At Citi’s 2026 Global TMT Conference, cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike delivered a clear message to institutional investors: artificial intelligence is actively driving the company's growth trajectory.
For early-stage founders and early investors, CrowdStrike’s framing offers a direct look into where enterprise budget priorities actually live. Big-tech buyers aren't just looking for incremental software improvements anymore; they are directing capital toward platforms that deploy AI to deliver tangible efficiency and protection.
This creates a sharp strategic divide for private market dealmaking. Non-AI-native enterprise software is increasingly getting priced for legacy status, while startups that can plug into or safeguard this new AI-driven stack can still justify premium seed and Series A valuations.
Whether you are a founder raising your first round or a backer putting £500 into a early-stage deal, the read-through is simple: building alongside the AI growth engines that public markets are currently rewarding is the surest path to surviving today's cost of capital.