Bridge Forum Summit 2025: Wrap Up

TAKEAWAY

09 May 2025

By BF Team

5-min read

Bridge Forum Summit 2025: Wrap Up

The 2025 Bridge Forum Summit convened over 250 distinguished tech founders and senior enterprise executives from around the globe, engaging in a profound exploration of one of the most transformative forces of our era: artificial intelligence. With an impressive aggregate enterprise value exceeding $1.6 trillion represented among attendees, the summit featured high-impact discussions encompassing data strategy, software development, technical enterprise culture, content creation, robotics, and the evolution of AI-enabled business models. Additionally, GIC facilitated nearly 500 one-on-one meetings, fostering invaluable connections and opportunities within the tech ecosystem.

In his opening remarks, GIC’s Head of Tech Investing, Chris Emanuel, underscored the significance of this moment:

“In my 25 years of investing in technology, I’ve never witnessed a shift as foundational as the one we are experiencing with AI.”

Chris Emanuel, Head, GIC Tech Investment Group

AI as a Strategic Imperative, Not Merely a Tool

Industry leaders articulated that AI transcends mere technological enhancement; it serves as a core strategic driver for enterprises. The integration of AI at every level—from robust data infrastructure to customer-facing applications—necessitates a long-term, adaptive approach that aligns with overarching business objectives. This alignment is essential for addressing operational inefficiencies, enhancing customer engagement, and facilitating data-driven decision-making.

Successful AI integration demands more than mere technology deployment; it requires a fundamental shift in organizational mindset and workforce readiness. Arvind Jain, CEO of Glean, an enterprise search AI platform, framed the enterprise-wide adoption of AI as a two-step journey:

“First, you must ensure that every individual in your organization is equipped to leverage AI in a manner that fundamentally enhances their work… Once the workforce is adept at utilizing AI, they will be poised to drive genuine transformation within the business.”

Arvind Jain, Co-Founder & CEO, Glean

Product Velocity: A Defining Edge in AI-Driven Enterprises

In today’s competitive landscape, speed is a critical differentiator for industry leaders. AI facilitates accelerated product development and delivery, enabling companies to scale rapidly through AI-generated code, automated tasks, and real-time data analysis. Garry Tan, CEO of Y Combinator, one of the premier startup accelerators globally, noted that 25% of YC’s latest cohort generated 95% of their code using AI tools —demonstrating how startups harness AI to expedite cycles and secure a competitive advantage.

The significance of high product velocity in the AI domain is underscored not only by the substantial first-to-market advantages it confers but also by its capacity to enable startups to swiftly adapt to evolving customer needs. However, Marco Argenti, Chief Technology Officer of Goldman Sachs, cautioned that rapid deployment must be harmonized with strategic alignment to ensure accuracy and security. He articulated his definition of “velocity” as speed with purpose and alignment:

“I fundamentally believe that controls enhance speed when utilized effectively. If you examine the fastest and most agile creations on Earth, such as fighter jets or Formula 1 cars, they possess the highest degree of controls, which allow for pushing the envelope in a secure manner.”

Marco Argenti, CIO, Goldman Sachs

The Future is Re-Bundling: Compound Software Poised to Lead

For years, software development has predominantly revolved around single-purpose SaaS products designed to meet specific business needs. This paradigm is now being challenged by the emergence of compound software, exemplified by Rippling, a unified workforce management system that integrates HR, IT, finance, and other services. Parker Conrad, CEO of Rippling, emphasized that shared data infrastructure and workflows can engender more cohesive, end-to-end platforms.

“When constructing compound software businesses, we can consolidate various common elements and build them once across multiple applications This methodology enables Rippling to invest more substantially in research and development, delivering solutions that surpass traditional, single-point products.

Parker Conrad, Co-Founder & CEO, Rippling

For enterprise clients, compound software mitigates vendor sprawl and enhances data integrity, providing richer insights through consolidated data streams. As AI continues to reshape business operations, platforms that encompass the entire customer workflow are likely to emerge as leaders against single-point models.

AI Agents: Reshaping Software Creation and Customer Experience

The future of AI agents took center stage at this year’s summit, capturing the attention of both large corporate adopters and the startups that develop them. An AI agent is defined as a software system capable of operating autonomously, making decisions, and executing actions without human intervention. These agents can learn over time, empowering developers to deploy adaptive, personalized applications with greater speed and efficacy.

While the potential of AI agents is substantial, their effective adoption presents unique challenges. Notably, AI agents are heavily reliant on the quality of the datasets from which they are trained; thus, adopters must be vigilant regarding data quality and bias to achieve optimal results. Additional challenges include integration complexities, security and privacy concerns, and ethical dilemmas.

Harrison Chase, CEO of LangChain, a software framework that simplifies the integration of large language models into applications, envisions a future where AI agents evolve from semi-autonomous “smart interns” to full-time digital employees capable of managing intricate workflows. However, he stressed the necessity of enhancing communication capabilities, model sophistication, and memory functions to fully realize their potential.

Ali Ghodsi, CEO of Databricks, echoed this sentiment, noting that we are still in the “early days” of AI agents:

“The promise for agents is evident. People are focusing on the right use cases. The challenge lies in achieving a level of reliability that allows them to operate independently of human oversight.”

Ali Ghodsi, Co-Founder & CEO, Databricks

Democratization of Access: Building Software Without Barriers

AI and AI agents are democratizing software development, enabling both technical and non-technical teams to create new platforms without requiring advanced coding skills. Amjad Masad, CEO of Replit, an AI-supported platform that allows users to code, run, and deploy applications from a single browser, emphasized how AI-powered tools are broadening access for creators.

“The bottleneck is no longer coding expertise; it’s about creativity and problem-solving. Now, even children can develop applications.”

Amjad Masad, Co-Founder & CEO, REplit

Bret Taylor, Chairman of the Board at OpenAI and Co-Founder of Sierra, a conversational AI platform for businesses and customers, reinforced this notion during the Bridge Forum’s closing fireside chat:

“We are democratizing access to expertise and intelligence. Intelligence is abundant, and it’s unfolding before our very eyes. We all have access in ways we never have before.”

Bret Taylor, Co-Founder, Sierra

As AI continues to evolve, these platforms are not merely enabling software creation; they possess the potential to cultivate a more entrepreneurial and inclusive workforce capable of developing impactful solutions without traditional technical barriers.

These themes are being operationalized across the AI ecosystem, driving change in our daily lives. “In the age of intelligence, truly exceptional software enhances our lives… AI can empower individuals to accomplish the work of countless people simultaneously,” Tan asserted. With such significant potential, leaders emphasized the necessity for a balanced approach—one that harnesses AI’s transformative power while safeguarding security, human oversight, and ethical integrity.

Investing Across the AI Spectrum

GIC has been investing in technology for over 40 years, and our CEO, Lim Chow Kiat, characterized AI as “transformational, offering a tremendous once-in-a-lifetime optionality.”

The key to unlocking true value in AI investing lies in eschewing hype and overvaluation, while concentrating on companies with durable moats, differentiated technology, and sound business models. Lim acknowledged the complexity of this endeavor, driven by the rapid pace of change, but identified three pivotal areas where the firm anticipates finding long-term value:

Enablers: Companies laying the groundwork for AI scalability—this includes semiconductors, hardware, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and tooling.
Monetizers: Businesses transforming this infrastructure into tangible products—applications, services, and platforms that are beginning to generate revenue.
Adopters: Enterprises integrating AI to enhance processes, improve customer experiences, boost productivity, and unlock growth.

As AI transitions from experimentation to integration, the Bridge Forum serves as a nexus for insight, innovation, and connection between leading innovators and enterprises. From product velocity to AI-driven customization, the dialogues at this year’s summit underscored a singular message: the future of enterprise technology is unfolding now, and those who adapt and align with AI’s potential will be best positioned to lead in the age of intelligent software.

As we advance, GIC remains committed to investing long-term capital in innovative AI technologies, not only driving advancements and new applications but also curating the connections necessary for innovators and enterprises alike to create meaningful value. We extend our gratitude to our esteemed panelists and guests for making the Bridge Forum a hub for forward-thinking leaders in technology and business, ensuring our network remains poised for the future.