Big Misses and Lessons Learned from Deal Losses

David Cahn is a Partner at Sequoia Capital and one of the world’s leading AI investors. At Sequoia David has led investments in Clay, Juicebox, Sesame, Kela, Stark, etc.. Before Sequoia, David was a General Partner @ Coatue where he led investments in Notion and Hugging Face. 

AGENDA: 

00:00 We Are in an AI Bubble

05:04 Why Building Physical Data Centres is a Moat

13:58 Winners and Losers in a World of AI

19:13 The Role of Big Tech and Monopolies

23:37 Breaking Down Circular Deals in AI: The Truth No One Sees?

38:19 Why Kingmaking is BS and VCs Do Not Make or Break Companies

41:30 The Importance of Margins in AI Investments

43:41 The Required Growth Rates in AI to Get Funded by Sequoia

45:30 The $0-$100M Revenue Club: Is Triple, Triple, Double, Double Dead? 

51:53 Why the Most Important Hire for Startups Today is 23 Year Olds

01:01:19 The Future of Defence: Who Wins and Who Loses

01:10:15 Quickfire: Biggest Miss, Parenting Advice, Doug Leone Advice