Beyond the Demo: What Investors Should Actually Diligence in AI Companies in 2026
About this session
AI companies can now build impressive products faster than ever, but a strong demo does not necessarily translate into a durable business. This session looks at how investors can evaluate AI startups beyond the initial technology story. Drawing on an operator investor perspective, I’ll discuss practical diligence across workflow ownership, customer ROI, defensibility, data advantage, enterprise readiness, go-to-market, and capital efficiency. The session will also examine how the investment bar for AI companies is evolving as models become more accessible and product differentiation becomes harder to sustain.
Speaker
Key takeaways
- How to distinguish an impressive AI product from a potentially durable venture-scale company.
- A practical diligence framework covering workflow ownership, ROI, defensibility, enterprise readiness, GTM, and capital efficiency.
- What is changing in AI investing as foundation models commoditize and distribution, proprietary data, and execution become more important.