In the latest episode of "Exploring the AI Rainforest," host Derek welcomed Saushank, a visionary founder working at the intersection of artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies. Saushank shared insights on his journey, current projects, and fascinating perspectives on how these two revolutionary technologies are converging to create new possibilities.

Saushank is the founder of PitchPilot, an innovative platform that provides founders with instant, affordable feedback on their investor pitches. What makes PitchPilot unique is its use of AI agents to simulate different personas in the investment world, allowing founders to practice their pitches anytime, anywhere.

"I think what I realized was that a lot of these interactions which are happening, by putting them on chain A, you make your shipping actually faster. And also, you make it more robust," Saushank explained, highlighting how blockchain technology enhances the platform's functionality.

The platform offers three categories of AI personas:

1. Generic personas: Basic roles like venture capital associates

2. Public information-based personas: Created using publicly available information from real industry figures

3. Verified personas: Validated by the actual people they represent, offering more authentic feedback

The verified personas even have a revenue-sharing model where the real person behind the AI receives part of the usage fees. This innovative approach not only provides value to founders but also creates a new economic model for experts to monetize their knowledge.

Saushank's journey into AI began earlier than most, discovering OpenAI's beta offerings around 2019-2020:

"I discovered ChatGPT, it was called OpenAI, in I think 2019 or '20, when they had this really private beta kind of thing happening. And they had this cute chatbot called Marvin who would always give you sarcastic comments."

This early exposure gave him unique insights when ChatGPT later exploded onto the scene, positioning him perfectly to envision the convergence of AI and blockchain technologies.

When discussing the cooling hype around crypto and AI, Saushank offered a thought-provoking perspective:

"I think what AI is kind of doing is making everyone more intelligent and smarter. So your ability to bullshit is going down. Today, if there is a project, I think you can just put their X and website on any of the models and ask them to do an analysis on how much of this is legit or not."

He explained that AI is raising the bar for quality, making it harder for projects without substance to gain traction. The market is becoming more discerning, and the tools to evaluate projects are more accessible than ever.

Furthermore, AI is changing the dynamics of fundraising: "Now your question is, why are you not building it? You don't need pretty much any money to do this."

Saushank also discussed his advisory role with GigaBrain, an innovative trading platform using AI agents to replicate hedge fund strategies. What makes GigaBrain unique is its agent-first approach:

"What we discussed was like, let's not take that approach, but instead let's pick an agent first approach. And what this agent will do is kind of replicate how a hedge fund works."

The platform uses multiple AI agents with different roles—traders looking at various time horizons, risk managers setting leverage limits, and agents determining exit points. These agents work together, learning from each transaction to improve future trading decisions.

"One of the things in which LLMs are extremely good is technical indicators and doing financial data analysis because that's math and there's enough public data available," Saushank noted, explaining why AI excels in this domain.

Looking ahead, Saushank is most excited about more efficient, specialized AI models:

"Super excited to see lower inference costs, smaller, I think not necessarily smaller, but models which can do some narrow work. Like if you give the right context, they can be more efficient."

For blockchain, he sees the greatest potential in consumer applications rather than decentralized AI infrastructure:

"I'm much more excited on the consumer side. Like I'm sure there will be someone who will just re-imagine how DeFi farming is done using just an AI agent and who can interact, who can understand you."

He envisions a future where conversation-first interfaces replace traditional web applications, making complex blockchain interactions more intuitive and accessible.

"I want to, as much as possible, keep it ultra cheap for founders to try and experiment this out," Saushank emphasized, highlighting his commitment to making these technologies accessible to builders everywhere.

This conversation showcased how AI and blockchain technologies are not just coexisting but enhancing each other's capabilities. Saushank's vision of a more efficient, accessible, and intelligent technological landscape offers exciting possibilities for founders, developers, and users alike in this rapidly evolving space.

For those interested in connecting with Saushank, you can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @saushank_, where his DMs are open to fellow builders.

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