and how Mockingbird compares to leading models like GPT-4. Mockingbird is integrated into the Vectara platform, offering unparalleled performance with high-quality, secure outputs. 🌐 Dive into the full blog and see how Mockingbird can transform your data handling and generation processes. https://gag.gl/2WqJGM?

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Had a great time chatting with Gargi Sarkar from Inc42 Media! We spoke about the potential for AI to automate content creation for customer education and employee training, and how we’re achieving this with Clueso (YC W23). If you’re interested to learn more about our journey, how we came up with the idea for Clueso, and how we’re leveraging AI to build our product, check out the full article here 👇

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Customer Testimonial - Kuku FM (Series C, ~$70 Million Funded) KukuFM calls CodeAnt AI (YC W24) a game-changing innovation in streamlining their code review process. As a leader in India’s audio storytelling, KukuFM offers exclusive audiobooks and premium content to millions. They trust CodeAnt AI to help developers save time on reviewing code's intent, quality and security issues. CodeAnt AI summarizes each pull request, flagging code quality and security issues within 30 seconds of creation. What sets us apart? With 20,000+ out-of-the-box code quality checks across 30+ languages, our AI catches even the trickiest edge cases. Special thanks to Aman Bapna for championing our journey! 🙌 Want to try it? Get 7-days free trial - link is in the comments below. #AI #AICodeReview #CyberSecurity #codequality #cleancode #KukuFM #CodeAntAI #GameChanger

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India’s Oyo, once valued at $10 billion, is finalizing new funding at a $2.5 billion valuation. This marks a steep decline from its $10 billion valuation in 2019. The startup, which has raised over $3 billion from backers like SoftBank, Peak XV Ventures, Lightspeed, Airbnb, and Microsoft, has struggled to attract institutional investors. In recent months, it has aggressively pitched to high-net-worth individuals after withdrawing its IPO application twice in the past four years. Once a red-hot Indian startup active in markets including the U.S. and Europe, Oyo has now scaled back its international presence. #venture #downround https://lnkd.in/gE2GjYnM

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You'll always question if the market is overvalued. And that's okay. Let me explain. I felt this deeply when analyzing the Indian markets recently. The numbers were clear, but doubts lingered. I started to think: - Are investors paying too much? - What does this mean for future growth? - Should I be cautious or optimistic? I wish I could tell every investor; It's a complex picture. I took a deep dive into the data and found some insights. Often, markets are a mix of signals. Not always clear, but often. These are the steps I took to understand the valuation: → I looked at the P/E ratio. The SENSEX's P/E ratio of 23.88 is high. Investors are paying a premium compared to historical levels. → I checked the Buffett Indicator. India's market cap to GDP ratio is 102.75%. This is above the 10-year average, suggesting overvaluation. → I analyzed foreign investor activity. In October 2024, foreign investors sold $8 billion in Indian stocks. This was the largest outflow since March 2020. → I reviewed expert opinions. Some experts, like Mark Matthews, express caution. Others point to strong GDP growth as a justification for high valuations. So, while some indicators suggest overvaluation, the economic fundamentals offer a different story. On one hand: - NIFTY trades at ~20x forward earnings vs historical average of ~17x - Small/mid-cap valuations are significantly stretched - FII ownership remains high, risking potential outflows - GDP numbers warrant scrutiny given base effects However: - Corporate earnings growth remains robust (15%+ YoY) - Banking sector NPAs at decadal lows - Domestic retail participation provides valuation support - India's consumption story and demographic dividend remain intact According to me, the key is bottom-up stock selection rather than index-level calls.

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Akash Kumar, co-founder of DIME (YC W24), transitioned from being a product software engineer at Snap Inc. to solving manufacturing problems with his startup, backed by Y Combinator. Here’s a glimpse into his journey: Growing up around factories, thanks to his parents' careers in aerospace and automotive, Akash's early exposure to manufacturing environments sparked his interest in tech and entrepreneurship. Though initially pushed towards medicine, Akash's knack for math contests and coding in college led him to pursue a hashtag #tech career, eventually joining Snapchat's AI platform team. Akash and his co-founder, who he met in high school, began brainstorming ideas. A pivotal text exchange from a friend highlighted a major inefficiency in manufacturing processes, leading to the creation of Dime, a platform to help manufacturers manage their factories more efficiently. Applying on the last day, they endured a rigorous interview process, emphasizing unique insights and market knowledge. Their persistence paid off, earning them a spot in YC, which provided crucial mentorship and a $500K investment. Akash highlights the importance of honest user feedback and continuous iteration. By genuinely understanding and solving customer pain points, Dime gained traction and onboarded multiple clients, showcasing the value of their solution. Advice for Aspiring hashtag #Entrepreneurs: Be brutally honest with yourself and iterate quickly. Validation isn't everything; understanding and solving real problems is key to startup success. 🎙️ Listen to Akash’s full story on our podcast -https://lnkd.in/gSWPmZWu #entrepreneur #founder #ai #ycombinator #manufacturing

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🌟 Startup Spotlight - 5: Chaayos Industry: Food & Beverage, #QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) Founded: 2012 Founders: Nitin Saluja, Raghav verma Valuation: Estimated $240 Million+ Milestones: Over 100+ outlets across India, serving millions of customers with customized chai options. 🚀 Brief: Chaayos has redefined the chai experience in India by bringing a modern twist to the country's most beloved beverage. As a pioneer in the organized chai café segment, Chaayos blends traditional flavors with contemporary tastes, operating like a billion-dollar startup that’s set to revolutionize the QSR landscape in India. 🌟 Positive Points: - ☕ Customizable Chai: Chaayos offers over 80,000 different ways to customize your chai, catering to individual preferences and creating a unique experience for every customer. - 📈 Rapid Expansion: With more than 100 outlets in key cities across India, Chaayos is rapidly expanding its footprint, tapping into the massive market for tea lovers. - 💡 Tech-Driven Operations: #Incorporates technology through its Chaayos app, which allows for seamless ordering, loyalty rewards, and personalized recommendations based on customer preferences. - 🏆 Brand Loyalty: Strong focus on customer experience has resulted in high repeat customer rates and robust brand loyalty, making Chaayos a go-to destination for chai enthusiasts. - 🌱 Health-Conscious Options: In response to growing health trends, Chaayos offers a range of healthy snacks and beverages, including sugar-free chai options and herbal infusions. ⚠️ Challenges: - 🏗️ Operational Complexity: Managing consistency in quality and service across multiple outlets presents significant operational challenges as the brand scales. - 🛍️ Competition: Faces intense competition from both traditional chai vendors and new-age café chains like ChaibPoint and Starbucks, which are also expanding aggressively. - 💰 Cost Management: Balancing the costs of premium locations, high-quality ingredients, and technology integration while maintaining affordability for customers. 📊 Current Status: - 🏆 Market Position: Chaayos is a leader in the organized chai café market, recognized for its innovative approach to traditional chai, with a growing presence in major Indian cities. - 📅 Recent Developments: Raised $53 million in Series C funding to accelerate its expansion, enhance technology integration, and introduce new products. - 🔮 Future Outlook: Positioned for significant growth with plans to expand to new markets within India and possibly internationally, while continuing to innovate with new chai and food offerings. #FoodAndBeverage #QSR #ChaiLovers #Chaayos #StartupIndia #Innovation #TechInFood #CustomerExperience #99DayChallenge #IndianTea #Entrepreneurship #CaféCulture #GrowthStartups #5

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Spacetech is an exciting field! I resonate with the insights shared by the Ex ISRO scientist on leveraging existing platforms to build more contextually meaningful solutions. It's crucial for ISRO's platform to be democratically accessible. Time is of the essence for Indian spacetech startups to focus on a solid go-to-market strategy to stay ahead of developed economies. Interestingly at Factorwise we are always fascinated by supply chain of spacetech domain and how we at Factorwise, SCF stack for enterprises can add value to spacetech domain. Welcome spacetech companies to become SCF intelligent. #SpaceTechnology #ISRO #IndianStartups

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Kunal Shah-led fintech unicorn CRED reported a revenue of Rs 2,473 crore in FY24, marking a 66% increase driven by higher product adoption and the growth of monetised users. The startup also reduced its operational loss by 41% to Rs 609 crore. However, net loss—after accounting for employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) expenses and taxes—stood at Rs 1,644 crore, reflecting a 22% year-on-year increase. The Bengaluru-based startup achieved a 58% growth in its monetised user base, while significantly cutting costs. Marketing expenses were reduced by 36%, and customer acquisition costs (CAC) dropped by 40%, largely due to a greater number of customers joining the platform organically. “Our focus is on creating deepening relationships with our customers and on many things from UPI to Garage and other products that we have launched in the last year," said Shah. #cred #fintech #unicorn #business #startup #creditcard #news #Indianstartupnews

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The future for coders/startup in the hands of AI - a lesson from extinct bands of the music industry One of the most exciting times of my life was getting on a stage with drumsticks and playing rock music with my band. Shivam Kharwal (lead guitar), Shubham Tilara (keyboards), Kunal Chugh (Bass Guitar) Silky Prajapati, Rashmikant Jha, Ramit Tyagi (all lead singers) were the other band members. It was awesome fun and a source of relaxation from the breathless pursuit for my startup hustle. Nowadays, rock bands are an extinct species. With the advent of digital music creation platforms - the drummers, the lead guitarists, the bassists, and the keyboard players are replaced by computers. Only solo vocalists and computer-generated music remain. Yes, they bring in drummers, guitarists etc. to add superficial embellishments to the track, but no one knows them. Gone are the days of Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, AC/DC, Metallica, Iron Maiden etc. and their eclectic artists. We knew their drummers, guitarists, and keyboard masters. Now, they are mostly faceless - nameless. The moment generative music came (from the various music software), these artists faded into the black. That's what generative computer music did. Now, we have an OpenAI o1 model that can write brilliant code. It achieved a mind-blowing Elo rating of 1807 - a super expert level. Given the proper inputs, it can produce the work of 5 developers' weeks' effort in less than an hour. It is scary! It will replace a bunch of low-skilled coders in no time (maybe 5 years or less). When the 1st generation of computer-generated music software came, people sneered at them that in no circumstances a skilled guitarist or a drummer be replaced by a machine. Tell that to a guitarist and drummer who come in for gig work to add layers to recorded tracks for low wages. Their torn denim may not be a fashion choice but more of an economic reality. The lives of coders are going to change exactly like that. The computer-generated code will make the software development, testing, and deployment super fast and mostly human-less affair. The tech folks will be there to architect the products and add embellishments. That's the future. And it is coming fast. The startups that react first to this, will win big. The rest will rue their chances. For hard-nosed tech lovers, there is no greater joy than creating an awesome product. For a drummer like me, there is no greater joy than hitting the bass drum and the crash cymbal hard and having the 10,000-watt music reverberate in the arena to give you an adrenaline rush. But, nothing beats the generative power of computers and AI. If the music industry - the pinnacle of creativity and stardom, didn't survive that, what chance do the tech graduates have? Think! #AI #openAI #o1 #music #startup #founders #coders

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Can technical founders become effective CEOs? Srinath Sridhar knew he needed to step out of his comfort zone when he founded Regie.ai four years ago. Now he and cofounder Matt Millen have raised more than $20 million and landed on G2’s list of fastest-growing software products of 2024. My full conversation with Sri is in the comments.

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"𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭" 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐢 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐉𝐢𝐨𝐂𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚 𝐄𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐈𝐏𝐋 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝟐𝟎 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐬 "𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭," is a term that JioCinema tech team uses when Dhoni enters. - When Dhoni arrives, spikes are gradual - Playback system and playback API's get a spike - When Dhoni gets out, all the APIs on the home page gets a spike as all are exiting the live stream and going to watch something else When millions of IPL fans tune in to watch their favorite teams, the stakes are incredibly high. At JioCinema, the tech team understands the passion and excitement that cricket brings. Here’s a glimpse into the meticulous preparation and innovative solutions that make it possible, shared by 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚, 𝐒𝐫 𝐄𝐧𝐠. 𝐃𝐢𝐫. 𝐚𝐭 𝐉𝐢𝐨𝐂𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚. 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐬' 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: The IPL is more than just a sporting event, it's an emotion that unites millions. Each match is a high-stakes event. 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞: A new sticker-sharing feature caused a surge of 1 million requests per second on CDN. 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: The team optimized cache TTL and bundled stickers into a single API call, reducing requests from 10 million RPS to 200K RPS. 𝐃𝐍𝐒 𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐦𝐚: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞: Users on a specific ISP couldn't access the app due to DNS resolution failures. 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Google's public DNS and a fallback DNS resolver were implemented within the app. 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞: Handling unexpected traffic spikes, especially during key moments in the match. 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: The databases were pre-scaled based on detailed calculations and increased cache TTLs. They also implemented panic modes with static responses to ensure continuity even under heavy load. 𝐂𝐃𝐍 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞: Managing multiple CDNs to handle massive traffic and ensure redundancy. 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: The multi-CDN optimizer dynamically switches traffic based on real-time performance, ensuring seamless streaming throughout the match. 𝐀𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞: Delivering targeted ads without disrupting the viewing experience. 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Use server-side ad insertion with cohort targeting to ensure personalized ads reach the right viewers without affecting stream quality. 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: Preparation for the IPL starts in Nov if the season is from march, with extensive tests and audits to ensure system resilience. From database scaling to CDN optimization, every aspect is fine-tuned to handle the unique challenges each IPL season brings. Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/gsivAuzN #IPL2024 #LiveStreaming #TechInnovation #EngineeringExcellence #JioCinema #TechChallenges #CricketPassion #SeamlessStreaming #BackendEngineering #CDNOptimization #DatabaseScaling #AdTech 

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Excellent for any upcoming AI startup.. Soumyadeep Mukherjee is amazing at Dashtoon and can be really helpful for the founders.

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If you are thinking of starting your own journey, go through this video and understand what a tarpit idea is. Avoid such trap at any cost. Tarpit ideas are the startup ideas that seem good — almost too good to be true! — but have been tried by many founders before with little to no success. Tarpit ideas are often not hard in obvious ways. They might seem so easy and good that it’s unbelievable that no one has done it — but when you look a bit deeper, you realize that they have been tried. Over, and over again. https://lnkd.in/g3ewTzgg

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Harsh Reality Check at Unreliable Ventures 🚀 As probably the best VC in India, we have had the privilege of working with some of the brightest minds who attended IIT, MIT, worked with big companies, and returned from the US. However, there's a harsh reality I need to share. Whenever our portfolio startups don’t say that they are an AI company, it’s incredibly frustrating. In today’s competitive landscape, AI isn’t just a buzzword – AI is the magic. As investors, we live by metrics like IRR and MOIC, and we fcukin can't position and sell the company to the next wave of investors without it. To all the founders out there: Embrace AI. Be an AI company. It’s not just about solving problems; it’s about staying relevant in the way we want. #VC #StartupLife #AI #founder #Investment

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Exploring the Future of Tech: Blockchain, AI, and Drones with Lakshay, Founder of CHAINFLY We’re excited to share our latest podcast feature with Living On Blockchain (LOB) on Blockchain, where Lakshay Taneja, a visionary at the forefront of blockchain, AI, and drone technology, discusses his journey and innovations. Lakshay’s work is paving the way for real-world solutions across industries like defense, logistics, and public safety in India and beyond. 🔍 Episode Insights: Blockchain for Secure Data Transfer: Enhancing trust and transparency in data exchange. AI for Predictive Analysis: Enabling smarter, proactive decisions across critical sectors. Drones for Situational Awareness: Offering real-time insights to improve safety and responsiveness. Lakshay’s commitment to mentorship and community-building shines through as he discusses how these emerging technologies are transforming underserved sectors. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the real-world impact of blockchain and AI, especially within fast-evolving markets. Listen in to discover Lakshay's approach to building secure, scalable tech solutions and his vision for leveraging technology to address global challenges. podcast Link - https://lnkd.in/gd8DMvD5 #Blockchain #AI #DroneTechnology #TechForGood #Chainfly #DigitalTransformation #DefenseInnovation #PublicSafety #LivingOnBlockchain

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Hello Mumbai. Hello Cosmoverse! This Saturday. Tomorrow Blockmeet Mumbai is all about the #Cosmos Ecosystem. Calling Interchain Founders, Builders, Community and Marketers. Also Calling Developers: Go Lang, Rust, Javascript or related programming languages like Python etc ✅Learn about $100k Grant Opportunities for Developers ✅Learn from Founders building in the Cosmos ecosystem ✅Learn from fellow developers and builders ✅Network with the best minds to help you learn career opportunities

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I just finished reading Agassi's autobiography "Open". It's a beautifully-written narrative, peppered with humor and loaded with honesty, which made it easy to sail through the chapters. Agassi's quasi-abusive childhood, career-long struggle with tennis, full-circle love story, brought me to tears over and over again. Ultimately, this story resonated with me because it's a story about ownership – about taking ownership over one's life. Since Gabriel Hubert recommended I read "Extreme Ownership" last year, ownership might be the concept I've spent the most time thinking about (other than time itself, though they are closely related in my mind). It's so important to me that we've codified it into one of our leadership principles at Parable. "Extreme Ownership" identifies ownership as the single characteristic that separates extraordinarily effective individuals from others. "They take absolute ownership not just of those things for which they [are] responsible, but for everything that impact[s] their mission... [they] take ownership of everything in their lives". My personal interpretation of this definition is that I am responsible for absolutely everything that happens in my life. While I may not literally responsible for what others might to do me, I am responsible for every single one of my reactions. In that way, I own my life. I have felt this way since I was young child. When I was 12, my dad had a medical issue which made it hard for him to regulate his moods. He once threw the equivalent of an adult tantrum because of a trivial event, and I swore to myself I would never do this. I remember telling some of my friends very early on that events don't matter, only your reactions do. Extreme Ownership helped me augment this idea with words that compel action, that are natively empowering. Agassi's life story is one of resolute ownership – going from hating tennis and playing because he felt he had no choice, to appreciating tennis for what it gives him and choosing to play. It's a story of spiritual redemption, of finding his soul by accepting that he does have a choice, and that he can exercise it. It's at that point, and at that point only, that he played the best tennis of his life. As I continue to strive for extreme ownership, and think about where I fail to live up to this standard, I'll keep Agassi's story as a great reminder of what can happen when ownership becomes embedded in your life. 

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Weekend full of insights and aha moments with Prasanna Sankar, billionaire founder of Rippling ($13.5B valuation), #1 in India in Topcoder while at college, 2x Google Code Jam world finalist, 2x ACM ICPC World Finalist. I’ve been following Prasanna for the past 17 years (since 2007) when I just signed up for Topcoder. We recorded 4-hour podcast episode. Soon on nFactorial Podcast. For now, here is the incomplete list of my takeaways (in my words). 1) You have 2 paths. Path 1 - move to the Valley and build a venture scale startup, drive a race car super fast with a high risk / high reward combination. Path 2 - do your life’s work Warren Buffett style by slowly compounding 20-30% a year. 2) Top-down insights after studying App Store top charts / reading TechCrunch or Economist is a terrible way to start a company. Best companies are founded based on secrets from traversing the idea maze. These secrets are gained through a long and deep immersion into a rabbit hole where you become a world class expert in a topic. 3) Best companies lie on two sides of an inverse normal distribution. They either start as a side project (Facebook, Google) or a deep conviction (Amazon, Rippling). 4) Startups are R&D departments of the world. Work on the frontier. Brave new world. If Alexander the Great was alive, where would he be headed? 5) Be aware that successful startups are Ponzi schemes. There are reflexive loops between your results and the perception. Great companies receive a lot of funding because they are great. It is also true that companies have more chances to become great if they are given more resources. 6) Big reason why Elon Musk’s companies never fail is the idea of sacrifice. He sacrifices himself for his work and expects the same from his colleagues. “If you ever use the word ‘try’ when you talk to me, this will be the last day at the company”. 7) On one hand, success rate in startups is super low. On the other hand, it can be pretty high (e.g. if you’re a YC alum). Millionaire rate among early YC founders is 50%. Few companies succeed in a big way. But failed founders aggregate around / join the most successful companies from their batch. 8) “Silicon valley is a river of money. All you have to do is pick it up.” -Naval. 9) PG inverted VC: no board seats, no commitment (just a summer program), small equity stake, funding ideas without traction, small investments into many startups. 10) Be enough of an insider to know and enough of an outsider to break the rules. 11) Multiply your ambition. Most people are lacking the safe space to dare, to take risks, to innovate. Back people who are early. Create that safe space for them. 

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