AI Builders Global Conference 2026. October 14-16, 2026. Online.
VC Investment Thesis 2026: What Gets Funded, Why & by Whom
This description belongs to the 2026 topic catalog. The 2027 program is being prepared separately.
Top VCs share their current investment thesis for AI companies. The era of "ChatGPT wrappers" is definitively over. What does a defensible moat look like in 2026? Proprietary data, distribution advantages, regulatory moats, or technical differentiation? How do investors distinguish AI-native companies from AI-enhanced incumbents? What gets you a meeting vs. what actually gets you a term sheet?
Questions explored in the 2026 topic catalog
- What defensible moats do VCs look for in AI companies?
- How do investors distinguish AI-native from AI-enhanced companies?
- What sectors within AI are most attractive for investment right now?
- What unit economics benchmarks do VCs expect at each stage?
- What red flags instantly kill investor interest?
- How has the AI investment thesis shifted from 2024 to 2026?
Who this topic is for
AI founders preparing to fundraise, aspiring entrepreneurs, angels learning from institutional investors, and corporate strategy teams evaluating the market.
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