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AI-driven hiring and the science of compatibility

This season on Build Mode, we’re breaking down what it really takes to build a world-class team and that starts with hiring the right people the first time. This week, we’re joined by Sarah Lucena, founder and CEO of Mapa, a behavioral intelligence platform that uses voice AI to decode human behavior in under 60…

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This season on Build Mode, we’re breaking down what it really takes to build a world-class team and that starts with hiring the right people the first time.

This week, we’re joined by Sarah Lucena, founder and CEO of Mapa, a behavioral intelligence platform that uses voice AI to decode human behavior in under 60 seconds. After rebuilding teams over and over again early in her career, Sarah set out to answer the question: why do “great on paper” candidates fail to flourish after their hired?

In this episode, she explains how Mapa analyzes thousands of voice biomarkers, from speech patterns to linguistic signals, to build behavioral profiles and match candidates based on compatibility, not just the on-paper credentials. They help their clients make the right hired the first time, saving crucial time and money.

She breaks down:

• Why most hiring decisions are still a gamble
• Compatibility vs. similarity (and why it matters)
• How voice biomarkers reveal behavioral traits
• How to reduce bias without lowering the bar
• How founders should think about building aligned teams

Whether you’re hiring your first employee or scaling a fast-growing startup, this episode will change the way you think about talent, team dynamics, and what it really means to be a “fit.”

Chapters:

00:00 – Why great hires still fail
00:47 – Meet Sarah Lucena (Founder & CEO, Mapa)
01:39 – What Mapa does: voice → behavioral intelligence
04:22 – Why voice (not video) is the best signal
06:03 – The proprietary dataset & real-life outcomes
12:30 – Mapping companies, not just candidates
14:27 – Compatibility vs. similarity
16:10 – Bias, diversity & better hiring signals
23:53 – Expanding beyond hiring (VCs, finance, insurance)
30:16 – Using Mapa to evaluate investors
33:02 – Building Mapa’s own team
35:49 – Founder advice: patience, compatibility & lawyers
39:16 – Startup Battlefield experience
41:29 – Outro

New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

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  1. @عليموحان-س5ع

    March 3, 2026 at 1:46 pm

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  2. @TheNarrowPathGarage

    March 3, 2026 at 9:27 pm

    ❤

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Science & Technology

The Musk v. Altman case is in the jury’s hands. The trust verdict is still out. | Equity Podcast

The Musk v. Altman trial came to a close this week, and the final arguments kept circling back to one question: can we trust the people in charge of AI? All of this is playing out as SpaceX charges toward what could be one of the largest IPOs in American history, with a whole generation…

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May 15, 2026

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The Musk v. Altman trial came to a close this week, and the final arguments kept circling back to one question: can we trust the people in charge of AI? All of this is playing out as SpaceX charges toward what could be one of the largest IPOs in American history, with a whole generation of founders already spinning out of the Musk empire.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane break down the trial’s closing stretch and what the growing Elon Musk founder ecosystem looks like on the ground, and the other deals that caught our eye this week.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:16 Claude learns how to blackmail (Anthropic’s AI safety report)

03:20 Anduril’s $5B Series H

08:43 Mind Robotics and why investors can’t say no to RJ Scaringe

15:03 Vapi’s $50M Series B and the AI customer service moment

20:25 The Elon Musk founder machine: Tesla and SpaceX alumni

30:12 The startups stepping up to build data centers in space

32:50 The OpenAI trial wraps: Who trusts Sam Altman?

38:11 Outro

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CNET

First Look at Segway’s $5,299 Xaber 300 Electric Dirt Bike

Segway’s newest e-dirt bike, the Xaber 300, is now available in the U.S. and features a top speed of 60-mph, and a virtual clutch that gives you more control like you would on a gas powered dirt bike. Do you think the future of dirt bikes is electric? CNET Senior Video Producer Dillon Lopez is…

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Segway’s newest e-dirt bike, the Xaber 300, is now available in the U.S. and features a top speed of 60-mph, and a virtual clutch that gives you more control like you would on a gas powered dirt bike. Do you think the future of dirt bikes is electric? CNET Senior Video Producer Dillon Lopez is here to give you a first look at this $5,299 electric dirt bike. ⚡️🏍️ #segway #segwayxaber300 #electricdirtbike #edirtbike #dirtbike

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Please, Apple, Don’t Use Gemini This Way | One More Thing

Much of Android’s new AI features focus on ways to spend your money faster. Is this what we have to look forward to in the new Siri updates? CNET’s Bridget Carey looks at the Gemini Intelligence news and what Apple should (and shouldn’t) copy for iPhone users. Read more about it on CNET.com Apple Picks…

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May 15, 2026

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Much of Android’s new AI features focus on ways to spend your money faster. Is this what we have to look forward to in the new Siri updates? CNET’s Bridget Carey looks at the Gemini Intelligence news and what Apple should (and shouldn’t) copy for iPhone users.

Read more about it on CNET.com
Apple Picks Google Gemini to Power Siri
Google I/O 2026: What Google’s AI Past Tells Us About Its Future

0:00 Does Google think everyone’s rich?
0:12 Gemini Intelligence announced in the Android Show IO Edition
0:36 Gemini is going to be in your iPhone
0:55 Will Gemini Intelligence live up to the hype?
1:17 Apple’s delayed promise of a more personal Siri
1:26 Buying concert tickets agentic AI in Android
1:57 Buying concert tickets with Apple Music
2:29 Android AI giving real-time ETAs in messages
2:46 Apple Calendar time-to-leave notifications
3:07 Using Gemini Intelligence to find late-night pizza
3:13 Using Siri to find late-night pizza
3:23 Gemini Intelligence being tested with food delivery and rideshare apps
3:31 All of Google’s Android agentic AI examples make spending money easier
3:49 Booking an Expedia tour with Gemini Intelligence on your Android device
4:19 Things I actually want from an AI assistant
4:26 New Android widget builder
4:45 Google really wants you to buy things and shop
4:59 Building an Android recipe widget
5:23 Rambler brings conversational awareness to speech-to-text on Android phones
5:34 Android Rambler in action
6:20 Android green screen recording for video creators
6:29 Android Screen Reactions
7:03 How will Gemini influence the new Siri?
7:17 New Android interface looks a lot like Liquid Glass
7:26 RCS messages between Android and iPhones are now encrypted

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#siri #google #gemini #ai #intelligence #androidai

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