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Welcome to the latest edition of The Frontline!
A regular dispatch delivering intel, insights, and highlights from the Silicon Foundry global community and collective of professionals.
In this edition, we'll take a look back on the past year, reflect on AI’s growing impact on product development, key takeaways from FII Riyadh 2025 on AI and finance, and the evolution of modern supply chains — including how Craft is helping teams work smarter and more efficiently as we look ahead and jump into the new year.
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Building the Future Together: A 2025 Reflection
As the world wraps up the final few weeks of 2025, we wanted to take this opportunity to wholeheartedly thank our Members, colleagues at Kearney, and our community for your engagement, friendship and the trust that you have put in us this past year.
As we close out another successful year, it’s an opportune moment to look back on our journey and ahead to what’s next, for our firm and for the innovation ecosystems shaping change worldwide. Silicon Foundry has continued to grow and evolve this year, expanding the size and diversity of our Member base, our own professionals around the globe, and the range of services and programs we now offer to our Members.
There is so much to be grateful for and excited about as we charge ahead into 2026. Accelerating innovations across the constantly evolving AI landscape, the universal necessity of digital transformation across corporates of every size and region, and the power of fostering collaborations between incumbents + startups has never been more evident. We share a deep appreciation for our partners, opportunities we get to help bring to life, and the collective impact we work to achieve.
On behalf of our entire team here at SiF, we hope your families and colleagues have a restful and joyous upcoming holiday season and New Year's celebrations. We look forward to crossing paths again soon and collaborating together in the year ahead!
Neal Hansch
CEO, Silicon Foundry
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According to Tanya Privé in attendance, AI and finance took the spotlight at Future Investment Initiative (FII) Riyadh 2025 — often referred to as the “Davos in the Desert”— where global leaders underscored how fast the field is shifting from experimentation to deployment. Discussions ranged from the limits of today’s models to the overhaul coming in financial infrastructure, signaling that a new era of AI-driven markets is taking shape. Furthermore, the event also reinforced and cemented Saudi Arabia’s growing role as a global innovation hub. |
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Today, many products fail to meet execution. The problem? Poor product development lines, unable to keep up with fast-moving markets and inefficient collaboration. However, AI comes in with the promise as a new operating framework. Partner and Managing Director of the PERLab Bharat Kapoor concludes that those who embrace AI intelligently and gradually will enter a new era of innovation: creating a marketplace rich with experimentation and driving economic prosperity. |
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How are modern supply chains becoming more resilient, intelligent and transparent? Founder and CEO Ilya Levtov shares the story behind Craft, a platform born from his frustration with inaccurate and inaccessible company data. Ilya dives into how Craft's intelligent workspace helps teams qualify suppliers faster, uncover hidden risks, and monitor vast supplier networks in real time, reshaping how organizations safeguard and stregthen their supply chain |
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We're pleased to welcome our newest Venture Associate, Fisayo Omilana. Fisayo joins the team with a wide-ranging background and brings deep expertise across a variety of industries. At Silicon Foundry, he’ll be focused on building high-impact relationships and identifying growth opportunities where technology and capital intersect. With this blend of strategic insight combined with cross-sector experience, Fisayo is set to be a valuable addition to our community. |
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A spotlight on
Our Offerings
at Silicon Foundry, featuring a Q&A series focusing on top insights and an in-depth look into our full suite of services. |
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Over the years, SiF has expanded our Offerings to support the distinct needs of corporates, CVCs, and startups. SiF Managing Director Erik Terjesen discusses Corporate Development as a Service, and how SiF acts as a trusted, day-to-day partner to in-house corporate development teams. The conversation explores how CDaaS helps teams cut through a noisy global landscape to systematically identify, qualify, and engage the right targets, enabling faster, better-informed strategic decisions. |
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Global industry events that our team will be at in the months ahead. Drop us a line to get the inside scoop, hear what we've learned and/or to get together if you will also be at one of these upcoming events! |
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January 6-9th
Las Vegas, NV |
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January 12-15th
San Francisco, CA |
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January 11-13th
New York City, NY |
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March 23-27th
Houston, TX
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Recent headlines that caught our attention, related to corporate innovation activities, adoption of new technologies, venture investing trends, and key announcements from across our community of partners and members. |
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Investor appetite for defense technology surged in 2025, pushing funding to new highs. With military expenditures skyrocketing, VCs have doubled their investment in defense compared to last year. Fast-growing innovators are driving the spike, and funding momentum is not slowing as global defense priorities shift and new tech solutions gain traction. (Crunchbase) |
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Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's all-in bet on AI safety is proving to be more than a philosophical stance. The company has positioned Claude as the LLM of choice for major enterprises, winning trust where rivals race for speed. What began without a clear monetization plan has evolved into a powerful competitive advantage. (Fortune) |
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The future of mobility is in the hands of AI, reshaped from autonomous fleets to smart traffic systems. The report stresses that unlocking AI’s full potential in mobility will require unprecedented cross‑sector collaboration, shared data infrastructure, and unified governance frameworks to move from isolated innovation to scalable, safe mobility solutions. (KEARNEY) |
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A look at how GCC cities are moving from big-picture vision to real economic impact. Kearney outlines how strategic urban investment, digital innovation, and talent-focused development are reshaping competitiveness across the region and positioning these cities as engines of sustained growth. (KEARNEY) |
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Popular Science revealed its 38th annual Best of What's New list, spotlighting the most significant innovations of 2025. This year's winners span aerospace, consumer tech, health, and more, including breakthrough gear for daily life and next-generation gadgets, pushing the boundaries of design and performance. (Popular Science) |
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Silicon Foundry is an innovation advisory firm that catalyzes opportunities and accelerates change to push the frontier of what’s possible. |
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