The Finance Startup Bringing Agentic AI to Wall Street

About this Video

• Video Title: The Finance Startup Bringing Agentic AI to Wall Street
• Channel: Y Combinator
• Speakers: Arie Englander, Chaz Englander
• Duration: 00:46:16

Introduction

This Y Combinator interview features Arie and Chaz Englander, founders of Model ML, a financial services AI workspace. The video explores their company's origin, growth, challenges, and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. It also touches upon their previous successful startups, Fat Llama and Fancy.

Key Takeaways

• Model ML's Success: Model ML experienced rapid growth, signing as many contracts in seven days as in all of Q4. This highlights the significant value proposition of their AI-powered workspace for financial services.
• Automating Analyst Work: The platform automates repetitive tasks for financial analysts, such as creating earning summaries, freeing up their time for higher-value work. Model ML leverages AI to improve accuracy and efficiency in data analysis.
• Lessons from Previous Startups (Fat Llama & Fancy): The founders shared experiences from their previous ventures, emphasizing the importance of perseverance, customer obsession, and adapting to unexpected challenges. They highlight the value of understanding unit economics and achieving product-market fit.
• Hiring Advice: The founders stressed the importance of cultural fit and enjoyment of working together in their hiring process, prioritizing personality and shared work ethic over experience alone.
• Location and Growth: The discussion includes advice on startup location (San Francisco vs. Europe), highlighting the benefits of the San Francisco tech community but also acknowledging the strong engineering talent in Europe. The founders emphasize the importance of being close to customers and other ambitious builders.