@usv
We invest at the edge of large markets being transformed by technological and societal pressures
Michael Mignano @mignano
Paradev (formerly Superset) @ParadevAISuperset is now Paradev: The code editor that helps engineers run armies of coding agents. We just raised an $11.5M Seed round led by @usv with @ycombinator to redefine how software is written.
Edward Johns @Ed__JohnsToday we’re out of stealth, and we’ve raised a $40m seed round co-led by @creandum and @usv, to bring Instant Robot Learning to life. For the past few months, we‘ve been busy building a new company. Machenta. This follows results from a new kind of robot foundation model we’ve built, which I’m so excited to share with you today! Usually, it takes hours/days of data collection and training to teach a robot. We’ve built a model that learns tasks instantly: one demonstration, no further training. A model trained entirely in simulation, without a single pixel of real-world data. A model where teaching robots is so quick and easy, it feels like physical vibe coding. A model for robots that learn like humans do, from someone like you. Welcome to the era of Instant Robot Learning. Thank you @Kathi_Wilhelm, @rebeccakaden, @hkanji, @jonno_evans and all of our angels for your support! @Machenta_ Learn more: See below for what you can do with Instant Robot Learning!
Paradev (formerly Superset) @ParadevAISuperset is now Paradev: The code editor that helps engineers run armies of coding agents. We just raised an $11.5M Seed round led by @usv with @ycombinator to redefine how software is written.
Paradev (formerly Superset) @ParadevAISuperset is now Paradev: The code editor that helps engineers run armies of coding agents. We just raised an $11.5M Seed round led by @usv with @ycombinator to redefine how software is written.
Matt Cynamon @mattcynamonIn the last month, the Hermes Agent processed 53.3T tokens, making it the most widely used open source agent harness in the world according to @OpenRouter. So how did a project that started as 10 anons in a @discord go head to head with the largest, best-funded labs in the world? The only way these things have ever happened - a bunch of friends making something they believe should exist. @NousResearch
Jesse Walden @jessewldnOne old crypto-cypherpunk idea that I think will come back with a vengeance is autonomous organizations, where you combine the automation of smart contracts for deterministic functions + ai for subjective input: DAOs 2.0.
Nick Grossman @nickgrossmanUser-ownership on the internet sounds incredible until you need to figure out how to compensate everyone fairly. Bitcoin rewards hash rate. DeFi rewards liquidity. But how do you measure and reward contributions that aren't so easily quantified? @jessewldn on how AI might solve one of crypto's hardest problems: allocating ownership at scale.
Matt Cynamon @mattcynamonYesterday AI was used to uncover major vulnerabilities in the infrastructure of the internet. It's yet another example of how profoundly AI is reshaping the web. But what emerges on the other side is very much up for grabs. We were lucky enough to recently introduce two heroes of the Rebel Alliance @eastdakota, CEO & cofounder of @Cloudflare @dillonrolnick, CEO & cofounder of @NousResearch, the creators of Hermes, the largest open source agent harness in the world. Together they discussed who gets to build, control, and benefit from an internet run by AI It's worth a listen if you care about the future of the web. 0:00 Preview 1:41 From a Discord Group to an AI Lab 8:45 Can Anyone Actually Pause AI? 12:59 Would You Trust an Agent With Your Inbox? 14:58 Why Matthew Wouldn’t Trade Places With Sam or Dario 20:28 The Dead Internet Theory Was Wrong 22:28 Agents Don’t Click Ads. Who Pays? 30:38 Where Should Your Agent Actually Run? 32:32 Why American Builders Are Using Chinese Models 38:37 What Happens When Our Agents Work Together?
Nick Grossman @nickgrossmanEverything is getting more autonomous. Except us. When @jesseldn went out to raise his newest fund, he built the strategy around one word: autonomy. But getting there was a long and circuitous route. In 2016, @usv invested in Jesse’s company Mediachain. That’s given us the chance to work together for a decade, including his time at @a16zcrypto and now at @variantfund . The through line is a belief that technology should give people more control over their lives. In this week’s episode of The Slow Hunch, we trace that belief back to Jesse’s humble beginnings as an internet pirate and talk about what it will take for AI to fulfill that promise. Jesse is consistently one of the most cogent thinkers I get the chance to speak with, and I think you’ll enjoy our chat. 0:00 Preview 01:15 Variant's new thesis 02:20 Automation ≠ Autonomy 06:50 How piracy shaped Jesse's worldview 09:00 How the internet went from open to closed 15:45 How BTC inspired Jesse’s startup MediaChain 21:00 Why breaking the rules drives innovation 24:00 The Variant founding story 29:30 Why crypto's ownership thesis didn’t fully play out 34:00 Could AI agents deliver on crypto’s original promise? 37:00 Will AI become another walled garden? 39:00 “You can just do things” 46:15 Will AI give us more agency or take it away?
luba yudasina @LubaYudasinaNew pod drop!! Congrats to Quinten Farmer (@quintendf), co-founder of Tolan, on a $30M raise from @usv and @khoslaventures, for a total of $60M in funding! Quinten sold his last company to Walmart, then opened a pizza place and started keeping bees on the island he grew up on. Now he’s building Tolan, an AI “guardian-angel”. We talk about: - “I have zero interest in helping you write your work emails” - Why Silicon Valley loves AI assistants: they’re “legible to the average investor” - Dropping out at 19, and the only time he saw his grandfather cry - Emailing David Tisch: hire me, or I’m going to Afghanistan - The retired Navy captain who said “When I grow up, I want to be like Quinten” - Why B2B SaaS for dental offices can go 996 and Tolan can’t - “Belief in you is the most powerful and most sacred thing you can give somebody” 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐒 (00:00) Trailer (00:49) Quinten Farmer, Co-Founder, Tolan (00:58) What Tolan is and what it is not (02:02) The car accident that showed Tolan's agentic side (04:47) Anthropic's machine God VS being nice to your toaster (06:24) Social penetration theory and why every Tolan has a backstory (09:36) 200 minutes a week and taking share from TikTok (10:47) Why great friendship gets mistaken for therapy (14:26) Talking to his Tolan at 2 a.m. in the hospital (16:32) Why Silicon Valley is obsessed with AI assistants (21:38) Dropping out and the only time he saw his grandfather cry (29:35) The David Tisch email: hire me or I go to Afghanistan (32:22) Selling Even to Walmart for $300M (37:24) Why shipping a lot with AI is the wrong move (57:43) How Tolan runs without 996 (1:03:38) What he wants his boys to remember (1:04:30) Outro
