Eight Big Ideas to Take Away from the Latest Gartner's Future Tech Trends Report
LPs and GPs, listen up. Gartner's latest report on tech trends is a treasure map for navigating the next wave of disruption—here’s what you need to know and why it’s mission-critical to your investing strategy.
1. Agentic AI
What It Is: AI that makes decisions on its own; think of it as a very smart employee who never takes a vacation.
Why It Matters: By 2028, 15% of day-to-day work decisions will be made autonomously through agentic AI. Translation? Huge productivity gains. You're leaving money on the table if you're not investing in AI solutions that can help scale operations by automating decision-making. The real winners here will be those companies making complex AI cheap, efficient, and everywhere.
2. AI Governance Platforms
What It Is: Tools to make sure AI plays nice. Ensures systems are fair, ethical, and transparent—think of it as AI's hall monitor.
Why It Matters: AI is everywhere, and regulators are watching. Companies that ignore governance will face lawsuits, PR nightmares, and user backlash. Smart investments will target companies that put responsible AI front and center, building trust as a key differentiator in heavily regulated industries.
3. Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)
What It Is: Cryptography designed to withstand the impending quantum computing revolution. Once quantum hits, old encryption becomes as useless as a paper umbrella in a hurricane.
Why It Matters: Quantum computing is coming, and it will break most current encryption. Criminals know this—they’re banking data today to decrypt tomorrow. Investing in PQC startups is about future-proofing. It’s simple: secure data is valuable data.
4. Disinformation Security
What It Is: Tools to keep lies in check. It’s about distinguishing what’s real and manipulated, whether deepfakes or misinformation campaigns.
Why It Matters: Fake news is not just a buzzword—it’s a digital arms race. The companies that can provide solutions to combat misinformation and deepfakes will become indispensable to organizations managing risk, security, and reputation. There’s gold in truth… if you can mine it.
5. Energy-Efficient Computing
What It Is: Computing tech that won’t fry the planet. Efficiency gains in data centers, algorithms, and new hardware to cut power use and emissions.
Why It Matters: Sustainability is not just nice to have—it's a business imperative. Energy-efficient computing aligns with ESG priorities and reduces operational costs. LPs with an eye on sustainability mandates want investments that make good on green. Good luck with future funding rounds if your portfolio companies aren’t minimizing energy footprints.
6. Spatial Computing
What It Is: AR, MR, and VR are coming together to blur the lines between the digital and physical world—think digital overlays enhancing reality in real time.
Why It Matters: Spatial computing is redefining experiences in gaming, retail, healthcare—you name it. It's projected to grow from $110 billion in 2023 to $1.7 trillion by 2033. The big play here is betting on the next killer app or platform that takes augmented reality from novelty to necessity.
7. Polyfunctional Robots
What It Is: Robots that do more than one thing. They’re designed to handle multiple tasks, seamlessly shifting between them—like a Swiss Army knife in a robotic form.
Why It Matters: Rising labor costs and the demand for improved ROI are driving the adoption of robots in warehouses and healthcare. Forget single-function robots. Versatile, cost-effective robotics are the future, promising flexibility at a lower cost. GPs should be hunting for companies pushing the limits of robotic versatility.
8. Neurological Enhancement
What It Is: Enhancing cognitive abilities using brain-machine interfaces. Yes, it’s as sci-fi as it sounds—improving human brain functions by reading and writing brain activity.
Why It Matters: Consider reducing surgeon training time, personalizing education, or improving recruitment via neuro data. Neurological enhancement has the potential to supercharge productivity, shorten learning curves, and, yes, even influence how people feel. This technology can fundamentally change how industries operate, and those who invest early could be rewriting the rules.
Read the report here.
The TL;DR:
Understanding these trends isn’t enough.
The winners will be those who act.
Agentic AI, post-quantum encryption, and spatial computing are already reshaping industries —
LPs and GPs who see where the puck is headed, not where it’s been, will dominate the next decade.