Alex Konrad
@alexrkonrad
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Founder and editor of @upstartsmediaco, a new tech publication focused on the startup ecosystem. Previously @Forbes senior editor. Email: [email protected]
The Arena
Joined March 2009
AI is spurring a moment of major change in cybersecurity. I sat down with Wiz co-founder @amiluttwak to talk in depth about how @wiz_io is thinking about AI -- as well as the latest on its $32B acquisition by Google, CyberArk's big deal and much more.
upstartsmedia.com
CTO Ami Luttwak dishes on how AI has changed cybersecurity and Wiz's product roadmap -- plus life since Wiz's announced $32 billion acquisition by Google.
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RT @_IainMartin: And now is a great time to revisit a classic @alexrkonrad profile unpacking what makes Figma, and its founder Dylan Field,….
forbes.com
Dylan Field sculpted Figma into design software’s hottest startup, valued at $10 billion and No. 7 on the Cloud 100 list, by listening first and letting the market and customers guide its research...
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Congrats to @zoink and Figma on the IPO! . And to all the VCs who have waited for years all dialed up with a touching personal anecdote that reminds us you’re an investor — this is your moment 👏👏👏.
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We are a global operation here at @UpstartsMediaCo 🫡.
Hi from 🇬🇷 where @alexrkonrad sent two whole @UpstartsMediaCo newsletters from "vacation.". Read today's issue and subscribe:
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RT @Techmeme: A look at OneChronos, as it seeks to create "smart markets" that would allow firms to trade GPU compute like other commoditie….
techmeme.com
Alex Konrad / Upstarts Media: A look at OneChronos, as it seeks to create “smart markets” that would allow firms to trade GPU compute like other commodities, such as electricity and oil
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RT @PrateekVJoshi: This is an interesting development! Curious to see if/when this will make the AI compute market more efficient.
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@UpstartsMediaCo @onechronos @NotionHQ P.S. if you're wondering who startup OneChronos is, some fast facts: . - @ycombinator 2016 alum .-raised ~$80M from @addition, @BoxGroup, @DCVC, @9yardscapital, DST Global .-runs an ATS for US equities with $6.5B in daily volume. Meanwhile, a bunch of startups could benefit.
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@UpstartsMediaCo @onechronos You can read my full story on the new GPU compute market, and what its implications could be for startups in and around AI, in our exclusive story on their work below 👇. A big thaks to sponsor @NotionHQ for helping this story to be fully free for all!.
upstartsmedia.com
OneChronos teamed up with prize-winning economist Paul Milgrom of Auctionomics to develop the world's first financial market for GPU compute. Now comes the hard part.
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“We’re not completely reinventing the wheel,” Milgrom tells @UpstartsMediaCo. “It’s helping people monetize their inventory, finance their investments, and manage their risk.”. OneChronos says it's already talking to financial firms, chip manufacturers and data center operators.
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Exclusive: the first futures market for GPU compute is almost here. Startup OneChronos developed a new GPU auction market alongside Nobel Prize winner Paul Milgrom and Auctionomics. The system can mean more access for startups and financing for costly infra like data centers.
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Upstarts is officially pro the birthplace of democracy 🇬🇷 and being captain of your own ship 🛳️. (and Starlink onboard WiFi 😂)
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@Forbes @milesgrimshaw @victoralazarte @sarahtavel I’ve written about the trend of partners leaving established firms to join emerging ones or launch their own a fair bit. It was my not-accidental last deep dive for @forbes before launching my own solo publication, @UpstartsMediaCo, this year. Story could use an update already!
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@Forbes @milesgrimshaw @victoralazarte @sarahtavel More recently, Victor’s been the partner I kept running into the most while looking at AI startups in past months. I’ve written about Mercor, and scooped his investment in Applied Compute. Sounds like more new checks still weren’t announced yet, too.
upstartsmedia.com
The reinforcement learning startup, founded by Rhythm Garg, Linden Li and Yash Patil, is valued at $100 million pre-launch -- and has already received investment interest at 5x that price.
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It’s been a decade since I profiled the firm and ‘The Benchmark Way’ for @forbes. It’s still a lesson in how to build a lasting VC franchise. But with @milesgrimshaw and @victoralazarte out, and @sarahtavel stepping back, that’s most of a generation….
forbes.com
Uber is also the latest hit for Benchmark, a firm whose record makes other vc shops look overhyped and overstaffed.
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Storied VC firm Benchmark has never seen its partnership drop to 3 before. Have to wonder if anyone is already lined up to step in, or if this means a full reset. Partners leaving there after 2 years isn’t normal 👀.
After 2 great years at benchmark, I’ve made the difficult decision to leave the firm in order to pursue a new adventure. Benchmark simply excels in the craft of early stage investing and forming deep partnerships with founders. I’ll always be grateful to have had the opportunity.
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I would love to know how many people have opted to watch Delta CEO Ed Bastian’s 2025 CES Keynote on their Delta flights this year
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RT @bradr: I thought this was a fair and nuanced take on AIUC from Upstarts — appreciate @alexrkonrad for engaging with us.
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@alighodsi @wileycwj @austinh___ @weberwongwong @wgyn_ @PaulDornier_ @ericries @gralston @UpstartsMediaCo @RuneKvist @aiunderwriting One twist in the AIUC story: its $15M funding round was led by @natfriedman, which means Meta is now an indirect shareholder. “His reputation is that he’s a stand-up guy who keeps his word, and so far I’ve seen nothing short of that,” its CEO says.
upstartsmedia.com
Led by an early Anthropic staffer, AIUC has raised $15 million from Nat Friedman, Emergence and others to sell a certificate of safety for AI tools, called AIUC-1, and develop an insurance market.
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Featuring thoughts from:.-Databricks CEO @alighodsi .-Doss CEO @wileycwj .-Unify CEO @austinh___ .-FLORA CEO @weberwongwong .-Assembled CEO @wgyn_ .-Alpharun co-founder @PaulDornier_ .-AIUC adviser @ericries .-AIUC investor @gralston . And several spicy anonymous AI founders.
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