Meat, Whiskey & Unicorns: AI Investing After the Crash
Expect direct conversation, strong opinions, and no deck at the very famous landmark of Ipanema: Boteco Belmonte
Invite only. Chatham House Rule applies so strong opinions welcome, attribution off the table.
A small gathering of family offices, founders, operators and investors had over great Irish whiskey and a frank conversation about what venture capital actually looks like now in Europe and the Middle East. Post-hype, post-bullshit, and bracing for the correction everyone senses is coming (yes, the Anthropic IPO has started the clock).
We’ll work through a curated flight of Irish whiskey while two people who’ve been in the room share what they learned the hard way: what separates durable companies from expensive experiments, why the old TAM SAM SOM framing is dead, and what AI and frontier tech (space, sea and beyond) actually demand of founders and capital in 2026.
Agenda
Arrival Welcome drinks, introductions, and first pour setting the tone for the evening
Session 1: Martin Duffy - AI investing after the crash: what 17x DPI teaches you about picking winners when the market shakes out
Session 2: Roger Courtney - Death to TAM, SAM, SOM: how Sunstone thinks about market opportunity and why legacy frameworks mislead founders and create bad investments for LPs
Tasting Guided Irish whiskey with curated commentary which is paired across both sessions
Close Open floor, food and the conversations that matter most, the ones that happen after the formal programme
Speakers
Martin Duffy: Managing Partner, Hibernia Venture labs & MVB Ventures · Advisor, EU Parliament on AI & Deep Tech 30-year technologist turned GP with a DPI of 17x+. Martin has been in the engine room of technology through every cycle and brings that hard-won pattern recognition to every investment he makes. He recently advised the EU Parliament on AI and deep tech policy, giving him a rare vantage point on where regulation, capital, and innovation actually intersect.
Roger Courtney: Founder, Sunstone Building what may be Ireland's next unicorn. Roger has a deeply contrarian view on how LPs, founders and organisations think about market opportunity and a compelling case for why the TAM/SAM/SOM model belongs in the bin. Come ready to disagree.