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▶ 4:05 · AI Infrastructure · AI Economics & Business Models · Software commoditization by AI drives next wave of innovation into hard tech
episode briefing
Scaling Europe

Europe needs bigger and faster capital to keep its startups home: Thomas Bigagli, Plug and Play VC

2026-08-18 · 3 company · 10 thematic
sentiment
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speakers
thomas bigagli

Thomas Bigagli has spent 8+ years at Plug and Play Ventures, serving as EMEA partner, investment committee member for multiple funds, and key advisor to corporate C-level executives on innovation mandates. He is French and focuses on deep tech, physical AI, and European ecosystem dynamics.

now playing · AI Infrastructure · AI Economics & Business Models
Robotics & Physical AItailwindscore 8/10thomas bigagli
AI commoditizes software, pushing founders to deep tech and physical AI
AI has made software development so cheap and fast that ambitious founders are shifting to deep tech and physical AI where technical challenges remain unsolved; AI itself accelerates hardwa…
Deep Techtailwindscore 8/10thomas bigagli
AI commoditization pushes founders into deep tech where physical AI accelerates hardware innovation
Thomas argues AI has made software a commodity, driving ambitious founders toward deep tech where AI tools now solve hardware challenges faster and cheaper, creating untapped blue oceans.
Robotics & Physical AItailwindscore 8/10thomas bigagli
AI commoditization pushes founders into deep tech and physical AI
AI has made software development commoditized, cheap and fast, driving entrepreneurs toward deep tech and physical AI where major pain points remain unsolved; AI itself accelerates hardware…
AI Infrastructuretailwindscore 7/10thomas bigagli
Software commoditization by AI drives next wave of innovation into hard tech
As AI democratizes software creation, the defensible opportunities shift to sectors where physical and technical complexity remain high — deep tech, hardware, and physical AI — because soft…
AI Economics & Business Modelsmixedscore 7/10thomas bigagli
Software commoditization by AI shifts entrepreneurial focus to deep tech
The democratization and cost collapse of software development via AI removes the moat in pure software, making deep tech and physical AI the primary arena for defensible value creation.
Robotics & Physical AItailwindscore 8/10thomas bigagli
AI accelerates physical AI development, lowering barriers
AI reduces software costs and speeds up development, enabling physical AI startups to overcome historical hardware and go-to-market challenges, thus accelerating innovation and investment o…
Geopolitics & Trademixedscore 8/10thomas bigagli
European fragmentation is both weakness and strength; consolidation needed to retain champions
Europe's regulatory and market fragmentation hinders capital formation and causes startups to move HQs or cap tables to the US, but the same fragmentation creates unique localized pain poin…
Venture Capitalmixedscore 7/10thomas bigagli
Europe's regulatory fragmentation creates localized pain points that become global opportunities
Thomas observes that Europe's fragmented markets generate unique problems—like multi-language dubbing or cross-border currency exchange—that force founders to build globally scalable soluti…
Venture Capitalheadwindscore 8/10thomas bigagli
European VC fragmentation hinders ability to back big tickets
European venture capital funds remain slow and fragmented, limiting their capacity to write large checks and compete with US investors for top startups, creating a structural headwind for t…
Venture Capitalheadwindscore 8/10thomas bigagli
European VCs lose deals to US funds due to slower speed and smaller check sizes
Thomas contends European VCs are structurally disadvantaged by slower decision-making and smaller ticket sizes at every stage, causing top European startups to either move HQ to the US or r…