What's New PitchBook's 2026 Artificial Intelligence Outlook declares the start of "The Great Competition Wars," identifying sectors where AI will generate outsized returns and others where overheating will destroy value. Winners will pursue network effects, unique data moats, exceptional design, and creative distribution strategies—while undifferentiated startups face "disproportionate value destruction." Why It Matters We are in the early stages of a 50-year technological

Vista's $100B software factory bets AI is "food not threat"—building GenAI transformation capability to capture middle market opportunity.

Robert F. Smith, founder, chairman, and CEO of $100 billion Vista Equity Partners, argues that companies lacking "sovereignty and dominion" over their proprietary workflows and data sets face existential threats in this new era, while incumbents positioned correctly could see operating margins surge from 25% to 40% and beyond.

Orlando Bravo, founder and managing partner of Thoma Bravo—the world's largest software-focused private equity firm managing $179 billion in assets—shared his formula for building one of the industry's best-performing firms at the All-In Summit 2025.

Nic Humphries, Senior Partner and Executive Chairman of HG Capital, one of the world's top 10 largest private equity firms with over $100 billion in assets under management, warns that companies must aggressively adopt AI technologies or face being disrupted by startups.

Smith Point Capital's operator-led Fund I exceeds $300M target, focusing on enterprise software and intelligent enterprise solutions.

Enterprise software firms that embrace AI quickly will deliver exponential ROI, while those slow to transform "will not have a right to exist," warns Vista CEO.

Vista's Robert Smith suggests enterprise AI needs are vastly different from consumer applications.