#262 | Big Ideas for 2026, Next Frontier of Electrification, & more
Dec 14th | The latest from A16Z, Slow, Obvious Ventures, BTV, Sequoia 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
Big Ideas 2026: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 (A16Z Team)
Implementation Is the Task of Our Time (Yoni Rechtman, Partner @ Slow)
It’s time to build (in Medicaid) (Youssef Kalad, Principal @ AlleyCorp)
The Next Frontier of the ‘Electrification of Everything’ (Andrew Beebe, MD @ Obvious Ventures)
The Biggest AI Idea That Most People Are Missing (Rob May, GP @ Half Court)
26 Predictions for 2026 (Rex Woodbury, MP @ Daybreak)
Industry Developments & Analyses
Checking In on Embedded Fintech (Sheel Mohnot & JC Bahr-de Stefano, BTV)
Diffusion of AI Across Vertical Markets (Euclid Ventures)
Enterprise (Open)AI, Homebrew Software & Vertical Implications (Pat McGovern, Principal @ Bowery)
Recapping Crypto’s Most Consequential Year (Multicoin Team)
The Software Investment Required to Facilitate Energy Efficiency (David Talpalar, ex-VC @ Conversion)
Deeper carbon‑free energy investments required to meet skyrocketing electric demand (DCVC team)
Lasers, Nukes, and the Scaling Wall — Why the Biggest Data Center Won’t Win (Emma Wirt, VC @ Fika)
Vertical AI Operating Systems: De-Risking Fragmented Industries (Amir Kabir, MP @ Overlook Ventures)
RL in Real Life: Durable Moats (Shreya Shekhar, Partner @ Greylock)
Guides, Case Studies, and Best Practices for Operating
Play Rigged Games (Nikunj Kothari, Partner @ FPV)
Momentum (Parul Singh, Board Partner @ Initialized)
The Power of Operating Principles: When beliefs become behavior (Leslie Crowe, BCV)
Additional Reads
Does valuation or ownership matter more to a seed VC? Yes. (Hunter Walk, GP @ Homebrew)
consensus investing & vulnerability, king making, processing trade (Caitlin Bolnick, GP @ CRV)
The AI churn wave? (Kyle Poyar, Growth Unhinged)
Your Imagined Order (Alfred Lin, GP @ Sequoia)
The Average Founder Ages 6 Months Each Year (Tomasz Tunguz, MD @ Theory)
The Cinderella “Glass Slipper” Effect (Malika Aubakirova, Partner @ A16Z)
Long Live Systems of Record (Jamin Ball, Partner @ Altimeter Capital)
Some Thoughts on Equity (Andrew Ziperski, VC @ General Catalyst)
Secondary Market: Second Time’s a Charm… (Michael Greeley, GP @ Flare)
Notes:
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