iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Alex Konrad @alexrkonrad.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

For months, I've been snagging tables at some of NYC's hottest restaurants like Don Angie and Semma, impressing my wife and friends. But I wasn't suddenly well-connected. I was using an invite-only new app called Spot 👀 I interviewed its two founders for this weekend’s Upstarts column 👀

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Inside The Invite-Only App For Booking New York’s Hottest Restaurant Tables

Stealth startup Spot’s AI agents have quietly snagged reservations at NYC hotspots like Via Carota and Le Veau d’Or for months – without user bans. I won’t gate-keep it any longer.

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Alex Konrad @alexrkonrad.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Exclusive: Somos Internet, a YC startup offering faster, cheaper internet in Medellín and Bogotá, has raised a $40M Series B to expand to Mexico City. I spoke to CEO Forrest Heath about the round - as well as his much bigger ambitions for 'Americas Dynamism'. www.upstartsmedia.com/p/somos-inte...

upstartsmedia.com

The AI Ambition Behind A Startup Bringing Better Internet To Colombia And Mexico

As Somos Internet raises a $40M Series B to expand to Mexico City, founder Forrest Heath has bigger plans to power 'Americas Dynamism' with cheaper AI compute.

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Alex Konrad @alexrkonrad.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Legal AI startup Harvey just reached an $11B valuation. On The Upstarts Podcast, CEO Winston Weinberg shares his journey, facing skeptics in law and tech, and a new story about an attempt to "one-shot" its growth via a merger that, luckily for them, later fell through. Catch the full interview 👇

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Harvey's Winston Weinberg: From Law Associate To $11 Billion Legal AI Startup CEO

YouTube video by Upstarts Media

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Alex Konrad @alexrkonrad.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

EXCLUSIVE: in a sea of Terminator-looking bots, Aussie founder Grace Brown took a different direction for her robot, Abi: color, bubbles, and fun. Now her startup Andromeda is launching to senior homes across the U.S. -- with the hope of helping to address a loneliness crisis in elder care.

upstartsmedia.com

Meet Abi, The Bubble-Blowing Startup Robot Bringing Fun To Senior Homes

Grace Brown, the 26-year-old Aussie founder of Andromeda Robotics, raised $17M for her Abi robot to act less Terminator, more fun. Now, she's launching in the U.S.

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Alex Konrad @alexrkonrad.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Tomorrow is our 1st birthday at Upstarts 🎉 I wrote about our first year in operation, my gratitude for the startup ecosystem, and what to expect from @upstarts.bsky.social in Year 2. www.upstartsmedia.com/p/upstarts-t...

upstartsmedia.com

Upstarts Turns 1! Here's What's Next (With Your Help)

Reflections on a wild first year -- and our promise to you as a subscriber in Year Two.

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Alex Konrad @alexrkonrad.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Star Catcher CEO Andrew Rush grew up loving science fiction. Now the former patent lawyer is helping to bring a whole new gen of space tech into reality by tackling its biggest bottleneck: access to power. Catch our new interview on The Upstarts Podcast 👀 www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuWs...

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Star Catcher’s Andrew Rush: Harnessing The Sun To Build The First Energy Grid In Space

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Alex Konrad @alexrkonrad.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

"For the last three years, the best growth strategy in AI has been to just lie." @synthesia.io CEO Victor Riparbelli calls it "the biggest fog of war in AI right now." "Make a video of a product demo that's what you want to work eventually, go viral, pay a lot of influencers to push that message."

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Synthesia's Victor Riparbelli: Using AI To Replace Boring PowerPoints With Interactive Video

YouTube video by Upstarts Media

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Alex Konrad @alexrkonrad.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Ryan Petersen turned posting like tech's 'hurricane reporter' around all things shipping into a big social platform. His lesson for startups: nobody cares "They care about things that are happening that are relevant in their world, and they're only gonna care about you to the extent that you are."

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Alex Konrad @alexrkonrad.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Does 'move fast and break things' work at a nuclear startup? "Safety is non-negotiable, but slow and safe are not the same thing," he tells The Upstarts Podcast. Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=mNFC... Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/v... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/5RwC...

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Alex Konrad @alexrkonrad.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

Exclusive: In a "brutal" fundraising environment, emerging managers face an uphill battle. Amanda Robson's answer was two-fold: the power of community, and a relentlessly high-energy approach ⚡ Here's how the VC known as "Robby" was able to raise $22M to back startups at Modern Technical Fund.

upstartsmedia.com

How This Emerging Manager Broke Through A 'Brutal' Fundraising Environment To Raise $22 Million

Modern Technical Fund founder Amanda Robson embodies a startup zeitgeist that favors technical founders and an always-on, fly-anywhere approach. Now, she's raised a $22 million fund to back them, too.

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