Leila Amirsadeghi

"We start with Vellum and end with Vellum." - Max Bryan, VP of Technology and Design at Rentgrata A piece of advice I got from a fellow founder in the early days of Vellum was to understand what people do right before using vellum, and right after using vellum --> and build product to make that whole journey easier. I'm so excited to share that Ben Margolit, Max and their team at Rentgrata built their game changing real estate chatbot Ari using our platform end-to-end. Property management companies can now gain insights into resident satisfaction using Ari instead of having to dig through reams of text. Using Vellum throughout their entire AI development lifecycle - experimentation, evaluation to production monitoring, Rentgrata achieved 100% accuracy, accelerated their development timeline by 50%, and enabled their customers to make data-driven decisions to boost resident happiness. In one powerful example, Rentgrata's insights helped a company avoid a costly $300k window renovation and instead allocate funds more effectively based on the true resident priorities. We're proud to partner with leaders like Max, Ben and the Rentgrata team to bring AI to the proptech industry. Excited to see how Ari continues to revolutionize the renter and property manager experience! Read more about Rentgrata's test-driven journey from prototype to production here: https://lnkd.in/dzcCSA58

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As the AR industry is projected to reach $198 billion by 2025, Google and Magic Leap are joining forces to push the boundaries of Augmented and Extended Reality, creating more immersive experiences than ever before! Google has partnered with Magic Leap to leverage their combined strengths in technology and optics. This strategic collaboration marks a key development in the expansion of immersive digital experiences. Here are the key highlights of this partnership: Strategic Collaboration: Magic Leap’s CEO, @rossrosenberg, announced their partnership with Google, aiming to harness AR and XR technologies to develop revolutionary solutions and experiences. Broadening AR Applications: This partnership will explore new ways to use AR across various industries—from training employees and designing buildings to enhancing medical care visualization. Competitive Edge: By integrating Magic Leap’s optics expertise with Google’s technological prowess, this alliance not only expands the utility of AR but also positions them as formidable competitors against tech giants like Apple and Meta in the metaverse and hardware domains. Future of XR: Shahram Izadi, VP and GM of AR/XR at Google, highlighted their commitment to advancing the XR ecosystem through unique and innovative products, further enhancing immersive user experiences. This collaboration between Google and Magic Leap is set to transform how we interact with digital environments, bringing us closer to realizing the full potential of AR and XR technologies. The future of immersive digital experiences looks brighter than ever. What impact do you think this partnership will have on the AR/XR landscape? Can Google and Magic Leap reshape our digital interactions? Follow for more insights into how emerging technologies are shaping our world. #GoogleMagicLeap #AugmentedReality #ExtendedReality

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After attending a couple events with bleeding edge Al practitioners (among many, Anthropic co-founders, Meta CPO, Director of Stanford AI Institute, Venture Partners from Gray Lock, Khosla, Forerunner, Base10, etc.). The top takeaways: Gen-AI technology is flipping the script on how we innovate, streamline operations, and personalize services. The big question now? Companies diving into Gen-AI will unlock new growth opportunities and leave the competition in the dust. But here’s the kicker: success hinges on a steady stream of QUALITY DATA. Robust data governance isn’t just a fancy add-on—it’s the secret sauce. As we push forward, keeping our data in check will be crucial. So, let’s charge ahead and lead this transformative journey! What are you trailblazers doing to up your game and sustain a high-quality data stream? #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #Innovation #BusinessGrowth #DigitalTransformation #DataGovernance #TechLeadership #FutureOfWork #Automation #BusinessStrategy #TechTrends #Leadership #CompetitiveEdge #BusinessInnovation #MachineLearning

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Stop over promising and under delivering. Under promise and over deliver. Manage expectations, follow through with what you say, and you will find success every single time. #career #careeradvice #advice #entertainmentindustry #tech #losangeles

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This isn't just smart marketing - it's a testament to the power of pop culture and IP's in gaming. By immersing players in the world of "Love is Blind," the game doesn't just entertain; it creates a connection that extends beyond the typical 8-week season. #Gaming #MobileGaming #Innovation #intellectualproperty

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Dude Perfect raised $100M for global biz expansion. The deal is getting lots of buzz, but our team’s math signals challenges ahead. Let’s break it down… DEAL DETAILS • $100 - 300M growth capital investment • Led by Highmount Capital • Unclear if 100% invested upfront OR draw down of commitment over time • No previous capital raised USE OF FUNDS • Hire mgmt team to expand biz • More live experiences incl int’l tour, consumer products • Grow content formats, frequency, channels, global localization e.g. animation, TV, movies, streaming • Extend brand beyond 5 founders by building talent network • New HQ in Frisco, TX as prod facility and “family-friendly entertainment destination”: – Retail store, podcasts / gaming / fan UGC spaces, trick shot tower, DP museum, mini golf, restaurants – Original plans for 3-story, 30 acre facility est to cost $100M+, 2 yrs to build COMPANY OVERVIEW: Dude Perfect • Digital-native comedy and sports media brand • Faith-based mission: “We’re about giving back, spreading joy and glorifying Jesus Christ”  • Other YouTube franchises: “Stereotypes,” “Overtime”, “Bucket List”  • Media brand also incl books, mobile games, board games and toys, and merch / retail / food and beverage partnerships • 25 current team members PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS • 60M YouTube Followers, 17B views • Est 2024 revenue: $50M per DP • Est 2023 and 2022 revenue: $25M and $20M per WSJ  • Consumer product partnerships incl Nerf toy line, Columbia Sportswear • Partnered with A Parent Media co to launch a streaming service • ESPN “30 for 30” doc premiering at Dallas Int’l film festival • TV series on CMT in 2016, later aired on Nickelodeon • Alternate broadcasts for Amazon’s Thursday Night Football • 4 live nationwide tours as of 2023 ORIGIN STORY • Founded 2009 by 5 friends at Texas A&M • Cofounders = twins Coby Cotton and Cory Cotton, Tyler Toney, Cody Jones, Garrett Hilbert • Started as YT channel featuring trick shot videos INVESTOR OVERVIEW: Highmount Capital • Growth stage and middle mkt PE fund for tech, media, healthcare • Founded in 2023 by jason illian and David Hawkins • 4 team members on website + advisor • 3 team members have faith-based ties per bios • No other investments listed on website other than DP My takeaway... I really like and support the trend of increased investment into YouTubers and digital-native media brands. But as I wrote about in my 2024 State of Creator x Media capital markets reports (will link them below), investment must match market and opportunity size. To ensure good ROI, and to set good precedent for future investment into our space. The DP bet is exciting, but could be overly optimistic based on our prelim math. My colleague Michael Booth's post breaks the math down (link below). More analysis to come in my Friday newsletter. —- I’m the founder of RockWater Industries. We do m&a and strategy advisory for media, agencies, and creator economy. My dm’s are open. #media #agency #creatoreconomy

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On my panel at MusicBiz, I was asked: "What changes will we see with streaming now that growth is slowing in the West?" Here's my answer: We're entering streaming's new era. All we’ve known so far has been about growth. → One low price. → All the songs in the world. → Same experience for everyone. There was no concern about fandom or segmentation or squeezing out every dollar. All that mattered was getting as many people in the system as possible. But, times have changed. Because it's time to get profitable. Here's 5 changes coming for streaming that will transform how we monetize music: (some are already here) 𝟭. 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗛𝗜𝗞𝗘𝗦: After 12 years of $9.99/mo, every streamer raised prices to $10.99 last year. Today, Spotify announced ta new bump to $11.99/mo in July. Get used to it. It's long overdue. 𝟮. 𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗗: A Spotify premium user was worth 13x a free one in Q12024! They just paywalled lyrics & Sony is calling to end free altogether Expect major changes to what a "free" sub looks like...if it even exists beyond a trial. 𝟯. 𝗡𝗢 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗭𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗟𝗟: Previous tiers offered a uniform experience at reduced prices to get more people in (Family, Duo, Student). New tiers aim to drive revenue & segment experiences: → Free → Music-only → Audiobooks-only → Music + Audiobooks → A rumored Music Pro add-on (fka supremium) Expect direct artist subscriptions soon. Likely cross-platform add-ons offering exclusive content & features. 𝟰. 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗨𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗠𝗦: Spotify’s going hard after monetizing listener attention by selling it back to artists & labels desperate for reliable ways to reach audiences thru tools like Marquee & Showcase. They call it a two-sided marketplace: → Artists become the customer → Listeners become the product Sound familiar? Better ideas will pursue interactivity, creation & fandom that add value, rather than extract. 𝟱. 𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗡𝗬-𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚: First, Spotify traded reduced royalties for increased exposure with Discovery Mode. Now, they’re forcing lower royalties to songwriters by re-classifying Premium tiers as ‘bundles’. Anything to make the margins work, right? Right? ---- This is the beginning of a new streaming era. After years of subscriber growth at all costs, it's time to get profitable. For it to work, streamers must not only extract more value, but deliver more of it. Both to fans 𝘢𝘯𝘥 artists. I hope they do. --- I went deeper on this & more in this week's Where Music's Going: https://lnkd.in/eMKm7UkY

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If anyone is in North County San Diego, on Thursday May 2nd, we will be hosting a tech entrepreneur and investor meet up at 5:30pm. We’ll have a couple speakers, one of which is a fin-tech start-up raising a round, followed up by a presentation on the state of the stock & crypto market. We host these events quarterly and usually get a lot of founders and investors to attend. If anyone is interested, please message me and I can send you the details. LaunchPad San Diego #startups #startupincubator #entrepreneur #investing #crypto #meetup

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Unlock the Future of Film: Invest in "The Stealth Time Machine Project" Step into a world where the past and future collide. "The Stealth Time Machine Project" is our latest groundbreaking TV show, set to revolutionize the genre with its innovative narrative and compelling characters. Featuring Mr. Biggleton, a quirky troll from the 5th dimension, and stylish time travelers battling shape-shifting succubus space vampires, this series blends science fiction, suspense, and fashion in an unprecedented way. Our visionary producers are renowned for setting trends and pushing creative boundaries. By investing in "The Stealth Time Machine Project," you join a team willing to take bold risks on unconventional ideas. This project promises to captivate audiences with its unique concept and thought-provoking storylines, ensuring it stands out in the crowded marketplace. This is more than an investment opportunity; it’s a chance to shape the future of entertainment. Your support will help create distinctive, groundbreaking content that influences the industry and leaves a lasting impact on viewers. Invest in "The Stealth Time Machine Project" today, and let's redefine the future of film and television together. I love the hype aspect of this! #FilmInvestment, #EntertainmentIndustry, #TVShowInvestment, #FilmFinancing, #MediaInvestment, #FilmProduction, #TVProduction, #AngelInvestors, #ContentCreation, #InternationalFilmFund

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My next "the brAIn" newsletter comes out early tomorrow, Monday, morning - all about how generative AI is transforming the #media and #entertainment industry (and all creatives in it). Think you will like this one. Packed with "news you can use" (and my detailed analysis of a key issue that virtually no one is talking about ... but should be). SUBSCRIBE HERE FOR FREE https://lnkd.in/gtsk8AH8 #music #hollywood #generativeAI #AI #tech #thebrainnewsletter

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“With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on the horizon, the demand for high-quality viewing experiences is high. Viewers expect to witness the pinnacle of athletic achievement in visual details. By establishing a clear roadmap with a defined sunset date for ATSC 1.0, broadcasters can ensure the 2028 Games become a landmark event, not just for athletic achievements, but also for ushering in a new era of richer experiences, enhanced public safety, and a more innovative and informative broadcast landscape, such as broadcast positioning system.” Thanks to tvtechnology for publishing my article and the editor for the editing.

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Harsh truth: Most tech companies fail because they can't build or retain high-performance teams. As the Founder & CEO of HIRECLOUT, Investor and Advisor to dozens of companies, I’ve helped #scale 250+ tech companies and improved retention by 230%. I’m getting a lot of DMs about how to build and scale effective teams. I’m opening up 1:1 slots on Intro to share my experience and insights. What can we cover together? ✔️ How to build & retain your high-performance teams ✔️ Developing your leadership skills ✔️ Crafting a winning business strategy ✔️ Mastering recruitment for your growing company ✔️ Strategies for scaling your tech startup Honored to be on Intro alongside world-class experts like Frank Harris of product at Slack, InVision, Casperl), Mark Mullen (seed investor in GOAT Group, Scopely, Figment & The Trade Desk Desk) & Shegun Otulana (founder of Theranest/Therapy Brands, sold for $1.25B). #hiring #scale #startups Comment “interested” and secure your spot now:

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a16z-backed Character.AI now allows users to talk to AI characters over calls, supporting multiple languages like English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese. After testing the feature with over 3 million users and 20 million calls, Character.AI found it useful for language practice, mock interviews, and role-playing games. Users can easily initiate calls and switch between calling and texting. The "Tap to interrupt" option ensures smooth conversations. This new feature builds on the March launch of Character Voices, which has grown to over 1 million voices. Character.AI's innovation comes as Google prepares to enter the customized chatbot market, aiming to compete with Meta and Character.AI. Read more from Techcrunch here => https://neoswap.cc/fjs #AI #CharacterAI #Innovation #LanguageLearning #RolePlayingGames #TechNews

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I'm incredibly pleased to share Jillian Godsil, MA, BA (hons)'s second article on the TH3FUS3. The Tashi Protocol Story by Jillian is about a military man's odyssey into gaming #technology. She takes us on a wonderful journey into the life of Ken Anderson, who went from the military battlefield into the boardroom, where he has found no boundaries to innovation. "We're not just enhancing Web 2 gaming but also empowering #indie and #Web3 #developers to innovate within the #gaming industry," says Ken. Read it on TH3FUS3 #blockchain

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PSA for CEOs: It’s your job to understand what potential acquirers want. Even if you’re not looking to sell yet. This idea was top of mind for me during GDC, where I met with several bigger studios. I took every opportunity to ask how they think about acquisitions: - What makes a potential acquisition interesting to them? - What thresholds do studios have to meet? - What metrics do they value most? This type of forward-looking market exploration is a shift for me. My primary focus for the last four years has been building FunCraft into a successful business. But my role needs to evolve. While FunCraft is growing and thriving independently, it’s still my responsibility to gauge what could make us an attractive acquisition down the road and understand how we build toward it. My advice to other CEOs: If an acquisition is something you can envision for your company down the road, don't plan for it in a silo. Talk extensively with potential acquirers and let their input inform your strategy early on.

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And voice synthesis just got amazingly better I wrote about voice cloning just one short week ago - about how OpenAI’s VoiceEngine could synthesize voice from a 15 second audio clip. Pretty amazing stuff. Welp, here we go again - Product Hunt yesterday featured Replica Studio’s new Voice Director which let’s you create unique voices in a Voice Lab, and export text to speech using the voices that you created. The demo is here: https://lnkd.in/gXna_g5v and it is fun to watch. I tried Voice Director and it’s pretty cool. Web-based (though they also have a downloadable app) Voice Lab is their lab for mixing and matching voices to synthesize new voices. The source voices come from professional voice actors. An intuitive web-based interface let’s you mix the voices together to synthesize new voices. You can save voices and then use them with text strings to generate voice. So simple; so cool. Also interesting is that Replica did a deal with SAG-AFTRA so that voice performers can work with Replica to create replications of their voices and get paid. From Replica’s release: “We license our training data from a growing network of voice actors, ensuring best practices around consent and compensation. We are honored to be the first AI company to partner with SAG-AFTRA, and pioneer AI licensing models that create new revenue streams for actors and talent.” The applications are many, but the gaming industry is absolutely going to go through massive change from voice engines like Replica and image/scene generators like Scenario.com, both of which have APIs. Now you can dynamically generate scenes, characters and voices and directly integrate into a game. Oh the times, they are a changing. This one is pretty cool.

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Oh man, Charlie Fink, you're a legend. I love your energy, direct attitude, and no-BS approach. It was such a pleasure to have Charlie on my podcast, and I'm pumped to share it with everyone ----------------- Some background: Charlie writes the weekly Forbes column "This Week in XR" and co-hosts its companion podcast. He is the author of the critically acclaimed AR-enabled book Charlie Fink’s Metaverse (2017), and Convergence, How The World Will Be Painted With Data (2019). His career spans impactful stops at Disney, AOL, American Greetings, and more. On the pod, we cover: -> Charlie’s Career and Discovery of the Metaverse -> Defining the Metaverse for the Next Decade -> The Generations of Tech and its Users -> Future of Devices and Hardware -> Most Exciting Thing in Year Ahead Check it out: https://lnkd.in/g5Cma4PD #metaverse #IntoTheMetaverse #SpatialComputing #VR #XR #AR

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