Building an 'AI chief of staff,' with Xembly CEO Pete Christothoulou
GeekWire
GeekWire
4.8 • 127 Ratings
🗓️ 19 August 2023
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How can startups differentiate themselves in the new era of AI?
We've been discussing that question a lot recently on the GeekWire Podcast, and on this episode, we'll get a first-hand look from business and technology veteran Pete Christothoulou, who has been immersed in this world for many years.
Christothoulou is the former CEO of Marchex, the call and conversational analytics company, who is now founder and CEO of Xembly, a Seattle-based startup developing AI-powered technology that replicates a chief of staff and executive assistant, automating tasks such as meeting notes, scheduling, and action items.
Xembly was founded in Madrona Venture Labs nearly three years ago, long before the current mania over large language models. The company has raised $20 million from major venture capital firms and angel investors. It employs about 45 people, with customers including Salesforce, Qualtrics, and Twilio, among others.
We talk about the rapid developments in AI over the past year, and take a close look at Xembly as a case study for insights into how startups can differentiate themselves in this new era of AI.
In the final segment, we consider the big-picture implications of AI in the current deluge of information and the quest for meaningful productivity.
Related links and resources
- An executive assistant for every worker: Startup’s AI takes meeting notes, follows up on email, and more
- Seattle startup Xembly raises $15M for AI ‘chief of staff’ that automates tedious conversational tasks
- Microsoft’s optimistic view of AI sees technology ending the drudgery of ‘digital debt’
- What Happened to All of Science’s Big Breakthroughs? (New York Times)
- Papers and patents are becoming less disruptive over time (Nature)
- A Decline in Scientific Innovation? (Science)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | All right, so let's use Zembley as a bit of a case study here. |
| 0:05.0 | We've combined the power of a seasoned executive assistant and the strategic capabilities of a chief of staff. |
| 0:12.0 | For example, I can just add Zena to the email, just like I would in my executive assistant and say, Zena, find some time for thought. |
| 0:19.0 | I can't help but think of Warrior Princess. |
| 0:22.2 | Like, is your follow-up going to be Gabrielle? |
| 0:24.2 | Yeah. |
| 0:25.8 | So Zena in Greek means hospitable. |
| 0:28.9 | It just turns out also means the Warrior Princess. |
| 0:31.4 | And so we get the double meaning. |
| 0:38.7 | Welcome to Geekwire. |
| 0:40.7 | I'm Geekwire co-founder, Todd Bishop. |
| 0:45.4 | How can startups differentiate themselves in the new era of AI? |
| 0:49.2 | We've been discussing that question recently on the Geekwire podcast, |
| 0:54.2 | and on this episode, we'll get a firsthand look from Business and Technology veteran Pete Krista Thulu. |
| 0:55.4 | He's the former CEO of Marchex, the call and conversation analytics company, who is now |
| 1:00.5 | the founder and CEO of Zembley. |
| 1:03.6 | That's XEMBLY. |
| 1:06.1 | It's a Seattle-based startup that is developing what it calls an AI chief of staff and executive assistant. |
| 1:12.5 | Its technology automates tasks such as meeting notes, scheduling, and action items. |
| 1:17.9 | We'll talk about the rapid developments in AI over the past year and take a close look at Zembley as a case study. |
| 1:25.3 | And finally, we will consider the big picture implications of AI and ask whether |
| 1:29.6 | it can truly give humans an edge in the current deluge of information and the quest for meaningful |
... |
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