ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Eric Vishria, General Partner at Benchmark, joins Invest Like the Best for a wide-ranging conversation on how AI is reshaping software, infrastructure, and venture investing. He explains why the competitive frontier for SaaS has shifted, why companies can destroy value by faithfully executing an outdated plan, and what the cloud wars can teach us about the emerging AI market. Eric also discusses Fireworks and Sierra, the importance of understanding AI’s “jagged edge,” why some AI companies are effectively “selling magic,” and why he believes the market could support many enormous winners. The conversation also covers energy as a potential bottleneck to intelligence, the story behind Benchmark’s early investment in Cerebras, the future of robotics, what he looks for in founders and board partnerships, Benchmark’s expansion into growth investing, and the lessons he’s learned from backing companies capable of generating extraordinary returns.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
3:36 What Cloud Teaches Us About AI
12:52 Sierra, Sandcastles, and AI Products
17:35 The New SaaS Competitive Frontier
28:28 AI Demand and the Energy Bottleneck
31:28 The Cerebras Story and AI Chips
45:10 The Future of Robotics
52:53 Eric’s Venture Investing Philosophy
1:07:30 Going Public, AI Value, and Jobs
Presented by Ramp:
https://ramp.com/invest
Sponsored by Vanta, WorkOS, Rogo, and Ridgeline:
https://www.vanta.com/invest
https://workos.com/
https://rogo.ai/invest
https://www.ridgelineapps.com/
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Patrick O'Shaughnessy is the CEO of Positive Sum. All opinions expressed by Patrick and podcast guests are solely their own and do not reflect the opinion of Positive Sum. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. Clients of Positive Sum may maintain positions in the securities discussed in this podcast. To learn more, visit psum.vc
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
3:36 What Cloud Teaches Us About AI
12:52 Sierra, Sandcastles, and AI Products
17:35 The New SaaS Competitive Frontier
28:28 AI Demand and the Energy Bottleneck
31:28 The Cerebras Story and AI Chips
45:10 The Future of Robotics
52:53 Eric’s Venture Investing Philosophy
1:07:30 Going Public, AI Value, and Jobs
Presented by Ramp:
https://ramp.com/invest
Sponsored by Vanta, WorkOS, Rogo, and Ridgeline:
https://www.vanta.com/invest
https://workos.com/
https://rogo.ai/invest
https://www.ridgelineapps.com/
******
Patrick O'Shaughnessy is the CEO of Positive Sum. All opinions expressed by Patrick and podcast guests are solely their own and do not reflect the opinion of Positive Sum. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. Clients of Positive Sum may maintain positions in the securities discussed in this podcast. To learn more, visit psum.vc
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