In this episode, we were joined by Grigory Silanyan, the founder of ReadPartner. Grigory offers a unique perspective on the intersection of technology and media, detailing his transition from an early career as a freelance web developer and operations specialist to becoming the founder of a modern media intelligence platform.
Grigory’s entrepreneurial journey with ReadPartner began with a simple, personal need: he wanted his relatives, who weren’t proficient in English, to easily process the vast amount of media coming out of the English-speaking market. The initial concept was a B2C summarization tool. However, after witnessing the sheer volume of information surrounding historical events, he realized the greater need lay in filtering and processing this data for businesses.
This realization led to a crucial pivot: ReadPartner transformed from a B2C summarizer into a B2B media intelligence platform. This change was the biggest challenge for Grigory and his team, requiring a complete shift in mindset—moving from the fast-paced, high-volume B2C world to the B2B landscape, where deeper client relationships and specialized services are paramount.
Combating Misinformation: ReadPartner’s Unique AI Approach
In today’s digital landscape, the volume of news and its rapid consumption through social media present a significant challenge—notably, the rise of “rage baiting,” engagement farms, and general misinformation.
ReadPartner’s core mission is to help businesses cut through this noise. They do this by combining different mechanisms to ensure clients receive only the most relevant and reliable information:
- Context and Relevance: They focus on delivering information that is just starting to gain attention and has the potential to impact the client’s industry.
- AI and Algorithms: Instead of relying solely on large language models (LLMs) like a “black box,” ReadPartner employs a two-step process:
- Pre-processing with Custom Algorithms: They use their own manual algorithms to filter, process, and structure the data before it reaches the AI. This is a cost-effective strategy that ensures the AI is only fed the most reliable and necessary information.
- Post-processing with AI: The LLMs are then used to perform the final steps, ensuring accuracy and structure.
- Future-Proofing: ReadPartner is actively developing algorithms to detect user behavior, especially on social media, to reliably identify accounts originating from engagement farms or bot farms. This allows them to deduce if information is coming from an ill-willed source designed to provoke emotion rather than deliver truth.
Grigory noted that while social media continues to lead in adoption, particularly among older, more mature age groups, there is a surprising, though small, shift in young adults occasionally turning back to traditional media.
The Two Biggest Lessons for Any Scaling Founder
Grigory shared two critical lessons learned during ReadPartner’s pivot and subsequent growth:
1. The Power of Delegation and Trust
The single biggest differentiating factor between businesses that struggle to scale and those that succeed is the mindset of the leadership toward delegation.
“You cannot scale if you as the CEO, as the founder, as the leader cannot trust your team to make decisions for you.”
He realized that as a sole decision-maker, his efficiency suffered, leading to worse decisions and exhaustion. His solution was to shift his leadership style from being hands-on with every detail to empowering leaders across different departments (marketing, tech, design) to make their own choices. Now, he communicates with those leaders at the end of the week, offering feedback rather than micromanaging daily tasks, which fosters ownership and accountability within the team.
2. Doubling Down on the Client
In the B2B world, the importance of client feedback is often underestimated. Grigory drastically increased the time he spends talking to both current and prospective clients—listening, recording, and translating those needs directly into the development roadmap.
This echoes the advice of Paul Graham (“Do things that don’t scale”) and the philosophy of Barack Obama (“Show people that you can get stuff done”). At the early and middle stages of a company, founders must be hands-on with clients. They need to build trust by demonstrating a mindset that whatever the client needs, the company will deliver. This individual approach, rather than prematurely attempting to automate everything like a large corporation, is what wins long-term enterprise contracts.
Disrupting the Traditional Media Intelligence Market
Looking ahead, Grigory’s vision is to actively disrupt the traditional media intelligence market. He believes that large, established players are too slow to evolve and simply “wrap” AI on top of old systems to appease stakeholders.
ReadPartner, by contrast, is integrating these new technologies from the ground up, allowing them to be more flexible and responsive. The focus is not just on news but increasingly on social media analysis, detecting fake traffic, and identifying rage baiting—a critical service that businesses need to protect their brand reputation and make informed decisions.
His final piece of advice, inspired by a conversation with Notion founding member Ben Lang, perfectly encapsulates his strategy: If you find something that works, double down on that. Identify the one or two features, marketing channels, or services that your users truly love, focus on that, and cut costs everywhere else. These loyal, proactive users will be your most valuable source of feedback and long-term success.
About the Host, Navin Shetty
I’m Navin Shetty, a B2B business leader, entrepreneur, and the host of The PowerTalk Show, where I unpack the strategies that fuel business success. I specialize in crafting data-driven strategies that supercharge lead generation, elevate brand awareness, and drive customer acquisition for both startups and established businesses.
As the founder of Business Talks Weekly, my online publication, I curate actionable insights and trends that empower business leaders and innovators to stay ahead of the curve. It’s more than just content—it’s a community where ideas spark and sustainable growth takes root. If you’re ready to take your B2B growth to the next level or explore innovative investment opportunities, let’s connect and turn your ideas into impactful success stories.
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