You don’t realize it’s happening under the surface—until suddenly you see others have been at it for six to 12 months, and you haven’t.
Wait too long to board the AI train, and catching up may no longer be possible. No longer a tool to explore, AI is now the essential infrastructure powering how businesses operate.
Kathleen Estreich, Partner at Pear VC and Co-Founder of marketing and content powerhouse MKT1, sees it unfolding in real time. Focused on seed-stage startups, she urges companies to treat AI with urgency or risk being left behind.
The tipping point: "I think it's slow and then fast," Estreich warns. "It starts slowly, you think you're fine, until it happens very quickly and you realize you just aren't competitive anymore."
The risk is especially real for startups, where "things compound" quietly. "You don’t realize it’s happening under the surface—until suddenly you see others have been at it for six to 12 months, and you haven’t," says Estreich.
RIP, RIM: "If you're not trying or using anything, you're going to get left behind. In fact, you already are behind," Estreich says. Staying ahead means embracing change, maintaining a growth mindset, and being clear-eyed about what’s real and what’s hype. That requires constant experimentation, peer learning, and curiosity. "Talk to people at a similar stage. See what's working, what isn't, and keep learning," she advises. "It’s like mobile 15 years ago. If you didn’t adapt, you got left behind. We all remember BlackBerry—and then the iPhone came."
Native by necessity: Not just a tool, AI must be foundational. Estreich says that new companies need smaller teams that move faster, and higher expectations for every hire. "Each person you hire needs to be exceptional, because you're not going to have a ton of people." With AI embedded across workflows, she adds, everyone now has to ask: "How do I become a manager of agents or AI tools, versus a manager of people?" AI fluency is fast becoming a core job skill.
It’s like mobile 15 years ago. If you didn’t adapt, you got left behind. We all remember BlackBerry—and then the iPhone came.
Founders are still a key factor: Despite shaky markets and low consumer confidence, VC interest in AI remains strong. But Estreich is clear: "Discipline with your fund model is a must." VCs are doubling down on AI-native startups with real utility and staying power. "Great companies will come out of every cycle—an up cycle, a down cycle," explains Estreich. "You just need to find the best founders."
Depth over dazzle: And for founders, tech chops aren’t enough. "Domain expertise is at a premium," Estreich says. "The founders with credibility in the market are the ones who really stand out." She points to Pear VC’s Listen Labs, which recently raised a Series A, as an example of a team who "deeply understand their customers and their pain points," says Estreich. "They have a unique story to tell."
The new normal: Estreich stresses that the proactive will prevail. "The people who are out there trying things, learning quickly, and iterating, they're going to have such a leg up," she says. "This technology is only getting more powerful, and the people embracing it are going to win the next generation of companies."
