Podcast
Agentic
Hosted by George Bandarian · EN
The Agentic Podcast, hosted by George Bandarian, General Partner & CEO at Untapped Ventures, leads deep discussions that uncover the untapped potential and breakthroughs of autonomous AI systems shaping the future.
Featuring insights from founders, investors, and industry leaders, we dive into the impact of Agentic AI on industry and society, breakthroughs in machine learning, the future of responsible AI, and the convergence of human and machine intelligence.
13episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
10 Top AI Founders building the Autonomous Economy share their secrets
4w ago01:16:58Tap to summarizeGeorge Bandarian, General Partner at Untapped Ventures, brings 10 of his portfolio founders on stage at the 2026 Annual General Meeting in LA — the builders actually making the autonomous economy real across compute, robotics, AI models, longevity, and enterprise agents. These are the stories of the founders in the trenches. In this episode, we go deep into: The Compute Revolution: Why thermodynamic computing could deliver 10,000x energy efficiency gains over GPUs, what scientific quantum advantage actually means (and why Blue Qubit is one of only five companies to have achieved it), and why the current NVIDIA-dominated paradigm simply can't power a world of a billion robots The Convergence Layer: How on-device foundation models are bringing cloud-quality AI underground, into cars, phones, and factories where connectivity is zero, and why the safety layer for next-gen robotics matters more than the robot itself Longevity and the End of Pharma as We Know It: Why measuring aging coherence in real time could let us catch cardiovascular disease 20 years before it strikes, how decentralized citizen science is generating more trial data annually than all FDA drug trials combined, and the moonshot company scanning human brains cell by cell to create digital replicas of people Agentic Experiences at the Enterprise Edge: How AI-native companies are replacing McKinsey-style consulting, why autonomous agents achieved 58% supplier completion in 5 weeks versus 20–30% over two years manually, and what it really means when a single broker can generate 25x the revenue of a traditional one The Human-in-the-Loop Reality: Why enterprises expect perfection from agents but accept mistakes from humans, and how the best founders are managing that gap right now Meet the Founders: Guillaume Verdon — Founder & CEO, Extropic Mathias Lechner — Co-Founder & CTO, Liquid AI Kasim Abdullahi — Head of GTM, Harper Philipp Wehn — Founder & CEO, Nexxa.ai Sarah Tang — Founder & CEO, Sluicebox Michael Andregg — Founder & CEO, Eon Systems Bruno Balen — Founder & CEO, ANI Jeff Chen — Founder & CEO, Radicle Science Andrew Singletary — Founder & CEO, 3Laws Robotics Hayk Tepanyan — Founder & CTO, BlueQubit If you’re in the early innings of building something in AI, especially if you’re figuring things out from first principles—let’s chat: https://bit.ly/UntappedE17ytgb Learn more about Untapped Ventures: https://untapped.ventures Plus, connect with us here: 2. George Bandarian - https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian/ 3. Untapped Ventures - https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventures/
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The Next Platform Shift - Why We Stopped Being an AI Fund
Apr 2300:23:36Tap to summarizeGeorge Bandarian, General Partner at Untapped Ventures, breaks down the Autonomous Economy thesis - a new economic framework where billions of AI agents and robots execute work end-to-end without human involvement - and why this shift may dwarf every previous technological revolution, from internet to mobile. What is the Autonomous Economy (AE)? It’s what happens when billions of AI agents and physical robots can transact, decide, and complete work independently - no human in the loop, no approval required. And it’s already beginning. In this episode, we dive deep into: The Autonomous Economy Thesis — What it actually means when agents and robots can transact and execute work without any humans involved, and why this is bigger than any AI trend you're currently following The 5-Layer AE Value Stack — From intelligence and compute substrate to autonomous enterprise experiences, where the next trillion-dollar companies will actually be built Human In the Loop to No Loop — Why running 14 Claude Code agents at once is just the beginning, and what fully autonomous operations will look like across every industry The Trust and Money Problem — The massive unsolved challenge of letting agents spend money, and why whoever cracks enterprise-grade financial rails for autonomous systems wins big What Happens to the Humans — Vinod Khosla's prediction that 80% of jobs will be AI-capable within 4 years, and why George sees displacement as both a crisis and a generational investment opportunity If you’re in the early innings of building something in AI, especially if you’re figuring things out from first principles—let’s chat: https://bit.ly/UntappedE17ytgb Learn more about Untapped Ventures: https://untapped.ventures Plus, connect with us here: George Bandarian - https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian/ Untapped Ventures - https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventures/
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Andrew Chen (a16z speedrun) on the Future of AI Startups, Speedrun & Why Coding Will Be as Easy as Making Videos
Mar 500:56:48Tap to summarizeAndrew Chen, General Partner at a16z speedrun, joins us on Agentic to discuss what actually gets founders accepted into speedrun and why AI might be bigger than mobile, internet, and cloud combined. In this episode, we dive deep into: Speedrun Insider Access - What actually gets founders accepted into a16z's elite accelerator program (hint: it's not what you think) Building in AI - From industrial AI agents (Nexxa) to consumer products, how founders should approach the AI wave Growth Playbooks - Network effects, retention curves, and go-to-market strategies that actually work The Future of Software - What happens when coding becomes as easy as taking a photo? Andrew's vision for disposable apps, meme software, and the death of traditional job titles If you’re in the early innings of building something in AI, especially if you’re figuring things out from first principles—let’s chat: https://bit.ly/4d25KFy Learn more about Untapped Ventures: https://untapped.ventures Plus, connect with us here: 1. Andrew Chen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewchen/ 2. George Bandarian - https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian/ 3. Untapped Ventures - https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventures/
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Request for Startups: 10 AI Ideas We’re Ready to Fund
Jul 1600:23:36Tap to summarizeWe're at the halfway point of 2025, and AI is evolving faster than ever.In this solo episode, I share Untapped Ventures’ first Request for Startups. It’s a detailed breakdown of the core areas where we’re actively looking to invest. If you're a founder building in AI or exploring ideas, this is the roadmap for what we want to fund next.I walk through the key themes that reflect our thesis across both Agentic AI and Convergence AI. These are the ideas we believe will drive the next generation of breakout companies.Inside the episode:• Why service-as-software will replace traditional SaaS• How full-stack agentic platforms are reshaping vertical industries• The rise of outcome-based pricing and what it unlocks• Where lean AI teams are gaining massive traction• Why we’re excited about AI converging with biotech, neurotech, energy, defense, and more• The profiles of founders we love to back At Untapped, we invest from stealth and pre-salt through seed, writing checks between $500K and $2 million. Whether you're actively raising or still in the idea maze, we want to meet you.Let’s connect!George Bandarian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarianExplore further: 1. If in Stealth, let’s chat: https://bit.ly/UntappedE18podS2. If raising, pitch us: https://bit.ly/UntappedE18pod
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Live Vibe Coaching with the LLM Pioneer Who Scaled Before ChatGPT | Will Manidis
Jun 1200:51:25Tap to summarizeIs your AI startup built to survive the next wave?In this episode of Agentic, Will Manidis, the co-founder of ScienceIO, shares how he built for resilience from day one developing LLMs for healthcare and the frameworks that helped him scale before the world caught up.He shares how local model training on office gaming PCs laid the unlikely foundation for ScienceIO’s reach across millions in digital health.We also discuss:• why OpenAI’s API continues to dominate Gemini• the hidden fragility behind $500M fast scaling AI companies• Will’s belief that founders must prove value before overbuilding for scaleNot often do you get to learn from someone who built an LLM before ChatGPT. Tune in now.If you’re in the early innings of building something in AI, especially if you’re figuring things out from first principles—click here, we'd love to hear from you.Connect with us here:1. Will Manidis- https://www.linkedin.com/in/willmanidis/ 2. George Bandarian- https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian/ 3. Untapped Ventures- https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventures/00:00 Trailer01:41 Introduction02:45 Thiel Fellow07:40 Pre-ChatGPT LLMs10:27 Biggest lessons12:37 Contrarian takes13:56 Difficult to sell15:59 First exit16:38 Getting world-class talents23:20 Risk mitigation strategy25:48 Defensibility and moats37:10 Basic MVP44:01 Q&A50:35 Outro
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The AI Platform That Could Launch 10,000 Startups | Woz
May 9, 202500:59:11Tap to summarizeMost no-code tools give you an MVP. Woz wants to give you a business.On this episode of Agentic, I was joined by Ben Collins and Brad Eckert, co-founders of Woz, an AI platform that lets anyone build real, scalable web and mobile products with zero coding. Think Shopify, but for launching operational SaaS startups.If you’re in the early innings of building something in AI, especially if you’re figuring things out from first principles—let’s chat. Connect with us here:1. Woz: https://www.linkedin.com/company/withwoz/2. Ben Collins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bentcollins/3. Brad Eckert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chefeckert/4. George Bandarian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian5. Untapped Ventures: https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventuresThey break down:• Why shipping your MVP is just 1% of the journey—and what the other 99% really looks like• The difference between vibe coding, AI engineering, and real startup durability• What they learned from going through Y Combinator (twice), taking 80+ investor meetings, and raising a breakout seed round.• Why automation means more software businesses and not fewer jobs00:00 Trailer01:07 Introduction02:29 Empowering entrepreneurs04:27 Woz's Vision10:32 Success stories13:38 The origin story15:27 AI code generation evolution17:29 Technical insights19:44 The Role of AI30:31 Job markets31:20 Entrepreneurial mindset shift32:56 Business building challenges34:54 Creating a successful platform37:45 Y Combinator experience43:41 Fundraising insights49:29 Advice for AI Entrepreneurs56:31 Closing
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Inside You.com’s Plan to Outthink Google and OpenAI
May 2, 202500:57:59Tap to summarizeWhat happens when the former Chief Scientist at Salesforce builds a search engine for enterprises?In this episode, Richard Socher (CEO) and Bryan McCann (CTO) of You.com reveal how they’re reinventing enterprise search and agentic workflows with their latest product, Ari—a deep research assistant that goes far beyond fast facts.We explore:How You.com is going deeper than Google and faster than PerplexityWhy consumer LLMs aren’t enough for serious enterprise workHow a Stanford summer project led to one of the most important AI research breakthroughsWhere Socher and McCann see AGI actually emerging—and why simulation may be the next frontier00:00 Trailer01:56 Introduction03:41 Richard and Bryan's Meeting09:52 Foundations of search12:33 Deep research agent13:49 How You.com stands out16:03 Custom agents18:15 ARI use cases19:43 Going slow to go fast24:00 Models under the hood26:00 AGI workflows29:11 Adoption33:34 Complicated workflows36:45 AGI - are we there?46:20 How to compete as a startup53:32 Being right56:23 Outro
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Carta’s 2025 AI Funding & Equity Insights | Peter Walker
Apr 8, 202500:55:11Tap to summarizeEveryone has opinions about founder equity, funding timelines, and valuations—but Peter Walker holds the data. In this special live Agentic session, I sat down with Peter, Head of Insights at Carta, to unpack what’s actually happening beneath the surface in early-stage AI startups. Peter’s team has a privileged vantage point—cap tables, valuations, and hiring data across 45,000 startups and 83% of U.S. unicorns. We explore:a common equity mistake that’s quietly killing fundraising chanceswhy AI founders are raising bigger rounds… and keeping more of their companieshow lean teams are pushing out serious ARR—and what that means for hiringthe valuation delta between AI and non-AI startups—and why that window may be closingIf you’re raising, hiring, or advising an AI startup in this market, this one’s for you.If you’re in the early innings of building something in AI, especially if you’re figuring things out from first principles—let’s chat. Connect with us here:Peter Walker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterjameswalker/George Bandarian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian/Untapped Ventures: https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventures00:00 Trailer01:26 Introduction02:44 Untapped Ventures08:39 Carta10:34 Early Equity25:05 Venture Context34:47 AI Story51:04 Questions54:48 Outro
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How Agentic AI is Rewiring Software, Brokers, and the Future
Mar 25, 202500:33:06Tap to summarizeI brought Ben Collins of Woz and Dakotah Rice and Tushar Nair of Harper for a special episode of Agentic–our AGM!Ben’s Woz lets non-technical founders build scalable apps with no engineering team—think Shopify for software while Dakotah and Tushar’s Harper quotes 476 complex insurance deals with voice AI, turning family brokerage chaos into a data goldmine. On the docket:Harper’s logged-call advantage for scalable precisioncompute’s brewing storm (NVIDIA’s got rivals rising)how reasoning models cut months off build timesConnect with us: Ben Collins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bentcollins Dakotah Rice: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dakotahrice/ Tushar Nair: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tushar-nair-b08988222/ Woz: https://www.linkedin.com/company/withwoz/ Harper: https://www.linkedin.com/company/harperinsure/ George Bandarian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian/ Untapped Ventures: https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventures00:00 Trailer02:06 Introduction02:20 Ben Collins04:02 Dakotah Rice04:37 Tushar Nair05:21 Agentic AI hot takes11:59 Deep dive on Woz17:05 Deep dive on Harper24:15 Y Combinator and the founders community28:21 Non-technical business side of software30:30 Agentic demand, Elon's Grok/xAI32:27 Outro
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Is Big Tech Shaping The Future Of AI? | Wendell Wallach
Feb 27, 202500:49:27Tap to summarizeAs AI races forward, one question looms large—who decides what’s right and wrong?Behind the breakthroughs and multi billion-dollar valuations, a power struggle is unfolding. Big Tech is quietly shaping AI policy in the shadows, and governments are stuck playing catch-up. In this episode, I speak with Wendell Wallach, a foremost expert on AI ethics and governance, to break down the challenges and power dynamics steering the course of AI.Co-author of Moral Machines and a key figure at Yale and Carnegie Council, Wendell has spent decades thinking about how to align AI with human values.We cover: • why rogue superintelligence isn’t the biggest threat • how Big Tech is quietly shaping AI policies • AGI vs. ASI: When AI starts making its own rulesConnect with us here: 1. Wendell Wallach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendell-wallach-246ba69/2. George Bandarian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebandarian/3. Untapped Ventures: https://www.linkedin.com/company/untappedventures00:00 Trailer00:55 Introduction01:59 AI uplifting humanity04:09 Moral machines09:58 Big tech oligopoly16:00 Cold War18:59 AI will take over the world?29:57 Nefarious purposes34:32 Trade-offs and safeguards38:11 Data security41:00 Finding product market fit43:25 Human dangers47:46 Outro
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