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AI startups raised $6.9B in Q1 2020

angel.co

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Re: AI startups raised $6.9B in Q1 2020

#3

Post by say_it_as_it_is »

What percentage of these "AI" startups do you think are doing no more than traditional automation with technology? Applying deep learning to do no more than what can be done with more accessible technology is like using Haskell on steroids, ensuring that no more than a few people will ever be able to maintain it.

Re: AI startups raised $6.9B in Q1 2020

#4

Post by parkaboy »

say_it_as_it_is wrote: post #3

What percentage of these "AI" startups do you think are doing no more than traditional automation with technology? Applying deep learning to do no more than what can be done with more accessible technology is like using Haskell on steroids, ensuring that no more than a few people will ever be able to maintain it.

Pretty sure it's mainly platforms. https://hbr.org/2020/03/navigating-the-new-landscape-of-ai-p...

I've personally been seeing several pop up for helping with training+deployment for edge-oriented applications like Edge Impulse and Latent AI.

Re: AI startups raised $6.9B in Q1 2020

#5

Post by boltzmannbrain »

1. Many startups claiming AI are simply doing things with data; research shows two-fifths have no AI programs in their products [1].

2. Round-closing announcements trail the actual closing by several months. Not to mention the actual raising and diligence takes months (even more so for larger/later rounds). Thus the $ reported here does not factor in covid19 and the current economic crisis, as implied.

[1] https://www.ft.com/content/21b19010-3e9f-11e9-b896-fe36ec32a...

Re: AI startups raised $6.9B in Q1 2020

#7

Post by axegon_ »

boltzmannbrain wrote: post #5

1. Many startups claiming AI are simply doing things with data; research shows two-fifths have no AI programs in their products [1]. 2. Round-closing announcements trail the actual closing by several months. Not to mention the actual raising and diligence takes months (even more so for larger/later rounds). Thus the $ reported here does not factor in covid19 and the current economic crisis, as implied. [1] https://ww…

I've spent an unhealthy amount of time at presentations, conferences, seminars and meetups. With that, on your first point, I'm more inclined to believe somewhere around 90% have absolutely no "AI" or "ML" for that matter in their products. And a large fraction of those who do have re-used existing open source solutions without digging a lot into them. De omnibus dubitandum est, of course, but this is the impression I get.

Re: AI startups raised $6.9B in Q1 2020

#9

Post by te_chris »

https://a16z.com/2020/02/16/the-new-business-of-ai-and-how-i... a very good take.

Most AI startups are struggling to scale because models are hard to scale and generalize compared to SaaS. There'll be some fortunes made for sure, but we're still very early in building out these businesses and mostly these seem to be VC's who are (were?) desperate for "deep-tech" portfolio items to make them sound "bleeding-edge" at CogX, Davos, that thing in Aspen, etc.

Re: AI startups raised $6.9B in Q1 2020

#10

Post by boltzmannbrain »

parkaboy wrote: post #4
say_it_as_it_is wrote: post #3

What percentage of these "AI" startups do you think are doing no more than traditional automation with technology? Applying deep learning to do no more than what can be done with more accessible technology is like using Haskell on steroids, ensuring that no more than a few people will ever be able to maintain it.

Pretty sure it's mainly platforms. https://hbr.org/2020/03/navigating-the-new-landscape-of-ai-p... I've personally been seeing several pop up for helping with training+deployment for edge-oriented applications like Edge Impulse and Latent AI.

Latent Sciences?? https://latentsci.com/
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