Building software is harder than ever before. It is pretty saturated. MOATs are becoming inexistent for software startups. So what’s left for investors to get a massive return? Where are the big opportunities left that VCs are actively looking for? Last week, we hosted an event to explore all of these topics and more. Our guests and panelists spoke candidly about the rise of AI, opportunities in Aerospace & Aviation, and investing/building hardware companies. A summary of the insights that we enjoyed. 1️⃣ Opportunities in Robotics There are so many industries and systems which haven’t experienced much change over the past 100 years. Aviation, transportation, healthcare, and legal to name a few. “To what extent do we keep trying to automate and squeeze efficiency out of processes as they exist today versus fundamentally reimagining the process”. With AI and Robotics we can now completely reimagine decade-old processes within physical spaces. 2️⃣ Will AI take jobs in Aviation or other service industries? No. They will become part of the technology stack to increase productivity and safety. Humans are still needed for critical thinking, still needed to problem-solve 0.01% edge cases that LLMs cannot solve or predict. “Implementation is now a commodity that is being automated. Critical thinking will be the differentiator in the job market.” 3️⃣What are VCs thinking about in AI, Aviation & Aero? - 10-20+ year ROI lag for companies invested in today. - greatest opportunity for digital spaces? - AI can help high-salary, high-skill workers automate menial tasks (e.g. legal, building software… ) - greatest opportunity for physical spaces? - anything that can bring AI to life and help enhance physical spaces. (e.g. IoT, Robotics… ) Thanks to all our partners for making this amazing event possible: @KatiaAmeri Rose Johnson @parsecinstitute @SiliconVlyBank @alumniventures @Pattern_Labs Mangusta Capital @AviationXLab @emirates @flyarcher @BeaconAI @JapanAirlines @JetBlueVentures @CollinsAero & @a16z for pulling an entire ecosystem together for @Techweek_ by a16z.