2023 LA First Look — AI: Being Superhuman in the Age of AI

Fika hosted its 8th annual LA First Look Retreat on May 4th after a sad three-year hiatus. It was incredible to be back in-person at the historic Ebell for what turned out to be perhaps the best First Look yet, as many proclaimed this to be one of the top tech events in Los Angeles.

The day began with main stage keynote discussions with esteemed industry leaders touching on a wide range of hot-button topics.

Fika Partner, John Chen, led a lively conversation with Rahul Vohra, Founder and CEO of Superhuman, about the company’s origin and motivation, product-market-fit measurement, and the role of AI in email and software design. Rahul passionately discussed how Superhuman aims to revolutionize email and adapt to users’ needs by integrating AI technology. As the email landscape evolves, he envisions Superhuman AI becoming an essential tool for users, providing a more personalized and efficient email experience.

“Superhuman AI can actually write in your voice and in your tone… We went really, really hard on making sure we could actually replicate this” — Rahul Vohra

John and Rahul went on to discuss how meeting customers’ needs and maintaining product-market fit is crucial for Superhuman’s growth. The company has been successful in continuously maintaining its product-market fit by surveying users and keeping a close eye on its performance metrics. Rahul explained that Superhuman is hyper focused on these numbers in order to adjust their strategies and maintain the high quality of their product. Moreover, he emphasized the importance for startups to meet customers where they are and provide the best user experience possible.

“The other thing startups can do better than incumbents is to know our customers, focus on our niches… and what we have to believe, and I think this is almost always true, is that how you build something is just as important as what you build.” — Rahul Vohra