EPISODE · Feb 23, 2026 · 32 MIN
1 Smart Business Story: These AI startups are set to explode in 2026
from The Business Model by Inc. · host Inc.
The next big thing in artificial intelligence probably won’t look like OpenAI or Anthropic. "Companies aren't really attempting to make their own big, foundational AI models anymore," says Ben Sherry, lead AI reporter at Inc. “Where founders are at today is saying, 'I don't have the money to make an AI model because it costs billions and billions of dollars and months and months of time and thousands of people. But I can use the AI that's available and create a really killer application or collection of services that will kind of help me stand apart or solve a really specific, niche issue.’” Ben recently hand-picked eight companies that are poised for massive growth this year. On this episode of The Business Model, he shares with Inc. reporter Chloe Aiello how he made his list and why these companies could be the next big thing — even if they’re not the next OpenAI.
What this episode covers
The next big thing in artificial intelligence probably won’t look like OpenAI or Anthropic. "Companies aren't really attempting to make their own big, foundational AI models anymore," says Ben Sherry, lead AI reporter at Inc. “Where founders are at today is saying, 'I don't have the money to make an AI model because it costs billions and billions of dollars and months and months of time and thousands of people. But I can use the AI that's available and create a really killer application or collection of services that will kind of help me stand apart or solve a really specific, niche issue.’” Ben recently hand-picked eight companies that are poised for massive growth this year. On this episode of The Business Model, he shares with Inc. reporter Chloe Aiello how he made his list and why these companies could be the next big thing — even if they’re not the next OpenAI.
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1 Smart Business Story: These AI startups are set to explode in 2026
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