Google makes more Gemini models available to developers, TikTok’s native app arrives for the Vision Pro

Top News

Google makes Gemini 1.0 Pro and Gemini 1.0 Ultra generally available, adds support for adapter-based tuning in Vertex, and rolls out new developer tools. - Link

TikTok launches its native Apple Vision Pro app, offering a similar UI to the mobile apps; an executive said TikTok “redesigned the entire TikTok experience”. - Link

Kong is launching its open source AI Gateway, allowing developers and operations teams to integrate their applications with LLMs and access them through a single API. - Link

Lucid Motors drosp the price of its most affordable electric sedans as it looks to boost demand; the base model Lucid Air Pure will now start a $69.9K, down from $77.4K. - Link

Microsoft President Brad Smith says the company plans to invest €3.2B in Germany in the next two years with a focus on AI, its biggest German investment ever. - Link

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Advice of the Day

Measuring Product Market Fit

Rahul Vohra, CEO of Superhuman, uses Sean Ellis's methodology to measure product/market fit. He asks users how disappointed they would be if they could no longer use the product. The benchmark for success is when over 40% of users report they would be "very disappointed" without the product, a challenging standard to meet as shown by companies like Slack. This approach, focusing on disappointment rather than satisfaction, reduces bias to better understand the product's essential role in users' lives. - Link

Startup Demo of the Day:

Intent by Upflowy is an AI website companion that turns potential leads' browsing behavior into actionable AI summaries, helping teams focus on the right leads and start better conversations. Users receive summaries straight into their CRMs, spreadsheets, or Slack channels.

Founder University is a 12-week pre-accelerator program run by Jason/LAUNCH for builder founders. We're investing $25k in 20-30 companies from Cohort 7. Apply at founder.university/letsbuild.

This Week in Startups

E1897: Sunny Madra and Jason demo AI products, including AgentHub, Lucite, and Google’s Bard rebranded to Gemini, and debate the competitive landscape among tech giants like Microsoft, OpenAI, Apple, and Meta. They highlight the need for AI that can fact-check other AI and speculate on future industry leaders. - Watch

E1896: Brian Singerman of Founders Fund discusses strategic adaptation in venture capital, emphasizing the significance of founder dynamics and investment strategies while reflecting on personal and industry-wide challenges and insights. - Watch

E1895: David Weisburd, Grady Buchanan, Victor Gutwein, and Jason discuss dry powder levels, cash management by GPs, adjustments in investment pace, the importance of GP selection for LPs, VC firm ratings, the impact of relationships within the VC ecosystem, and strategies for performing due diligence on funds and assessing VC returns. The conversation concludes with a rapid-fire segment on the guests' top recent investments. - Watch

E1894: Sunny Madra and Jason go through AI demos, starting with Hume AI, a toolkit for improving technology's emotional impact on humans. They also discuss Eleven Labs ChatGPT and AI's ongoing evolution and application across different sectors. - Watch

E1893: Jason, Alexis Ohanian of Reddit and Ron Biscardi of iConnections, discuss Reddit's history, potential IPO, and insights into venture capital and the future of iConnections. Alexis shares his experiences and advice for startups, while Ron talks about market dynamics and globalization in VC, emphasizing the importance of relationships with LPs and GPs. - Watch

This Week in Startups Paid Partnerships

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