Startup MindsDB is powering the AI race in the workplace; how managers affect mental health; and more

Welcome to the latest edition of Forbes Edge, your weekly insider’s guide to career and entrepreneurial success. Let’s jump right into the story of San Francisco Bay Area startup MindsDB, which just completed a $16.5 million Series A round to advance its mission of helping developers build AI applications even if they don’t have AI expertise. Then, we take a look at the impact managers have on workers’ mental health, and the things you shouldn’t say in a job interview if you want to actually land an offer.?

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Success Story of the Week:?

Startup MindsDB Raises $16.5 Million To Power The AI Race In The Workplace

Amid the artificial intelligence tech boom frenzy, San Francisco Bay Area startup MindsDB is on a mission to help developers build AI applications—even if they lack AI expertise. It just announced a $16.5 million Series A investment led by storied Silicon Valley firm Benchmark, with the round coming at a valuation of $56 million.

Historically, companies have called upon their data teams to handle the time-consuming task of rigging up connections between their business data (stored in databases) and machine learning tech, like an application that detects fraud or predicts patients’ health outcomes. MindsDB wants to streamline that process, injecting the AI functionality directly into the database so that developers can do the work themselves.?

Cofounder and CEO Jorge Torres launched the company in 2017 alongside Adam Carrigan, the company’s chief operating officer. The two met as students at the Australian National University. At first, MindsDB was built as an entirely open-source project. It then rolled out paid services in late 2020, and Forbes named it to the annual AI 50 list in 2021. Now, Torres is betting that AI’s moment to transform the business world has finally come.?

In His Words: “I think there’s going to be a rebirth of a new generation of applications”—from email to CRMs—“designed with AI capabilities at the core,” Torres says.?

So far, about 20 companies are shelling out for its paid version, per Torres. Annualized revenue has not yet hit $1 million, Carrigan says. But Benchmark General Partner Chetan Puttagunta thinks MindsDB may be particularly well-positioned to capitalize on the booming AI tech scene as new models flood the market, like flashy tools such as GPT-3.

Success Edge: Companies and bosses are hungry for the tech, and “you no longer have to convince three levels up that machine learning is a useful technology,” says Puttagunta. Plus, Benchmark believes MindsDB stands out in the noisy AI startup space for its more than 70 integrations between an array of databases and AI.

MindsDB plans to use its latest capital injection to fuel commercialization. The startup hopes to grow from its current 22 employees to 40 by year’s end. It’s confidentially working with big-name customers, Carrigan says, including a top-five bank and one of the world’s largest electronics makers.?

Read the full story here .

Tips and Strategies:

Managers Have Major Impact On Mental Health: How To Lead For Wellbeing

It’s not in your head; your manager’s actually affecting your health. Yes, really—at least per a new study, which found that for almost 70% of people, their manager impacted their mental health more than their therapist, or even their doctor. That makes the toll roughly equivalent to that of a romantic partner.?

So while the stakes for leadership have always been high, the findings should give managers pause to consider the critical role they play in contributing to their employees’ positive wellbeing. If you’re in charge of others, that might mean keeping your own workload and professional boundaries in check; emphasizing empathy while taking accountability for your impact on others; and helping workers foster their sense of connection to the organization.

Read the full story here .?

If You Say These Things In An Interview, You Won’t Get The Job Offer

We often hear about the to-dos of a first job interview: show up early, practice your elevator pitch ahead of time and come with questions for the interviewer. But there are also several landmines and behaviors to avoid, like showing up without a basic working knowledge of the company and its mission.?

It’s easy to get carried away if you start getting comfortable with your interviewer. So make sure to hold off on speaking negatively about your former employer or co-workers. Hold your tongue on any off-color or political jokes, even if you’ve fallen into casual banter. And while you want to know all about the compensation and benefits, it’s best to hold off for now.

Read the full story here .?

More:

• What Looks Different And What You Need To Know About Your 2022 Tax Return
• How To Tell If You Self-Sabotaged Your Interview
• What To Expect With Your Student Loans In 2023

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Thank you for reading! We'll be back next Tuesday morning with another Forbes Edge.?

Forbes Edge is curated and written by Forbes Staff Writer Laura Smythe .