What does it take to build an AI-native search engine for science? In this episode, I spoke with Eric Olson, Co-founder & CEO of Consensus, the platform making peer-reviewed research accessible through AI. We covered the company’s journey from Series A to millions of users, the realities of competing with tech giants, and what truly creates defensibility for AI startups. Eric shared his perspective on the “AI talent wars,” building products at hyperspeed, and what truly creates a moat for AI applications. If you allocate to or invest in AI, you’ll want to hear Eric’s frameworks for product strategy, market sizing, and execution speed.

Highlights:

• Consensus as “Google Scholar powered by AI”
• 5M users, ~20-person team, scaling toward Series B
• Funded by USV, Nat Friedman, and Daniel Gross
• Why vertical focus beats horizontal platforms
• The 70/30 framework for product development
• Execution speed as the real moat in AI

Guest Bio:

Eric Olson is the Co-founder & CEO of Consensus, an AI search engine for scientific research founded in 2021 with Christian Salem. Before Consensus, Eric worked in data science at DraftKings and was a Division I football player at Northwestern University. Under his leadership, Consensus raised an $11.5M Series A in 2024 led by Union Square Ventures with participation from Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross.

Our Podcast now receives more than 300,000 downloads a month. Are you interested in sponsoring an episode? Please email David Weisburd at [email protected].

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Stay Connected:

X / Twitter: David Weisburd: @dweisburd

LinkedIn: David Weisburd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd/ Eric Olson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-olson-1822a7a6/

Links Consensus: https://www.linkedin.com/company/consensus-nlp/

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(0:00) Preview (1:03) Series A Celebration and Talent Wars in AI (3:23) Consensus: Overview and Target Users (4:25) TAM for Consensus and Comparison with Google Scholar (8:42) The Edge of Startups in AI and Importance of Focus (15:57) Product Development and Building a Moat in AI (23:01) AI Market Investment Strategies for Asset Allocators (24:36) Fundamentals of Software Investing and Focus on Talent (26:15) Closing remarks