Omar Tawakol is the CEO and founder of Rembrand, an AI-powered virtual product placement company. He founded BlueKai, a data management platform acquired by Oracle for $400M+ in 2014, and Voicera, an AI meeting assistant acquired by Cisco in 2019. He currently serves on the board of The Trade Desk and as a General Partner at super{set}.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Omar and Auren discuss:

• Why virtual billboards work better than 3D product placement
• How AI eliminates two-year product placement negotiations
• Why virtual placement grew 10x faster internationally than in the US
• The mistakes repeat founders make at scale

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Omar Tawakol on X at @otawakol.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

This episode is a rebroadcast of Auren's appearance on the We the Builders podcast.

We The Builders: https://twitter.com/WeThe_Builders
Host Suffiyan Malik: https://twitter.com/suffiyanmalikk

Substack: https://wethebuilders.us

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This week I sat down with Auren Hoffman founder, builder, prolific investor, and one of the most connected people in Silicon Valley.

Today’s episode features Auren Hoffman founder of LiveRamp ($RAMP), Flex Capital, Dialog, Safegraph and NQB8. This is one of the most interesting conversations I have had on the show so far and probably the best.

He grew LiveRamp to a $300m exit, has invested in 180+ companies through Flex Capital, a seed stage fund, is chair of Safegraph ($370m data company backed by Sapphire Ventures, Peter Thiel, Ridge Ventures) and is host of World of DaaS, a podcast and community for data nerds.

Auren is thinking of and validating new ideas on almost a weekly cadence. He continues to start new companies through NQB8 which includes a few successful spin outs. He also has a great blog post on it if you are interested in exploring different type of spinouts and how you should think about them as a startup.

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Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and We The Builders on X at WeThe_Builders. 

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Craig Fuller is the founder and CEO of FreightWaves, a freight media company, and SONAR, a supply chain data platform. He’s also the founder of Firecrown, which owns more than 50 publications across aviation, marine, and supply chain sectors, and he recently released his first book, Moving the World: How the Supply Chain’s Evolution Affects Us All. 

In this episode of World of DaaS, Craig and Auren discuss:

• How FreightWaves predicted the 2022 freight recession
• Why pricing data businesses trade at 30x EBIT
• Building negative CAC through media acquisitions
• The four-year industry experience rule for freight startups

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Craig Fuller on X at @FreightAlley.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Tanay Kothari is the co-founder and CEO of Wispr Flow, a voice-first AI assistant that recently raised $56 million in Series A funding.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Tanay and Auren discuss:

• Why Apple and Google's dictation tools fail
• What AI-first devices will actually look like
• Pivoting from hardware to software
• Voice replacing nearly three-quarters of keyboard usage

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Tanay Kothari on X at @tankots.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Microsoft is investing $17.5 billion to turn India into a global AI powerhouse — from training 20 million workers to building new data infrastructure. We break down what this means for the future of AI talent, innovation, and digital sovereignty. 

Listen to this short podcast summary, powered by NotebookLM.

Vinicius Vacanti is the co-founder and CEO of YipitData, an alternative data intelligence platform that analyzes billions of consumer data points daily for institutional investors and corporations. The company reached unicorn status with a $475 million Series E from Carlyle Group in 2021.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Vin and Auren discuss:

• Why hedge funds dominate data usage versus corporations
• How AI is transforming data processing costs
• The durability of data businesses over 120 years
• Why "hire great people and get out of the way" is bad advice

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Vinicius Vacanti on X at @vacanti.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

This week’s World of DaaS LM Brief: MIT’s new research reveals how large language models can be fooled by their own grammar. By prioritizing sentence structure over sense, these systems risk producing confident but misleading outputs—and even ignoring built-in safety rules. 

Listen to this short podcast summary, powered by NotebookLM.

Patrick McGee is the author of Apple in China, which was named one of the most notable books of the year by the New York Times and the Washington Post. The book is a deeply reported investigation into how Apple and China built each other over 25 years—and what that means for technology, supply chains, and geopolitics. Patrick has been a reporter with the Financial Times since 2013.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Patrick and Auren discuss:

• Why Foxconn bet everything on Apple when others walked away
• The organized crime networks that distributed iPhones across China
• How Apple's supplier policies created competitors like Huawei
• Apple's $275B commitment and why they can't leave China

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Patrick McGee on X at @patrickmcgee_.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Dave Morin is co-founder and managing partner of Offline Ventures, a venture fund and studio backed by Apple as anchor investor. He was an early employee at Facebook, then founded the mobile social network Path.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Dave and Auren discuss:

• Why Meta's AI ads work while Netflix, Amazon, and Spotify fail at recommendations
• How Offline runs its venture fund/studio hybrid
• Parasocial relationships and the loneliness crisis
• Depression as the #1 disease by 2030 and breakthrough treatments

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Dave Morin on X at @davemorin.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

This week’s World of DaaS LM Brief highlights a Forbes piece on enterprise AI infrastructure, where the author examines why data pipelines, not the models themselves, are becoming the real bottleneck. 

Listen to this short podcast summary, powered by NotebookLM.

Azeem Azhar is the founder of Exponential View, a newsletter and research platform on emerging technology read by over 130,000 executives and policymakers globally, and author of the bestselling book The Exponential Age.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Azeem and Auren discuss:

• Diagnosing an AI bubble
• Data centers driving 33% of US GDP growth
• Whether energy will constrain AI before capital does
• Circular financing in AI and funding quality risks

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Azeem Azhar on X at @azeem.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

This week’s World of DaaS LM Brief highlights Auren Hoffman’s latest piece, where he explores how emotion—not information—drives behavior across platforms, politics, and AI systems. The piece examines why algorithms amplify strong emotional signals, how “love” consistently outperforms “hate” in outcomes, and what this means for builders designing the next generation of data-driven products.

Listen to this short podcast summary, powered by NotebookLM.

Eric Simons is the CEO and co-founder of StackBlitz, the company behind Bolt.new, which reached $40 million ARR in five months after launching in October 2024. Bolt.new is an AI-powered platform that allows anyone to build, edit, and deploy full-stack web applications directly in the browser.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Eric and Auren discuss:

• The explosive growth from $0 to $40M ARR
• Pioneering usage-based pricing for AI tools
• Competing with Replit, Lovable, and Vercel
• Building WebContainers technology for seven years

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Eric Simons on X at @EricSimons.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

This week’s World of DaaS LM Brief explores our latest roundtable, where data leaders discussed the evolving challenges of retaining and expanding enterprise customers in an increasingly competitive data economy. The conversation explored how companies are mitigating churn, proving ROI, and deepening customer value in the era of AI.

Listen to this short podcast summary, powered by NotebookLM.

Garrett Langley is the co-founder and CEO of Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based public safety technology company recently valued at $7.5 billion. Flock manufactures hardware like license plate recognition cameras, drones, and gunshot detection systems, as well as software used by thousands of communities and law enforcement agencies across the U.S.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Garrett and Auren discuss:

• The broken state of law enforcement data infrastructure
• Why 60% of murders go unsolved in America
• Manufacturing high tech hardware in the United States
• How AI and drones are changing public safety
• Why Atlanta is winning at hard tech over Silicon Valley

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.  

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Garrett Langley on X at @glangley.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

This week’s World of DaaS LM Brief explores Auren Hoffman’s latest Substack post, 46ers, 55ers, 81ers, and today - a fascinating look at how generational ambition and the rise of AI are shaping the next wave of builders. Auren draws parallels between past innovation eras and the new generation driving today’s tech transformation.

Listen to this short podcast summary, powered by NotebookLM.

Mark Ein is the founder, chairman and CEO of Venturehouse Group and has been involved in the founding or early stages of six companies worth over $1 billion. He also served as Chairman of the President's Export Council, is Executive Chairman of Kastle Systems, owns the DC Open, and was a key partner in the $6.05 billion acquisition of the Washington Commanders.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Mark and Auren discuss:

• Cross-sector investing advantages and pitfalls
• Office occupancy data and return-to-work trends
• The SPAC evolution and capital market disruptions
• Sports betting's impact on fan engagement and sports businesses
  
  

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Mark Ein on X at @Markein.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

This week’s World of DaaS LM Brief explores The New Stack’s article on the ethical challenges of agentic AI systems that can act autonomously. As organizations hand off more decisions to machines, questions around accountability, transparency, and data governance are becoming central to building and maintaining trust.

Listen to this short podcast summary, powered by NotebookLM.

Richard Shotton is the founder of Astroten and author of several bestselling books on marketing, including The Choice Factory, The Illusion of Choice, and most recently Hacking the Human Mind, co-authored with MichaelAaron Flicker. He specializes in applying behavioral science to marketing and has worked with brands like Google, Meta, BrewDog, and Barclays.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Richard and Auren discuss:

• Why A/B testing often steers product wrong
• Social proof and scarcity in marketing strategies
• Cognitive biases affecting executive decision making
• The illusion of effort in B2B contexts

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Richard Shotton on X at @rshotton.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

This week’s World of DaaS LM Brief explores Big Data Wire's article on how electricity, not data or compute, is emerging as the ultimate constraint on AI progress. As global data center demand surges, performance per watt efficiency and access to reliable power are becoming the new competitive edge. Some nations and companies are pursuing nuclear-powered computation hubs to secure a strategic energy advantage.

Listen to this short podcast summary, powered by NotebookLM.

Varun Anand is the co-founder and Head of Operations at Clay, a GTM platform that helps over 10,000 companies with data enrichment and sales outreach. Clay recently raised a $100M Series C funding at a $3.1B valuation.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Varun and Auren discuss:

• The shift from seat-based to usage-based pricing
• Why LinkedIn's data remains underutilized
• How AI agents are replacing traditional SDR work
• Building contributory data networks at scale

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Varun Anand on X at @vaanand.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

This week’s World of DaaS LM Brief covers a World Economic Forum insight that scaling AI is an organizational challenge, not a technological one, requiring data maturity, strong governance, and an integrated approach tied to core business outcomes. Culture and workforce transformation are also essential for real ROI.

Listen to this short podcast summary, powered by NotebookLM.

Beniamin Mincu is the CEO and co-founder of MultiversX, a next-generation blockchain protocol used by governments, enterprises, and developers. He previously co-founded Metachain Capital, which was an early investor in projects like Polkadot and Binance. He’s also the host of the Full Shard Podcast and one of the most followed voices in Web3.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Beniamin and Auren discuss:

• Why AI needs a blockchain trust layer
• AI sovereign chains and agent accountability
• The geopolitical AI arms race
• Building ambitious tech companies outside Silicon Valley

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Benjamin Mincu on X at @beniaminmincu.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

This week’s World of DaaS LM Brief covers Auren Hoffman’s guide to running a job search like a full-time commitment. Instead of vague networking, he lays out a five-step process that stresses clarity, specificity, and creating value before asking for help. From defining target roles to demonstrating impact with real work, the approach reframes job hunting as a strategic, disciplined pursuit.

Listen to this short podcast summary, powered by NotebookLM.

Zac Bookman is the co-founder and CEO of OpenGov, which provides cloud software and AI solutions to over 2,000 government agencies across the United States. In February 2024, OpenGov was acquired by Cox Enterprises for $1.8 billion.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Zac and Auren discuss:

• Making public data truly accessible
• Growth vs sustainability in GovTech
• How COVID transformed government digitization
• AI's potential in local government operations
  
  
  

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Zac Bookman on X at @ZacBookman and on Linkedin. 

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)