We’ve always believed that startups in emerging markets leveraging AI would drive the next phase of economic growth. Today, that conviction is stronger than ever. DeepSeek’s latest breakthroughs validate this shift, with advancements in reinforcement learning and knowledge distillation dramatically lowering AI development and inferencing costs. As a result, businesses in talent-rich but capital-constrained economies now have access to cutting-edge AI at a fraction of the price.

This is great news for the startups we back — those using AI to solve pressing challenges in high-impact sectors like jobtech, agritech, fintech, edtech, and mobilitytech, which directly enhance economic mobility for millions. The ripple effects are profound. From intelligent workforce management to automated customer service, AI is no longer just a tool for the privileged — it’s becoming the backbone of scalable, cost-effective innovation in emerging markets.

But with great power comes new risks. As open-source models gain traction, security, compliance, and ethical oversight will become critical differentiators. This is where the next wave of AI entrepreneurs will thrive — tackling challenges that extend beyond the capabilities of proprietary models.

So, is this the end of closed-source models? Not yet. But the game is changing, and traditional AI giants will need to evolve fast. Listen to the latest episode of #WednesdayWisdomWithWill, where Sandhya Thukaram speaks with GenAI thought leader Will Poole about how DeepSeek’s breakthroughs, open-source AI, automation, and agentic AI systems are reshaping enterprise adoption.

Watch the full episode now.