Climate Week Edition
For twenty years, SaaS companies built their businesses around recurring subscriptions. AI is breaking that model, from both directions at once.
On one side, seat licenses are turning into token pricing, shifting cost and unpredictability onto customers who now pay for usage instead of access. On the other, inference costs are quietly becoming one of the biggest line items on the P&L, driven by compute and energy demands that show no sign of slowing, a rising cost companies absorb before it ever reaches a customer's invoice.
Hosted during NYC Climate Week, this conversation sits right at that intersection: as AI scales, so does its energy footprint, and the businesses built on top of it will have to reckon with both.
Join our panelists:Chris Cheetham is CEO of Ptera Technologies, where he leads a fintech-focused practice helping founders, platforms, and investors move from concept to compliant launch across product strategy, engineering, and security. He also builds AI-enabled tools for strategic advisory firms, giving him a hands-on view of pricing, talent, and internal tooling decisions.
Alisha Outridge is founder of Byte & Chord, a venture studio building AI products, companies, and the teams behind them, and lead instructor at AI Founder Playbook. With 15+ years building AI/ML products at Meta, Reuters, and TuneCore, she's notched two startup exits and holds AI/ML patents still active at Meta.
Luke Turner is VP at DCA Asset Management, where he sources and evaluates private investments and delivers strategic financial advisory to founders, leading due diligence that informs investment recommendations. Before DCA, he was an Investment Banking Analyst at CKS Advisors and an Analyst at Root Valuation, building a background in financial modeling, M&A advisory, and strategic planning.
Who's behind this: Tova Feldheim and Caroline Jerome are co-founders of York Effect. York Effect Sprints™ are decision-making technologies for Series A+ companies. In four weeks, we help you see what scales and what doesn't. Book a call
Sponsored by: YELL Payment: YELL is reshaping how consumers and businesses in the U.S. manage money and payments through a unified platform designed to reduce friction, improve visibility, and increase control.
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