Why do robots need more than vision to master real-world tasks? Sze Yuan Cheong of Devol Robots explains how combining vision, force, and impedance control could advance physical AI and factory automation.

Join Jake Aaron Villarreal on Born in Silicon Valley for a conversation about robot learning, the shift from hardware to AI, and building a robotics startup that scales.

Watch, subscribe, and comment: What is the biggest barrier to smarter factory robots?

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Sze Yuan Cheong and his work 00:55 Current trends and limitations in robotics perception 01:52 The importance of force and impedance in interaction 03:18 Core hypothesis: combining vision and impedance 04:47 Impedance control and its application in real-world interactions 06:43 Training challenges and preserving geometric data 08:08 Building hardware versus focusing on software and AI 10:04 Market realities and reliability of robotic hardware 12:23 Groundbreaking capabilities of their AI model 14:04 Mathematical foundations: Riemannian geometry and robot planning 16:45 Market opportunities: humanoids versus industrial robots 20:49 Applications in manufacturing and medical robotics 25:08 Hype versus reality in physical AI markets 29:44 Global leadership in AI and robotics innovation 32:48 Team building and hiring strategies in high-tech startups 40:34 Future plans and upcoming deployments 44:22 Closing remarks and contact information

Host: Jake Aaron Villarreal leads the top AI recruitment firm in Silicon Valley, www.matchrelevant.com, uncovering stories of funded startups and going behind the scenes to tell their founders’ journeys. If you are growing an AI startup or have a great story to tell, email us at: jake.villarreal@matchrelevant.com

Why do most enterprise vision AI projects fail? PlainSight CEO Jonathan Simkins joins Jake Aaron Villarreal to explain how VisOps helps companies deploy faster, more reliable, and cost-efficient computer vision solutions.

Discover how PlainSight uses open-source models, predictable pricing, and scalable AI infrastructure to transform software engineers into computer vision experts.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Jonathan Simkins and Plain Sight 02:25 Jonathan's background in investment banking and tech startups 05:15 The origin story of Plain Sight and vision AI infrastructure 13:55 Why Plain Sight's infrastructure software is unique 20:48 Market opportunities and customer use cases for Vision AI 29:39 Business model, pricing, and cost advantages 45:27 Growth plans and future vision for Plain Sight

Host: Jake Aaron Villarreal leads the top AI recruitment firm in Silicon Valley, www.matchrelevant.com, uncovering stories of funded startups and going behind the scenes to tell their founders’ journeys. If you are growing an AI startup or have a great story to tell, email us at: jake.villarreal@matchrelevant.com

What happens when a $100 million startup is forced to reinvent itself? David Abbey shares how he scaled Penny AI across 60 countries, raised more than $30 million, and navigated a difficult pivot that ultimately led to Endless.

David explains how Endless helps DTC brands manage creators, affiliates, UGC, and ambassador programs with AI. He also explores startup resilience, the creator economy, influencer marketing, venture capital, and the growing demand for AI infrastructure, data centers, and energy.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and guest background 02:54 David's entrepreneurial journey and early startups 08:36 Scaling Penny AI and market impact during COVID-19 14:33 Transition from Penny AI to Endless and market evolution 20:29 Endless platform for creator and influencer programs 27:21 AI integration and business intelligence features 31:42 Supply Capital and AI infrastructure investments 35:44 The future of data centers and power needs 43:02 Company growth, team building, and future plans

Host: Jake Aaron Villarreal leads the top AI recruitment firm in Silicon Valley, www.matchrelevant.com, uncovering stories of funded startups and going behind the scenes to tell their founders’ journeys. If you are growing an AI startup or have a great story to tell, email us at: jake.villarreal@matchrelevant.com

Did you know a simple text message sent on a personal phone recently cost a major financial institution 50 million dollars in SEC fines? In this episode, we uncover how AI is solving the massive compliance headache that is tearing through Wall Street and the fintech industry.

Join us as we sit down with Larry Shumbrus, the visionary Founder and CEO of Archive Intel. Larry shares his fascinating journey from IBM and Wall Street to building an AI-powered compliance platform that streamlines archiving processes for off-channel communications like texting, social media, and email. We explore the explosive growth of Archive Intel, driven by their innovative approach to allowing financial advisors to seamlessly use their own phones while staying fully compliant with SEC and FINRA regulations.

Beyond the product, Larry drops incredible insights on how artificial intelligence is reshaping the startup workforce. Discover why young engineers are rapidly outpacing traditional talent, the rising importance of forward-deployed engineers, and how forcing his own team to embrace AI workflows triggered a massive leap in productivity. Whether you are building a fintech startup or trying to integrate AI into your daily operations, this episode is packed with actionable advice on scaling a modern business.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Larry and his background 04:09 Larry's journey from Wall Street to fintech 08:46 The inception of Archive Intel and its mission 09:24 Challenges in compliance and how AI addresses them 19:02 The impact of regulatory fines and how AI helps 22:47 Implementing AI internally and team adoption 26:27 Talent acquisition and the AI skills gap 34:38 Product onboarding and automation strategies 37:41 Future product developments and market expansion 41:07 Company growth, hiring, and culture 43:15 The importance of culture and team fit 45:16 How to connect with Archive Intel

Host: Jake Aaron Villarreal leads the top AI recruitment firm in Silicon Valley, www.matchrelevant.com, uncovering stories of funded startups and going behind the scenes to tell their founders’ journeys. If you are growing an AI startup or have a great story to tell, email us at: jake.villarreal@matchrelevant.com

Every year, billions of dollars in investment settlements are left unclaimed by everyday investors who have no idea they are owed money. Discover how 11th is using AI to automatically recover these lost funds from massive corporate lawsuits involving giants like Apple and Google.

In this episode of Born in Silicon Valley, we sit down with George Semashko, Co-founder and CPO of 11th. George shares the incredible origin story of his fintech startup, which skyrocketed after a single viral Reddit post. Today, his lean team of 22 has successfully helped over 150,000 users automatically claim their rightful share of the $9.3 billion in annual class action settlements.

Tune in as George dives deep into the complex world of financial recovery, explaining why the traditional claims process is broken and how 11th utilizes advanced AI agents to scan court documents and SEC filings. By seamlessly integrating with brokerages like Charles Schwab, 11th ensures retail investors receive their funds directly without compromising private data.

Beyond the technology, George opens up about the personal challenges of his founder journey. He shares valuable lessons on stepping out of your comfort zone, the reality of cold-calling billion-dollar financial institutions, and the hard truths about hiring the right salespeople to scale an AI startup. Whether you are an angel investor, a tech enthusiast, or a rising entrepreneur, this conversation is packed with actionable insights on building a resilient business.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to George Semashko and 11th 02:07 George's background and journey into fintech 09:20 The origin of 11th and the problem it solves 13:30 Going viral on Reddit and discovering demand 15:22 Building the claim automation system 17:34 Examples of major legal settlements 20:22 Challenges in navigating legal claims for investors 25:39 The role of AI in automating data scraping and claim processing 30:01 Scaling the platform and future growth plans 35:07 Partnerships with financial institutions 40:25 Insights on hiring and team building 47:12 Lessons learned from sales and outreach 55:40 The importance of diverse teams and hiring strategies 01:02:29 Future opportunities and expansion plans

Host: Jake Aaron Villarreal leads the top AI recruitment firm in Silicon Valley, www.matchrelevant.com, uncovering stories of funded startups and going behind the scenes to tell their founders’ journeys. If you are growing an AI startup or have a great story to tell, email us at: jake.villarreal@matchrelevant.com

AI is moving fast, but non-technical founders and legacy businesses are being left behind. Discover how GoAccelovate is changing the game by turning ideas into functional AI prototypes in just 48 hours without writing a single line of code.

Muhammad Owais Awan shares his journey from an industrial engineering background to launching a tech agency alongside his sister and technical co-founder. Together, they are empowering retired executives, traditional industries, and non-technical entrepreneurs to leverage artificial intelligence effectively.

In this episode, we dive into the challenges of introducing automation to legacy institutions and how a visual prototype can overcome the ego of outdated processes. Muhammad also discusses building specialized AI recruitment tools for heavy industries and what he looks for when hiring AI-fluent talent for his own team.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and guest background 06:52 Mohammed's early experiences and entrepreneurial journey 19:41 Market landscape and AI opportunities for non-technical businesses 26:04 How rapid prototyping with AI works in practice 37:40 Business model and pricing strategies for AI solutions 45:40 Targeting legacy industries and overcoming resistance 52:25 Final advice: Embracing your inner champion

Host: Jake Aaron Villarreal leads the top AI recruitment firm in Silicon Valley, www.matchrelevant.com, uncovering stories of funded startups and going behind the scenes to tell their founders’ journeys. If you are growing an AI startup or have a great story to tell, email us at: jake.villarreal@matchrelevant.com

GoAccelovate

Social Media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goaccelovate/2. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goaccelovate/3. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoAccelovate/shorts4. TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@goaccelovate

Owais Awan Social Media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/royalowaisawanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/royalowaisawan/

What happens when you combine Amazon-level operational efficiency with cutting-edge AI automation? You get a total transformation of how modern companies handle their internal support and ticketing systems.

In this episode of Born in Silicon Valley, Jake Aaron Villarreal sits down with Kevin Coleman, co-founder of Ravenna, to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of Enterprise Service Management. Kevin shares his incredible journey from Wall Street to Silicon Valley, detailing how his experiences at AWS inspired him to rethink internal IT and HR support structures.

Ravenna is leveraging AI agents to automate the most repetitive tasks within mid-market and enterprise companies, such as software access requests and onboarding workflows. Kevin unpacks the immense value of Forward Deployed Engineers, explaining why having highly technical professionals deeply embedded in a customer environment is the ultimate growth hack for B2B SaaS startups.

Learn how agile startups can consistently outperform legacy incumbents by prioritizing rapid iteration and unparalleled customer service. Discover why building backwards from customer demand remains the most reliable strategy for achieving product-market fit.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and guest background 02:23 Kevin's journey from finance to tech 05:39 What is Ravenna and its mission 09:54 The impact of ChatGPT and AI in enterprise support 15:20 Target companies and customer profiles 18:25 The sales process and proof of concept 21:12 Platform overview and technical integrations 27:13 Startups vs. incumbents: speed and service 33:22 The future of AI agents in organizations 37:30 Lessons learned and advice for founders 41:06 Company growth and hiring plans

Host: Jake Aaron Villarreal leads the top AI recruitment firm in Silicon Valley, www.matchrelevant.com, uncovering stories of funded startups and going behind the scenes to tell their founders’ journeys. If you are growing an AI startup or have a great story to tell, email us at: jake.villarreal@matchrelevant.com