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  • 40. E40: Startups vs. Giants: VC Tells the BRUTAL Truth About Building a Successful Startup

    01:05:47||Season 2, Ep. 40
    In this episode of Polyweb, host Sara Landi Tortoli interviews Hugo Amsellem, founder and general partner at IntuitionVC, an early-stage fund dedicated to consumer and culture startups across Europe and the U.S. The conversation covers Hugo's experience advising hundreds of startups and his perspective on why the consumer space is primed for innovation after years of focus on B2B.00:00 Introduction01:26 Hugo's background and rationale for focusing on consumer startups06:57 How AI enables creation at scale13:24 Opportunities for emerging consumer startups in the AI age18:41 Qualities Hugo looks for in founders and startups25:34 The three things you need to succeed as a founder31:07 Advice for founders on getting early user adoption37:11 Hugo's view on the "real Web3" being AI-enabled creation44:25 Managing investment FOMO in an abundant creation environment50:23 Technology's role in combating loneliness and cultural shifts58:38 Details on IntuitionVC's consumer startup tour👉 CHECK OUT INTUITION VC: https://www.intuition.vc/📚 OTHER RESOURCES MENTIONED: The Loneliness Economy: How can technology help us belong?: https://hugo.pm/p/the-loneliness-economy🔗 CONNECT WITH HUGO:👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugoamsellem/🐦 Twitter - https://x.com/HugoAmsellem🔗 CONNECT WITH SARA:📸 Instagram - https://bit.ly/saralanditortoli-instagram🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Sara_LandiTor👥 Linkedin - https://bit.ly/saralanditortoli-linkedin💌 Newsletter - https://polyweb.beehiiv.com/🪢 ABOUT POLYWEB:Polyweb navigates through the intricate nexus of technology, product innovation, and human creativity. Engage with leading entrepreneurs and experts in uncovering how we can forge impactful companies and lead lives enriched with purpose in the Technology Era.📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@polywebhq🎧 Listen for free on your favorite Podcast platform - search "PolyWeb" on your podcast app, or click these links:Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/3Jp6NA3Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3OZlfC8 Google Podcasts - https://bit.ly/polyweb-googlepodcastRSS - https://www.podpage.com/polyweb/FOLLOW POLYWEB:🎥 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@polywebhq/💻 Website - https://www.podpage.com/polyweb/💌 Newsletter - https://polyweb.beehiiv.com/📱TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@polywebhq📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/polyweb/🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/PolyWebHQ🙏 LEAVE A REVIEWIf you enjoyed listening to the podcast, we'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcast

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  • 39. E39: The END of Human Jobs? AI and the Post-Labor Society

    01:13:37||Season 2, Ep. 39
    In this episode of Polyweb, host Sara Landi Tortoli and guest David Shapiro, popular YouTuber, AI researcher, content creator, and writer, explore the profound implications of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and its potential impact on various aspects of our lives, including employment, economics, and the very nature of human existence.00:00 Intro01:43 David's background02:32 The concept of post-nihilism07:32 Religion's decline and the search for a new grand narrative12:08 Technology's societal impact14:46 Redefining family structures18:28 The importance of relationships, experiences, and mission for a meaningful life21:44 AGI's employment impact27:06 Post-labor economics32:34 Stakeholder capitalism36:14 AGI-resistant jobs41:50 The potential for social entrepreneurship and experience-based businesses44:58 Machine sentience55:22 The relationship between sentience, consciousness, and our understanding of reality1:00:08 Coexisting with AGI1:04:30 The potential for human speciation and divergent evolutionary paths👉 CHECK OUT DAVID YOUTUBE CHANNEL:  @DaveShap  📚 OTHER RESOURCES MENTIONED: Claude Sentience Experiments: https://youtu.be/ERWPIOdQGcw?si=X6v0jbIPVKlrvDzX🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVID:🎧 GitHub - https://github.com/daveshap💌 Newsletter - https://daveshap.substack.com/💻 Website - https://www.daveshap.io/🔗 CONNECT WITH SARA:📸 Instagram - https://bit.ly/saralanditortoli-instagram🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Sara_LandiTor👥 Linkedin - https://bit.ly/saralanditortoli-linkedin💌 Newsletter - https://polyweb.beehiiv.com/🪢 ABOUT POLYWEB:Polyweb navigates through the intricate nexus of technology, product innovation, and human creativity. Engage with leading entrepreneurs and experts in uncovering how we can forge impactful companies and lead lives enriched with purpose in the Technology Era.📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@polywebhq🎧 Listen for free on your favorite Podcast platform - search "PolyWeb" on your podcast app, or click these links:Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/3Jp6NA3Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3OZlfC8 Google Podcasts - https://bit.ly/polyweb-googlepodcastRSS - https://www.podpage.com/polyweb/FOLLOW POLYWEB:🎥 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@polywebhq/💻 Website - https://www.podpage.com/polyweb/💌 Newsletter - https://polyweb.beehiiv.com/📱TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@polywebhq📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/polyweb/🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/PolyWebHQ🙏 LEAVE A REVIEWIf you enjoyed listening to the podcast, we'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcast
  • 38. E38: OpenAI Grant Winner: Building AI That Actually Understands What Matters to People

    44:59||Season 2, Ep. 38
    In this episode of Polyweb, host Sara Landi Tortoli interviews Oliver Klingefjord, the co-founder and technical lead at the Meaning Alignment Institute.The Institute won an OpenAI grant to explore "democratic fine-tuning" as an approach that differs from Constitutional AI. During the conversation, Oliver and Sara discuss the process of creating a "moral graph" based on people's discussions of values, the potential risks of personalized AI models, and the broader implications of their work in aligning technology with human meaning and purpose.00:00 Intro04:42 How the Meaning Alignment Institute won the OpenAI grant to explore democratic AI alignment08:13 Comparing democratic fine-tuning to RLHF and Constitutional AI12:33 Institute's process of surfacing underlying values through moral dilemmas16:00 Creating a "moral graph" to capture wisdom and agreements22:04 Risks of personalized AI models and the need for shared human values26:25 Using the moral graph to guide and evaluate AI model outputs32:12 Potential applications of the moral graph36:07 Challenges of scaling to superintelligent AI39:55 Broader implications and the need for people to articulate their values43:55 Where to find more information about the Meaning Alignment Institute👉 CHECK OUT THE MEANING ALIGNMENT INSTITUTE: https://www.meaningalignment.org/📚 OTHER RESOURCES MENTIONED: Meaning Alignment Institute Substack: https://meaningalignment.substack.com/Introducing Democratic Fine-Tuning: https://meaningalignment.substack.com/p/introducing-democratic-fine-tuningValue Discovery GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-TItg5klMA-values-discovery🔗 CONNECT WITH OLIVER:👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-klingefjord-45b662105/🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/klingefjord🔗 CONNECT WITH SARA:📸 Instagram - https://bit.ly/saralanditortoli-instagram🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Sara_LandiTor👥 Linkedin - https://bit.ly/saralanditortoli-linkedin💌 Newsletter - https://polyweb.beehiiv.com/🪢 ABOUT POLYWEB:Polyweb navigates through the intricate nexus of technology, product innovation, and human creativity. Engage with leading entrepreneurs and experts in uncovering how we can forge impactful companies and lead lives enriched with purpose in the Technology Era.📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@polywebhq
  • 37. E37: Plan a Product Roadmap That Actually Delivers in 2024 (No More Missed Deadlines!)

    49:22||Season 2, Ep. 37
    Host Sara Landi Tortoli interviews Janna Bastow, who is the co-founder and CEO of ProdPad, Mind The Product, and ProductTank. In the product management space, Janna is known for introducing the "Now-Next-Later" roadmap, which is a more sustainable way to build products than the traditional timeline roadmap. During the interview, Janna shared valuable insights from her journey as a product manager and founder. She emphasized how important it is to solve problems, gather feedback, and prioritize tasks to create impactful products. The conversation also covered the challenges she faced while building and engaging communities through Mind The Product, as well as overcoming stage fright.00:00 Intro00:31 The importance of understanding the problem02:13 The shift from being excited by solutions to focusing on problems06:51 Gathering and prioritizing user feedback09:17 Being outcome-driven vs. customer-driven16:31 The "now, next, later" roadmap approach30:45 Building and engaging communities38:22 Overcoming stage fright and fostering psychological safety47:23 Closing thoughts and resources👉 CHECK OUT PRODPAD: https://www.prodpad.com/📚 OTHER RESOURCES MENTIONED: Ditch the Timeline Roadmap: https://www.prodpad.com/resources/guides/ditch-the-timeline-roadmap/Convince Your Stakeholders to Ditch the Timeline: https://www.prodpad.com/downloads/convince-stakeholders-slide-deck/Mind The Product: https://www.mindtheproduct.com/Product Tank: https://www.mindtheproduct.com/producttank/🔗 CONNECT WITH JANNA:👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jannabastow/🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/simplybastow🔗 CONNECT WITH SARA:📸 Instagram - https://bit.ly/saralanditortoli-instagram🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Sara_LandiTor👥 Linkedin - https://bit.ly/saralanditortoli-linkedin💌 Newsletter - https://polyweb.beehiiv.com/🪢 ABOUT POLYWEB:Polyweb navigates through the intricate nexus of technology, product innovation, and human creativity. Engage with leading entrepreneurs and experts in uncovering how we can forge impactful companies and lead lives enriched with purpose in the Technology Era.📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@polywebhq🎧 Listen for free on your favorite Podcast platform - search "PolyWeb" on your podcast app, or click these links:Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/3Jp6NA3Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3OZlfC8 Google Podcasts - https://bit.ly/polyweb-googlepodcastRSS - https://www.podpage.com/polyweb/FOLLOW POLYWEB:🎥 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@polywebhq/💻 Website - https://www.podpage.com/polyweb/💌 Newsletter - https://polyweb.beehiiv.com/📱TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@polywebhq📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/polyweb/🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/PolyWebHQ🙏 LEAVE A REVIEWIf you enjoyed listening to the podcast, we'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcast
  • 36. E36: SaaS Growth Decoded: The Customer-Led Playbook for 10X Success

    01:00:08||Season 2, Ep. 36
    In this episode of Polyweb, host Sara Landi Tortoli and guest Georgiana Laudi, Co-founder and CEO of Forget the Funnel, explore the concept of customer-led growth and how it differs from product-led growth. They delve into the importance of deeply understanding customers, operationalizing their experiences, and making data-informed decisions to optimize their journey from problem recognition to long-term value realization.00:00 Introduction00:41 Defining customer-led growth and its relationship with product-led growth03:53 Differentiating customer-led growth from other "X-led" growth models07:15 Building products in a customer-led organization09:51 The challenge of identifying ideal customers in B2B scenarios13:24 Applying the Jobs-to-be-Done framework to understand customer segments19:07 Mapping the customer journey and identifying value milestones23:53 Leveraging customer insights to refine messaging and product experiences29:42 Prioritizing customer jobs and deciding the strategic focus33:57 Operationalizing customer-led growth within the organization39:06 Repositioning and communicating the customer-centric approach43:16 Prioritizing customer jobs and aligning with business objectives47:49 The importance of customer research and avoiding guesswork52:24 Implementing customer-led growth: A practical example58:47 Closing thoughts and resources👉 CHECK OUT FORGET THE FUNNEL: https://forgetthefunnel.com/Buy the book: https://amzn.to/4ciTRIu📚 OTHER RESOURCES MENTIONED: Jobs to be done: https://youtu.be/fOxxwNGe9I8?si=lNM9Xb8gyl_cyBGsApril Dunford - Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It - https://amzn.to/3PmZ0W4🔗 CONNECT WITH GEORGIANA:👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgianalaudi/🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/ggiiaa💻 Website - https://forgetthefunnel.com/🔗 CONNECT WITH SARA:📸 Instagram - https://bit.ly/saralanditortoli-instagram🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Sara_LandiTor👥 Linkedin - https://bit.ly/saralanditortoli-linkedin💌 Newsletter - https://polyweb.beehiiv.com/🪢 ABOUT POLYWEB:Polyweb navigates through the intricate nexus of technology, product innovation, and human creativity. Engage with leading entrepreneurs and experts in uncovering how we can forge impactful companies and lead lives enriched with purpose in the Technology Era.📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@polywebhq🎧 Listen for free on your favorite Podcast platform - search "PolyWeb" on your podcast app, or click these links:Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/3Jp6NA3Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3OZlfC8 Google Podcasts - https://bit.ly/polyweb-googlepodcastRSS - https://www.podpage.com/polyweb/FOLLOW POLYWEB:🎥 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@polywebhq/💻 Website - https://www.podpage.com/polyweb/💌 Newsletter - https://polyweb.beehiiv.com/📱TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@polywebhq📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/polyweb/🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/PolyWebHQ🙏 LEAVE A REVIEWIf you enjoyed listening to the podcast, we'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcast
  • 35. E35: The Google Way: The Secret Formula for Building Wildly Successful Products

    01:06:04||Season 2, Ep. 35
    In this episode of Polyweb, host Sara Landi Tortoli and guest Itamar Gilad explore the concept of evidence-guided product development.Itamar is a seasoned product coach and leader with extensive experience at tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and YouTube, and the author of "Evidence Guided."The key takeaways from this episode include the importance of setting clear goals aligned with the company's mission and vision, the value of conducting research to validate product ideas, and the need to adapt the evidence-guided approach to different types of products and businesses. Itamar's GIST model (Goals, Ideas, Steps, and Tasks) provides a framework for product teams to systematically develop and validate their ideas, ultimately leading to the creation of products that effectively address customer needs.00:00 Intro01:11 Itamar's background and experience at Google and YouTube04:22 YouTube's transition from a community-based platform to a more commercialized product06:36 The differences between the Google Plus and YouTube annotations projects09:22 The story behind the development of the Gmail tabbed inbox feature17:34 How the confidence level in product development differs in companies at various stages19:25 Itamar's framework for setting goals, making assumptions, and establishing confidence in product ideas26:28 Example: Applying the evidence-guided process to a hypothetical dating app startup41:48 Choosing the best testing methods for product validation43:48 Implementing the evidence-guided method for physical products48:38 Adapting the evidence-guided approach for B2C, B2B, and marketplace products54:24 Resources and ways to connect with Itamar55:24 Conclusion👉 CHECK OUT THE BOOK "EVIDENCE GUIDED": https://amzn.to/3wy4qae📚 OTHER RESOURCES MENTIONED: https://itamargilad.com/
  • 34. E34: Start Founder: My Company Failed. Learn From My Mistakes!

    57:54||Season 2, Ep. 34
    In this episode, Sara talks about the challenges and realities of startup entrepreneurship with guest Megan Murphy, a former product manager turned founder. Megan shares her journey from the corporate world to launching her own startup, focusing on the pitfalls, learning curves, and eventual decision to shut down her venture. Megan has held the VP Product role at Hotjar, where she led and scaled its product organization, and led the team through M&A. She previously held product leadership roles at N26 and Skyscanner. In 2022, she co-founded a startup that never found product-market fit. She decided to cut her losses and return capital to investors so that she could move on with her life. She is currently moving on before exploring what’s next. 00:00 Intro02:40 Background & entrepreneurial shift07:59 Problem identification & validation13:24 Team building & product development18:10 Product-market fit challenges23:00 Iteration decision-making28:07 Addressing product limitations33:19 Market impact on startups38:00 Growth from startup experience43:18 Vision vs market reality48:27 Closure decision & outlook📚 OTHER RESOURCES MENTIONED: Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well - https://amzn.to/3T1FMaL🔗 CONNECT WITH MEGAN:👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmurphy9/🔗 CONNECT WITH SARA:📸 Instagram - https://bit.ly/saralanditortoli-instagram🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Sara_LandiTor👥 Linkedin - https://bit.ly/saralanditortoli-linkedin💌 Newsletter - https://polyweb.beehiiv.com/🪢 ABOUT POLYWEB:Polyweb navigates through the intricate nexus of technology, product innovation, and human creativity. Engage with leading entrepreneurs and experts in uncovering how we can forge impactful companies and lead lives enriched with purpose in the Technology Era.📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@polywebhq🎧 Listen for free on your favorite Podcast platform - search "PolyWeb" on your podcast app, or click these links:Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/3Jp6NA3Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3OZlfC8 Google Podcasts - https://bit.ly/polyweb-googlepodcastRSS - https://www.podpage.com/polyweb/FOLLOW POLYWEB:🎥 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@polywebhq/💻 Website - https://www.podpage.com/polyweb/💌 Newsletter - https://polyweb.beehiiv.com/📱TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@polywebhq📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/polyweb/🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/PolyWebHQ🙏 LEAVE A REVIEWIf you enjoyed listening to the podcast, we'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcast