VC Happy Hour: "SaaS is Dead?" — From Vertical SaaS to Vertical AI
Is the SaaS playbook broken? Join AI founders, VCs, and operators in Silicon Valley for an evening that challenges the conventional wisdom of the last decade of software.
💡 About the Event
For years, the formula was simple: build a vertical SaaS product, charge by seat, optimize for retention, and scale with sales headcount. That formula is now being rewritten.
AI-native companies are moving from workflow tools to autonomous execution. Pricing is shifting from seats to outcomes. Gross margins are being redefined by inference costs. And defensibility — once built on integrations and sticky UX — is now a far more complex question when everyone has access to the same foundation models.
This edition of VC Happy Hour brings together Addin Ventures and two founders from their portfolio — Ryan (Dealight.ai) and Angelo (Swif.ai) — for a candid, practitioner-led conversation on what it actually means to build vertical software in the age of LLMs.
They've both done it. They'll tell you what changed, what didn't, and whether they'd start the same way again.
🎙️ What We'll Discuss
The structural shift from Vertical SaaS to Vertical AI — and why it's not just a product decision, it's a business model decision
How AI-native companies move from selling tools to delivering autonomous outcomes
Whether seat-based pricing still works — or if outcome-based models will dominate
How AI reshapes cost structure, gross margins, and where value actually gets captured
What defensibility looks like when everyone ships on GPT-4 or Claude
If building today, would they still start with SaaS — or design AI-first from day one?
🔎 What to Expect
Founder-VC Conversation — Not a panel, not a pitch. Ryan and Angelo will speak frankly about their experiences building LLM-native companies, with Addin Ventures anchoring the strategic framing.
Practitioner Depth — Expect real talk on pricing experiments, GTM pivots, investor conversations, and the hard lessons that don't make it into blog posts.
High-Signal Networking — After the discussion, stay for curated networking with AI founders, VCs, angels, and operators across the Silicon Valley ecosystem.
👥 Who Should Attend
Venture Capital Partners & Associates investing in AI and vertical software
AI Startup Founders at Seed through Series A+
B2B & SaaS operators thinking about the transition to AI-native products
Angel Investors & Family Offices exploring AI software opportunities
Ecosystem builders: accelerators, incubators, and corporate innovation teams
📅 Date & Time
March 11, 5:00pm – 8:00pm
📍 Location
Startup Island TAIWAN – Silicon Valley Hub
299 California Ave STE 300
Palo Alto, CA 94306
🤝 Hosted by
Addin Ventures is a cross-border seed fund between the U.S. and Taiwan, investing in AI-powered digital services, data-driven digital transformation, and vertical SaaS startups.
As an early-stage AI-focused venture capital fund, Addin works closely with founders on growth strategy, U.S. market expansion, and scalable revenue models — acting as a true value-add partner from day one.
Startup Island TAIWAN – Silicon Valley Hub
The Silicon Valley Hub serves as a strategic bridge between Taiwan’s startup ecosystem and the global innovation landscape.
Located in Palo Alto, the Hub connects founders, investors, and operators through high-signal events, cross-border programs, and deep ecosystem collaboration.