Opening Session | Dematerialization and Rematerialization

Venture Connect 2026 opens with a bold framing of the venture landscape amid sweeping technological and societal change. Robert Tercek, co-founder of The Futurists Network and Nura Studios AI, explores the defining force of the 21st century: dematerialization—the ongoing shift of physical products, infrastructure, and entire industries into software. For more than three decades, software has reshaped manufacturing, logistics, retail, media, telecommunications, transportation, banking, and finance.

Now, we are entering the next phase: rematerialization. Powered by artificial intelligence, computational biology, and synthetic biology, physical systems and resources can be redesigned and re-engineered into entirely new configurations. Machine intelligence is accelerating value creation, unlocking new business models, and challenging conventional assumptions about how companies are built and scaled. From AI-driven enterprises to programmable biology, these twin forces will redefine both software services and life sciences—reshaping the very foundation of venture investment.

Building on these opening insights, Tercek is joined on stage by Chloe Domergue, Principal and Practice Leader in Human Capital at Deloitte, for a forward-looking conversation about what future organizations will require to succeed. As technology transforms how value is created, fundamental questions emerge: How many people does a startup truly need? What roles will matter most? How will human capital strategies evolve in an era defined by intelligent systems? Together, they will explore how founders and investors must rethink talent, structure, and scale for the next generation of high-growth companies.