This week, we're excited to speak with Tiancheng Lou, Co-Founder and CTO of Pony AI, a leading autonomous vehicle technology company that went public in November 2024. As a two-time Google Code Jam champion and former engineer at both Google X and Baidu's Autonomous Driving Division, Tiancheng brings exceptional technical expertise to his pioneering work in developing driverless technology with over 40 million kilometers of autonomous driving testing.

In this episode, Tiancheng shares fascinating insights into the evolution of autonomous vehicle technology, explaining the difference between level two and level four autonomy and why highway driving is more challenging than city driving for AI. We explore Pony AI's virtual driver technology, their approach to commercialization, and how they're training AI through imitation learning and reinforcement learning in virtual environments. Tiancheng also offers valuable advice for founders on balancing technical ambition with market realities, the importance of finding the right co-founder with aligned visions, and why success can't be copied but failures can be avoided. Tune in for a deep dive into the future of transportation and the journey of building a billion-dollar autonomous technology company.

(00:00) Introduction
(04:09) Where did Tiancheng grow up, and how did that shape his view of the world?
(04:43) Did Tiancheng always think he would become a founder?
(05:11) How did Tiancheng's competitive programming background influence his approach to tech?
(06:08) How did Tiancheng find out about these competitive programming competitions?
(08:46) How did Tiancheng get into the autonomous vehicle space?
(11:22) What advice would Tiancheng give listeners on how to break into the autonomous tech space?
(13:16) What was the "aha moment' when Tiancheng realized he wanted to start Pony.ai?
(14:54) What were the differences between the American and Chinese autonomous vehicle industries?
(16:25) What is setting the new virtual driver technologies apart?
(18:06) What sets the technologies for autonomous trucks and taxis apart from average consumer cars?
(20:56) How do you prepare an autonomous car for unexpected events that may happen on the road?
(23:24) When did Tiancheng first put an autonomous car on the road?
(24:02) How have consumer reviews been of Pony.ai vehicles?
(26:15) How does Pony.ai prioritize their developments?
(29:23) Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Pony.ai?
(31:02) What advice does Tiancheng have for first-time founders?\
(32:30) How does Pony adapt to different regulatory environments across markets?
(34:40) How important is mass production and scaling of autonomous vehicles to Pony.ai and the overall industry?
(36:01) Are we now in the commercialization era of Robo Taxis?
(37:05) Is there an amount of autonomous driving data or a certain metric that Pony.ai aims to collect?\
(40:27) What are Tiancheng's thoughts on the future of AI?
(42:03) What are Tiancheng's thoughts on Deep Seek?
(43:41) What's the next market Pony.ai will be launching in, and what are their goals for global market expansion?
(44:19) What's next for Tiancheng personally?
(44:44) Who is a woman in Tiancheng's life that had a profound impact on him and his career?

For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Check out our guide to podcasting here!
Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music!

Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.*
*Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

WX Productions

In this episode, we're joined by Alexa Grabell, Co-Founder and CEO of Pocus, a company revolutionizing how sales teams work by creating AI agents that supercharge sales representatives. Pocus has developed a suite of tools that combine internal and external data to help sales teams identify opportunities, prepare for calls, and close deals more effectively, generating over half a billion dollars in pipeline for their customers in a single quarter.

During our conversation, Alexa shares her journey from consulting at KPMG to Stanford Business School and eventually founding Pocus with her co-founder, Isaac, through the Lean Launchpad program. She offers valuable insights on building a sales team, navigating design partnerships, fundraising strategies for B2B startups, and the evolving landscape of AI-powered sales tools. Alexa also candidly discusses the challenges of being a female founder, the importance of finding community among peer founders, and how her mother's entrepreneurial spirit influenced her own path. Whether you're building a sales team, raising capital, or are interested in how AI is transforming business workflows, this episode delivers practical wisdom from someone who's successfully navigated these waters.

(00:00) Introduction
(03:52) Where did Alexa grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?
(05:12) Did Alexa always think she was going to become a founder?
(06:26) How were Alexa's experiences at Vanderbilt and KPMG?
(08:07) Why did Alexa choose to go to business school after college?
(09:07) How did Alexa's time at GSB encourage her to try becoming a founder?
(12:41) What was the moment that made Alexa want to start Pocus?
(14:06) How did Alexa navigate conversations with peers to find the right fit for a business partner?
(15:56) What is the core product of Pocus?
(17:27) How did Pocus successfully sell its product in the beginning?
(18:45) What advice does Alexa have for founders in the design partnership phase?
(21:16) How is Pocus helping move data from "Point A" to "Point B"?
(22:34) Who was the first person to say "yes" to investing in Pocus?
(23:18) What's a fundraising hot-take that Alexa has?
(24:08) What advice does Alexa have for B2B founders raising their A?
(25:41) How is Poucs thinking about and utilizing AI?
(27:41) What can go wrong when building a marketing team?
(28:59) What advice does Alexa have for PLG or B2B founders who might not feel comfortable in sales?
(30:15) How should founders be thinking about the AI sales tool space and the modern tech stack?
(31:56) How has the necessary startup capital changed over time?
(33:06) What was a moment in founding Pocus when things didn't go as planned?
(35:59) How has the experience of being a woman founder changed over time?
(40:22) What's coming up for Pocus and for Alexa?
(41:13) Who is a woman that has a profound impact on Alexa and her career?

For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Check out our guide to podcasting here!
Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music!

Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.*
*Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

WX Productions

Welcome back to another season of The Room Podcast! To kick off season 12, we are joined by Ryan Petersen, Founder and CEO of Flexport, the revolutionary digital freight forwarder transforming how goods move around the world. Launched in 2013, Flexport combines technology and logistics expertise to bring transparency and efficiency to the complex world of global trade, having grown to become the third-largest American company in the ocean freight industry.

In this episode, Ryan takes us through his entrepreneurial journey, from his early days running an e-commerce business importing Chinese motorcycles to identifying the massive inefficiencies in international shipping that led to Flexport's creation. We dive into fascinating topics like building a company that combines tech talent with logistics veterans, navigating highly regulated international markets, and leveraging AI to transform an industry that still largely runs on email attachments. Ryan also shares valuable insights on fundraising strategies, responding to tariff changes, and maintaining resilience through unprecedented global disruptions like the pandemic and shipping crises. Tune in for a master class in spotting industry-wide inefficiencies and building a venture-scale business that's reshaping global trade.

(00:00) Introduction
(04:17) Where did Ryan grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?
(06:08) Did Ryan always think he would become a founder?
(07:30) What was Ryan's experience prior to Flexport, after Berkeley and Columbia?
(13:05) What was it like doing business in China in the early 2000s?
(16:447) How did Ryan go from observing inefficiencies to creating Flexport's first product?
(20:11) What's Ryan's advice on when founders should say no to customers?
(25:05) When did Ryan know to hire supply chain experts versus engineers?
(27:20) Who was the first person to invest in the Flexport vision?
(35:10) How did Flexport navigate the highly regulated logistics market early on?
(37:19) What key tech bets shaped Flexport's path in the early days?
(43:04) What's Ryan's view on AI in the logistics workforce?
(49:44) How is Ryan thinking about the shifts in the US tariff market?
(54:40) How has Ryan handled uncertainty as a founder through unprecedented times?
(58:26) Who is a woman who has had a profound impact on Ryan and his career?

For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Check out our guide to podcasting here!
Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music!

Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.*
*Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

WX Productions