Agentic AI Is Here, But Where Should It Focus?
In this next era of Agentic AI, where should VCs make our first bets?
The next era of AI is already underway and promises to be just as revolutionary as its generative AI predecessor. That era is, of course, agentic AI.
The AI-generated definition of agentic AI describes it as a system of artificial intelligence capable of acting autonomously to pursue complex goals with minimal human intervention. Gone will be the days of back-and-forth, prompt-based interactions that users must piece together to get what they need. Instead, agentic AI will understand overarching goals– such as the desire to go on a family-friendly, warm, and affordable vacation– and act autonomously to book flights, hotels, kid-friendly restaurants, and excursions on your behalf, even purchasing the items you might need for your sun-soaked trip. To make these decisions, it will sift through thousands of online reviews and travel forums, processing information at a scale that would be impossible for a human.
As a time-crunched individual longing for a vacation, this fantastical proposition may sound exciting. But as a VC looking to invest in startups in this space, would an agentic travel agent be where I write my first checks? Likely not. While agentic AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we travel, its first and most impactful applications will likely be in helping large organizations generate significant revenue.
Because agentic AI can perceive, reason, act, and learn, it has the potential to accomplish incredibly powerful and important tasks. And for any business, generating revenue is always at the top of the priority list. It stands to reason that one of the earliest and most prolific use cases for agentic AI will be in empowering revenue teams to drive growth.
Don't take my word for it– take my research. See my award-winning thesis below for a look at why VCs should focus their attention on startups building revenue-centric applications during the agentic AI era. (No, really. This presentation was given the "Top Thesis" award in my VC program this year.)
Scroll to the bottom for a full and free download of the presentation, which includes references and sources.
