Defensible advantage: does it still exist? ✨

It won't take long before AI is just software and old-school SaaS is a thing of the past. Until that time, there seems to be a debate on what a good AI product should be. The harshest naysayers keep repeating, "This is just a layer on ChatGPT!" Well… the other end of that argument would be that only infrastructure-level AI companies are good enough to play. We all know that's BS, and the few people who dabble in that multi-billion dollar infrastructure world are unreachable for most.

Anyway, here's an interesting take on the matter: NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang recently said we're headed towards a future where all code will essentially be API calls to large language models (LLMs), with those LLMs in turn calling other LLMs.

Hold up! Yes, it's a bit more than a simple layer on GPT, but from the infrastructure god himself, the advice is clear: build a layer on ‘GPT’! Crafting a product with a flexible compute/LLM architecture that evolves when the compute partners do is the only way to go soon!

I, for one, believe he’s right; when deep in the current tech, the application of it is so exciting and customer-facing that being the one company that says it knows how to build this better will lag behind in a matter of literal days. So what's left?

What's left are all the complex problems the workforce still faces and should be solved today. Not just another piece of the product but a truly magical experience is what everyone deep down desires and what software should be. Tomorrow's defensible advantage is clearly the unique data these types of products produce, not the AI architecture below the hood.

Without further ado, let me introduce Everday, one of the companies we’re proud to have co-created that does just that.

From our universe 🪐

On the studio side 🌌

• Investor House. At Builders Investor House, we team up with innovative startups and scale-ups to bring you exciting events. This edition, co-hosted with VONQ, featured an engaging fireside chat with founder Tycho van Paassen. Dive in to discover more and check out our key takeaways.
  

  

  Fireside chat with Tycho van Paassen

• Builders at TNW. We immersed ourselves in sessions at TNW last week about the startup ecosystem, steps from 0 to 1, and the role of startup studios. And we also engaged with some of the sharpest minds in the industry, sparking new ideas and connections. Check out our key takeaways
  

  

  Builders Team at The Next Web

• The Playpod features Evelien Nieuwenburg, co-founder of Dembrane, sharing her tech journey and motivations for starting her company. Can today's technology replace collective thinking? Democracy? Maybe the entire management layer? Evelien talks about her early fascination with technology and the challenges she faced using traditional research methods. Inspired by her partner’s thesis on information design, she embarked on a mission to supercharge dialogue. Interested in her story? Tune in now!

  

  Ethical AI for Inclusive Democracy: Evelien Nieuwenburg’s mission to supercharge dialogue

At our ventures 🚀

• Everday passed the incorporation gate and is officially going at warp speed 🎉. Riding on a growing wave of skill-based management, Everday's platform turns today's goals into tomorrow's skills with AI-powered precision. Check it out!

• Alisher, has validated a problem worth solving, deep diving with 70 experts, present in all businesses: recruitment. We’re now moving forward crafting the initial solution. Excited to lend a hand in shaping the solution? Let him know here. 🚀

What we’re following

• Generative AI is transforming enterprise software, especially in industries reliant on unstructured data. A review of over 1,000 companies revealed its vast potential and significant challenges. The future of Generative AI in vertical SaaS is promising but competitive. Success will depend on offering tailored, high-value solutions in these evolving industries. Dive deeper into the article here

• Which Level Are You At? AI is transforming industries from enhancing workflows to creating new business models. This article breaks down how to qualify a company's level in AI adoption and offers insights on advancing in this rapidly evolving landscape. Read more here.

Forward, always,

Michael van Lier
Managing Director at Builders