Generative Now | AI Builders on Creating the Future

Latest Episodes:

How Jobs Will Change as AI Gets Better Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

What is the future of AI in the workplace? What kinds of jobs would you trust an AI to do? In this episode of Generative Now, host and Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano explores how AI is transforming the workforce, with insights from four sharp thinkers: Semil Shah, founding general partner at Haystack and Lightspeed Venture Partners, on the risks of replacing junior talent with agents, Suno Co-founder Mikey Schulman on AI’s power to unlock creativity, Anu Atluru, founder, physician and angel investor, on how AI is reshaping medicine, and Marissa Mayer, former CEO of Yahoo and current CEO of Sunshine, on what companies must do now to adapt—or risk being left behind.

Episode Chapters

00:00 Introduction: AI and the Future of Work
00:20 Exploring AI's Impact on the Workforce
01:14 The Co-Pilot Phase of AI
02:47 AI in Investment Banking and Consulting
06:00 Artificial Super Intelligence: The Next Frontier
09:33 Mikey Shulman on AI's Role in Creativity
11:59 Anu Atluru on AI Transforming Medicine
20:18 Marissa Mayer on AI's Organizational Impact
26:56 Conclusion: Embracing AI's Potential

Stay in touch:

www.lsvp.com
X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com

The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.

Reinventing Wall Street: Rogo’s AI Revolution with Gabriel Stengel Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

This week, Lightspeed Partner Mike Mignano sits down with Gabriel Stengel, founder and CEO of Rogo, to explore how AI is transforming the world of finance. Gabe shares his journey from sleepless nights as a junior investment banker at Lazard to building Rogo, a cutting-edge AI platform that automates the grueling work of benchmarking, earnings analysis, and pitch deck creation in seconds. They discuss the origins of Rogo from Gabe’s time at Princeton, the challenges of building AI tools for elite financial institutions, and why the next generation of analysts might just be digital. Gabe also unpacks the technical edge that sets Rogo apart and the ways in which financial services may look very different in the near future.

Episode Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction to the Interview

(00:55) Gabe Stengel's Background and Rogo's Inception

(02:44) Early Challenges and Evolution of Rogo

(07:29) The Role of AI in Finance

(12:07) Investor and Customer Reception

(13:49) Pivotal Moments and Product Market Fit

(21:53) Balancing Enterprise Security and Feature Development

(23:45) Navigating the Challenges of AI Startup Speed

(25:45) Rogo's Impact on Investment Banking Workflows

(28:34) AI's Role in Professional Services and Legal Work

(32:33) Future of Rogo and Financial Services

(37:18) Challenges and Strategies in Enterprise Sales

(42:02) Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Stay in touch:

www.lsvp.com
X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com

Mike Krieger: Product Building Lessons from Instagram and Anthropic (Encore) May 29, 2025

Show notes

This week, we are revisiting a conversation between Lightspeed partner Michael Mignano and Anthropic’s head of product, Mike Krieger. Mike is known for co-founding Instagram, one of the most beloved pieces of consumer technology, and now he has taken his talents to Anthropic. They discuss the challenges AI product builders face and the evolution of product innovation and draw parallels between two transformative eras: the social media revolution that gave birth to Instagram and today's AI renaissance.

Episode Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:54) Mike Krieger's Journey to Anthropic

(03:17) Building Product Strategy at Anthropic

(07:43) Rapid Iteration and Safety

(10:58) Differentiating AI Models and User Experience

(17:57) Impact of AI on Consumer Products and Business Models

(24:39) Enterprise vs. Consumer Product Strategy

(29:19) AI in Personal Life Management

(30:15) Open Source and Claude Integrations

(33:09) AI-Assisted Product Development

(37:13) Scaling Teams and Processes at Anthropic

(42:17) Reflections on AI and Future Prospects

Stay in touch:

www.lsvp.com
X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com

Arvind Jain: Why Now Is the Time to Solve Enterprise Search (Encore) May 22, 2025

Show notes

This week, we are revisiting a conversation between Lightspeed partner Michael Mignano and Arvind Jain, the founder and CEO of Glean about the evolution of AI-assisted enterprise search.

Arvind shares what insights helped to start Glean's journey in 2019, how the company leveraged transformer-based models early on, and how Glean developed the market for this product. They also talk about competition, the technical aspects of integrating Glean across SaaS platforms, and the monumental impact of ChatGPT on the industry.

Episode Chapters

(00:00) Introduction

(01:15) Why Arvind Created Glean to Solve Enterprise Search Problems

(03:50) Technical Foundations: Building Glean with Transformers

(09:04) Product Market Fit and Early Challenges

(12:16) The Impact of ChatGPT and Market Evolution

(13:42) Glean's Architecture and Model Integration

(17:58) The Future of AI in Enterprises

(27:52) Leadership, Competition, and Company Culture

(35:48) Reflections and Lessons from Rubrik to Glean

(41:15) Lightning Round and Closing Remarks

Stay in touch:

www.lsvp.com
X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com

Chris Pedregal + Sam Stephenson: Making Meetings More Effective with Granola May 15, 2025

Show notes

How can AI make meetings better? That’s the simple question that inspired Granola, a productivity tool that can tell you what was actually discussed in that meeting last week and what the real next steps are.

In this episode of Generative Now, host Michael Mignano, partner at Lightspeed, sits down with Granola co-founders Chris Pedregal and Sam Stephenson at their headquarters in London. They talk about how they first met, their early product bets, and how they decided to focus on solving one painful problem: the chaos that follows every meeting. They share the story behind their early experiments with GPT-3 and how that eventually evolved into a tool designed especially for people who find their days filled with back-to-back meetings.

Chris and Sam explain why they avoided flashy AI features to focus on simplicity and habit-forming design, how they quickly found their product-market fit, and what it means to adapt quickly in the age of LLMs.

Episode Chapters

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

01:15 Finding the Right Co-Founder

01:51 Tools for Thought and AI

03:24 Identifying the Problem

04:38 Building the Solution

05:07 The Evolution of AI and App Layer

07:46 Challenges and Innovations

11:20 Business Model and Future Outlook

14:24 The Launch and Early Success

17:52 Theoretical vs. Practical User Needs

18:17 Stress and Software Design

19:28 Scaling with AI

22:05 Maintaining Quality and Taste

24:10 Building a Silicon Valley Startup in London

28:03 The Future of Granola

30:27 Early Feedback and Iteration

35:09 Privacy and Data Handling

Stay in touch:

www.lsvp.com
X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com

Jon Noronha: How Gamma’s big bet on AI paid off May 08, 2025

Show notes

Can a pivot to AI actually save a company? In the case of Gamma, it did that and more. In this episode of Generative Now, host Michael Mignano, partner at Lightspeed, talks with Jon Noronha, the co-founder of Gamma, an AI-powered platform that helps users create interactive and engaging presentations, websites, and social media assets.

Nearly four decades since the creation of PowerPoint, they talk about how Gamma is treading new ground in the presentation space. Jon discusses how Gamma almost failed until they made the bold decision to pivot to AI in 2023, and how that move brought them millions of new users around the world. They get into the company's initial struggle for product-market fit, the impact of generative AI models like ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion, and the strategic moves they made to adapt and thrive. Jon also shares where he thinks Gamma might go next.

Episode Chapters:

(00:00) Welcome and Introduction

(00:41) Founding Gamma and Initial Vision

(04:00) Challenges and Pivot to AI

(07:04) AI Integration and Breakthrough

(08:38) Expanding Beyond Presentations

(15:45) User Experience and Prompt Engineering

(20:11) Building Value Beyond AI

(21:14) Competing with Industry Giants

(25:03) The Future of AI Interfaces

(29:43) Voice Interaction and AI

(34:35) Gamma's Growth and Team Dynamics

(36:47) Anticipating AI Model Innovations

(39:05) Conclusion

Stay in touch:

www.lsvp.com
X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com

AI Recruiting at NVIDIA, Pika, and Eleven Labs: How to Build Exceptional Teams May 01, 2025

Show notes

Exceptional AI products begin with exceptional teams, but in 2025, AI staffing has never been harder.

In this episode of Generative Now, Lightspeed partner Michael Mignano dives into the realities of AI recruiting and team building, sharing insights from some of today’s top AI leaders. You’ll hear from:

Demi Guo, CEO and Co-Founder of Pika
Mati Staniszewski, CEO and Co-Founder of Eleven Labs
Bill Dally, Chief Scientist of NVIDIA
Dan Shipper, CEO and co-founder of Every
Amy Anton, Vice President of Talent, AI at Lightspeed

Together, they explore what defines a strong AI team, the evolving role of creative talent, how to scale without losing culture, and why generalists may thrive in an AI-powered workforce. The episode also touches on the shift from the knowledge economy to the allocation economy, and what that means for hiring in the AI era.

Whether you're an AI founder, operator, or just thinking about your next hire, this episode unpacks what’s working (and what’s not) in AI HR, staffing, and team design.

Chapters:

(00:00) What’s Challenging about Hiring AI Teams?

(01:25) Demi Guo and Mati Staniszewski: Creative Talent in AI

(03:36) Dan Shipper: Finding Space to Experiment

(08:05) Scaling AI Teams: Insights from NVIDIA

(10:52) Building Strong AI Teams: Advice from Lightspeed

(16:48) Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Stay in touch:

www.lsvp.com
X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com

Rohan Nayak: How Pocket FM is Using AI to Reinvent Audio Storytelling Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

There’s no doubt we have more choices for entertainment than at any other point in history. And yet, once a series ends, it can be difficult to find something you like just as much. But what if AI could give you a seemingly endless supply of quality content? In this episode of Generative Now, host Michael Mignano, partner at Lightspeed, sits down with Rohan Nayak, CEO and co-founder of Pocket FM, an audio platform that has pioneered the audio series format.

Rohan talks about how he identified a gap in the audio entertainment space and how Pocket FM leverages AI to optimize everything from audience retention to discovery to identifying hit shows. He also discusses how Pocket FM’s employment of AI has allowed for the making of an all-in-one content creation and consumption platform, where creators can use AI as a writing coach, editor, and productivity partner — all in one. The conversation offers a glimpse into the future of storytelling and how AI is reshaping the way content is created, discovered, and consumed.

Episode Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:23) Story of Rohan and Pocket FM

(06:02) Solving for a content gap

(08:42) Creating a new audio entertainment format

(11:06) Building Pocket FM

(17:17) Using AI in audio content creation

(21:11) Human and AI partnership in content creation

(24:07) Challenges of improving an AI writing model

(28:45) Using AI to identify blockbusters

(33:00) AB testing with content

(36:11) Training AI to create webtoons

(41:14) Evaluating and propagating content

(43:47) Matching content with users

(44:50) Future of Pocket FM

(48:02) Closing Thoughts

Stay in touch:

www.lsvp.com
X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com

Your Questions Answered: Vibe Coding, Consumer Defensibility, and the Future of Agent Management Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

In this special mailbag episode of Generative Now, Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano tackles your questions from X and LinkedIn. He gets into AI's market expansion, startup defensibility, which verticals investors are watching, and how the most interesting new roles are being shaped by AI. Plus, Michael shares what is exciting about consumer AI products right now.

Episode Chapters

(00:00) Introduction

(00:35) AI Opportunities: New vs. Existing Markets

(02:09) Will SaaS TAMs Expand or Contract with AI?

(02:59) Creating Defensibility for Consumer AI Startups

(05:29) Emerging Roles: Agent Engineers vs. Agent Managers (08:25) Best Verticals for Consumer AI

(11:39) What Acquisition Could Fix Apple's AI Lag?

(13:19) AI's Potential in Dispute Resolution

(14:38) The State of VC Funding in AI

Stay in touch:

www.lsvp.com
X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co
Email: generativenow@lsvp.com

Generative Quarterly with Semil Shah: Seed Markets, Vibe Coding, and the Flappy Bird Effect Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

History may not repeat itself, but it certainly rhymes. Vibe coded games, like a flight simulator from @levelsio, are reminiscent of early iPhone app store games like Flappy Bird and Paper Toss. How else are consumer tech cycles evolving? Lightspeed Partner Michael Mignano welcomes back investor Semil Shah for their quarterly check-in. They talk about the landscape of VC seed investing, the impact of AI on tech hubs like New York, LA, and the Bay Area, and whether accelerators like Y Combinator still have the same edge?

Flight Simulator: fly.pieter.com

Episode Chapters:

(01:22) LA vs NYC Tech Scenes

(02:54) AI's Geographic Pull

(05:37) Gaming as Future Consumer Tech

(08:35) Vibe Coding

(17:40) Seed Investing in the AI Era

(25:13) The Series A Crunch

(36:03) Rising Series A Standards

(41:14) Bootstrapping vs VC for AI

(45:26) Value of University Degrees

(55:32) YC's Expanded Cohorts