3907 episodes
A startup founder who served time in prison is looking to court an untapped market: ex-cons
2026/10/09 | 9 mins.Richard Bronson, a former Stratton Oakmont partner who served time in federal prison for securities violations, has launched Commissary Club, a startup that uses AI to help people leaving prison find jobs, housing, community and even dates.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesGreenairy is building smart plant towers to clean the air in your office; plus, Robot data startup Mecka AI nabs $60M from Sequoia
2026/10/08 | 6 mins.As it turns out, the cure for stuffy, chemical-infused office air might be a tower of leafy greenery.
Also, Mecka AI pays people to record everyday tasks.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSilicon Valley’s AI wunderkind launches Underdog, the most private Instinct/Muse competitor yet; plus, name Ex-Ramp engineers raise $20M for platform Melius
2026/10/07 | 8 mins.Sigil Wen, backed by a Silicon Valley's who-who, has built an on-device AI assistant that promises to be free, fully private, and capable for everyday tasks.
Also, Melius crossed over $1 million in annualized revenue within two months of its post-pivot launch.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesHot Girl Hotline is like ‘Dear Abby’ for the AI era; plus, after Factory’s public spat with Khosla, Menlo proudly invests
2026/10/06 | 7 mins.Founded by two sisters, Hot Girl Hotline uses AI to give young women personalized dating and relationship advice, with an emphasis on safety and avoiding emotional dependency.
Also, days after Vinod Khosla called Factory a struggling also-ran, Menlo has shown up with a check and a glowing blog post.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesPhoton held a funeral for mobile apps; plus, Kevin Mandia’s new ‘agent swarm’ security startup
2026/10/05 | 6 mins.Photon helps developers build AI agents that work over iMessage, SMS/RCS, email, and other messaging platforms. It's a bet that consumers will increasingly use agents instead of downloading apps.
Also, Kevin Mandia, best known as the founder of Mandiant, has a new startup that is using agent swarms to test and protect enterprises.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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