a16z's Voice AI Investment Strategy

This week on Turpentine VC, we are releasing an episode from The Cognitive Revolution, hosted by Nathan Labenz. Nathan sits down with Olivia Moore and Anish Acharya from Andreesen Horowitz to discuss the trends, investment strategies, and future potential of AI voice technology in both B2B and consumer sectors, exploring its implications for various industries including call centers, SMBs, and personalized AI companions.

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RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 

🎙️‪ The Cognitive Revolution

The Cognitive Revolution is a podcast about AI where hosts Nathan Labenz and Erik Torenberg interview the builders on the edge of AI and explore the dramatic shift it will unlock over the next decades. 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6yHyok3M3BjqzR0VB5MSyk?si=7357ec31ac424043&nd=1&dlsi=060a53f1d7be47ad 

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cognitive-revolution-ai-builders-researchers-and/id1669813431 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CognitiveRevolutionPodcast

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SPONSORS:

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LINKS:

The Cognitive Revolution Website: https://www.cognitiverevolution.ai/ 

a16z Website: https://a16z.com/ 

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X / TWITTER:

@illscience

@omooretweets

@labenz

@TurpentineVC

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE:

• Olivia Moore explains they track AI trends across platforms like Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, with YouTube being surprisingly important for AI tool adoption.
• They emphasize the importance of actually using AI products hands-on to build intuition about what works.
• Consumer demand signals (like people trying to make ChatGPT act as a therapist) help identify opportunities for standalone focused products.