Something feels different about this phase of tech innovation. Entrenched vendors look more vulnerable than ever. The ground is shifting — fast.
Is it the economy (and Trump-onomics)?
Is it AI, exposing which providers are ready for the next phase… and which are not?
Or is it that the next category-defining CRM, ERP, or GTM platform doesn’t even exist yet — but could be built, launched, and scaled at lightning speed on an AI-native foundation?
From Vibes to Evidence
We’ve moved past the “vibes” era of venture capital.
Gone are the days when a bold vision and a sleek deck could raise $2M pre-product. When handshakes, golf rounds, and steak dinners could secure you a term sheet.
That world is gone.
In its place: The Show Me Era.
And we’re not going back to the good old days of yellow ties, braces, and suspended disbelief.
What Investors Are Asking Now
Today’s investors are sharper, hungrier, and a little more skeptical.
The questions have shifted:
Are you building a real business, or just telling a good story?
What signals prove you’ve found early product-market fit?
How capital-efficient is your team — and can you scale without burning the runway?
The bar is higher. The scrutiny is tougher. But the opportunity? Bigger than ever.
So Where Does That Leave Us?
We’re at an inflection point. Shift happens — and it’s happening again, right now.
Some founders will fall behind, clinging to outdated playbooks. Others will seize the moment, building faster, leaner, AI-native companies that rewrite the rules.
The big question is: who’s ready?
Hey You! Your Turn! I’d love to hear your perspective:
Do you think the AI-native era will topple today’s incumbents?
What signals do you look for when judging early product-market fit?
Are we in a temporary correction, or a permanent reset?
Drop your thoughts below 👇 — I’ll feature the sharpest takes in a follow-up post.
Ok I'll answer you, from my startup's perspective. We started http://Instigate.ai nine years ago, back when chatbots were based on NLP (natural language processing.)
My AI Professor partner, Dr. Steve DiPaola of Simon Fraser Univ (in Vancover) always said that we'd just "talk to it" as we were designing the perfect Interactive Storytelling tool.
You see my background is that I'm a toolsmith, having designed the world's first multimedia authoring tools, called "VideoWorks", which morphed into "Director" and then evolved into "Flash" when the rebranded itself Macromedia.
So from a futuristic perspective Instigate.ai is what happens "after Tik Tok."
Imagine a mobile first, vertically oriented mobile screen form factor, with a text input fieild at the bottom of the screen. Now imagine that being a new Ad unit.