Small Teams, Giant Swings: Intentional Company-Building in the AI Era

The assumptions that shaped the last generation of startups no longer hold. Capital efficiency now matters more than headcount. AI changes what a small team can ship — and what investors expect them to ship. Talent is scarce, expensive, and increasingly selective. This session brings together founders and investors to break down how great companies are actually being built today. How lean can teams really be? What roles matter most in an AI-native stack? How are founders winning talent without overpaying — and what milestones signal durability, not just momentum, to investors? If the last era was about scaling fast, this one is about building right. This conversation reframes company-building for the realities of 2026 — and the founders who want to win in it.