Phin Barnes
@phineasb
@theGP, founder @dormroomfund, Alumni @firstround. Partner to @notionHQ, @clay_GTM, @thatch_ai, @TurbineOneTech, @AvenCard
2.1K Following 25.9K Followers
Go to school on the West Coast? Applications to join the team close Thursday, October 1st at 11:59pm PT.
Link to join us, below.
“It is truly the biggest cheat code any college student can have coming out of school if they want to do venture or start-ups,” is rewarding to hear every time an incredible @DormRoomFund alum says it.
Great piece from @eringriffith on the power of the community. So grateful @themollette is leading the way.
College Students Flex Their Power in A.I. Investment Frenzy via @NYTimes
Show more
Great to see so many friends from the @DormRoomFund crew out in force in NYC tonight -from first fund to founders and current MPs . Thanks @themollette for bringing it all together and @theGP for hosting.
Show more
For most companies "up and to the right" is winning - but for @industriaalist and Q-Labs - the winning curves look like this.
We've figured out how to *pretrain transformers* with zeroth-order optimization and no backprop.
Many of the core assumptions in optimization research are completely wrong.
(paper out soon)
Show more
Who loves Geese? We love Geese.
@Stanford friends, we'll see you at the Goose tomorrow (9/29). Link to RSVP below.
It’s crazy that AI can just do this now…
Agree with @evantana - and will say again, build software.
My current thinking is you have to build in places where the data is not in the training set.
If you build horizontal software, it implies generalized knowledge is required - and the general intelligence models will eat you.
Show more
“Software is dead” is a lazy-brained take.
But if you’re building application-layer software, proceed with caution.
Horizontal software is 😬. Instead, build deep wells: high-value verticals where you can obsess over the customer and own the workflow. Look for customers with $$, painful problems, and limited ability to build for themselves. Be a GTM savant. Or learn to be one.
And recognize the opportunity cost. We’re in the middle of humanity’s greatest industrial buildout. There are incredibly fertile grounds outside of software too.
So don’t get salty when people seem dismissive of software. It’s just no longer the only game in town.
Update your priors.
Show more
Life is a repeat game and an infinite game. People who don't understand this won't win in the long run.
Life is long. Choose to work with good people.
We need to get the intelligence to the people - faster, more reliable internet, more useful and performant software interfaces, models and context scale matched to the job to be done and the hardware to do it.
Show more
AI has a distribution problem.
Massive data center investment creates intelligence, but without the systems to deliver it, the people who need it won't benefit.
@phineasb joined @akashpasricha on @theinformation's TITV to explain what distributed compute could look like:
Show more
my friend @lil_dill is exactly right on this. Use AI to build, but you have to express yourself to stand out and win.
Software is increasingly treated as disposable in the AI era. Yet we spend half our waking lives looking at screens! We don’t want to spend that time with zombie products—monotonous, vacant, and uncared for. We want products with soul. 💜
I go deep on this in my talk from @lennysan's Summit:
Show more
Is it Tuesday yet? We just want to be at the Goose.
RSVP here →
See you soon, @Stanford, @StanfordGSB, @StanfordEntrepr, @StanfordAILab, @stanforddschool.
Show more
Buying and deploying proprietary data is critical for the next frontier.
But when it comes to buying real data from real people, trust is the first step in making sure the largest supply of real-world data can move into training as efficiently as possible.
@integralprivacy ensures that your data will be monetized the right way.
Show more
Enterprise AI needs real-world data, but not at the expense of privacy.
The challenge is keeping data useful for training without exposing personal information.
@phineasb on @theinformation explaining how our portfolio company @IntegralPrivacy is tackling it:
Show more
Thought a lot about using AI in my work. Wrote about how it makes me feel here:
The list of ways founders deserve better is long - but this is one for sure!
The best software will absorb our idiosyncrasies and manifest more value as a result. Personalization that gets deeper and irreplaceable with use. Applications that respond to realtime data streams to deliver increasing value that’s specific to a customer over time.
Show more
It's time to build software but to win, you need the courage to create Natural Value.
Honored to be included by @every in their first set of Thesis Statements
