#189 | The $2 Trillion Security Opportunity, Modern Vertical SaaS, & more
July 21st | The latest from Moonfire, DCM, Lux, Sequoia, Bessemer, and others
SandHill.io aggregates and shares the latest investment themes, market insights, and best practices for operating and investing from 700+ VCs, analysts, and operators.
This newsletter curates a selection of posts featured on the website each week.
Investment Themes, Theses, & Outlooks
Where founders should focus to capitalise on the $2tn security opportunity (Akshat Goenka, Partner @ Moonfire)
Modern Vertical SaaS — Show Me the Money (David Cheng, Partner @ DCM)
AI start-ups: Don’t sell picks and shovels, dig with them (Micah Rosenbloom, MP @ Founder Collective)
The Quant Thesis (Nikhil Namburi, VC @ Lux)
Agents Are The Future Of AI. Where Are The Startup Opportunities? (Rob Toews, Partner @ Radical VC)
Industry Developments & Analyses
How AI Will Change Education (Rex Woodbury, MP @ Daybreak)
Our considerations on robotics (Angela Tran, GP @ VersionOne)
Robotics won’t have a ChatGPT Moment (Coatue Team)
AI & its Impact on Vertical SaaS: The Gates of Distribution have Flung Open (Medha Agarwal, GP @ Defy VC)
AI is Now Shovel Ready (David Cahn, Partner @ Sequoia)
Infrastructure after AI Scaling (Nandu Anilal, VP @ Canaan)
AI Apps Deliver Outcomes — So Why Are They Still Charging Like Old School SaaS?” (Julia Maltby, VC @ Flybridge)
Guides, Case Studies, and Best Practices for Operating
Hiring Sales Leaders is Hard — Here’s How To Make It Easier (Anna Baird & Loren Alhadeff, Madrona Ventures)
To outwit existential GTM threats, invert your thinking (Kevin Berardinelli, VC @ Point72 Ventures)
Additional Reads
Eschewing IPOs: What happens when SaaS companies stay private for longer (Janelle Teng, VC @ Bessemer)
The Venturification of Research & The Resulting Prisoner’s Dilemma (Michael Dempsey, GP @ Compound)
Lessons from VC Exits (David Beisel, GP @ NextView)
Cultivating Cults (Kyle Harrison, GP @ Contrary)
Curiosity Networks (Jared Hecht, Venture Partner @ USV)
Socratic Code (Zain Rizavi, Principal @ Ridge)
Be authentic, not mimetic (Nikunj Kothari, VC @ Khosla)
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