Brandon Leonardo

Co-founder @instacart 🥕, Ex-@angellist

[Seth Howes @SethSHowes]

I just sequenced a human genome to 30× coverage entirely at home.

As far as I know, this is the first time this has been done.

I didn’t step foot in a lab once. Every step - from saliva collection, to running the sequencer - took place in a single room with a dining table + kitchenette.

Six weeks ago, I had never done wet lab biology before.

I used an Oxford Nanopore P2 Solo - the only commercially available sequencing device portable enough to do 30x human genome sequencing at home.

Biggest takeaway - I could build something that combined software, hardware, and molecular biology far faster than I thought was possible.

I can name >100 specific instances where AI helped me solve a technical problem that would previously have blocked me because I lacked access to a domain expert.

For example: how do I save my sequencing run when my DNA extraction yield is 4x lower than I need it to be, and I have this limited set of reagents to hand?

To make this work, I had to navigate multiple disciplines:

- writing software to monitor sequencing runs and orchestrate remote GPU infra for basecalling
- learning + executing 5 hour long molecular biology protocols
- building a hardware device to quantify DNA concentration

Apologies for the hyperbole, but I feel super lucky to be living in 2026.

A few weeks ago I decided to sequence a human genome to 30x at home.

Then I actually did it. And I did it really quickly.

[Jagannath Putrevu @jputrevu]

🚀 After a year of quiet building, I’m excited to officially announce @champ_hq out of stealth. We're also announcing our $8.5M Seed round led by @Redpoint with participation from @defyvc , @Max , @svangel, and a great group of angels. Watch the quick launch video below

[AngelList @AngelList]

Announcing: USVC

AngelList exists to power the innovation economy.

To date, we have powered $125 billion in assets, 25,000+ funds, and 13,000+ startups.

Today, we’re opening it for retail access.

@usvc_ is a regulated fund that holds stakes in promising private companies.

There are no accreditation requirements and anyone can get started with as little as $500.

Early portfolio includes xAI, Anthropic, OpenAI, Sierra, Vercel, Crusoe, and Legora.

Own a stake in the companies defining the future.

Learn more: https://t.co/5zqSuqpVU8

[Max Mullen @Max]

Some personal news! Recently, I stepped back from the day-to-day at @Instacart to focus on investing full-time. I sat down with my friend @jaltma on Uncapped to talk about building Instacart and my philosophy on early-stage investing — check it out here!

[Brandon Leonardo @shiftb]

@cremieuxrecueil I thought people typically cycled off mots-c after 4-6 weeks to take a break. Is it still effective helping with adhd symptoms over longer timeframes?

[Brandon Leonardo @shiftb]

Claiming my AI Agent "shiftb" on @kradleverse 🤖🎯

https://t.co/oJn3xrIZnH

Code: bucket-VAH0

[Connor Boyack 📚 @cboyack]

https://t.co/4SMw7birVU

[cold 🥑 @coldhealing]

Most people send 10% as many text messages as they should. You should text your old friends when you think of them, you should text your new friends about the weather. You should text ex-girlfriends way more often. You should text mom more often but everyone agrees with that

[Brandon Leonardo @shiftb]

RT @Max: At @Instacart, we’re doing our part to try to help families that rely on SNAP to put food on the table: https://t.co/hKaqSuKiY0

[Melissa Cash @melissacash_]

As a mother, I’ve always felt at odds with @YouTube.

The autoplay. The algorithm. The hyper-fast, overstimulating content.

It’s everything I don’t want for my kids—but it's just SO freaking convenient.

My 3 year-old son first started off watching real diggers and excavators work, often without any sound. Or airplanes taking off and landing. And he loved Ms Rachel.

We thought we were being as mindful as we could, but no matter what content we showed him or how we transitioned to something else, he had a tantrum when we turned it off.

At @playpokpok, we hear this same story from so many parents.

That uneasy feeling of switching on YouTube, knowing the content might be more addictive than enriching.

That’s why today feels like such a full-circle moment: we’re launching Studio Pok Pok —a calm, thoughtful channel for kids that puts education and creativity before clicks and chaos.

From the beginning, our vision at Pok Pok has been to reimagine screen time for young children.

What started as an award-winning app is now growing into something bigger: an entire brand wholeheartedly dedicated to mindful, non-addictive content that supports how kids really learn and play.

We know that families are searching for something different—something they can feel good about handing over to their kids. This channel is for them.

🎥 Expect slow-paced, Montessori-inspired videos rooted in curiosity, not attention-grabbing gimmicks.
💡 Content that sparks imagination, not hyperactivity.
❤️ And a deep respect for childhood at every turn.

If that sounds like a breath of fresh air, we hope you’ll check it out and be one of our first subscribers. We’re just getting started. 💫

https://t.co/gewz6Kwv21

[Exponent @exponent_run]

Introducing Exponent, a highly capable programming agent. You can get early access today to start using Exponent's clean, developer-focused UX for any software engineering task from exploration to deployment.

[Andrew D. Huberman, Ph.D. @hubermanlab]

Yes. Standard Time year round please.

[Firefly Aerospace @FireflySpace]

We have confirmation #BlueGhost stuck the landing! Firefly just became the first commercial company in history to achieve a fully successful Moon landing. This small step on the Moon represents a giant leap in commercial exploration. Congratulations to the entire Firefly team, our mission partners, and our @NASA customers for this incredible feat that paves the way for future missions to the Moon and Mars.

Standby for the first image, expected in the next 30 minutes! #BGM1

[Max Mullen @Max]

Congrats on the launch @camillevanhorne and Ashish!

[Hadley Harris @Hadley]

It’s not an AI agent unless it comes from the agentic region of Palo Alto. Otherwise, it’s just an AI-enabled workflow.

[Kevin Naughton Jr. @KevinNaughtonJr]

levels in tech:
-junior eng
-mid level eng
-senior eng
-staff eng
-senior staff eng
-principal eng
-farmer

[Satya Nadella @satyanadella]

Jevons paradox strikes again! As AI gets more efficient and accessible, we will see its use skyrocket, turning it into a commodity we just can't get enough of. https://t.co/omEcOPhdIz

[Max Mullen @Max]

Super excited to work with @OpenAI on today's Operator launch — it's the first consumer AI agent I've seen that's *actually* useful...for example, it can shop on @Instacart for you https://t.co/vo0TGGxR0T

[Kaz Nejatian @nejatian]

Many product managers don't bind their ambitions with humility.

They don't work on small things at all. So, small things get worse and they don't learn how to fix problems.

They, therefore, fail at fixing big problems and big things also get worse.

This is why it is such a bad idea to tell PMs to avoid fixing broken windows.

If you are a junior PM. Just fix bugs. Start there. Fix things that are obviously broken. Do not allow yourself to even think about "strategy". Just wake up every day and fix small things, every day.

This gives you at bats learnings how to do things and it will ready you for the moment when you need to fix bigger things.

[ben hylak @benhylak]

pgvector is insane.

i don't understand why vector databases exist.