20VC: Sequoia's David Cahn on The Winners and Losers in AI | The $0-$100M Revenue Club: Is Triple, Triple, Double, Double Dead? | The Future of Defence: Who Wins and Who Loses | How to Analyse Margins and Growth Rates in a World of AI

20VC: Sequoia's David Cahn on The Winners and Losers in AI | The $0-$100M Revenue Club: Is Triple, Triple, Double, Double Dead? | The Future of Defence: Who Wins and Who Loses | How to Analyse Margins and Growth Rates in a World of AI

Author: Harry Stebbings October 27, 2025 Duration: 1:14:23

David Cahn is a Partner at Sequoia Capital and one of the world's leading AI investors. At Sequoia David has led investments in Clay, Juicebox, Sesame, Kela, Stark, etc.. Before Sequoia, David was a General Partner @ Coatue where he led investments in Notion and Hugging Face. 

AGENDA: 

00:00 We Are in an AI Bubble

05:04 Why Building Physical Data Centres is a Moat

13:58 Winners and Losers in a World of AI

19:13 The Role of Big Tech and Monopolies

23:37 Breaking Down Circular Deals in AI: The Truth No One Sees?

38:19 Why Kingmaking is BS and VCs Do Not Make or Break Companies

41:30 The Importance of Margins in AI Investments

43:41 The Required Growth Rates in AI to Get Funded by Sequoia

45:30 The $0-$100M Revenue Club: Is Triple, Triple, Double, Double Dead? 

51:53 Why the Most Important Hire for Startups Today is 23 Year Olds

01:01:19 The Future of Defence: Who Wins and Who Loses

01:10:15 Quickfire: Biggest Miss, Parenting Advice, Doug Leone Advice

 


Hosted by Harry Stebbings, The Twenty Minute VC (20VC) pulls back the curtain on the high-stakes worlds of venture capital and startup building. Each episode is a compact, twenty-minute dive into the minds shaping the future of technology. You’ll hear candid conversations with legendary investors, the very individuals who fund and guide the next generation of companies, featuring voices like Sequoia's Doug Leone and Benchmark's Bill Gurley. Beyond the capital, this podcast dedicates time to the founders themselves. Weekly, Stebbings sits down with transformative entrepreneurs such as Spotify's Daniel Ek, LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman, and Snowflake's Frank Slootman, unpacking the real journeys behind their iconic companies. The format is direct and focused, cutting straight to the core insights on funding strategies, pitch dynamics, and the personal philosophies that drive success. Tuning into this podcast means gaining an unfiltered perspective from both sides of the table, all delivered in a concise and accessible style that fits into your day.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
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