Cat Audi

Director of Product Design @ Coinbase. Previously at Instagram & Facebook.

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

INVESTING: THE FIRST AI CASUALTY

I’m increasingly sure that 2026 signals the end of venture capital as a full-fledged stand-alone function.

Instead of raising from traditional VCs, founders are turning / will turn to AI-driven capital allocators trained on decades of market data, pattern recognition, and actual outcomes (this takes a few prompts max). Once the thesis is defined, founders feed it into their AI tool of choice to generate funding strategies, portfolio construction, and even board decks.

If you’re a VC, I think you have two choices:

- Become an operator: Actually build something and develop first-hand intuition for what it takes to create value. This can be a good, if humbling, career pivot.
- Become a brand: Lean into content, audience, and distribution—essentially become a media company with a fund attached.

Would suggest you embrace this proactively vs waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I’m really sorry about this – some of my best friends and the people I admire most and have learned the most from are investors – but it seems inevitable.

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

@nolancreativeco @Guideline401k 🙊

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

@nick__pattison Retirement. 🏖️

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

@ahraracho ✨🫢

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

@brian_lovin And on Valentine’s Day. Heartbreaking.

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

@lizisraad @ramit Idk ask Tokyo residents and their incredibly high tech buildings.

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

@theseoulite @ramit Tokyo as it exists today is about the same "age" as the LA we know. Very similar environmental challenges, two very different development strategies. One is a wonderfully walkable beacon of urban living...the other is LA.

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

@helloderekb What you're saying is that the save exprience is the best part of IG 💅🏼

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

@bonniekatewolf @mtorourk This is such a bizarre take for me 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

@LondonBreed at the rally in SF

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

@cap Whattt Lattice is one lucky company!

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

@jlax @chasebratton Don't buy that for a second 🇨🇦

[Jack Altman @jaltma]

One no brainer place for companies to over-invest is their marketing site.

It’s the closest thing your company has to a digital avatar and is the first lens through which everyone sees you…customers, employees, investors. It’s worth whatever energy it takes to make it great.

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

@jazzy33ca Where we drinking?

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

@Dorothyhentsch3 @stdojo @TrumpMustPay @GovRonDeSantis “No pregnancy, no crime” is actually a pretty great pro-choice slogan. Will use, thanks!

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

@karlamickens I’m very active on FB marketplace. js.

[Cat Audi @cat_audi]

@meridithmcgraw Girly just because you read some trash on the internet, doesn’t mean you need to share it with us 🥴

[Ari Berman @AriBerman]

Breaking: Brian Kemp signs 95 page Georgia GOP voter suppression bill allowing GOP takeover of state/county election boards, unlimited challenges to voter eligibility, restricting drop boxes & making it crime to give voters food & water in line. It will be challenged in court