The Flowlie Times #29
AI leapfrogging, AI for pitch decks, generate high-quality training data, reading-focused wearable device resembling glasses, and more.
Good afternoon everyone,
This is the Flowlie newsletter with insights on VC & PE: from operations, tech, and tax matters to trends, notable guides, and news on recent capital raises. We hope you enjoy it and find some value!
Articles we enjoyed:
1️⃣ Marc’s post on “Why AI Will Save the World”. A positive case on AI outlining possibilities from personalized learning experiences for children and healthcare to poverty reduction and environmental protection.
2️⃣ Read about AI leapfrogging - the process of using AI to skip steps along the technology transformation chain. This can happen in industries (e.g. legal, construction, healthcare) that have not yet adopted SaaS solutions, as AI can provide a more efficient and cost-effective way to automate tasks. Generative AI is particularly well-suited for leapfrogging, as it can generate outputs that are indistinguishable from human-created content offering a 10x better experience.
3️⃣ “GPT-4 Outperforms Humans in Pitch Deck Effectiveness Among Investors and Business Owners” showing how GPT-4 generated pitch decks are 2x more convincing than those made by humans, investors were 3x more likely to invest after reading it, and more. Truly mindblowing if you ask us.
Venture announcements that caught our eye:
1️⃣ Calpers, the largest public pension fund in the US, is increasing its venture capital exposure from $800 million to $5 billion. This comes after years of reducing its venture exposure and suffering losses in the asset class. The decision is likely to attract a stampede of venture capital firms, but Calpers' public disclosure of fund performance may deter some.
2️⃣ Refuel AI has emerged from stealth mode with $5.2 million in seed funding. The company aims to address challenges that hinder AI development by using large language models to generate high-quality training data. The platform automates the creation and labeling of datasets, providing clean, labeled data. In private beta tests, Refuel accelerated data creation and labeling by up to 100 times.
3️⃣ Sol Reader, a reading-focused wearable device resembling glasses, has raised $5 million in funding. Priced at $350, it blocks distractions and features e-ink displays, a remote control, and diopter adjustment. While appealing to avid readers, some may question the cost and environmental impact of adding another device to their collection. Would you switch from Kindle?
Flowlie news 🎉
In addition to Flowlie now being in open beta, we released a number of updates.
For founders, we have split up the deck management into its own tab to make it more clear and accessible. Over the next weeks, we will be releasing a lot of updates to the deck experience and now they have their own home. From there you can upload a new version of the deck and change the security settings.
As always, feel free to email us with any questions,
Mike from Flowlie