In this episode of the Alchemist Influencer Series, Ravi sits down with Yohei Nakajima, General Partner at Untapped Capital and creator of BabyAGI, the first open-source autonomous agent framework. Together, they explore how hands-on experimentation and curiosity fuel innovation in AI. Yohei reflects on what he’s learned building at night and investing by day, the unexpected challenges of bringing AI agents into enterprises, and why his advice for leaders is simple: have fun, experiment, and make friends.
In this episode of the Alchemist Influencer Series, Ravi sits down with Roger Luo, Founding Partner at Embedding VC, to explore how AI agents are transforming the craft of software engineering. Drawing from his dual lens as a builder and investor, Roger unpacks why AI isn’t replacing developers—but amplifying them. Together, they discuss productivity gains from emerging AI tools, the rise of agent networks, and how human creativity and system-level judgment remain the ultimate differentiators in an AI-driven future.
Alchemist Chicago will support early-stage ventures across quantum, AI, cleantech, robotics, and other deep tech industries, transforming discovery into impact.
In this episode of the Alchemist Influencer Series, Ravi sits down with Laurent Rains, Managing Director at Alchemist, to unpack why so many international founders stumble when entering the US market. Drawing from years of accelerator experience, Laurent reveals how misplaced confidence in product-market fit, cultural discomfort, and rigid business models derail promising startups—and how founders can rebuild trust, adapt quickly, and use modern AI tools to thrive in the American landscape.
In this episode of the Alchemist Influencer Series, Ravi sits down with Vin Sharma, CEO and Founder of Vigil and former engineering leader at AWS, Intel, and HP. Together, they explore why enterprises in regulated industries remain wary of AI despite rapid advances. Drawing on decades of experience across deep learning, autonomous systems, and enterprise infrastructure, Vin explains the trust paradox, the three pillars of reliable AI, and the practical frameworks organizations can use to deploy AI responsibly while meeting regulatory demands.
In this episode of the Alchemist Influencer Series, Ravi sits down with Rishi Taparia, CEO, Co-Founder, and General Partner of Garuda Ventures. Together, they unpack why enterprises remain hesitant to adopt AI teammates despite the hype. Drawing on research, case studies, and Rishi’s deep venture experience, he shares how misaligned expectations, cultural resistance, and trust deficits slow adoption—and what leaders can do to build trust and integrate AI successfully.
In this episode of the Alchemist Influencer Series, we sit down with Gnani Palanikumar, one of Silicon Valley’s most respected startup coaches and a partner at Alchemist Accelerator. Drawing on decades of experience—including leading APIGee’s product team through a $625M acquisition—Gnani reveals practical, battle-tested advice for AI founders.
