Nic Poulos

VC at Euclid

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

We sit down with Sam Youssef, CEO at @ValsoftCorp on his first vertical acquisition.
Less than 10 years later, he's 130 deals in and $750M+ in revenue.

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

2 founders and 2 VCs.
40 predictions for 2026.
There can only be one.

Me, Luke, Omar & Todd go head to head in this very special episode. HNY!

📺 Watch our VERTICALS year-end special here
https://t.co/mLaLLHUsHZ

📖 And read all 40 takes here
https://t.co/rBSErq4iSx

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

Do your sales hires need to come from industry?
We sat down with Kyle Norton, CRO at https://t.co/YCRtp3vPyC to discuss.
Sometimes you need that vertical background, sometimes you don't.

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

Two POVs for AI bears obsessed with adoption data.

1️⃣ An adoption plateau in year ~3 is not shocking.
2️⃣ When it comes to tech waves, survey data sucks.

IMO a lot of the data out there rn just isn't that helpful.
Our view on AI adoption here: https://t.co/ls7bDgGon8

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

What's the role of services in an AI-first world?
We debated it with @DanFriedman2, founder of Moxie.
Get his take in this clip from our recent VERTICALS episode.

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

Early-stage VC / founder alignment is dying.
Recent data shows that mega-funds now lead or co-lead 20% of sub-$5M rounds.
But structurally, massive funds CANNOT care about your early round.

📖 We break down the math in our latest essay here

https://t.co/noKS8yO2C5

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

This week on VERTICALS:
We welcome @kylecnorton, CRO at @owner.
A vertical unicorn at $50M ARR and growing fast.
In one of the toughest SMB verticals out there: restaurants.
Join us as we unpack the GTM system behind Owner's meteoric rise.

https://t.co/C5eLNpBZuP

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

Good 2025 pre-seed report from Carta today.
In a world where it could be $100k or $10m, though, what even IS a pre-seed today?

https://t.co/ckYZX3ic6R

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

What did this building used to be? If you're 30+ and American, I know you know.
How can a brand that iconic die?

Check out our dive on franchise models w Ilir Sela @slice on VERTICALS.
His favorite pizza shop is in Staten Island (sadly not @pizzahut).

https://t.co/3GLecLtEvQ

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

On VERTICALS Episode #6, Mike Kopko (founder / CEO of Pearl Health) discusses the power of referrals in healthcare AI. Referencability can have more value than ARR early on.

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

The current-cycle AI infrastructure boom is unprecedented.
The next cycle must be defined by AI creating real economic value.

In our latest VERTICALS episode, Mike Kopko @ Pearl Health shared why HC is one of the frontiers here:
https://t.co/fAVUoYxbvl

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

Many Vertical AI fast-growers started as point solutions: Rilla, MagicSchool AI, EvenUp.
But the path to System of Record / Action still matters... a lot.

Think through a path to owning the workflow.
But don't lose sight of the incumbents w a firm grip.

https://t.co/DkzVsfNcFr

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

@Alexoppenheimer @mashadrokova Bold choice in Jared Leto

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

Healthcare is the top Vertical AI category—and not even close.
With $100m from a16z and others, Pearl Health is showing why.

📺 VERTICALS Full Episode #6 — Healthcare’s AI Moment
w/ Mike Kopko, Founder / CEO of Pearl Health
https://t.co/fAVUoYxbvl

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

@PalantirTech is ~25% off its early-November peak.
Still up >100x since AIP launched.
Still the highest P/S in the S&P 500.

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

B2B founders get skittish around touching customers' customers.
But in some cases, the traditional advice is wrong.

@IlirSela (founder / CEO @slice ) illustrated the nuance on VERTICALS.
Sometimes, the best way to serve your customers is to serve theirs.

https://t.co/3PO6swtOje

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

The wildest part of Broadlume's story wasn't the great exit. Todd Saunders torched a growing ad-tech biz to chase a vertical few had the vision to believe in: flooring. He then scaled to $80B+ in spend & >$200M revs. More our latest episode of VERTICALS: https://t.co/rR1n2BinNR

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

There's a barbell effect to AI's acceleration of software development. @JeremyYamaguchi at Cabana broke this down perfectly on VERTICALS:

1. Enterprises accelerate 10x DIYers.
2. People have always paid for convenience.
3. Complexity hits a wall--there's a reason PMs exist.

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

The best SMB Vertical AI wedges reduce friction: natural‑language interfaces, zero training, proof in days, and it sits next to the money. Start where the business hurts daily.

https://t.co/YSceyhwJAh

[Nic Poulos @picnoulos]

Vertical AI wins by starting as the authoring layer and graduating into a System of Intelligence. Wedges that unlock revenue + capture first‑party data compound into data gravity and platform lock‑in.

System of Intelligence Playbook:
https://t.co/YSceyhwJAh