AI startups are growing faster than anyone could have imagined a decade ago, but that speed brings a harsh reality. Scaling requires massive capital, forcing founders to make financing decisions before they know if early momentum will turn into a lasting business.
Jas Khaira, global head of Blackstone N1, will address this on the Builders Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. He will speak on October 13, 14, and 15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. The session, titled Building the Next Generation of AI Giants, covers how Blackstone backs category-defining firms and what distinguishes enduring companies from those with only early traction.
Infrastructure costs are reshaping funding
Building an AI company now means financing more than just product development and customer acquisition. Compute and data centers add significant capital requirements as firms expand.
One recent example shows the scale involved. Blackstone and co-investors agreed to invest up to $600 million in primary equity in Neysa, an Indian AI infrastructure company. Neysa also plans to raise an additional $600 million in debt financing.
Capital is flowing into more than just infrastructure. In July, Anthropic launched Ode with Anthropic. This AI implementation company is backed through a $1.5 billion joint venture with Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman, Goldman Sachs and others.
These investments place Blackstone close to the biggest questions surrounding AI growth: where capital is needed, which opportunities warrant it, and what businesses have the potential to endure.
Early speed does not guarantee survival
Fast growth attracts customers, employees, and investors. Khaira will look beyond that initial momentum to understand what makes a business endure. He will explain what Blackstone considers when evaluating the next generation of category-defining companies.
Rapid growth can force big financing decisions early. Founders may be raising capital while simultaneously building products, hiring teams, competing for customers, and determining whether the advantages driving today’s growth can hold up over time.
Adding Building the Next Generation of AI Giants to your Disrupt agenda provides an investor’s perspective on evaluating early momentum, financing growth, and building for the long term.
Khaira’s background
Jas Khaira joined Blackstone in 2004. He is global head of Blackstone N1 and Blackstone Growth, as well as head of tactical opportunities Americas. He serves on several of the firm’s investment committees and founded Blackstone N1. This platform handles growth, hybrid, and perpetual private equity investing across the AI ecosystem and next-generation high-growth companies.
What it means
For founders, raising money is only one milestone. Deciding how to use it to build a company that lasts is a much bigger challenge. Khaira will bring the investor’s perspective to that question. He will give founders a closer look at what Blackstone sees when it evaluates the companies aiming to define the next generation of AI.
