Startup Stories - Mixergy #2297 Elad Gil backed 40 unicorns. This is next
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Feb 24, 2026 
Elad Gil, founder of Gil Capital and early backer of Airbnb, Stripe, OpenAI and more. He explores where AI goes next for software, when prototypes become real businesses, and building vertical AI products for enterprises. He also discusses translating key works for global access and buying companies to transform them with AI.
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Big Winners Grow Even Bigger While A Richer Long Tail Emerges
- The largest companies keep getting larger while a long tail of niche businesses can grow bigger than before.
- Elad Gil notes global liquidity and distribution let winners reach billions while many others scale to new mid-sized outcomes.
Brinko Turned Months Of Permitting Into One Hour
- Brinko builds a shared data/engine platform plus vertical apps to onboard large enterprises fast.
- Example: Brinko reduced a government permitting review process from months to about an hour by repackaging documents and surfacing risks.
AI Apps Will Layer On Platform Primitives Not Rebuild Them
- Many SaaS products are workflows and integrations, not just databases, so AI-driven customization will sit on common platform primitives.
- Elad Gil argues builders won't rewrite basic infrastructure like Postgres; they'll layer AI apps on shared components.