The investment market is undergoing a tectonic shift. Artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword—it has become the main vector of capital flow. At the recent AI FUTURE STAGE conference, leading experts from the venture capital and technology sectors gathered to analyze where billions are actually flowing and how to calculate the real return on implementing neural networks.
The discussion, moderated by a strategic partner, brought together a stellar lineup of participants. Among the speakers were Ilya Cheremkin, Head of Ventures Synergy; Svyatoslav Safonov, Analyst at Jets.Capital; Nikita Razhev, Head of the Startup Program at Yandex Cloud; Dmitry Reidman, Managing Director of the Global Markets Department at Rostelecom; and Martin Kohlhauser, General Partner at ChuckaVC.
What Was Discussed on the AI FUTURE STAGE
The main topic was the practical application of AI for business growth and attracting investments. Participants thoroughly analyzed current trends in AI and Web3 investments, startup evaluation criteria, and the transformations that have occurred in the venture capital market over the past year.
Particular interest was sparked by a comparison of investment approaches in Russia and abroad. Experts discussed what is more important for investors now: growth rate, profitability, or payback period. The answer, it turned out, depends on the project's stage and geography.
A key block of the discussion was dedicated to evaluating AI effectiveness. The speakers explained how to determine whether the technology is generating real money for a company and proposed specific methodologies for calculating the economic effect based on costs and revenues. The topic of B2B automation and evaluating the effect of internal development in person-hours was also addressed separately.
The discussion also covered typical mistakes. Experts highlighted key miscalculations by startups when implementing AI, shortcomings in presenting projects to investors, and offered practical advice on pilot projects and hypothesis testing.
My Analytical Conclusion
The market is clearly signaling: the era of "hype for hype's sake" in AI is over. Investors now demand not just a compelling story, but measurable metrics and a clear economic impact. Companies that can demonstrate real returns from implementing neural networks will gain access to capital. The rest risk being left behind. This is a tough but fair filter that will separate the wheat from the chaff.