How can AI make meetings better? That’s the simple question that inspired Granola, a productivity tool that can tell you what was actually discussed in that meeting last week and what the real next steps are. 

In this episode of Generative Now, host Michael Mignano, partner at Lightspeed, sits down with Granola co-founders Chris Pedregal and Sam Stephenson at their headquarters in London. They talk about how they first met, their early product bets, and how they decided to focus on solving one painful problem: the chaos that follows every meeting. They share the story behind their early experiments with GPT-3 and how that eventually evolved into a tool designed especially for people who find their days filled with back-to-back meetings. 

Chris and Sam explain why they avoided flashy AI features to focus on simplicity and habit-forming design, how they quickly found their product-market fit, and what it means to adapt quickly in the age of LLMs.

Episode Chapters

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

01:15 Finding the Right Co-Founder

01:51 Tools for Thought and AI

03:24 Identifying the Problem

04:38 Building the Solution

05:07 The Evolution of AI and App Layer

07:46 Challenges and Innovations

11:20 Business Model and Future Outlook

14:24 The Launch and Early Success

17:52 Theoretical vs. Practical User Needs

18:17 Stress and Software Design

19:28 Scaling with AI

22:05 Maintaining Quality and Taste

24:10 Building a Silicon Valley Startup in London

28:03 The Future of Granola

30:27 Early Feedback and Iteration

35:09 Privacy and Data Handling

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