SMRTR AIJan 7, 2026TechCrunch

Where VCs think AI startups can win, even with OpenAI in the game

SMRTR summary

Venture capitalist Vanessa Larco predicts 2026 will mark the breakthrough year for consumer AI, driven by "concierge-like" services that will fundamentally change how people spend time online. She believes AI startups can still find success despite OpenAI's dominance by carving out specialized niches, though traditional consumer platforms like WebMD and TripAdvisor face uncertainty about whether they'll survive as standalone apps or get absorbed into larger AI platforms like ChatGPT.

SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to TechCrunch.

Read the original article
SMRTR AI

Get the next batch of curated summaries in your inbox.

This archive is built from SMRTR newsletter summaries. Subscribe for hand-picked stories without the extra noise.