RRE POV

In this episode of RRE POV, Raju and Will challenge the idea that one AI model will rule all, and dive into four emerging tiers of LLMs that could reshape the economics and future of artificial intelligence. From frontier models built for complex reasoning to distillation models offering lower-cost alternatives, classification and decision engines designed for routine AI tasks, and on-premise models prioritizing privacy and security, Raju and Will explore how each tier serves a distinct purpose.The takeaway: AI's future may not belong to a single dominant model, but to an ecosystem of specialized models working together — creating new opportunities across infrastructure, enterprise applications, and data governance.Highlights: (01:04) The Four Tiers of AI Models(03:09) Jev, a Classifier Not a Chatbot(03:56) Why LLMs Always Give You an Answer(07:10) Why Agent Traffic Is the Real Story(10:56) Jev Could Cut Token Spend(14:50) The Three Ways Frontier Models Get Cut(21:04) Lessons From the Telecom Bundle Wars(24:06) Who Controls the Routing Layer?(26:49) Keeping Your Data Private On-Prem(31:26) Why It All Comes Down to Data Governance(33:57) Are We Overbuilding Data Centers?

In this weeks episode, Will and Raju take on Rogue AI, a topic even the smartest minds in the world can’t agree on. They start with a run through of real incidents from the past few weeks, and then dive into the hard questions. Are we moving too quickly without the right safeguards? Can regulation realistically keep pace with AI development? And what can we learn from other high-stakes industries, from nuclear security and space exploration to autonomous vehicles?  It’s a wide-ranging conversation about how we continue pushing AI forward without losing control of the risks that come with it.Show Highlights: (03:40) Are We Moving Too Fast?(04:25) The Smartest Minds Are Split(07:53) Why the Nuclear Age Is the Real Parallel(09:35) What Space Teaches Us About Getting It Right(14:40) Stopping Sandbox Escapes(18:21) Can Regulation Actually Work?(21:04) Open-Weight vs. Closed-Source Risk(27:17) Is There a Law of the Sea for AI?(31:44) Keeping a Human in the Loop(35:07) Making Developers Pay(38:36) Why No One Wants to Slow AI Down

On this episode of RRE POV, Raju Rishi sits down with Máuhan Zonoozy, founder and CEO of A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya, to explore the evolution of music at the intersection of technology, culture, and creativity.From vinyl and streaming to gaming and AI, they unpack how new technologies have continually reshaped how music is created, distributed, and experienced. At the center of the conversation is Máuhan’s belief that music is a verb, something people should be able to actively participate in, not just consume.  A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya is exploring that next frontier by building interactive digital “instruments” experiences that let people manipulate, remix, play with, and experience music. The guys dig into why gaming may offer the best blueprint for music’s next evolution, how interactive experiences could create new forms of creativity and monetization for artists and labels, and why AI doesn’t have to shrink the existing music ecosystem, it could expand it. Plus, plenty of music nostalgia, favorite artists, festivals, and nightlife stories along the way. Highlights: (00:00) Meet Mauhan Zonoozy(03:02) Music Roots and Instruments(05:11) First Concerts and Posters(08:05) From Blogs to Music Production(10:17) Formats Sampling and Bubble(20:56) Instagram Video Clipping MVP(22:00) Gaming as Music Culture(23:18) Self Expression Spectrum(25:52) AI Music and Shibuya Thesis(40:41) Rapid Fire Favorites WrapLinks Mentioned:Explore A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya: shibuyaaa.comFollow A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya: @vinylbarshibuya

Is SaaS really dying, or is AI simply forcing the software industry into its next era?In this episode of RRE POV, Raju Rishi and Will Porteous take on the “SaaSpocalypse” and separate the structural shifts from the market panic. They examine how AI agents are challenging some of SaaS’s most fundamental assumptions—from seat-based pricing and long-term contracts to the traditional build-versus-buy equation, while also making the case that the strongest software companies may be more resilient than headlines suggest. Proprietary data, security, governance, regulatory expertise, customer trust, and deep domain knowledge could prove to be enduring advantages.But the bigger story may be what comes next.  They look ahead to what could be an even bigger shift: moving away from subscriptions toward consumption- and output-based pricing, the rise of tech-enabled services, and a new generation of AI-native business models.The SaaS model may be under pressure, but software isn’t disappearing. It’s becoming more dynamic, more fluid, and potentially far more valuable in ways the industry is only beginning to understand.Highlights: (00:00) Welcome and Setup(00:17 )Defining SaaSpocalypse(01:47) Is SaaS Really Dead(04:11) Threat One Seat Pricing(07:23) Threat Two Wrapper Apps(10:18) Threat Three Build vs Buy(15:47) Why Vertical SaaS Survives(21:06) Regulation and Governance Moats(29:17) New Reality Pricing Models(39:34) What SaaS Companies Should Do

In this episode, Will and Raju answer a question they keep hearing from limited partners: How should we actually use AI?  The guys break down what AI does well today, where it still falls short, and how LPs and corporate leaders can begin putting it to work. They also highlight AI tools from within the RRE portfolio, discuss the metrics every AI dashboard should track, and share practical ways to move beyond experimentation.  The takeaway: AI may not be ready to make your most important decisions, but it is already capable of helping teams move faster, work more efficiently and reclaim valuable time.Highlights(01:10) Raju Sings REM(03:38) What AI Is Actually Good at Today(06:44) The Overhyped Side of AI(13:56) How Originalis Helps Investors Decide(23:00) Farsight Turns Weeks of M&A Work Into Minutes(27:55) The AI Playbook for Corporates(29:14) Six Metrics for Your AI Dashboard(35:32) Avina, the AI Sales Tool That Times Your Pitch(39:31) Unlocking Old Company Knowledge With AI

In this episode of RRE POV, Raju Rishi and Will Porteous unpack two major forces shaping the future of AI: model distillation and the debate between open-source and proprietary models. They break down what distillation means, why it matters for model defensibility, and how open systems have historically reshaped major technology markets. From Linux and Android to the open internet, the conversation explores what past platform shifts can teach us about where AI is headed, and why founders and enterprises should focus less on model lock-in and more on durable workflows, data, and customer value.Highlights:(02:04) Explaining AI Distillation (03:10) How Distillation Copies AI Models(06:47) LLMs Trained on Everyone Else's Data First(08:26) The Sunk Cost Problem in AI(14:30) 85% of AI Queries Are Repeats(19:47) Open vs. Proprietary Models Explained(21:28) What Windows vs. Linux Teaches Us About AI(26:33) AOL's Walled Garden Warning(34:34) Lock-In on Apps, Not AI Models

AI is transforming industries at an extraordinary pace, but the path to real-world adoption is proving more complex than the headlines suggest. In this episode of RRE POV, Raju and Will unpack the biggest growing pains facing AI today — from hallucinations and infrastructure costs to GPU shortages, talent bottlenecks, legal uncertainty, data governance, and the realities of enterprise adoption. Drawing on lessons from previous technology cycles and insights from across the RRE portfolio, they explore where the hype is getting ahead of itself, which companies are helping solve critical constraints, and why the next phase of AI may be driven less by broad platforms and more by focused, vertical applications. Whether you’re building with AI, investing in it, or trying to understand where the market is headed, this conversation offers a candid and practical look at what comes next.Highlights: (00:35) Five AI Growing Pains(02:34) Hallucinations and Trust(06:17) Fixing Hallucinations(08:58) Prime Intellect and RL(10:27) Farsight and Source Links(14:27) AI Cost and GPU Crunch(19:57) Cooling and Space Data Centers(24:18) Efficiency Wins Lovelace(28:22) Talent Legal and Adoption Wrap

In this episode of RRE POV, hosts Raju Rishi and Will Porteous sit down with Tive founder and CEO Krenar Komoni for a deeply personal and forward-looking conversation on building at the intersection of hardware, software, and AI.Krenar shares his journey from growing up in Kosovo during political upheaval, to becoming a full-stack entrepreneur leading one of the world’s most advanced real-time supply chain visibility platforms. What began as a scrappy solution to a family trucking problem has evolved into Tive, a global company powering mission-critical logistics for thousands of customers.The conversation explores how AI, first-party data, and full-stack thinking are reshaping logistics, and why companies like Tive, with years of real-world data and embedded infrastructure, are uniquely positioned to define the future of autonomous supply chains.Highlights: (00:00) Welcome and Guest Intro(01:55) Early Coding in Kosovo(06:09) War Displacement and Grit(09:30) Falling for RF Engineering(14:03) Founding Tive from Trucking Pain(18:31) From Term Sheet to Trust(19:21) Hitting One Million Trackers(20:21) Soft Skills and CES Connections(23:05) Tive Today Product and Metrics(27:35) AI Roadmap and Wrap Up

In this episode of RRE POV, Raju and Will dive deep into the evolving science and philosophy of longevity. Moving beyond the simple goal of living longer, they explore what it really means to live better for longer.Raju shares his latest thinking on the five major sectors shaping the longevity landscape: health data, insights and planning, personalized medicine, verticalized solutions, and frontier technologies. Along the way, the guys unpack everything from wearables, blood work, and full-body MRIs to the limitations of today’s healthcare system and the need for better feedback loops in personal health.At the heart of the episode is a powerful idea: longevity is not just about correcting biomarkers or adding years to life, but about improving the body’s ability to recover, adapt, and regenerate.  From personal reflections on aging and lifespan expectations to the societal implications of extended life (think careers, marriage, and even prison sentences), this conversation spans both the practical and philosophical and takes a thought-provoking look at the future of health, wellness, and longevity.Shownotes: (00:00) Welcome (00:49) Why Longevity Matters Now(03:08) Living Forever Tradeoffs(08:52) Five Longevity Startup Sectors(10:13) Health Data and Wearables Deep Dive(19:56) Battery And Recharge(20:15) Stress States And Regeneration(22:07) Resilience And HRV(24:38) Exercise Ceiling Recovery Floor(28:24) Recursive Feedback Healthcare(30:32) Precision Dosing Personalization(33:04) Longevity Clinics Reality Check(34:17) Microbiome Early Navigation(37:44) Vertical Apps And GLP Ones(41:10) Frontier Tech And Wrap Up

In the first-ever video edition of the RRE POV podcast, Raju sits down with longtime collaborator and friend Dan Rosenberg, Founder and CEO of Octane11. Dan and Raju share stories from their scrappy days building Rave Wireless, and reflect on what makes great early startup teams, why culture is shaped by your first hires, and how those early experiences shaped their approach to building companies today.  Dan shares his journey from Venture to MediaMath and ultimately to founding his latest venture, Octane11, reflecting on the startup lessons that shaped him along the way. Dan and Raju dive into how Octane11 is synthesizing marketing data across channels into a unified model tied to companies and revenue—creating the foundation for AI to generate meaningful insights that help B2B marketers connect campaign activity to real business outcomes and make smarter, faster decisions across the marketing stack.Show Notes: (00:00) Welcome to the Show(00:59) Dan Rosenberg Bio(02:00) IKEA Box Dive Interview(10:50) MediaMath Rise and Lessons(14:49) MediaMath Focus vs Trade Desk(17:41) Octane11 Origin Story(18:21) Why B2B Attribution Is Hard(19:30) Account Based Marketing Explained(22:13) Mapping Engagement to Companies(24:17) Ideal Customer Profile Sweet Spot(26:32) Agency and Platform Partnerships(27:34) AI Strategy Data First(36:02) Wrap Up Stories Gatling Questions