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The VC Playbook: How to Spot a Purple Cow in Crowded Pastures

By Barbara Tague, Financial Research Leader

The venture capital landscape is pivoting to a stage of accelerated capital deployment as investment periods narrow and macroeconomic conditions burgeon. With a crowded marketplace and a sense of underlying urgency, how do investors spot coveted startups in this environment?

In this playbook, we leverage insights from Harry Stebbings of 20VC to answer this question among others, including: What are the characteristics of successful early stage companies? Which unconventional criteria play an important role in securing deals?

About the Author
  • Barbara Tague, Financial Research Leader

    Barb is a Financial Research Leader covering the financial services segment at AlphaSense. Previously, she spent more than a decade at institutional investment managers and at a SaaS startup leading business development, content, and product initiatives.

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Mid-Year AI Checkpoint: The Shift from Wow to Work

The first half of 2026 marked a turning point for AI. The focus shifted away from breakthrough demos to the harder questions of deployment, integration, and real-world impact. As AI became more deeply embedded in products, workflows, and business operations, organizations faced new questions around measurement, governance, workforce impact, trust, and control.
Mid-Year AI Checkpoint: The Shift from Wow to Work, by Sarah Hoffman. A graphic with a timeline, a sparkling marker, and an AIAIAI logo.

A Tale of Two Economies: Divergences Shaping Financial Services in H2 2026

In this report, we explore key expert and analyst perspectives on the relevant themes shaping the financial services landscape for H2, including scaled AI infrastructure, diversification and asset re-positioning, a deepening K-shaped economy bearing resemblance to the ’70s, and a wave of IPO and deal activity prevailing despite macroeconomic headwinds.
Title slide for "A Tale of Two Economies: Divergences Shaping Financial Services in H2 2026" by Barb Tague, featuring an illustration of a signpost and a bar chart.

Global Oil and Gas Market: Iran War Fallout and Future Outlook

Drawing on broker research, industry tracking data, and expert analysis available in the AlphaSense platform, this report covers how governments, corporations, and investors are adapting amid uncertainty.
Title slide for "Global Oil and Gas Market: Iran War Fallout and Future Outlook," featuring an isometric illustration of an oil tanker and barrels.

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