The ServiceTitan IPO has been an unexpected bright spot as 2024 comes to a close.

On this year’s final episode of the Newcomer Podcast, we discuss what other startups might follow in ServiceTitan’s footsteps next year. Eric defends the controversial ratchet provision in its last funding round. And we dig into Alphabet’s big week.

We focus on startups on this show, but this week was a good reminder that the big tech firms like Alphabet and Meta can still turn out impressive moonshot technology from their research labs.

We’re bullish on a couple emerging venture capital firms — Laude Ventures and Dimension — who just closed big new funds. The megafunds may be sucking up the majority of LP dollars, but firms with a clear thesis and a standout team of high performers can still shine in this market.

Give it a listen.

Chapters:

00:00 — Reflections ahead of the new year

05:02 — ServiceTitan’s IPO and Market Sentiment

10:00 — Alphabet’s Wins and the AI landscape

15:08 — The State of Quantum Computing

19:58 — Emerging Venture Capital Trends and Final Thoughts

Episode produced by Christopher Gates