What to Watch in 2026
The companies, markets, tokens, and trends that will define the year.
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Friends,
The world is not waiting to start the year.
In just over a week, we have seen that the world of 2026 will not be the same as that of 2025. Trump’s actions in Venezuela are the most naked illustration of this fact, revealing the changing nature of power and shifts in spheres of relative influence.
Technology is not immune to such developments, and, indeed, is a key input. Even with January just getting its footing, our sector is in motion: in a span of just a few weeks, Jensen Huang struck a $20 billion deal for Groq’s talent and IP, revealed Nvidia’s upcoming Rubin architecture, and saw China order its domestic companies to pause purchases of H200 chips. Meanwhile, DeepSeek released research rethinking AI training, ChatGPT launched a dedicated health product, Meta is attempting to purchase Chinese-founded startup Manus, and Anthropic is raising $10 billion at a $350 billion valuation.
All of this is happening against the backdrop of growing unease about AI valuations and the possibility that we are in the midst of a rapidly inflating bubble primed to burst.
As a reminder: it is January 9th.
To try and grasp what (else) 2026 might have in store, particularly with regard to tech and venture capital, I reached out to a collection of more than 45 elite investors and thinkers. I asked each of these people to answer the question: What company, market, or trend do you think is most worth paying attention to in 2026?
Below, you will find their answers, organized into seven themes. It includes entries from legends like Reid Hoffman, Kirsten Green, Gili Raanan, and Aydin Senkut, as well as those I consider the sharpest thinkers from the next generation. It is, in a sense, a collection of futures. A cadre of possible paths that may or may not unfurl. In big and little ways, I hope that they make you a little more aware of what may happen and where opportunities might lie.
As was the case with last year’s edition, I compiled this piece with the express goal of creating something that more than justifies the cost of The Generalist’s premium subscription on its basis alone. Given the insights I’ve gleaned from it already, I believe we’ve achieved that for anyone who works in venture capital, actively angel invests, or is considering starting a company. I suspect it will also be of great use to operators who want to understand how their respective industries could develop.
Here’s what to expect:
The robotics company helping with data center buildouts
A voice AI company poised to come out of stealth
The African fintech following Nubank’s trajectory
Where China is poised to outcompete America
A potential landmark in nuclear energy
An AI myth gets exposed
The startups poised to win in Latin America
The under-the-radar search startup used by Cursor
To set yourself up for the best possible 2026, join our premium subscription for just $22/month today. It’s designed to make you a radically better investor for a teeny fraction of the cost of a traditional investing intelligence service.
Again, my hope and goal is that this piece alone repays the cost of a year’s subscription.
PS. You know this already, but for the avoidance of doubt: this is not investment advice. This is intended to surface new ideas and guide you toward interesting topics. Most submissions focus on private companies, but please heed this, particularly for those that highlight a crypto project with a public token. These tend to be hyper-volatile assets. You should always make investment decisions based on your own research.
I. The physical world wakes up
AI’s most impressive feats have typically occurred on screens. That may be changing. Robots are learning by watching humans, excavators are moving dirt without drivers, and the robotics sector is splitting into two worlds: one of hype, another of quiet deployment.