Oren Kaniel

Lots of new AI goodness from Heroku team for app and agentic development, bringing powerful tech to developers without adding complexity and cognitive load -- simplicity and ease of use are critical to maximize productivity -- but business require this to be secure and operationally efficient. Check out these three new releases for Heroku's Managed Inference and Agents: 🌟 Added support for OpenAI's new open-weight model, gpt-oss-120b https://lnkd.in/gF98nA2R 🌟 Support for LlamaIndex to build data aware AI apps https://lnkd.in/gJj22YG4 🌟 Support for Pydantic AI - a popular agent framework for #python https://lnkd.in/graThjk6 Salesforce #Heroku Python #PydanticAI #LlamaIndex #OpenAI Salesforce Developers #AI #LLM #AIAgents #softwareengineering #developers

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The SMS interactions between brand & consumer contain incredibly rich context for 1:1 personalized commerce experiences. Postscript is the platform enabling such experiences. On this week's episode, Rishabh and I sat down with Adam Turner to explore how SMS evolved from an abandoned-cart afterthought to a 1:1 sales & marketing channel. We covered: - Category creation and the rise of the “SMS marketer” - Compliance and quality as product design principles - Moving from broadcast to conversational journeys - Building distribution in the Shopify ecosystem, then scaling a sales-led motion - Where AI has augmented vs reinvented both marketing products and teams Link in comments

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We at Blitzscaling Ventures are proud to invest in Atrios, an a16z portfolio company where we saw CEO Taylor Offer demo the product at the a16z Speedrun Demo Day. Atrios is an AI-powered network intelligence platform that maps who knows who and makes those relationships actionable for go-to-market teams. How it works: -Tech vendors can post offers and specify the types of roles they want to connect with. -Connectors (often founders, VCs, business development professionals between roles, or highly connected individuals) can peruse the offerings and choose the best fits. -The connectors reach out to their prospects for a mutually agreed-upon introduction. -The tech vendor gets a qualified, warm intro to a lead. The connector gets compensated. The business decision-maker accelerates their decision-making process. -All three parties benefit: the vendor, the connector, and the business decision-maker, which is why the company is cleverly called “A-Trios,” Atrios. And yes, Taylor Offer that's his actual given name, perfect for using AI for modern business development. Link to our post in comments

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**Exciting Acquisitions in the Startup Ecosystem: Base44's $80M Sale to Wix** Base44, founded just six months ago, demonstrates how innovative solutions can rapidly scale in the tech landscape. With 250,000 users and impressive monthly profits, the acquisition by Wix underscores the potential of niche products in driving user engagement. At ElevenX Capital, we believe this trend highlights the importance of early investment in agile startups. What key factors do you consider when assessing the potential of a new venture? #investing #innovation #venturecapital #entrepreneurship

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Sierra partnered with Curative to build their AI voice agent that's creating faster, better experiences for members and providers while freeing up their team to focus on what matters most: building deeper relationships

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When the stakes are high, the right tech partner makes all the difference. For LSKD—a global movement rooted in performance, community, and grit—that moment came when they uncovered over $100K in fraudulent affiliate commissions. They didn’t just need data. They needed action. That’s where Moby Agents from Triple Whale stepped in: ✅ $100K+ in fraud detected and prevented ✅ 40% lift in blended ROAS ✅ 3+ hours saved per week on reporting and analysis ✅ $8M AUD in revenue growth—with no increase in ad spend But the real story is how it happened: Agent-powered anomaly detection spotted affiliate abuse during a major sale—something even seasoned analysts could’ve missed. AI-driven reporting replaced siloed, inflated platform data—becoming LSKD’s new source of truth. Smarter budget reallocation fueled efficient growth, driven by real impact—not last-click noise. This is what it looks like when brands use AI strategically, not reactively. And here’s the key: Moby Agents didn’t replace the LSKD team—they enhanced it. By handling heavy, repetitive analysis, agents freed the team to focus on what really moves the needle: strategy, creativity, and innovation. This isn’t about less human input. It’s about higher-value human output. Full story here: https://lnkd.in/eNiVtyrC #eCommerce #ArtificialIntelligence #PerformanceMarketing #RetailTech #DTC #GrowthMarketing #triplewhale #moby

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Wix has acquired Hour One, an innovator team in generative AI media. This move gives us direct access to advanced technology and a highly skilled team, helping us move faster and with more control as we build the next generation of digital experiences on Wix. It’s an exciting step for us and a great addition that supports our long-term vision and strengthens our position in AI-driven product innovation.  Welcome the incredibly talented Hour One team.

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After 20 years of building and scaling startups, one lesson stands out: people often fear and complain about change, but clinging to the status quo is far more painful in the long run. Every successful company I’ve worked for, from Roku’s early days to transforming IMVU into a top mobile app, faced inflection points where change wasn’t just an option but a necessity. The real risk isn’t trying something new; it’s staying comfortable while the world moves on. Growth happens when we embrace discomfort, experiment, and adapt faster than the competition. The price of doing the same old thing is always higher than the price of change. If you want to build something that lasts, make change your ally, not your enemy. 🚀 #startups #growthmindset #leadership #business #leanstartups

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Love it or hate it, being in the SF Bay Area is still one of the biggest hacks for First Builders to discover huge opportunities before anyone else. But what can you do if you’re not here? Cecilia for example moved here in 2001 and instantly joined Yahoo after feeling the palpable energy around early internet. And it’s been nonstop ever since as she later joined Amazon, Cruise, Replit, and her own breakout company GC AI. She credits a lot to the emerging tech density and optimism in the Bay Area. But she also mentions additional ways people can identify these opportunities early on: - Follow intuition around big waves - Follow your envy - Never lose curiosity - Watch the teen hackers - Talk to peers early and often (builds long term networks/insights)

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