# 261 Finding Product-Market Fit in Language AI with Naitiv Founder Gayatri Shahane

Introduction to Native and Its Founder

Background of Gayatri Shahane

• Gayatri Shahane shares her experience testing Native, an AI language interpreting tool, in various Discord channels with non-English speakers.

• She introduces herself as the founder of Native, which focuses on live language interpretation for global expansion.

Personal and Professional Journey

• Gayatri is based in Davis, California, near the University of California, Davis.

• Her background includes a mix of business, data science, and AI from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), where she gained expertise in these fields.

• Growing up in a family involved in international business exposed her to the importance of culture and communication in global expansion.

The Concept Behind Native

Inspiration for Starting Native

• The idea for Native stems from her childhood experiences observing her father's manufacturing business expand into 24 countries.

• She highlights the challenges faced by startups trying to navigate different languages and cultures while expanding globally.

Founders' Reception

• Other founders often ask probing questions about technical aspects like turn-taking and speech-to-text research when discussing her venture.

• Their inquiries reflect their understanding of the complexities involved in building such technology rather than skepticism about its feasibility.

Cultural Nuances in Language AI

Multilingual Influence on AI Perspective

• Gayatri discusses being trilingual and attempting to learn additional languages for business purposes but facing challenges due to complexity.

• She emphasizes that translation does not equate to effective communication; nuances are crucial for understanding during meetings with interpreters.

Challenges for AI in Live Settings

• Inspired by Erin Meyer's book "The Culture Map," she notes that cultural differences affect communication styles and decision-making processes.

How to Integrate Context into AI Systems?

Technical Aspects of Live Feeding Context

• The discussion begins with a question about how to live feed linguistic complexities into an AI system, focusing on both technical and business model aspects.

• The speaker explains that they train proprietary models for specific language pairs, incorporating nuances directly into the live model.

• Users can select different modes (casual or professional) based on their audience, affecting the formality and nuance of the language used.

Application and User Experience

• The native conversational AI agent is designed as a desktop app to manage latency and audio inputs effectively during simultaneous interpretation.

• The speaker acknowledges the challenges in scaling real-time AI interpreting as a viable business model, noting many attempts have failed.

What Makes This Approach Unique?

Human Connection Through Technology

• The speaker expresses confidence in solving deeply human problems that remain unsolved despite technological advancements.

• They emphasize that understanding meaning goes beyond mere translation; it’s crucial for forming genuine connections.

Real-world Testing of Technology

• Personal experiences in Discord voice channels demonstrate successful communication across languages using their technology without users realizing it was AI-driven.

• Engaging in these conversations led to meaningful interactions, showcasing the potential impact of their technology on global communication.

Challenges and Competition in Language Solutions

Market Landscape

• The conversation shifts towards competition from major tech companies like Google and Apple who are integrating similar features but may not achieve true effectiveness.

AI Interpreting in Business: Navigating Competition and Adoption

The Role of Language in Business

• Language serves as a significant barrier in business; without proficiency, individuals are excluded from opportunities.

• Big tech companies are addressing language barriers on a large scale through features like subtitles and real-time translation, benefiting billions.

• However, business communication is nuanced, requiring trust and deeper understanding beyond mere translation.

AI Solutions for Business Expansion

• The focus is on developing an AI agent that can engage conversationally and understand the intricacies of international business.

• Current clients include US-based B2B companies looking to expand into regions such as APAC, LATAM, and EU.

• These companies utilize native conversational AI for various functions including live demos, onboarding, global training, and sales support.

Success Stories with AI Interpreting

• A notable success involved a US-Japanese company where the AI helped prevent customer churn by facilitating an emotional meeting.

• The AI interpreter effectively conveyed sensitive messages that would have been awkward for a human translator to deliver directly.

Technical Aspects of AI Interpretation

• Implementing effective interpretation requires advanced components like tone modulation and speaker detection.

• The team has developed their own voice orchestration engine to address these challenges comprehensively.

• They employ semantic intent modeling to enhance end-of-turn detection based on language nuances.

User Demographics and Adoption Challenges

• Older users tend to be the primary demographic; they require intuitive interfaces due to potential reluctance in learning new languages.

• Younger users adapt more easily but may not represent the main user base for this technology.

Launching on Product Hunt: Insights Gained

Building a Product: Balancing Vision and Customization

The Challenge of Customization Requests

• The speaker discusses the challenge of maintaining a product vision while accommodating enterprise customization requests, especially from key customers.

• Emphasizes the importance of security and compliance as prerequisites for engaging with enterprise clients.

• Highlights receiving extensive feedback from customers, indicating that valuable suggestions can enhance the product for all users.

• Mentions categorizing feedback into actionable items for the product roadmap versus more bespoke requests that may not align with broader goals.

Sales and Marketing Strategies

• The current approach to sales is founder-led and organic, without significant ad spending or marketing efforts yet.

• Describes how positive user experiences during meetings lead to organic growth through word-of-mouth referrals from participants who inquire about the product.

• Discusses branding visibility during usage; aims for minimal disruption in conversations by keeping the conversational agent's presence subtle.

Future Plans: Funding and Feature Expansion

Funding Initiatives

• Indicates plans to initiate a pre-seed funding round soon, expressing excitement about potential investment opportunities.

Roadmap for Development

• Reveals intentions to evolve beyond live meetings, aiming to develop an AI agent that assists businesses in global expansion efforts.