Kate McAndrew shares her experience with venture capital AI and how it is disrupting the industy. She also talks about unconventional journey into venture capital, from studying art history at McGill to running an accelerator in the Southeast before moving to San Francisco and co-founding Baukunst, a $100M fund focused on pre-seed investments. Kate discusses the venture capital cycle, the advantages of investing at the earliest stages, and the high-risk, high-reward nature of her approach.
We discuss...
- Kate McAndrew shares her unconventional journey into venture capital, starting with an art history degree and entrepreneurial ventures.
- She explains the venture capital cycle, highlighting her focus on the earliest stages of company building.
- The fund emphasizes technology and design-driven innovation over pure tech solutions.
- Kate believes strong businesses with real enterprise value naturally find successful exits.
- She describes how her firm supports founders through recruiting, product strategy, and board participation.
- Kate argues that despite industry changes, great businesses are always built by great founders.
- Mega venture capital funds now dominate the market, reshaping valuations and the early-stage funding landscape.
- Top talent will always attract capital, and fund managers must focus on identifying exceptional companies rather than investing in every deal.
- The venture capital model prioritizes upside potential over downside protection, unlike private equity.
- The AI investment landscape is shifting from infrastructure to application-layer innovations.
- AI is becoming an essential part of all new technology companies, much like mobile technology once did.
- AI adoption may take longer than expected due to human behavioral factors and trust issues.
- SEO and traditional search-based marketing may become obsolete as AI-generated responses improve.
- AI is moving toward full automation of specialized white-collar jobs, raising concerns about economic and societal impacts.
- Some in Silicon Valley are focused on ensuring AI development aligns with ethical and environmental responsibility.
- While AI will disrupt many industries, human connection and purpose-driven work will remain valuable.
Today's Panelists:
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For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/venture-capital-ai-trends-kate-mcandrew-694