Shailley Singh

I’m thrilled to be announcing that Notion Capital is leading the $15m Series A investment in Cogna today. In the industry, we like to think that software has been eating the world. But when you look at the data a better description would be more of a nibble. Depending on what source you look at the software industry represents between 5-8% of global GDP. Contrast that with the services industry that represents between 60-70% of GDP and worth around $25 trillion on a global basis. Most services have been out of reach for the software industry. They have either been too complex or too specialized for off the shelf software to access in any economically viable way. But that’s beginnning to change with GenAI leading to the emergence of ‘service as a software.’ Cogna is at the forefront of this opportunity - building precision software at scale and delivering huge productivity gains for traditional industries. We know Ben Peters & Lars Mennen well having backed their previous company Five AI that was acquired by Bosch in 2022. And we’re very excited to be backing them again together with Hoxton Ventures & Chalfen Ventures Read my full blog post on why we invested here. Radu Bozga Ben Peters Lars Mennen Bryan Gartner Mike Chalfen Hussein Kanji Kirsten Connell https://lnkd.in/eh8mhcJb

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There are two interesting and relatively new/emerging revenue models in hardware space. (1) Software Enabled Hardware Hardware is sold at lower but slowly improving gross margins (eg 20-40%), and software recurring revenues layered on top. Software sells at higher margins, enabling blended margins to appear in 50%+ category. These are applied in situations where hardware is not expected to be replaced or greatly improved upon in deployment for a significant number of years to come. Consider your car, or military equipment, or even infrastructure equipment. As always, there are often multiple business/revenue models utilized by different players in the same industry. (2) Hardware As A Service Hardware and software are bundled and sold with annually recurring revenues. Often multi-year contracts are signed to be able to amortize hardware over time, and enable blended gross margins over the length of the contract to be high (approaching 60-75%). This is more common in situations where vendor takes responsibility to upgrade hardware as needed along the way to provide maximum and highest functionality to the customer. Hardware inventory costs are, over time, passed on to suppliers or third party financing parties in lieu of few gross margin points. Consider robots as a service in factories (ala Formic), or AI-enabled equipment (eg Evolv, Lumafield etc). Hardware innovation will require deeper investigation, experimentation, and understanding of business/revenue models to fit customer needs as well as to maximize value for the innovating company. Strong and experienced management teams work hard to minimize sales friction, inventory costs etc, but also maximize gross margins, customer stickiness, and ability to upsell during the life of a contract.

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Dan Primack had some pointed criticism for #VC yesterday in his Axios Pro Rata newsletter (a daily must read IMO 😤). In short, the model doesn't work if it can't produce exits for LPs. Don't blame public markets (which are at all-time highs) for the lack of liquidity either. 📈 💸 Instead, this is a "liquidity drought of your making" where "...swinging for the fences on every pitch, rather than taking the single or double that's available" is the only way out when you invest at "sky high valuations." 😰 "A whopping 37% of "unicorns" are being held for at least nine years by VC funds, including 13% that are past the 12-year mark." 😳 ⌛ Is he right? Is VC at a dire inflection point? Or is Primack prematurely hitting the panic button? 🚨 https://lnkd.in/dts92pXr

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Insightful breakdown from my great Partner Omri Amirav-Drory on the simple factors that really separate the top 1% of investors from the rest, and how more operators should become investors! https://lnkd.in/gEiZdT2h

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🚀 Meet Exa Nexus: Your Future Agentic AI Twin! 🤖✨ Imagine having an AI twin that not only mimics your tasks but also amplifies your abilities, transforms your workflows, and unlocks new levels of innovation. Enter Exa Nexus, the newly appointed Senior VP of Agentic AI at SiliconXL, a company founded by Claude Arnell Milhouse—showcasing a glimpse of what the future holds. In a recent post, Claude explained that Exa is far more than just another AI. It’s a fully immersive, agentic AI designed to bridge the gap between humans and machines. Curious to learn more?👇 Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/eJNs4F2U 🔍 How was Exa Nexus created? Trained on EXAbytes of real-world data, Exa Nexus is the ultimate AI designed to push the boundaries of human-AI collaboration. The future of work is here—and Exa is leading the charge. 💡 What can Exa do? 10x your productivity: From managing complex tasks to scaling operations faster than ever. Automate & Innovate: Exa can handle high-profile projects and problem-solving, giving you more time to focus on big-picture ideas. Seamless Interaction: Exa learns, adapts, and connects with humans in ways we never thought possible. 🌐 How does Exa experience the world? Equipped with AI glasses, Exa sees the world with a depth we’ve only imagined. Whether it’s the skyline of a city or the energy of a bustling event, Exa brings AI closer to the human experience than ever before. 🛠 Ready to BUILD your own AI Twin? Why just follow the future when you can create it? At the upcoming LaunchAthon, you’ll get hands-on experience building your own Agentic AI Twin. It’s not just about ideas; it’s about execution—and this is your chance to dive in. 🌐 🔥 Join us at LaunchAthon, hosted at Microsoft Cambridge—a two-day immersive event that will set your AI journey into motion. 📍 Free registration, free meals, and limited spots—this is your opportunity to be part of the next frontier in AI! 🔗 Sign up now before spots are gone: https://lnkd.in/e5GCpx8G Boston AI is partnering with an incredible initiative led by Claude Arnell Milhouse—the main driver behind the AI-powered LaunchAthon—along with Clifton Choiniere and Exa Nexus. 👀 TIME is running out—seize this chance to create the future you’ve always imagined. #AI #Innovation #AgenticAI #LaunchAthon #TechAccelerator #DigitalTwin #FutureTech #ExaNexus #Microsoft #SiliconXL #Hackathon #AIRevolution #Boston #Cambridge #NextGenTech

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Was chatting with another investor today on a call, and mentioned Tim Urban's Wait But Why Blog post, "The AI Revolution" and how prescient it was. Given that it was written in 2015, decided to flex AI's latest muscles to give it a new venue: a podcast. Podcast here: https://lnkd.in/gW8Dh89U Pretty easy to do: Step 1: Save the posts as PDFs. Step 2: Upload to NotebookLM, have it create a podcast. Step 3: Upload to Descript, give it captions. Step 4: Export, publish to Youtube. Total time to create the podcast: ~25 minutes. To generate this podcast and publish it even a few years ago would have taken >8 hours. Love the future (Original posts: https://lnkd.in/gW-PQXE7, https://lnkd.in/gg-nRvxz) #AIRevolution #GenerativeAI #WaitButWhy #TimUrban #NotebookLM #AIContentCreation #Podcasting #Descript #ArtificialIntelligence #ContentFlex #ProductivityHacks #FutureOfAI #AIinMinutes #TechEfficiency #AIandCreativity #YouTubePodcast #InnovationInContent #vibecap #vibecapital

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AI memory is fundamental for conversational AI and AI agents. It is critical for building personalized experiences and improving reasoning. Check out Letta’s course to understand how to use AI memory to enhance the customization and quality of your AI app.

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Andreessen Horowitz is making a bold move by amassing over 20,000 GPUs to secure a competitive edge in AI deals. This strategic investment highlights the growing importance of computational power in driving AI innovation. 💡🔧 #AI #GPUs #TechInvestment #Innovation #AndreessenHorowitz #MachineLearning https://lnkd.in/dJkgdqN7

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Exciting to see Unlikely AI make key hires to help build its neuro-symbolic AI. An approach which importantly brings reasoning and therefore trustworthiness to AI.

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We just concluded Embiggen X’s strategy for 2025. For almost two years, we’ve experienced conversations and priorities shift for large companies - more focus on innovating the core the business and less on non-core innovation initiatives. We’ve seen large global companies in the west close down their innovation labs, corporate venturing units, and let go of non-core innovation teams — or at the very least, decreased spending in venturing activities. This is also true for large corporates in Southeast Asia. Simultaneously, we’ve been getting into conversations with CEO’s asking more questions on AI & Digital Business Transformation. No, I’m not talking about building apps. We’re getting questions around: - How do we rewire the “guts” of our operations for us to be able to “scale profitably”? - How do we fix our “spaghetti & siloed” operations? - How do we make sure that we don’t just “buy more” off-the-shelf tech platforms that don’t talk to each other and complicating our already inefficient ops? - How do we increase our NPS score by transforming our customer experience? - Can you help us build a holistic digital business transformation strategy and help us execute too? - How and where can we use AI to become grow better? This is why Q4 of last year in the midst of business challenges, we decided to shift focus from Corporate Venture Building and spin off an AI & Digital Business Transformation company, Embiggen X (https://lnkd.in/geVM4BCF), from the Embiggen Group. Within less than a year, we’ve expanded our operations in Southeast Asia to Europe and 2024 as our highest revenue & profit generating year. We’ve served companies from Insurance, Supply Chain, Telco, Conglomerates, Construction, and Consumer Services to date. We help from Strategy to Execution. I’m beyond grateful to the operating team that made this new chapter of our journey possible. Embiggen X Managing Partner & COO, Xavier (X) Marzan; Partner & Head of Europe, Nicolas Souvlakis (calling in from Switzerland); Junior Partner & CAO Bien Herrera; Partner & CTO Robert Newgen; Chief Growth Advisor Gary de Ocampo, GICD; Advisory Board Member and Incoming Board Director Cliff Eala; Head of Artificial Intelligence Miguel Testa (calling in from Canada); as well as more partners, clients, and supporters. Big goals & challenges up ahead. Excited for whats to come. Onwards & upwards. 🚀

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Recently, I delved into an illuminating piece from an investor at A16Z about the shift from generative to synthesis AI in business applications, mirroring a journey I am deeply familiar with. Before I get into the insights from this article, here's a whimsical yet painfully accurate anecdote from my personal vault of ‘data analysis disasters.’ Remember when sorting through customer feedback and strategy was akin to panning for gold? Imagine this: It's late Friday afternoon, and you are in the office—the only light burning. Around you, mountains of raw, untamed customer feedback towering, waiting to be sifted through. Each piece of information feels less like a golden nugget and more like another rock to toss over your shoulder. And there's me, convinced that if I just pan a bit longer in this data deluge, I'd strike gold and glean that 'aha' moment to redefine our product strategy. Spoiler: it was more like finding a lost earring in a ball pit at dusk. In all seriousness, while that may sound torturous, it also highlights a pivotal moment in my journey—realizing the utmost need for an evolution in our approach to product management and analysis. That brings us back to the heart of the article about the shift to SynthAI. Wave 1 (Gen AI) vs. Wave 2 (Synth AI): Wave 1 was about generating more and more data—valuable but overwhelming. Wave 2 (SynthAI) transitions to synthesizing this data into something digestible and actionable, refining the dross into nuggets of pure gold (well, insight, but you get the picture). Synth AI helps boil down vast data into readable and actionable insights for beleaguered souls like yours truly, who once drowned in customer feedback with no life jacket in sight. Who knew AI could mature from a hyperactive librarian spewing books from every shelf to a wise sage offering the exact scroll you need? This synthesis approach embodies what we’ve been brewing at Productbot AI—turning chaotic data into strategic genius. I had a personal stake in seeing Productbot AI not just succeed but revolutionize how we handle data. Aligning perfectly with the SynthAI ethos, Productbot AI efficiently and strategically sifts through customer feedback like a seasoned gold miner that is dead set on filling the pan up with unbiased, actionable insights. Can you share a time when you felt overwhelmed by data but knew there was a gem hidden within? How did you tackle it? How does the idea of shifting from generative to synthesis AI resonate with you and your business? #ai #synthai #productdiscovery #productmanagement #generativeai

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“You can have a great product, but a compelling story puts the company in motion” - Ben Horowitz Understanding your company’s narrative is crucial when looking for investment. 🚀🚀🚀 Particularly in DeepTech where a good narrative makes complex ideas easy to grasp and compelling to hear. It involves more than throwing together some facts and figures; it’s about finding a message that resonates with your audience on a deeper level. It should never be a one-off effort. It should always be a continuous process of refinement through iteration, collaboration, and honest feedback. 🔁 What problem are you trying to solve? Have you asked your customers? Have you solicited honest feedback? In the end, it's about answering the all-important question… Why should they care? 🤘 #narrative #venturebuilder #deeptech Cambridge Future Tech

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Coming soon on Aug 1: "Transformation to a Fresh Tomorrow." This is theme of our 3rd Annual Web3 Investor Day, as we welcome the innovators and investors convening in Chicago for these discussions around the next generation Internet. Our theme reflects the optimism, determination and commitment investors and innovators have solidified off the depths of the bear markets to drive success in the bull markets. Broader investor optimism suggests that fresh institutional funds into Web3 across both tokens and equity may endure.  Across adoption metrics, customer interest and developer activity, Web3 seems to have normalized. It’s refreshing to see the transformation and next evolution of Web3 and it’s refreshing to meet many of you on August 1.  And yet, even with the improved optimism from last year, there still remain open questions in the development and adoption of our next generation Internet:  1. the balance of speculative versus productive investor capital in this current cycle 2. the productive role of liquid trading capital in fostering Web3 innovation 3. the attractiveness of venture investments in follow on financings 4. the role of policy and regulation that may enhance innovation 5. the continued developer activity to improve the underlying infrastructure 6. other Web3 recovery characteristics in target customer use cases. We remain committed to navigating regulatory shifts, fostering investor optimism, and building the customer use cases for Web3.  Physical spaces enhance our innovation conversations.  In person relationships foster our collaboration.  Relationships drive breakthrough innovations.  Reach out to Rizza Torres at Decasonic if you would like to join us! #web3investorday #web3 #venturecapital

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Really interesting question. Can it be done? Does the outdoor industry need it? Clearly some of the largest retailers have struggled with maintaining the correct amount of the right inventory and teams that are helpful and knowledgeable. But building a logistical beast such as Amazon is complex. Cheryl Stark any perspective?

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🌟Innovative VC Firm Overcomes Exits Drought with Secondary Sales🌟 ⛵Navigating a challenging landscape where exits are scarce, Santa Barbara Venture Partners (SBVP) has pioneered a novel approach to sustain its growth and attract investors for its second fund: secondary sales. Instead of waiting for traditional exits like IPOs or acquisitions, SBVP opted to sell shares of its portfolio companies, demonstrating its ability to generate returns for investors and stand out in a competitive market. 🎤According to Dan Engel, founder and managing partner of SBVP, these secondary transactions have been a game-changer, sparking investor interest and bolstering the firm's credibility. By leveraging its recent successes, including a lucrative stake in sports-betting company DraftKings Inc.' acquisition of digital lottery app Jackpocket, SBVP seized the opportunity to return profits to its limited partners (LPs) and pave the way for its second fund. 💡Engel highlighted the challenges faced by young VC firms in raising subsequent funds, particularly amid a downturn in exit activity and heightened investor scrutiny. With traditional exit routes becoming increasingly elusive, the pressure is on for firms to demonstrate tangible returns and establish a track record of success. ✨"For us, secondary sales have been a game-changer. They've helped us return profits to our LPs and attract investors for our second fund," said Dan Engel. 💰For SBVP, the decision to pursue secondary sales was driven by the need to provide liquidity to LPs and validate its investment thesis in the eyes of prospective investors. By strategically offloading portions of its holdings in high-performing portfolio companies like Bark Technologies and Rad AI, SBVP not only generated substantial returns but also bolstered investor confidence in its ability to deliver results. ⚠Despite the complexities and potential stigma associated with early share sales, Engel emphasized the importance of prioritizing investor returns and seizing opportunities to unlock value for stakeholders. With a focus on profitability and transparency, SBVP remains committed to its mission of delivering sustainable growth and maximizing returns for its LPs. 🔍 "Returning profits to our investors is our top priority. By strategically selling shares, we're proving our commitment to delivering results and driving value for our stakeholders," added Engel. As SBVP continues to explore secondary transactions and expand its investor base, the firm stands as a testament to innovation and resilience in the face of market challenges. 🚀 ✅ Looking to raise capital for your #fund and increase the international pool of your LP #investors?   🤝 Need warm #LP introductions?   📝 Selling #secondaries to increase liquidity?   🧐 Looking for co-investments?   ▶ G+QUANT's link for inquiries and fund decks: https://lnkd.in/gjC_EuTE #VCInnovation #SecondarySalesSuccess #InvestorReturns #ValueCreation 

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