Christian Nagel, Romain Mombert, Shikha Ahluwalia, Justus Lumpe

AI Changed the Game: How VCs Rethink Product, Talent & Technical Moats

What is the new moat in the age of AI? Venture capitalists reveal how they evaluate defensibility when foundation models have become a commodity.

AI Changed the Game: How VCs Rethink Product, Talent & Technical Moats
#1about 4 minutes

How venture capital firms use AI for their operations

VCs are using proprietary AI tools for talent sourcing, due diligence, and automating tasks like summarizing pitch decks.

#2about 5 minutes

Assessing the defensibility and moats of AI startups

Defensibility in AI startups comes from network effects, proprietary data, or changing the underlying business model, not just UX.

#3about 4 minutes

Comparing vertical and horizontal AI business models

Vertical AI excels in specialized domains like legal or health due to proprietary data, while horizontal tools risk being replaced by agents.

#4about 5 minutes

The global AI landscape across Europe, the US, and China

Europe has strong research capabilities and an active application layer but needs sovereign infrastructure to compete with US dominance.

#5about 4 minutes

Strategies for retaining top AI engineering talent

Retaining top AI talent requires a compelling vision and strong company culture, as great talent attracts more great talent beyond high salaries.

#6about 4 minutes

How AI is impacting existing portfolio companies

AI presents both a threat of product obsolescence and an opportunity for operational automation and feature enhancement for pre-AI era companies.

#7about 1 minute

Identifying red flags in an AI startup pitch deck

A major red flag is simply stating "we use AI for X" or incorrectly claiming AI automatically makes the total addressable market larger.

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