Building the Next Generation of AI Giants: Insights from Blackstone

The Capital Challenge in AI

Artificial intelligence startups can grow at a speed that would have been difficult to imagine a generation ago. But rapid growth comes with another reality: Scaling AI can require enormous amounts of capital, and founders have to make financing decisions long before they know whether early momentum will turn into an enduring business.

So what separates the AI companies built to last from those simply growing fast?

Jas Khaira, global head of Blackstone N1, will examine what Blackstone looks for when backing category-defining companies, how founders should think about capital as they scale, and what distinguishes lasting businesses from early traction.

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The right capital can fund the infrastructure, talent, and expansion needed to compete. But raising more money isn’t the same thing as building a stronger company.

Secure your Disrupt pass to hear how one of the world’s largest alternative asset managers evaluates the companies trying to become AI’s next giants. Bring your co-founder, partner, colleague, or peer with a 50% discount on their pass. Bring a group of four or more for additional savings.

Infrastructure and Financing Scale

Building an AI company can mean financing more than product development and customer acquisition. Compute, data centers, and other infrastructure can add significant capital requirements as companies grow.

One recent Blackstone investment illustrates the scale. Blackstone and co-investors agreed to invest up to $600 million in primary equity in Indian AI infrastructure company Neysa, which planned to raise an additional $600 million in debt financing.

Capital is flowing into more than infrastructure. Anthropic launched Ode with Anthropic, an AI implementation company backed through a $1.5 billion joint venture with Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman, Goldman Sachs, and others.

Those investments put Blackstone close to some of the biggest questions surrounding AI growth: where capital is needed, which opportunities warrant it, and what businesses have the potential to endure.

If your company is approaching the point where growth requires significantly more capital, get your ticket to Disruptand hear how Khaira thinks about the decisions that come with scaling. Save 50% on a second pass to share the insights.

Evaluating Staying Power

Fast growth can attract customers, employees, and investors. Evaluating a business requires looking beyond that early momentum to determine what makes an enterprise endure and what considerations matter most for category-defining companies.

Rapid growth can force big financing decisions early. Founders may be raising capital while simultaneously building products, hiring teams, competing for customers, and determining whether the advantages driving today’s growth can hold up over time.

Add “Building the Next Generation of AI Giants” to your Disrupt agenda for an investor’s perspective on evaluating early momentum, financing growth, and building for the long term.

Leadership and Strategy

Jas Khaira joined Blackstone in 2004 and is global head of Blackstone N1 and Blackstone Growth, as well as head of Tactical Opportunities Americas. He serves on several of the firm’s investment committees and founded Blackstone N1, its platform for growth, hybrid, and perpetual private equity investing across the AI ecosystem and next-generation high-growth companies.

Want to know what an investor at Blackstone’s scale looks for before committing capital? Secure your Disrupt pass and hear directly from Khaira on the Builders Stage. Bring another person with you to share the insights at 50% off their pass.

Industry Context

Discussions regarding AI infrastructure and funding are taking place across numerous industry sessions and forums, drawing thousands of founders, investors, operators, and technology leaders to address market challenges.

Networking and dealmaking environments provide attendees with opportunities to connect with potential investors, customers, partners, and other founders tackling many of the same technical and financial challenges.

For AI founders, raising capital may be one milestone. Deciding how to use it to build a company that lasts is a much bigger challenge, requiring an investor’s perspective to evaluate companies aiming to define the next generation of artificial intelligence.

Secure your pass to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 and get an investor’s perspective on what it takes to build an AI company for the long haul. Bring a co-founder, colleague, partner, or peer at 50% off. Bring four or more for additional discounts.

Image Credits:TechCrunch