As US President Donald Trump's tariff policies rattle markets, Cleo Capital managing director Sarah Kunst joins Catalysts co-hosts Seana Smith and Madison Mills to discuss opportunities in the venture capital space under Trump 2.0.
Kunst notes, "There are bright spots, particularly on the internet, where we're not as beholden in general to tariffs."
In particular, she highlights artificial intelligence (AI) and crypto, saying, "You look at some of those opportunities where there was a ton of regulatory uncertainty, and now, hopefully, there will be more clarity ... they're likely to continue to do well in a more sort of clear regulatory environment."
"AI, I think, is going to continue to be strong at the startup side," Kunst adds. "Although maybe [for] different kinds of companies and [with] less of the sort of chatbots that we saw dominate last year, and more things that actually drive revenue productivity."
She reiterates that companies and investors "have to look at where [AI] is going to actually drive revenue," explaining that throwing money at AI without understanding specifically how it's driving value is no longer a viable strategy.
Related Videos
"Are you getting better ad buys because you're using AI to target? ... Or on the flip side, is so much AI slop filling people's social media feeds that they're spending less time on the platforms?" she emphasizes.
To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Catalysts here.
This post was written by Naomi Buchanan.