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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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