How is AI shaping the future across industries? This is the question keynote speakers of The Symposium: AI Edition explored during Edda and UTokyo’s 2024 event on artificial intelligence and innovation.
The Symposium: AI Edition invited 150 influential figures in finance, venture capital, and technology to the National Library of France – Richelieu to explore AI’s transformative impact across sectors including finance, health, defense, innovation, and architecture.
Keep reading to discover insights from The Symposium: AI Edition’s expert speakers on the future of AI in startups, private markets, and VC investing.
AI in VC: The AI Funding Trend
The Symposium: AI Edition opened with a presentation from Dealroom.co CEO and Founder Yoram Wijngaarde, who shared exclusive data on the current state of AI investing.
New Heights for VC Funding in AI
Wijngaarde highlighted the unprecedented growth in AI-related venture capital funding. As of May 2024, 20% of all VC capital now flows into AI-first companies—a record share. While early-stage funding ($0–15M) remains active, it’s the breakout and late-stage rounds—especially for foundational model companies—that are drawing billions.
This funding boom in generative AI startups follows two earlier investment waves: one focused on autonomous driving, and another on AI in healthcare, both peaking around 2021.
Funding by Layer
Wijngaarde described a maturing AI ecosystem, where investment is now spread across foundational model development, infrastructure, and consumer-facing applications.
Globally, more than 1,000 startups are building in the application layer, offering AI-powered products and tools. However, foundational model companies attracted the largest share—$23.8B compared to $7B in the application space—highlighting where technology investors see the greatest potential.
The Consequences of AI’s Growing Popularity
With AI’s rapid adoption comes a surge in energy demands. Combined with data centers and crypto, AI is projected to consume 1,000 TWh by 2026—the equivalent of Japan’s total electricity use. In the U.S., AI could represent 19% of electricity demand by 2030, accelerating parallel innovation in clean technology, including fusion, geothermal, and sustainable infrastructure.
AI in Defense: A New Era of Arms
Keynote speaker Antoine Bordes, VP of AI at Helsing, shared insights on AI’s rapidly expanding role in global defense technology.
Bordes explained how AI innovation is drastically reducing the development time of advanced military systems—from years or decades to mere weeks. “Analyzing 24 hours of surveillance footage can take humans days—but AI can do it in seconds,” he noted.
He also emphasized how recent global conflicts have accelerated the deployment of AI in defense, and how these technologies are being developed to support democratic resilience in a volatile geopolitical climate.
AI in Health: Transforming the Value Chain
Symposium speaker Alban de la Sabliere is an experienced finance and corporate development leader, now serving as COO at biotech unicorn Owkin. His M&A and partnership expertise from Sanofi and Morgan Stanley has helped scale Owkin’s AI‑driven healthcare platform.
De la Sabliere offered a snapshot of how AI is set to revolutionize healthtech in 2025 and beyond. He outlined that AI is a “game changer” in unlocking the complexity of human biology, empowering scientists, and managing clinical data. These capabilities allow AI to accelerate every step in the biotech and pharmaceutical value chain, with a potential 40%+ reduction in R&D time.
AI plays a transformative role across drug design, target discovery, development, and real-world use—strengthening the investment case for AI-focused healthcare startups.
AI in Architecture: Supporting Creativity
Renowned architecture firm Kengo Kuma & Associates joined The Symposium to deliver a unique panel. Executive VP Yuki Ikeguchi and Project Manager Asger Taarnberg explored how AI is transforming the architectural design process through data, simulation technology, and smarter planning tools.
Taarnberg explained how AI turns traditional design elements like columns and windows into data-rich components, enabling more efficient modeling and sustainability. “AI helps us simulate design scenarios and understand local regulations, speeding up planning without sacrificing quality,” he said.
While both speakers stressed that AI cannot replace human creativity, they highlighted its power as a design tool—especially for complex, international projects where technology innovation accelerates outcomes.
The Symposium’s Lasting Impact
Edda and the University of Tokyo created The Symposium: AI Edition to bring together leading experts in artificial intelligence, startups, and VC investing. By hosting an event at the frontier of AI’s expanding role in the global economy, the event aimed to connect AI builders with those financing the next wave of innovation.
For Edda, this collaboration reflects its mission to empower venture capital and private equity firms with tools that drive smarter, faster, and more informed investment decisions.
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