I just cut 16 hours of work down to 151 seconds…a 400X productivity improvement. Let me show you how to do it yourself…
This afternoon, I’m meeting a startup that makes self-driving forklifts. I want to be well-informed for my meeting, so I did a little research.
I don’t know much about forklifts. But thanks to Grok 4, I can get up to speed on any technology in minutes.
Crafting the Right Prompt
The key to getting up to speed fast on a new technology is how you write the prompt. Instead of a quick one liner, give Grok a carefully formed prompt.
Tell it your perspective and why you want the info — that will help Grok tailor its output to your needs. Give it a clear idea of the exact info you want (say, a list of leading startups) and the format you want (a table).
Here’s the prompt I used:
I am an angel investor. Today, I am meeting with a company that is making self-driving forklifts.
I want to research the industry. Please give me the following information:
- How many forklifts are currently deployed in America (both autonomous and regular forklifts)
- How rapidly e-commerce volumes are growing in America
- The current state of autonomous forklift technology
- A table showing the leading companies developing autonomous forklifts with this info in the table: A) company name B) HQ location C) Feature comparison to the other companies in the table D) Amount of venture capital funding raised
- Any potential barriers to the development or adoption of autonomous forklift technology
Also include any other information you think would be highly relevant to my research. Remember that my perspective is from that of the investor. Thanks!
Grok’s Stunning Response
Grok’s answer was awesome! It gave me precisely the info I asked for in the format I wanted. It also added some helpful details I wasn’t expecting, such as the fact that forklifts are often used in manufacturing, not just e-commerce.
I just gave a small piece of Grok’s answer here. The full report came to around 4 pages, exhaustively footnoted.
In a pre-AI world, searching 136 websites like Grok did and writing it up probably would’ve taken me 16 hours. Instead, I got the information in 151 seconds exactly.
That’s a 400X productivity improvement. Wow!
I meet tons of founders. I don’t have time to spend 16 hours researching each startup.
So what did I do before AI? Give it 20 minutes and get the best info I can.
The result: I was far worse prepared for a meeting 2 years ago than I am today. Today, I know a lot more coming in and can ask the right questions to dig deeper.
AI also makes it much easier to invest in unfamiliar fields. If I can get up to speed on anything quickly, I can invest much more broadly.
Wrap-Up
Grok 4 lets me make more informed investment decisions. That could result in many millions in gains for me — all from a tool that costs $30/month.
The ROI on AI is absolutely nuts. No wonder these companies are growing revenue at a pace we’ve never seen.
If you invest in startups, I encourage you to use Grok 4 or other top AI models to prep for your meetings and evaluate investments. It will put you 10X above the competition, minimum.
And if you’re a founder, you can use Grok to research your competitors. Think of it like a secret agent that works for you 24/7.
If I can get a 100X improvement on a critical part of my job just 2.5 years into the AI revolution, the sky is the limit for productivity growth. I can’t wait to see what’s next!
More on tech:
My Favorite Late Stage Startups
Are Hackers After Your Brain? — The Rise of CogSec
Where I’m Most Excited About Investing Now
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