Murtuza Kutub

This - AI companies are having to build the 'brain' AND how that brain 'interacts' with a world built only for humans in mind. CloudCruise is abstracting away second bit so we can focus on nailing the first bit.

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XAI is becoming a reality. Over 1000 clinical cases analyzed - Only 11 were complex enough to go beyond XAI's knowledge. . . The possibilities are endless. Can't fully imagine its beneficial impacts. Who gets to benefit from XAI first? This is a critical question that will be discussed and finalized this week. #ai #xai #healthcare #GuardianMediSaaS

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One unintended consequence of 'software as a service' is that selling software is becoming more and more like selling services. Historically, software: 1. Has relatively few competitors per category, because creating a product was expensive. 2. Differentiation has been in the product features and capabilities 3. Product differentiation was sustainable for a reasonable period of time 4. Buyers often bought based on one competitor being able to better meet specific technical requirements 5. Pricing was relatively opaque Historically, services: 1. Have an endless number of competitors, from gigantic companies to one person in their basement 2. Differentiation is in the brand, people, process and experience 3. Technical parity is the norm 4. Buyers buy based off their purchasing experience 5. Pricing is relatively transparent (i.e. if you have 3 big agencies bid or the big 3 consulting firms.....they will all cost about the same) More and more, the two are converging. How does this align with your experiences?

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I believe a solution to this is currently being developed.

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if you know, you know Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures. nerd. founder. wise. man. been there done that sv. wisdom. it's missing. let's face it. it's always been missing over time. for.ever. so it's a blessing truly to have an o.g. that keeps it for reals. yes we are a fan. much like Jensen Huang Fei-Fei Li ilya sutskever ...and other good people in sv. they are the ones who make this place so special. indeed they do. here https://lnkd.in/exWqey9K we have sam i am that's all that i am sam (alt)man having a 1-1 with the man. this is a must watch to provide a foundational (no llm required here) mindset as to how sv is at it's best (and worse). caution. watch out for the truth bombs. vinod is (in)famous for this style and we <love> him for it. thank g-d he exists. if you meet the dbags in sf/bayarea your experience you will be quickly lonely, dazed and confused. best to listen to these wise words from vinod and from that determine your spot in the sv landscape. with an insight on the sv playbook from a master. well. need i say more. it's about the very spirit of sv that makes it so special. and this is indeed embodied in a few who are masters. deserve our attention. yeah. yeah. i know attention is all you need. although what happens if your attention is being distracted from building. being in the company of those who will join your mission ala brian chesky of Airbnb. missionaries. search for the good missionaries in sv. keep away and keep in mind of the mercenaries. they are there. pg. he's another gift (as opposed to the grifters) paul graham wrote about this too https://lnkd.in/eEYmQwqZ - being a chesky-esque missionary. these are good things to follow on the path of achieving escape velocity as an (ai) startup. oh. hollywood has entered the ranks of sv. yes it has. so there is a bit of performance art that is required. not enough that you've created something that's novel (truly, novel). also requires a bit of showmanship. audacious in fact. it's a well known sentiment that audacious ideas motivate people. sun microsystems. audacious. juniper. audacious. OpenAI. vinod as an early investor. audacious. Vinod Khosla was born audacious. so fitting he found a place in this world where many have benefitted from this sentiment. perhaps years ago a bit on the abrasive side. now with those white hairs. the elder statesman. non-diplomat. rules, the roost of that which allows for others to flourish. note if you manage to thread the needle of vinod means that it's a very very very good beginning. nothing is guaranteed of course. as my lawyer 'friends' like to say. * buyer beware. be aware. Vinod Khosla is. are you (ai)? are you?? perhaps yes. perhaps, non. < . >

Biggest mistake a healthtech startup can make? (Not talking to their end users) So many fixate on whether or not they could, They don't stop to think if they should. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲. But it is madness to build a solution first, And look for a problem to solve later. 🛑 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞: An innovator spends months of runway, Building endless features for their product. Demos it to a bunch of clinicians and patients,  Only for no one to be interested at all. It is not just startups that are fallible, Many established companies do this too. They add countless features that nobody uses, Leading to excessive software bloat. And wonder why it takes clinicians 30 minutes to do a simple admin task. __________________________________ 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. It starts with speaking to decision makers, To those who will be using your innovations. It starts by painstakingly finding out: - Where the problem points are. - The inner workings of the current system. - The barriers that can block a new solution. - Is this a widespread issue or just a local problem. - Is this something people care enough to change. Only then, can meaningful innovation take place. 𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞. Stop building things that nobody needs, Start talking to patients and clinicians. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞? 👇 Have you experienced something similar before? 🤔 What advice would you give? Sarah Jane O Dwyer | Sarah Hughes Hon. A/Prof | Laura Johnson | Kevin McDonnell | Isabelle Ugochukwu | Clive Flashman 💙

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7 Harsh Truths About Building a SaaS Business It’s not just about coding a product.. It’s about navigating endless iterations, refining strategies, and facing reality checks daily. Here are the hard truths that every SaaS founder eventually comes to know: 1. It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint Building SaaS takes time—be prepared for the long game. Quick wins are rare, and consistency is everything. 2. Product Alone Isn’t Enough A great product is essential, but without a solid go-to-market strategy, even the best SaaS can struggle to find traction. 3. Retention > Acquisition Growth isn’t just about signing new customers—it’s about keeping them. Building customer loyalty is as crucial as landing new accounts. 4. Listen to Your Customers, Not Just Your Vision Your vision drives the product, but customer feedback refines it. Staying tuned to customer needs helps your SaaS evolve meaningfully. 5. Pricing is Tougher Than You Think Finding the right pricing model can be tricky—too high, you lose interest; too low, you undervalue your offering. Constant testing is key. 6. Hiring the Right Team Is Everything SaaS is a team effort. Surround yourself with people who believe in the mission, adapt quickly, and bring diverse skills to the table. 7. Expect Constant Change SaaS is dynamic; be ready to pivot, improve, and iterate. Today’s success formula might look different tomorrow. Each of these truths is a lesson in resilience, but seeing the impact our product makes is worth every bit of effort. What’s a hard truth you’ve learned while building a SaaS? Or if you’re just getting started, which of these resonates the most?

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How a developer missed out on an extra $150K/year. (And how to not repeat his costly mistake.) He worked on a project for a client and: → Integrated Stripe as their payment processor → His client went on to process $50M per month → The developer got a sum total of $0 from Stripe Had he chosen Zenti’s payment processor instead ↴ He could have earned uncapped commissions, bringing in an additional $150K in passive income that year. Same work. Same project. A major difference in income. Don't be like him. Make smarter choices ↴ Earn uncapped commissions. The opportunities are there, make sure to grab them. If you are ready to create a new revenue stream: 1. Visit my website. 2. Click on the Revenue Share Program. 3. And finally, sign up to "Become a Partner." Or, you can also DM me "Referral Partner.”

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Every founders dilemma, PLG Vs MLG, Which one should you build on 🤔 Understanding the nuances of Product-Led Growth (PLG) and Marketing-Led Growth (MLG) can significantly impact the success of a company's go-to-market (GTM) strategy. Product-Led Growth (PLG) PLG is a strategy where the product itself drives acquisition, conversion, and expansion. Key elements include: Product as the Primary Driver : The product offers a compelling user experience that encourages organic growth through word-of-mouth and network effects. Freemium Model : Offering a free tier or trial to attract users, who may later convert to paid plans. Viral Loops : Features that encourage users to invite others, like referral programs or collaborative tools. Focus on User Experience : Investing heavily in a seamless and valuable user experience to ensure satisfaction and retention. Data-Driven : Using data from product usage to inform decisions and optimize the user journey.. Examples : Slack, Dropbox, Zoom. Marketing-Led Growth (MLG) MLG relies heavily on marketing activities to drive customer acquisition and growth. Key elements include: Brand Awareness : Building a strong brand presence through various marketing channels (social media, content marketing, advertising). Lead Generation : Employing tactics like SEO, PPC, and content marketing to generate leads. Nurturing Campaigns : Using email marketing, webinars, and other content to nurture leads through the sales funnel. Sales and Marketing Alignment : Close collaboration between sales and marketing teams to convert leads into customers. Campaign-Based : Running specific marketing campaigns to drive interest and conversion. Examples: HubSpot, Salesforce, Oracle. Primary Driver : In PLG, the product drives growth, whereas in MLG, marketing efforts are the primary driver. User Experience vs. Brand Awareness : PLG focuses on delivering a stellar user experience that sells itself, while MLG focuses on building brand awareness and generating leads. Cost Structure : PLG often relies on lower customer acquisition costs due to organic growth, whereas MLG can involve significant marketing spend. Time to Market PLG might require longer initial development to ensure the product can drive growth independently, while MLG can often go to market faster through aggressive marketing campaigns. Many successful companies blend elements of both strategies, leveraging a strong product to drive organic growth while also investing in marketing to accelerate reach and scale. #McKinsey reports that companies blending PLG and MLG can achieve up to 25% faster revenue growth compared to those relying solely on one approach. A hybrid approach can often provide the best of both worlds, driving sustainable growth through both exceptional products and effective marketing. What's your take on building a winning GTM strategy 🤔 ? Pls share 👏 On a #mission to #disrupting global #commerce #GTM #PLG #MLG #SaaS #D2C #Retail

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Another great share from Brian R. Spisak, PhD From the article "Concepts" are crucial when it comes to "reasoning-intensive" tasks such as coding and math, where it can be difficult to specify the required concepts in a keyword-based search query. It's even harder to determine which documents might be relevant." CONCEPTS. It's all about the concepts. I learned all about Neo4j yesterday. I was surprised to learn that "graph" Neo4j doesn't automatically create the nodes, labels, relationships, or relationship definitions that power the underlying "graph data model." 🤔 I studied BPMN and UML (unified modeling language/CONCEPT modeling) over 20 years ago in graduate school under the guidance of two of the most prominent pioneers in the informatics field, Sue Bakken and Charlie Mead, MD. At that time, I didn't fully understand the significance of what I was learning. However, someone once said, "Once you learn how to abstract data into concepts and relationships to create (graph) data models, you will never see the world the same again." It's true; my brain was rewired during those two years to see the entire world as concepts/graph data models. My daughter gets annoyed when I complain under my breath about poorly designed airport processes based on flawed underlying graph data models. I've been viewing the healthcare industry, its functions, and the "data" as graph models for over 20 years. Graph data modeling is all about "metadata." Everyone uses the word metadata without understanding what it means. It's about creating the context of the data, which is often stripped away and discarded during our customary ETL processes and current relational database designs. Context enriches the data by adding back the meaning of the data when originally collected, including the who, what, when, where, how, and why of the workflow - the most atomic unit of healthcare activity. Context is necessary to determine which data is suitable for analytics, digitizing clinical practice guidelines, clinical decision support, quality measurement, AI training data, ML, GenAI, and creating the blueprint for aggregating and harmonizing disparate data sources. Creating a graph data model requires domain expertise; it's not the work of computer scientists or software engineers. It's crucial to understand how this new technology works, what it does, and what it doesn't do. If you need help with concept/graph data modeling in healthcare, feel free to send me a direct message Finally, as my dad used to say, "Don't let anyone give you a wooden nickel."😅 #HealthAI #CDS #CPG #eCQM #neo4j #BPMN+ #UML #OGDataHarmonizationQueen #AppliedInformatics

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I'm currently going through some very old SnagIT screenshots from 2015. I'm trying to recall which hype cycle this is from. Which hype cycle was relevant in 2015? #SelfServeAnalytics? Had we reached #BigData yet? The progress in "#reusability" has been remarkable for the cartoon industry. 😂 #SameHypeDifferentDay

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I am happy to announce that Pepsales has closed pre-seed funding led by Chiratae Ventures 🙌 🙌 🙌 As a founder, you’re often told that it’s a lonely road—filled with long days, tough calls, and countless challenges. But with the right people, it doesn’t have to be like that. Throughout my career, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with visionary leaders who believed in me before I even believed in myself. Along the way, I’ve been inspired by teammates from around the world who pushed me to do better every day. But when it comes to building a company, that’s a whole different game. It’s about embracing uncertainty and hoping you’ll find the right partners who share your vision. When Abhinandan Sahgal and I started Pepsales just six months ago, in a challenging macroeconomic climate, finding those partners felt like an uphill climb. Then one day, Venkatesh Peddi, Naimil Shah and the team at Chiratae Ventures came along. Their conviction in us was truly a game-changer. Every conversation with them has been insightful, and when they offered to invest in Pepsales, it was one of those “pinch me” moments that founders dream about. But let me be clear—this is Day 0. The road ahead is long, and we’ve barely scratched the surface. We’re laser-focused on continuing our mission to empower sales teams with AI that transforms how they sell. There’s so much more to build, more problems to solve, and more milestones to hit. That said, the right partners make all the difference. Whether it’s brainstorming ideas or navigating the challenges of scaling a company, having that support is invaluable. Here is to everyone who believed in us—thank you. We’re beyond grateful, and even more excited for what’s ahead. This is just the beginning. And now, a shameless plug: if you’re a B2B SaaS company looking to empower your sales team to drive and deliver a world-class experience with every demo—without the hassle of digging through mountains of data to find that one key insight—we’d love to have a conversation. We’re here to help you add real value to your sales funnel. #FounderJourney #SaaS #AI #Pepsales #Gratitude #DayZero #B2BSales Link to our announcement - https://lnkd.in/g5V7j2Nh

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How many r’s in strawberry? Came across a bunch of AI threads in the past day discussing this topic. The debate varied far and wide from is AI going to replace jobs, using the correct “technical” prompt, comparisons of LLMs to deep technical discussions on how the LLMs actually work. People debating these threads include people from various walks of life, executives, users, engineers and scientists. Many opinions and facts. My fascination about anything technology boils down to two questions. Reliable use cases (“where” and “how” can I really use this) and Risk of failure (“when” will this not work?). These principles apply to any “tool” that our kind (species) has ever come about (invented, discovered etc.) including what we are calling “AI”. The answer to “how” we use anything lies somewhere within what I term the “where-when” spectrum. Coming back to AI, the marker we choose in the “where-when” spectrum decides everything from financial gain (or obliteration), risk management to ethics. This marker is bound to progress with time unless it becomes cost prohibitive. For now, we need safeguards (systemic / manual interventions) to ensure we stay within boundaries that keep the equation positive. The responsibility to ensure AI remains a value added proposition is in each of our hands. Let’s be responsible and put safeguards in place so we are not bitten (and bitten bad)! I plan to share more information about this. If you have ideas or questions please leave a comment. If you are in my network you know where to reach me to chat up! #AI #ResponsibleAI #Innovation #Risk

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What did you do in your 0 to 1 journey? Brief 2-3 lines only. Will start with mine: 1. Have started and scaled cofounder matching community platform form 0 to 8k+ users 2. Conceptualize, built and scaled Travel SaaS product to paying 125 users What's yours?

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Startup decks vs Business plans. It's accepted that a startup needs a deck. Dax Dasilva of Lightspeed Commerce made an important point on 20VC. Writing a business plan - including financial projections - is an important step. It requires discipline. It provides a rigorous framework for thinking deeply about the problem you're trying to solve. Harry Stebbings countered that he doesn't even want to see a deck since it's all dreams. We spent a lot of time and energy on our business plan with the expectation that we would show it to no one ever. The business plan was part of our roadmap for the company. We researched customers - including having 50+ conversations. We wanted to understand them: their background, their interests, their presence on social media. We also wanted to understand how they were evaluated by leadership and how integrated they were with the business of the company they were protecting. We researched pricing both with potential customers and other products in our industry to find out if OpEx or CapEx was a better fit. How did they buy today? How would they like to buy? We did market research to understand the verticals and map the right entry point - we were wrong but that doesn't reduce the value of the research. We looked at competitors in depth to understand what they were seeing that we weren't. Dax is right. This is an invaluable document that should be updated every year - the company is changing, the market is changing, there's more feedback about price and ICP. It's not for sharing with the outside world. It's a map for driving forward. Decks won't get you investment - VCs invest in people. We make decks but we know they don't tell our story. The deck is a calling card. Dax and Harry are both right. https://lnkd.in/e25M82xY

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I wasn’t impressed with Nvidia’s earnings report…. Read on and I’ll explain 3 reason I’m not impressed. 1. The company is expected to beat its estimates - so a simple beat is not news. 2. We all know there is a lot of potential with AI and the company will be a part of it. 3. Growth in revenue of data storage centers was up big, again, this was expected. None of this is why the stock is up before market opens. IMHO the stock reacted so positively because of the announced 10 for 1 stock split! So really, nothing to see here. Unless you listen to MSM “AI hype” which is much like the Internet craze in the 1990s stock market. 🔥🔥 Remember what they say…buy on rumor and sell on news🔥🔥?? ➡️➡️Sell in May and go away…. Other AI concepts are up and coming from other companies. My newsletter will have a complete list. ➡️ Add your email here if you would like that AI company list. https://lnkd.in/gZbZxsQ9

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I’m increasingly convinced that AI value is going to accrue to companies that deliver services in healthcare. 3 specific places: 1) micro private equity that acquires companies and then injects AI into their operations. Traditional success in acquiring healthcare businesses has been around negotiating better rates, controlling referrals, etc. But with AI maybe you can reduce the operating expense, improve margins, and just hold the business while it generates cash. This would probably work particularly well in areas where you need several full time staff to do administrative work like clinical trial sites, durable medical equipment suppliers, legacy third-party administrators, etc. Less so in places that have strict staffing ratio requirements. 2) outsourced departments that’re powered by AI. For example, hospitals are now trying to completely outsource their billing departments. A company can come in and be willing to take over all the headcount/back-office services themselves and do it for much less thanks to AI. For example, instead of 10 medical billers the hospital hires as full time employees, a company uses 1 medical biller + AI and charges 50% of the cost. 3) unbundling a package of services and completely automating part of it. A made up example, legal firms where you can choose between a lawyer reading a contract for $X or an AI they trained reading a contract for 20% of the cost. Or InPharmD, which is essentially a clinical pharmacist + AI which they use to create different products (ask a complex question about drugs, or for a hospital committee to generate reports on what drugs they should keep on hand).

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Google Gemini: The AI powerhouse you might be overlooking While ChatGPT and Claude grab headlines, Google's Gemini is a powerful contender. The tech giant just unveiled two new versions of its Gemini models with major improvements. Developers rejoice: Gemini-1.5-Pro-002 and Gemini-1.5-Flash-002 slash prices by 50%. But the real story? These models are blazingly fast - twice the output speed and three times lower latency than before. This isn't just about raw power. Gemini's latest iterations show significant gains in crucial areas. - 20% boost in math-related tasks - Major improvements in visual understanding - Enhanced code generation capabilities Google's listening to its users, too. They've trimmed output length by 5-20%, delivering snappier responses without sacrificing quality. For developers, accessing Gemini's power is now smoother than ever through Google AI Studio and Vertex AI. But what about everyday users? Expect to see these upgrades in the Gemini App and website soon. Google's commitment to evolving the AI space is clear. They're not just chasing benchmarks - they're focused on real-world applications. With enhanced privacy filters and content safety measures, Google's addressing ethical concerns head-on. The AI race is far from over. As costs potentially rise for training data, Google's price cuts could give them a significant edge. Don't count Google out. Gemini is proving to be a formidable contender in the AI arena, and its latest upgrades show there's plenty more innovation to come.

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Healthcare startups, listen up! Building a secure and user-friendly app can feel impossible. Here's the good news: You don't need to be good at coding. Bubble.io is your secret weapon. I help healthcare startups like you build secure apps with Bubble – no coding required! Here's how I can help: HIPAA Made Easy: Keep patient data safe and sound. We'll ensure your app meets all HIPAA regulations. Ready-Made Features: Skip the build from scratch! Bubble has everything you need for appointments, video chat, and patient records. 🩺 Happy Patients, Happy You: Design a user-friendly portal where patients manage appointments and connect with you easily. Automate the Mundane: Free yourself and your team! Automate tasks like appointment reminders and medication refills. ⏰ Ready to build a healthcare app that makes a difference? Let's chat! I offer a free consultation to discuss your vision and see how Bubble.io can turn it into reality. #HealthTech #BubbleIO #Startups #HealthcareApp #HIPAA

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