InProd
InProd (fka Partner Path) is a podcast exploring the venture and startup ecosystem through the lens of trailblazing founders and operators building the next wave of AI companies. We feature candid conversations with early-stage leaders, offering practical insights on product execution, GTM, and the messy middle of scaling teams and navigating growth.
InProd
E62: Reinventing Consumer AI Through Generative Video with Dean Leitersdorf (Decart)
This week’s guest is Dean Leitersdorf, CEO of Decart. Decart is a vertically integrated AI research lab building some of the world’s most advanced audio and video models, including Mirage, a real-time generative video system where users can transform themselves or their environments instantly.
We dive into Dean’s path from finishing his PhD in computer science at 21 to founding Decart with the ambition of creating a true “before-and-after” company in AI. We cover how Decart evolved from GPU optimization to leading-edge video models, why Mirage has attracted massive adoption in advertising and ecommerce, and what it means to build entirely new consumer experiences on the internet. We also discuss the broader enterprise interest in real-time video, how Decart balances continuous consumer iteration with lab-first research, and why Dean believes this is one of the few moments in history where founders can truly build trillion-dollar businesses.
Episode Chapters:
- 2:10 — From Israel to Palo Alto
- 4:22 — What Dean is running toward
- 6:15 — Building for the future of AI
- 9:40 — How people use Decart
- 14:05 — Building a model from scratch
- 19:08 — Who adopts these models first
- 24:05 — Decart’s focus areas
- 27:06 — Attracting world-class talent
- 30:00 — Choosing to integrate or partner
- 34:04 — Thinking about consumer impact
- 39:38 — Quick fire round
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