Investors at TechCrunch Disrupt Say AI Is the Only Thing That Matters Right Now

Investors at TechCrunch Disrupt made one thing very clear: artificial intelligence is dominating venture capital attention. Leading VCs Nina Achadjian of Index Ventures, Jerry Chen of Greylock, and Peter Deng of Felicis spoke candidly about what excites them, what worries them, and how AI startups can stand out in an increasingly crowded market.

According to Achadjian, the pace of change in AI is unlike anything investors have seen before, with startups scaling at unprecedented speed.

“We spend an enormous amount of time assessing the entrepreneur and how resilient they will be in a moment where things are rapidly changing,”
ΓÇö Nina Achadjian, Index Ventures

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Founder Resilience and Real Product-Market Fit Matter More Than Ever

Achadjian emphasized that passion, domain expertise, and honesty about product-market fit are now critical for founders pitching AI startups.

While enterprise customers are eager to experiment with the latest AI tools, she warned that this enthusiasm can create false signals of success.

“There is so much demand from enterprise companies to try the latest and greatest AIΓǪ you can get a lot of revenue without having true ROI,” she said.

In other words, early revenue does not always mean customers are getting long-term valueΓÇösomething investors are scrutinizing closely.

The Ability to Pivot Is a Survival Skill

Another key trait investors look for is adaptability. As AI markets evolve rapidly, founders must be prepared to pivot when assumptions break.

“There’s a joke that, like, 1,000 startups dieΓÇöand that’s why being resilient is really important,” Achadjian added.

With competition intensifying daily, flexibility may be the difference between scaling and shutting down.

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Data Flywheels and Defensibility Are Key

Peter Deng, a former OpenAI executive, stressed that founders must identify unique data advantages that competitors can’t easily replicate.

Enterprise customers often test multiple AI vendors at the same time, Deng noted. What separates winners is the ability to solve a problem deeply and uniquely.

“If you’re able to go deep and really solve a true need for themΓÇöin a way they cannot do themselvesΓÇödata management becomes the most important part.”