Jibran Ahmad's Profile

Hi Max. I wrote on a similar sales rep tool called Cogito, which (unlike Gong) provides real-time / in-call conversation analysis and alerts. With both of these products, I wonder if the end-state is limited human involvement, where the machine (in full control 99% of time) is interrupted by humans (to address “outside” cases) versus the other way around…

Exactly my question as well (on the first point)! How much bespoke model training is necessary to determine what is normal based on company, industry, geography, etc. This seems non-trivial, but I’d love to learn more.

Super interesting blog post. I’ve been using IKEA’s VR tech through another app they own called Room Planner, which lets you create a 3D rendering of your apartment / home and drop in furniture from not just IKEA, but also other brands. This has been incredibly helpful for me as I try to purchase furniture in advance of moving in. Assume they leverage an affiliate-marketing model, in which IKEA gets a commission on any third-party sales made through the platform.

This seems like a really interesting company. In my research, I’ve come across C3.ai (recently IPO’d), which also offers an end-to-end, systems-agnostic platform for ML and AI. While these companies are at the forefront of analytics, their cost is also incredibly high (annual contract value for C3.ai averages $12M). I wonder how quickly / if these companies will ever be able to serve smaller companies.

Really interesting journey for Entera, from principal investor to data / tech provider. My question is how difficult will it be for Blackstone via Invitation Homes to create the same insights, now that INVH is the largest owner of single-family homes? Interestingly, BX has just built out a data science team of >20 engineers.

Interesting post! At the high price level Whoop charges (monthly subscription that adds up quickly) relative to close comps (e.g., Oura Ring, Fitbit), I believe they will have to be at the forefront of data analysis to push out new features and validate their cost. Another option will be for them to productize / sell data to others to potentially subsidize the monthly subscription.

Thanks, Vikram. Building on Pranav’s question, how do low frictions to multi-homing impact the premium business (i.e., add-ons)? Is there any way for these dating platforms to force users to choose one vs. using all?

Thanks, Rolando. One question I have with these influencer marketing platforms is how strong the barriers to entry are. Given that brands can sign engagements across several platforms hosting influencers, and there are thousands of new influencers popping up each day, it is unclear to me why any one platform will tip the market. If Instagram enters the space in earnest, that is a whole other story…Interesting space for sure!

Thanks, Pranav. I also have concerns about the sustainability of this platform. One perspective I can’t quite reconcile is the fact that, particularly for professional / educational topics, why would a listener prefer casual, unfiltered conversation versus edited, succinct podcasts? I believe Clubhouse is a fad with limited staying power, especially given the low barriers to entry.

Great post! You touch upon this, but Udemy operates in an extremely competitive space. Not only are there several MOOCs, but also an increasing abundance of high-quality, free content (think YouTube, Kahn Academy, Harvard University giving out free content at the start of the pandemic). My outlook is fairly bleak here, as this free content is rising, while content production costs can’t improve (i.e., you will always have to update / reproduce content for the latest coding languages, techniques, etc.).

Real estate remains one of the most backwards industries out there and in desperate need of digital transformation. I think the evolution of iPhone camera / scanning technology will be the determinate of whether Matterport succeeds as a SaaS company. Historically, creating digital twins has included a hefty services component, which is less profitable for Matterport and is often structured as a services contract (think consulting engagement). If iPhones enable easy / cheap / accurate capture of imaging that can be transformed into a 3D model, this could be revolutionary.

An incredible company riding the eCommerce wave that I agree will not subside post-Covid. Our habits have fundamentally changed regarding what we are comfortable purchasing online (i.e., much more comfort, much more online spend), having been forced to do so for the past year. I agree with John V’s concerns regarding Square, which is now coming after the consumer with Square Cash and ultimately seems focused on building a “super app” of the likes we see in China.