Startup Grind

The leading community for people building, working with and investing in startups.

[Startup Grind @StartupGrind]

This is Startup Grind, baby. 😜

If you were there, you know. And if you weren’t, make sure to join us next year as we make the Startup Grind Conference anniversary the biggest one yet, together.

Early interest list is open now. Link in reply.

[Startup Grind @StartupGrind]

Not surprised at all. After the class James Dumoulin gave us on viral content at the SG Conference this year, this was only a matter of time. Congrats, @tvmjames!

[Forbes @Forbes]

James Dumoulin (@tvmjames) has built an audience by asking one simple question: What financial lessons did you learn the hard way?

The cofounder and face of The School of Hard Knockz reaches millions with content promoting financial literacy, alongside brand partners including Burger King, Microsoft Copilot and Celsius.

Explore the full #ForbesTopCreators 2026 list: https://t.co/CzD26jfPM1
📸: Amanda Edwards via Getty Images

[Startup Grind @StartupGrind]

So proud to see so many familiar Startup Grind voices in this one!

From the Divot studio to the SG stage, these are the kinds of conversations that remind us why builders need real rooms, real stories, and real community.

[Derek Andersen @DerekjAndersen]

After 50 episodes of Divot interviews from the top builders, authors, creators, and investors in the world, these are some of the top learnings and best clips.

[Derek Andersen @DerekjAndersen]

After 50 episodes of Divot interviews from the top builders, authors, creators, and investors in the world, these are some of the top learnings and best clips.

[Derek Andersen @DerekjAndersen]

My conversation with @aliansarinik the CEO of @micro1_ai, the human data engine helping AI labs train foundational models and enterprises build better AI agents. We talk about why AI still needs human experts, never stop learning, the talent war for researchers, and why the model is not the product.

01:32 — Building Micro1 in the Center of the AI Boom
06:57 — A Once-in-a-Lifetime AI Opportunity
08:44 — How Micro1 Helps Train Smarter AI Models
10:43 — Why AI Models Never Stop Learning
14:56 — Why AI Still Needs Human Experts
17:49 — The Model Is Not the Product
21:23 — Who Wins and Loses in the AI Era
27:25 — When AI Agents Become Team Members
29:19 — The Talent War for AI Researchers
33:38 — Why Your Company Data Is Training AI
38:35 — From Iran to the American Dream
44:33 — Why Taking a Unique Path Can Win
48:04 — Embrace the Chaos
49:50 — Why AI Will Create New Jobs
53:02 — How Ali Measures His Life

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #AIData #AIAgents #MachineLearning #Startups #DivotPodcast

[Startup Grind @StartupGrind]

There's something so special about watching a company you've crossed paths with hit a moment like this. @tuhinone and the @baseten team just locked in a $1.5B Series F at a $13B valuation, putting them among the biggest AI infrastructure raises anyone's seen this year.

What makes it land harder is how recent it all is. Tuhin was standing on our Startup Grind Conference stage just a few months ago, talking through where Baseten was headed. Inference used to be the unglamorous corner of AI nobody talked about. Now it's the layer everything depends on, and Baseten is right at the center of it.

That kind of climb in such a short window doesn't happen by accident. Huge congrats to Tuhin and the entire team. This one's earned ❤️‍🔥

[Baseten @baseten]

We’re excited to announce our $1.5B Series F.

Baseten exists to help companies own their intelligence and run AI products in production with speed, reliability, and control. As we enter this next chapter, three things are clear:

1. Customers like Abridge, Clay, Cursor, Decagon, HubSpot, Lovable, Notion, and OpenEvidence are proving that AI can create transformational value across industries and workflows. They have built products where intelligence is core to the customer experience and central to the value they deliver.

2. Open models - like GLM 5.2 - are now exceptionally strong, and the quality gap with leading closed models is smaller than ever. We’re seeing more companies turn to open and specialized models for better economics, performance, and ownership over their stack. Baseten provides the fast, reliable inference layer to run those models in production across every modality.

3. Post-training is giving companies a path to turn their own data, evals, feedback, and judgment into durable technical advantage. The most sophisticated teams are already using RL and domain-specific optimization to outperform closed models on important tasks and workflows. This will become a defining capability for every company building at the application layer.

We're excited to accelerate progress to this future of owned intelligence.

Thank you to our customers for your trust and partnership. We’re grateful to be building this future with you!

[Startup Grind @StartupGrind]

What a week for Oliver Cameron and the @odysseyml team. They just raised a $310M Series B at a $1.45B valuation to keep pushing the frontier of world models.

Oliver was on our Startup Grind Conference stage back when Odyssey had raised around $27M. Wild to see how far they've come since.

Huge congrats to Oliver and the whole team, so well deserved!

[Odyssey @odysseyml]

We’ve raised a $310M Series B to accelerate world models!

We believe AI that can understand and simulate the world will be one of the most important technologies of our time.

We're excited to partner with Natural Capital, Amazon, GV, AMD, IQT, and others to bring this to life.

[Derek Andersen @DerekjAndersen]

A close friend amassed +5M rabid followers/fans as an expert in a specific enterprise vertical.

He wants to partner with a team to co-found and build a product in the space.

If your small team is amazing, and your startup isn’t working and you’re willing to pivot, DM me!

[Divot @Divotdotorg]

the world rewards the courageous. James Dumoulin (@tvmjames) got rejected by billionaires and A-listers. kept going. built the credibility. same people said yes later.

credibility kills all bad attitudes.

founder of School of Hard Knocks, 22M followers. live from the @StartupGrind conference w/ @DerekjAndersen.

full ep in the replies.

[Derek Andersen @DerekjAndersen]

The best investor question I ever received was in a pitch was with Sequoia when @gradypb asked:

"If everything goes right, where will the company be in 10 years?"

I have thought about that in so many different situations since. Think big, be positive, go get it.

[Vinod Khosla @vkhosla]

Thank you @DerekjAndersen

[Derek Andersen @DerekjAndersen]

Here is my story about Vinod Khosla. In May 2017, I was six weeks from running out of cash. I had over extended myself funding a software project inside of Startup Grind that later became Bevy. One night at midnight on the couch I said to my wife, "I'm about to run out of money and we're going to lose everything," She said, "You'll figure it out." I stayed up all night sending emails and praying.

I had interviewed Vinod a few times at SG and barely knew him but I emailed him at 1:39am. He emailed me back at 7:34am asking for my number. He ended up calling me later that day in a ride to a meeting. His advice and encouragement helped propel me to raising $1M in 6 weeks and saved the company. I will never forget his willingness to answer an immediate call from a near stranger in my most desperate professional moment.

[Divot @Divotdotorg]

he posted 400 times on Instagram with 50 followers.
didn't make money for 3 years…then found the pivot.

doubled down. went from $100k/month to $1M/month in one year. now doing $1.5M to $2M/month.

James Dumoulin (@tvmjames), founder of School of Hard Knocks, 22M followers.

full ep w/ @DerekjAndersen in the replies.

[Startup Grind @StartupGrind]

June 4, 10am to 7pm

https://t.co/esm7WbXPbv

[Startup Grind @StartupGrind]

@Snowflake is bringing builders together for a full day of AI, data, and practical learning.

On June 4, our partner Snowflake is hosting Dev Day, a free full-day event for startup founders, AI and ML engineers, data professionals, and builders working with AI.

From 10 AM to 7 PM, attendees will get hands-on with bootcamps, hear from industry leaders, explore new tools, and learn how to take AI projects from proof of concept to production.

The day will also feature the Startup Challenge Finale, where emerging startups will showcase what they’re building.

For anyone building with data and AI, this is a strong opportunity to learn, connect, and leave with ideas you can actually use.

[Derek Andersen @DerekjAndersen]

This week on @Divotdotorg I interviewed @tvmjames from @hardknocksedu why 3 seconds decides everything in going viral, turning rejection into fuel, how he's interviewed 50 billionaires at only 23, and how he is building his media empire on billions of views one clip at a time.

Timestamps:
01:48 — How School of Hard Knocks Started
03:56 — 400 Posts With Only 50 Followers
04:41 — From $100K Months to $1M Months
06:15 — How Small Teams Can Win With Content
09:24 — The Only Metric That Matters Online
10:20 — Why the First 3 Seconds Decide Everything
13:03 — How Travel Shaped James’ Ambition
14:25 — Turning Rejection Into Fuel
15:41 — Interviewing 52 Billionaires by 23
15:52 — How James Got Mark Cuban
17:30 — Tom Cruise, Brady, Shaq, and Bigger Asks
20:08 — Why Business Takes Courage
20:50 — Building One of the Biggest Business Media Networks

Hashtags:
#jamesdumoulin #schoolofhardknocks #contentcreation #goingviral #watchtime #entrepreneurship #businessmedia #founderjourney #creatoreconomy #divotpodcast

[Divot @Divotdotorg]

sold @Twitch to @amazon for ~$1B. achieved everything he thought he wanted and more. and it didn't create a lasting sense of fulfillment.

@justinkan on what actually drives happiness for him.

full ep @divotpod in the replies

[Divot @Divotdotorg]

nothing will ever hit like a jordan and Josh Luber nailed why.

@joshluber co-founded @stockx, a $4B sneaker platform, and created Ghosts. brands control supply, but demand is the whole game. Jordan built that before social media took over, when he was the most popular athlete on earth and it was just him, all organic.

full ep in the replies 👇

[Startup Grind @StartupGrind]

He was on fire!! 🔥

[Divot @Divotdotorg]

new ep is live @divotpod

@justinkan took the @StartupGrind mainstage and said what most founders won't, selling @Twitch to @amazon for ~$1B didn't bring the fulfillment he expected.

link in the replies

[Divot @Divotdotorg]

at @StartupGrind Conference mainstage, Navin Chaddha articulates why claude mirrors netscape's moment.

the first browser organized the internet. claude's organizing work itself. companion, AI teammate, gateway. this is how the world shifts.

full conversation w/ @DerekjAndersen ⤵️

[Derek Andersen @DerekjAndersen]

My @Divotdotorg chat this week is with @MayfieldFund Managing Partner @NavinChaddha, one of the most thoughtful AI people I know. We talk about the AI infrastructure gold rush, OpenClaw, the Claude ecosystem, and the rise of personalized software.

01:14 — Why AI Is a “100x Force” for Humanity
02:27 — Where the Biggest Value in AI Is Being Created
04:19 — Nvidia, Infrastructure & the AI Gold Rush
06:02 — The Next Massive Opportunities Beyond Compute
08:03 — Why Claude Changed Software Engineering
10:05 — Claude as the “New Browser for Work”
12:31 — AI Agents & the End of Traditional SaaS
15:08 — The Rise of Headless Software Explained
18:12 — Why Everyone Can Now Become a Builder
21:05 — Human + AI Teams Will Replace Old Workflows
23:16 — Navin Chaddha’s Biggest Advice for Founders

#aiagents #claudeai #artificialintelligence #futureofwork #openai #anthropic #saas #navinchaddha #nvidia #machinelearning #futureofsoftware #startupfounders #techpodcast #airevolution #siliconvalley #automation #founderjourney #venturecapital #aiinnovation #divotpodcast