20VC: Why All AI Companies Are Under-Valued | The Future of Foundation Models: Scaling Laws, Generalised vs Specialised, Commoditised? | From Unable to Afford Rent to Raising $130M From Index and Peter Thiel with George Sivulka @ Hebbia

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George Sivulka 0:00
You can bucket great founders into three backgrounds. I think probably the most common is that you had kind of a messed up childhood. The second most common would be you're gay. And the third most common would be you were adopted. Look at like a list of all time greats. Elon Musk kind of messed up childhood, Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs adopted, Peter Thiel, Sam Altman, you know, like publicly gay. And I think that all of these early life experiences end up giving you some desire, some deeper passion to go out and prove yourself.
Harry Stebbings 0:30
This is 20VC with me, Harry Stebbings, and today we have one of the most wild stories in AI, Hebbia. Three years ago, George Sivulka couldn't make his rent of $300 a month for a mattress on the floor. He snuck into Stanford dining room halls for meals after dropping out. He raised his first two rounds of financing with clothes hanging behind him on Zoom. Most recently, the company raised a whopping $130 million and has investors including Peter Thiel, Index, GV, and Andreessen. This is one of the most remarkable stories of the last few years. But before we dive in today, here are two fun facts about our newest brand sponsor, Kajabi. First, their customers just crossed a collective $8 billion in total revenue. Wow.
Harry Stebbings 1:20
Second, Kajabi's users keep 100% of their earnings, with the average Kajabi creator bringing in over $30,000 per year. In case you didn't know, Kajabi is the leading creator commerce platform with an all-in-one suite of tools including websites, email marketing, digital products, payment processing, and analytics for as low as $69 per month. Whether you are looking to build a private community, write a paid newsletter, or launch a course, Kajabi is the only platform that will enable you to build and grow your online business without taking a cut of your revenue. 20 VC listeners can try Kajabi for free for 30 days by going to Kajabi.com forward slash 20VC. That's Kajabi.com K-A-J-A-B-I.com forward slash 20VC.
Harry Stebbings 2:06
And after building your online empire with Kajabi, it's time to scale your global team with remote seamless hiring solutions. So every business is a global business in 2025. But how do you do payroll for your global business and team and comply with international labor laws? Well, Remote handles payroll, benefits, taxes, stock options, and compliance to help companies of all sizes pay and manage full-time and contract workers all over the world. Remote's global employment solutions keep your team, your finances, and your intellectual property secure, Remote never charges hidden fees, just best-in-class global employment solutions for a low flat rate. The world's top remote companies love Remote. GitLab, the world's largest all-remote organization, trusts Remote to run their global team. Remote is funded by Index Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and the host of the greatest podcast ever, Harry Stebbings and 20VC. Ready to learn more? Head over to remote.com forward slash 20VC, that's 20VC, and begin hiring within minutes.
Harry Stebbings 3:06
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Harry Stebbings 3:47
Plus, with 20x the standard protection through program banks, your cash is not just working harder, it's working safer too. It's no surprise that one in three venture-backed startups in the US, with companies like Anthropic, Coinbase and Robinhood, I mean, my God, these companies are incredible. Trust Brex to help them grow.

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