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Investing

Winning With Consumers In AI

Winning With Consumers In AI

Investing

From Search to Service: The Evolution of Discovery in the Age of AI

From Search to Service: The Evolution of Discovery in the Age of AI

Consumer Insights

2024 Consumer Trend Report

2024 Consumer Trend Report

In this year’s report we discuss the latest developments on 3 values shifts and 1 technological shift, including the potential upsides and downsides, the innovative companies spurring the shift, and white space opportunity.

We are an early stage venture capital firm.

We obsess over the

Tech shifts

driving change

Value shifts

driving demand

Leadership

driving advancement

When big thinkers are poised to transform industries and culture, they become more than just founders, or CEOs, or investors.

They become Forerunners.

The Farmer's Dog

Catching our Attention

An un-filtered feed of what we’re actually reading and sharing with each other. The future is already written in today’s news—if you know where to look.

Date

Chat

Media

Source

Kira: AG1's new CEO + growth metrics "projected to do well over $600 million in revenue and be profitable this fiscal year"

Kira: AG1's new CEO + growth metrics "projected to do well over $600 million in revenue and be profitable this fiscal year"

Green Drink Specialist AG1 Names Cole CEO

Jason: AI x Education has received a lot of buzz recently. The big open question remains: are consumers willing to pay?

Jason: AI x Education has received a lot of buzz recently. The big open question remains: are consumers willing to pay?

The double-edged sword of AI in education

Fawzi: I think the Apple privacy opt-out stat is hovering around 60-70%, meaning less data on the consumer. An alternative & modern solution to cookies will remain an important component for websites

Fawzi: I think the Apple privacy opt-out stat is hovering around 60-70%, meaning less data on the consumer. An alternative & modern solution to cookies will remain an important component for websites

The Cookie Crumbles

Kira: Inflation cooling 🤞🏼

Kira: Inflation cooling 🤞🏼

US Inflation Broadly Cools, Likely Sealing Deal for Fed Rate Cut

Nicole: “The Erewhon-ification of everything" is real

Nicole: “The Erewhon-ification of everything" is real

The founder of Everlane is launching a new sports beverage brand to tap into Gen Z’s health obsession

Brian: Good clarity of thought from Perplexity CEO Arvind Srinivas in conversation with with Harry Stebbings

Brian: Good clarity of thought from Perplexity CEO Arvind Srinivas in conversation with with Harry Stebbings

Will Foundation Models Commoditise & Diminishing Returns in Model Performance?

Alex: Streamers like Spotify inching closer to social networks just as social apps look more like pure entertainment...

Alex: Streamers like Spotify inching closer to social networks just as social apps look more like pure entertainment...

Spotify is no longer just a streaming app, it’s a social network

Kirsten: I want this.. really like the intention behind this product! (AI health coach from Arianna Huffington & Sam Altman)

Kirsten: I want this.. really like the intention behind this product! (AI health coach from Arianna Huffington & Sam Altman)

AI-Driven Behavior Change Could Transform Health Care

Brian: Good reminder that M&A fills the needs of the buyer. AMEX is all about increasing value to card holders.

Brian: Good reminder that M&A fills the needs of the buyer. AMEX is all about increasing value to card holders.

American Express, which already owns Resy, just bought *another* reservation app.

Kira: Unemployment ticking up...

Kira: Unemployment ticking up...

U.S. economy added 206,000 jobs in June, unemployment rate rises to 4.1%

Alex: Kyla is one of my favorite creators out there. Her new book on behavioral econ looks great.

Alex: Kyla is one of my favorite creators out there. Her new book on behavioral econ looks great.

In This Economy?

Brian: Bastian is at it again. Interesting new commerce model around trading value. Like a lease for everything.

Brian: Bastian is at it again. Interesting new commerce model around trading value. Like a lease for everything.

Today we're launching a totally new way to pay with Tiptop's instant trade in at checkout.

Brian: Interesting take on customer service.

Brian: Interesting take on customer service.

What if I told you there was a simple and crazy powerful way to instantly resolve 99.3% of most customer service problems?

Alex: And so it begins... record labels suing AI music generators Udio, Suno over copyright infringement.

Alex: And so it begins... record labels suing AI music generators Udio, Suno over copyright infringement.

Major Record Labels Sue A.I. Music Generators

The New York Times

Nicole: Blue collar trade jobs are IN!

Nicole: Blue collar trade jobs are IN!

Gen Z Plumbers and Construction Workers Are Making #BlueCollar Cool

Jason: With all the AI hype, the market and consumers are still early in figuring out willingness to pay.

Jason: With all the AI hype, the market and consumers are still early in figuring out willingness to pay.

The Big AI Question: Are You Ready to Pay for It?

Kira: Re: sentiment & spending: “Have we been crying wolf for so long that we'll fail to see the actual wolf at the door?”

Kira: Re: sentiment & spending: “Have we been crying wolf for so long that we'll fail to see the actual wolf at the door?”

Watch What Consumers Do, Not How They Feel

Alex: Two very different schools of thought on what will drive (or impede) AI progress: data or compute?

Alex: Two very different schools of thought on what will drive (or impede) AI progress: data or compute?

One of the biggest questions in AI today is...

Brian: Fast-fwd to pt. 3...if an AI is less locked down, is it more free to express, or just reading back what it knows?

Brian: Fast-fwd to pt. 3...if an AI is less locked down, is it more free to express, or just reading back what it knows?

The American Life Podcast: That Other Guy

Making Headlines

Featuring investment announcements, founder features, company news, and Forerunner team and fund highlights.

Brian O'Malley, Alex Brussel

The Emergence of AI-Powered Services Firms

Brian O'Malley, Alex Brussel

The Emergence of AI-Powered Services Firms

Daydream Rakes in $50M Seed Funding to Build an AI-Powered Search Engine Suited for E-Commerce

Daydream Rakes in $50M Seed Funding to Build an AI-Powered Search Engine Suited for E-Commerce

Exclusive: The Inside Story Of Chime, America’s Biggest Digital Bank

Exclusive: The Inside Story Of Chime, America’s Biggest Digital Bank