Why Unicorn Logic Breaks in AI — and What Investors Should Do Instead

Why Unicorn Logic Breaks in AI — and What Investors Should Do Instead

Abu Dhabi, UAE — As artificial intelligence reshapes global markets, a growing number of investors are confronting a difficult reality: the traditional unicorn investment playbook no longer works for AI.

At Machines Can Think 2026, a dedicated investor session titled “Why Unicorn Logic Breaks in AI — and What Investors Should Do Instead” will confront this shift head-on, challenging outdated assumptions and offering a new framework for deploying capital in an AI-driven world.

The session takes place during the summit on January 26–27, 2026, in Abu Dhabi, bringing together leading voices from venture capital, entrepreneurship, and innovation ecosystems.


AI Is Not Software — and the Economics Have Changed

The unicorn model was designed for fast-scaling, low-marginal-cost software companies. AI, however, operates under fundamentally different constraints.

As AI systems become increasingly capital-intensive, infrastructure-dependent, and slower to monetize, capital is often misallocated — chasing valuation velocity instead of long-term durability.

This session will cut through the hype and address the hard questions investors can no longer afford to ignore, including:

  • Why unicorn logic fails in AI, and where capital is systematically mispriced or misallocated
  • Which investment models actually work in capital-heavy, infrastructure-driven AI environments
  • How capital should be allocated across companies, compute, data, and ecosystems to build sustainable long-term value

Rather than focusing solely on breakout startups, the discussion reframes AI investing as an ecosystem-level challenge — one that requires new time horizons, capital structures, and partnership models.


Featured Panel Speakers

The session brings together seasoned leaders with firsthand experience operating and investing across AI, infrastructure, and innovation platforms:

  • Ahmad Ali Alwan, CEO, Hub71
  • Peter Vesterbacka, Entrepreneur & Founder
  • Dany Farha, BECO Capital
  • Eddy F., e& capital

Together, they will offer candid perspectives on what is broken in current AI investment strategies — and what investors should do differently moving forward.


A Must-Attend Session for AI Investors

This session is designed for:

  • Venture capitalists and growth investors
  • Family offices and sovereign funds
  • Corporate venture arms and strategic investors
  • Anyone allocating capital into AI at scale

Hosted as part of Machines Can Think 2026, the discussion reflects the summit’s broader mission: moving beyond AI hype toward realistic, durable, and scalable AI deployment.


Event Details

📍 Machines Can Think 2026
📅 January 26–27, 2026
📍 Abu Dhabi, UAE

🎟 70% off all tickets with code MCTLASTCHANCE
🔗 https://lnkd.in/eZdkHBbv


About Machines Can Think

Machines Can Think is a global AI summit convening leaders across research, enterprise, policy, and investment to address how artificial intelligence is built, governed, and deployed in the real world. The summit focuses on long-term value creation, responsible innovation, and AI systems that scale beyond experimentation.