Hello Seeking Growth Readers!
I have taken a long hiatus from blog writing to fundraise, work with our portfolio companies, enjoy my kids before they leave for college, and sail with friends.
I have decided to blog again because I am very excited about this moment in time, our front row seats in Silicon Valley and the technology changes rapidly coming our way as a result of AI/Predictive Analytics.
I have been fascinated with AI/Analytics since the 1980s. Knowing what will happen before it actually happens has always seemed like magic to me. My Statistics and Computer Science courses were fun and a natural marriage but, AI was nascent then and my HBS course on Lisp programming was underwhelming.
Nevertheless, I loved squinting and leaning forward to see what was coming next (Back to the Future was my favorite movie growing up). And analytics allowed one to get there: to predict what would happen and make better decisions. I wrote a review on Supercrunchers in 2009 to discuss this trend.
Now we are at an inflection point. We are witnessing a massive transfer of human “white and blue collar” work from manual processes to AI/Analytic supported decision algorithms.
I think everyone with an interest in this should think about what is their “secret sauce” in work or life. You should ask yourself, “What do I do well, and what would I consider automating or improving with AI or analytics?”. Most processes we practice today will be automated or will change dramatically due to automation or automation networks (think of all the algos in the Amazon value chain). I have come to the conclusion that the only way to stay on top of this is to be part of it.
As a result, we have developed a new product called SaleSavant to help high growth companies accelerate sales growth with the benefit of algorithms applying best practices. We are are using it to help our portfolio companies and share our best practices with investment prospects. It is based on 7 years of coding, work, and process improvements we did to help find “needle-in-a-haystack” investment opportunities. It also benefits from almost 30 years of experience in advising/investing in high growth companies to accelerate sales and achieve high value outcomes.
As part of this effort, I am refocusing my blog to talk about the following relevant related topics:
- Best books on AI to understand what is actually happening
- Spotlighting success stories in AI to show how it’s working today
- Discussing growth areas that will be transformed by AI in the near future
This is an exciting time to be alive. Just as it is hard today to imagine how we lived without the Internet, Google, and the smartphone, we are not going to recognize life before these algorithms.
In 2040, we will have the benefit of hindsight and will look back at the “2010 decade” with the feeling that what was coming was obvious, but that the changes came so fast that it was hard to adapt unless one was leaning in. I want to lean in and help those interested to lean in with me.
I also welcome your input and feedback. If you have a relevant story to share or contribute I would be happy to share with my readers.
Thanks for your time!
Next review? The Master Algorithm by Pedro Domingos. This is the best book I have read on AI. It explains the five tribes of AI, now how we got here and where we are going.
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