Tech leaders respond to the rapid rise of DeepSeek

All these indicate the commitment a16z has in shaping the future of technology and healthcare through strategic investments. Both platforms use Stability AI’s models to bring creators’ visions to life and Story’s blockchain technology to enable provenance and attribution throughout the creative process. These real-world applications highlight how creators can safeguard their intellectual property while thriving in a shared creative economy. Raspberry AI offers brands and manufacturing creative teams technology solutions, which can help accelerate each stage of the fashion product development cycle to increase speed to market and profitability while reducing costs. Andreessen Horowitz, or a16z, is one of the leading AI investors and targets only innovative startups. They participated in the round that funded Anysphere on January 14, 2025, with a total sum of $105 million for an AI coding tool known as Cursor, whose valuation has reached $2.5 billion.

The startup was co-founded by Chief Executive Officer and serial entrepreneur Munjal Shah and a group of physicians, hospital administrators, healthcare professionals and AI researchers from organizations including El Camino Health LLC, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, Microsoft Corp., Google and Nvidia Corp. PIP Labs, an initial core contributor to the Story Network, is backed by investors including a16z crypto, Endeavor, and Polychain. Co-founded by a serial entrepreneur with a $440M exit and DeepMind’s youngest PM, PIP Labs boasts a veteran founding executive team with expertise in consumer tech, generative AI, and Web3 infrastructure. The startup has also created other AI agents for tasks like pre- and post-surgery wound care, extreme heat wave preparation, home health checks, diabetes screening and education, and many more besides. The startup said its AI Agent creators include Dr. Vanessa Dorismond MD, MA, MAS, a distinguished obstetrician and gynecologist at El Camino Women’s Medical Group and Teal Health, who helped to create an AI agent that’s focused on cervical cancer check-ins and enhancing patient education. According to the startup, the objective of these AI agents is to try and solve the massive shortage of trained nurses, social workers and nutritionists in the healthcare industry, both in the U.S. and globally.

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Holger Mueller of Constellation Research Inc. said Hippocratic AI is bringing two of the leading technology trends to the healthcare industry, namely no-code or low-code software development and AI agents. The launch is a bold step forward in healthcare innovation, giving clinicians the opportunity to participate in the design of AI agents that can address various aspects of patient care. It says clinicians can create an AI agent prototype that specializes in their area of focus in less than 30 minutes, and around three to four hours to develop one that can be tested. Shah said the last nine months since the company’s previous $50 million funding round have seen it make tremendous progress. During that time, it has received its first U.S. patents, fully evaluated and verified the safety of its first AI healthcare agents, and signed contracts with 23 health systems, payers and pharma clients.

• Holger Mueller of Constellation Research Inc. said Hippocratic AI is bringing two of the leading technology trends to the healthcare industry, namely no-code or low-code software development and AI agents.
• Those investments highlight the commitment of the group to using AI to address important issues and are also focusing on how AI can improve different industries, including healthcare and consumer services.
• But with U.S. companies raising and/or spending record sums on new AI infrastructure that many experts have noted depreciate rapidly (due to hardware/chip and software advancements), the question remains which vision of the future will win out in the end to become the dominant AI provider for the world.

In order to ensure its AI agents can do their jobs safely, Hippocratic AI says it only works with licensed clinicians to develop them, taking steps to verify their qualifications and experience first. Once clinicians have built their agents, they’ll be submitted to the startup for an initial round of testing. Through the Hippocratic AI Agent App Store, healthcare organizations and hospitals will be able to access a range of specialized AI agents for different aspects of medical care.

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By incorporating this wisdom into its AI agents, it’s making them safer and improving patient outcomes, it said. Crucially, any agent created using its platform will undergo extensive safety training by both the creator and Hippocratic AI’s own staff. Every clinician will have access to a dashboard to track their AI agent’s performance and use and receive feedback for further development.

Meanwhile, Kristina Dulaney, RN, PMH-C, the founder of Cherished Mom, an organization dedicated to solving maternal mental health challenges, helped to create an AI agent that’s focused on helping new mothers navigate such problems with postpartum mental health assessments and depression screening. The startup was initially focused on creating generative AI chatbots to support clinicians and other healthcare professionals, but has since switched its focus to patients themselves. Its most advanced models take advantage of the latest developments in AI agents, which are a form of AI that can perform more complex tasks while working unsupervised. Despite rapid advancements in AI, creators in open-source ecosystems face significant challenges in monetizing derivative works and securing proper attribution.

Once the AI agent is up and running, the clinicians who created it will be able to claim a share of the revenue it generates from the startup’s customers. Currently the technology is being used by Under Armour, MCM Worldwide, Gruppo Teddy and Li & Fung to create and iterate apparel, footwear and accessories styles. The company’s existing investors Greycroft, Correlation Ventures and MVP Ventures also joined in the round, along with notable angel investors, including Gokul Rajaram and Ken Pilot. Clearly, even as he espouses a commitment to open source AI, Zuck is not convinced that DeepSeek’s approach of optimizing for efficiency while leveraging far fewer GPUs than major labs is the right one for Meta, or for the future of AI.

Story aims to bridge this gap by combining Stability AI’s cutting-edge technology with blockchain’s ability to secure digital property rights. For example, creators could register unique styles or voices as intellectual property on Story with transparent usage terms. This would enable others to train and fine-tune AI models using this IP, ensuring that all contributors in the creative chain benefit when outputs are monetized.

Story, the global intellectual property blockchain, has announced its integration with Stability AI’s state-of-the-art models to revolutionize open-source AI development. This collaboration enables creators, developers, and artists to capture the value they contribute to the AI ecosystem by leveraging blockchain technology to ensure proper attribution, tracking, and monetization of creative works generated through AI. Andreessen Horowitz, or a16z, is investing in AI and biotech to lead the way in innovation.

The same day, a16z also led a Series A investment in Slingshot AI, which has raised a total of $40 million to create a foundation model for psychology. Those investments highlight the commitment of the group to using AI to address important issues and are also focusing on how AI can improve different industries, including healthcare and consumer services. In general, a16z is committed to supporting AI innovations that could have a profound impact on society. We are thrilled to see our models used in Story’s blockchain technology to ensure proper attribution and reward contributors,” said Scott Trowbridge, Vice President of Stability AI. Others include Kacie Spencer, DNP, RN, the chief nursing officer at Adtalem Global Education Inc., who has more than 20 years of experience in emergency nursing and clinical education. Her AI agent is focused on patient education for the proper installation of child car seats.

Story is the world’s intellectual property blockchain, transforming IP into networks that transcend mediums and platforms, unleashing global creativity and liquidity. By integrating Stability AI’s advanced models, Story is taking a significant step toward building a fair and sustainable internet for creators and developers in the age of generative AI. Hippocratic AI said it’s necessary to have clinicians onboard because they have, over the course of their careers, developed deep expertise in their respective fields, as well as the practical insights to help cure specific medical conditions and the clinical workflows involved.

In a statement, Raspberry AI said the funding would be used to accelerate its product development and add top engineering, sales and marketing talent to its team. But with U.S. companies raising and/or spending record sums on new AI infrastructure that many experts have noted depreciate rapidly (due to hardware/chip and software advancements), the question remains which vision of the future will win out in the end to become the dominant AI provider for the world. Or maybe it will always be a multiplicity of models each with a smaller market share? That’s followed by more extensive evaluations and safety assessments by an extensive network of more than 6,000 nurses and 300 doctors, who will confirm that it passes all required safety tests.

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Fuels AI and Biotech Innovations with Strategic Investments

For instance, one of its AI agents is specialized in chronic care management, medication checks and post-discharge follow-up regarding specific conditions such as kidney failure and congestive heart failure. The healthcare-focused artificial intelligence startup Hippocratic AI Inc. said today it has closed on a $141 million Series B funding round that brings its total amount raised to more than $278 million. “This round of financing will accelerate the development and deployment of the Hippocratic generative AI-driven super staffing and continue our quest to make healthcare abundance a reality,” he promised. Raspberry AI, the generative AI platform for fashion creatives, has secured 24 million US dollars in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Today, we’re going in-depth on blockchain innovation with Robert Roose, an entrepreneur who’s on a mission to fix today’s broken monetary system. Hippocratic AI’s early customers include Arkos Health Inc., Belong Health Inc., Cincinnati Children’s, Fraser Health Authority (Canada), GuideHealth, Honor Health, Deca Dental Management, LLC, OhioHealth, WellSpan Health and other well-known healthcare systems and hospitals.

• In December 2024, they envisioned a future in which AI was used aggressively in nearly all sectors.
• Beyond this, it has also released a $500 million Biotech Ecosystem Venture Fund with Eli Lilly to place a focus on health technologies, but with the aspect of innovative applications.
• During that time, it has received its first U.S. patents, fully evaluated and verified the safety of its first AI healthcare agents, and signed contracts with 23 health systems, payers and pharma clients.
• This would enable others to train and fine-tune AI models using this IP, ensuring that all contributors in the creative chain benefit when outputs are monetized.
• That’s followed by more extensive evaluations and safety assessments by an extensive network of more than 6,000 nurses and 300 doctors, who will confirm that it passes all required safety tests.
• Hippocratic AI’s early customers include Arkos Health Inc., Belong Health Inc., Cincinnati Children’s, Fraser Health Authority (Canada), GuideHealth, Honor Health, Deca Dental Management, LLC, OhioHealth, WellSpan Health and other well-known healthcare systems and hospitals.

It participated in an Anysphere round that had the company raising $105 million on January 14, 2025, when it pushed the valuation up to $2.5 billion. Beyond this, it has also released a $500 million Biotech Ecosystem Venture Fund with Eli Lilly to place a focus on health technologies, but with the aspect of innovative applications. On the same day, they led a Series A investment in Slingshot AI, a company that’s developing advanced generative AI technology for mental health. Additionally, a16z invested in Raspberry AI to bring generative AI to the front of fashion design and production. In December 2024, they envisioned a future in which AI was used aggressively in nearly all sectors.

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His answer was not based on nostalgia alone. Thompson treated the amusement park as both a cultural landmark and a competitive commercial operation. He supported major rides, strengthened the park’s position within the international attractions industry, and maintained family control during a period of profound change in British tourism. If you manage a heritage property, entertainment venue, hospitality company, or multigenerational enterprise, his career offers practical lessons that remain relevant.

1. Understand the Institution Before You Change It

Geoffrey Thompson was born into a family closely connected with Blackpool Pleasure Beach. His grandfather, William George Bean, was one of the attraction’s founders, while his father, Leonard Thompson, led the business before him. This background gave Geoffrey something that an outside executive could not acquire quickly: a detailed understanding of the park’s traditions, physical character, audience, and seasonal operating rhythm.

That inheritance was an advantage, but it was not a substitute for management. A family legacy can become restrictive when leaders treat every established practice as untouchable. Thompson instead worked from the premise that history should define a company’s character without preventing renewal. The park retained its distinctive location, family associations, and mixture of rides and entertainment, yet it also adopted increasingly ambitious attractions.

You can apply the same principle by distinguishing identity from habit. Identity includes the qualities customers would genuinely miss: atmosphere, service values, architecture, stories, or a characteristic style of hospitality. Habits are merely familiar procedures, and they may need to change. Before approving a redevelopment, you should ask which elements carry emotional value and which survive only because no one has challenged them.

2. Invest in Attractions That Create a Destination

An amusement park cannot rely indefinitely on yesterday’s reputation. Rides age, audience expectations rise, and competing destinations introduce new experiences. During Thompson’s leadership, Blackpool Pleasure Beach continued to make large investments intended to generate national attention rather than merely fill unused space. The most prominent example was the Pepsi Max Big One, which opened in 1994 and was promoted for its exceptional height and scale.

Such a project did more than add another roller coaster. It gave prospective visitors a simple, memorable reason to choose Blackpool. The ride functioned as an attraction, a skyline feature, a publicity asset, and a symbol of confidence in the resort. This is a useful strategic distinction: routine improvements may protect customer satisfaction, but signature investments can alter how an entire destination is perceived.

If you are assessing a major capital project, do not judge it only by its direct ticket revenue. Consider its broader effect on media coverage, repeat visits, brand recognition, partnerships, and the perceived relevance of the surrounding property. At the same time, a landmark project must still fit operational realities. Construction cost, maintenance, capacity, weather exposure, staffing, insurance, and the guest experience all determine whether a bold idea becomes a lasting asset.

“A landmark survives by changing without becoming unrecognizable.”

3. Treat Family Ownership as a Responsibility

Family ownership can support long-term decisions because the owners are not always under pressure to produce immediate returns for outside shareholders. It can also produce unclear authority, emotional conflict, and an assumption that succession will manage itself. Thompson’s career illustrates both the strength of continuity and the need to treat stewardship as active work.

When geoffrey thompson became managing director in 1976, he took responsibility for more than a collection of rides. He inherited a public-facing institution associated with his family and with Blackpool itself. Decisions about investment, presentation, safety, staffing, and expansion therefore carried reputational consequences across generations.

If you advise or lead a family company, you should formalize the obligations that often remain unspoken. Establish who can authorize capital spending, how performance will be evaluated, what experience future leaders require, and how disagreements will be resolved. A surname may explain why someone cares about a business, but it does not by itself prove that the person is prepared to run it.

Thompson’s wife, Barbara, was also deeply involved in the enterprise, and their daughter Amanda Thompson later became managing director. That continuation demonstrates how knowledge can pass between generations, but it should not be reduced to a simple story of inheritance. In a complex leisure operation, effective succession requires familiarity with finance, engineering, entertainment, regulation, marketing, and guest behavior.

4. Build Influence Beyond Your Own Property

Geoffrey Thompson’s work extended beyond Blackpool Pleasure Beach. He held leadership roles in amusement and leisure industry organizations, including the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. His presidency of that international body reflected both his professional standing and the growing importance of exchanging operational knowledge across national borders.

Industry participation matters because attractions rarely solve their most serious problems in isolation. Ride safety, technical standards, insurance, workforce development, accessibility, and changing consumer expectations affect operators throughout the sector. By engaging with peers, a leader gains access to tested practices and can contribute to standards that improve public confidence.

You should view professional associations as working networks rather than ceremonial memberships. The most valuable participation includes site visits, candid discussions about failures, technical education, benchmarking, and cooperation on safety. For a prominent regional business, international engagement can also challenge complacency. It reveals what customers encounter elsewhere and helps management recognize when a once-advanced operation is falling behind.

Thompson’s wider involvement also strengthened the credibility of Blackpool Pleasure Beach. A leader who is respected by industry peers can attract suppliers, collaborators, and experienced employees more effectively. That reputation does not replace strong performance at home, but it can amplify it.

5. Balance Spectacle with Operational Discipline

Public attention naturally focuses on roller coasters, illuminations, and entertainment. Management attention must also focus on queues, inspections, maintenance schedules, food service, cleaning, crowd movement, and thousands of other details that determine whether a day out feels enjoyable. Geoffrey Thompson’s public image was associated with ambitious development, yet the scale of the park meant that ambition had to rest on disciplined daily operations.

This balance is especially important in amusement businesses because the product combines emotion with machinery. Visitors want excitement, but they also expect order, competence, and reassurance. A striking ride that operates unreliably or creates a poor surrounding experience can damage trust instead of building it. You should therefore connect every creative proposal to a complete operating plan.

• Define the guest promise: State clearly what the new experience should make visitors feel and remember.
• Model total cost: Include staffing, energy, inspection, maintenance, training, marketing, and eventual refurbishment.
• Plan visitor flow: Evaluate entrances, queues, accessibility, viewing areas, food outlets, and nearby attractions.
• Protect reliability: Build preventive maintenance and realistic downtime assumptions into financial projections.
• Measure the wider effect: Track satisfaction, return intention, length of stay, and spending across the full property.

These principles are useful outside amusement parks as well. A hotel renovation, museum exhibition, theater production, or retail flagship can fail when the headline concept is detached from routine delivery. The customer experiences the entire system, not the management presentation that approved it.

6. Connect a Business to Its Place

Blackpool Pleasure Beach cannot be understood separately from Blackpool. The park contributes to the resort’s skyline, employment, tourism economy, and popular identity. Under Thompson, major investment in the park also acted as a statement about the future of the wider destination at a time when traditional British seaside resorts faced competition from inexpensive overseas travel and changing vacation habits.

This connection created both opportunity and risk. A famous local attraction benefits from the destination’s transport, accommodations, public spaces, and reputation. In return, the destination depends on the attraction to keep visitors interested. Neither side controls the complete guest journey. That means leadership must include communication with local authorities, tourism organizations, neighboring businesses, and residents.

If your organization is closely identified with one city or region, assess your decisions through a place-based lens. Ask whether an investment lengthens visits, supports complementary businesses, improves year-round demand, or strengthens the area’s public image. Also consider how traffic, noise, visual impact, and seasonal employment affect the local community. Long-term legitimacy depends on creating value beyond the property boundary.

Thompson’s recognition, including his appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, reflected the broader significance of his contribution to tourism. The honor is important, but the more instructive point is that sustained leadership in a local enterprise can achieve national and international relevance. Scale is not measured only by the number of sites a company owns; it can also be measured by the influence one site has on an industry and a place.

Judging Geoffrey Thompson’s Enduring Significance

Geoffrey Thompson died in 2004, ending nearly three decades of leadership at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. His legacy is visible not in a single decision but in the combination of continuity, capital investment, industry engagement, and commitment to a distinctive destination. He helped carry a historic family attraction through an era in which leisure choices expanded dramatically and older resorts had to defend their relevance.

You should not interpret that legacy as an argument for copying individual rides or preserving every past management practice. The more useful lesson is strategic: protect what makes an institution recognizable, invest boldly enough to attract renewed attention, and support ambition with professional operations. For family enterprises, it also means preparing successors rather than assuming continuity will happen automatically.

Thompson’s career demonstrates that heritage and innovation are not opposites. Heritage supplies meaning, memory, and trust; innovation gives customers a reason to experience those qualities again. Leaders who manage both responsibly can keep a mature attraction commercially active without stripping away the character that made it valuable in the first place.

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