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ICONIQ Ascent 2025: Signals from the Summit
We gathered the boldest minds advancing AI, reimagining leadership, and pioneering new ways to build in transformative times.

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ICONIQ Ascent 2025: Signals from the Summit

We gathered the boldest minds advancing AI, reimagining leadership, and pioneering new ways to build in transformative times.

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ICONIQ Ascent 2025: Signals from the Summit
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https://www.iconiqcapital.com/growth/insights/inside-iconiq-ascent-2025

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What does it take to lead with clarity and purpose in the era of AI? That question brought our ICONIQ Community to Healdsburg for ICONIQ Ascent, a 48-hour gathering of founders, CEOs, and other visionaries. Together, we explored how mastering the alchemy of AI innovation and human insight is critical to differentiating merely disruptive companies from those that truly endure.

Guided by bold thinkers and world-class operators, we immersed ourselves in a mosaic of top-of-mind topics, from agentic AI to operating models, decision science, and leadership evolution. Highlights included:

  • In a forward-looking conversation with Dario Amodei, co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, predicted a pivotal window between 2025–2027 when virtual collaborators shift from concept to co‑workers, unlocking 20 %+ productivity gains and moving humans largely “out of the loop” for routine development.
  • Reinforcing that customer closeness still beats grand vision, Tooey Courtemanche, CEO and Founder of Procore, urged leaders to get out of the boardroom and onto the job site. He framed AI not as a tool, but as a cultural shift—one that demands empathy, urgency, and field immersion.
  • Drawing from hard-earned lessons across multiple market shifts, Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks, laid out a manifesto for scaling with clarity and urgency—owner’s mindset, uncompromising standards, and decisive talent moves.
  • Offering a blueprint for navigating change at scale, Ara Mahdessian, co-founder and CEO of ServiceTitan, shared how their IPO discipline sharpened growth priorities and how tying AI usage to performance keeps the company outcome‑obsessed.
  • In a case study in first-principles leadership, Adam Foroughi, co-founder and CEO of AppLovin, outlined how flattening his organization and cutting excess headcount paved the way for an AI-native mindset, and why every investor update should emphasize lasting value over quarterly noise.
  • In a bold bet on reinvention, Bhavin Shah, CEO and co-founder of Moveworks, recounted rebuilding 35 percent of his codebase to pivot from chatbot to agentic platform, a shift that culminated in an upcoming acquisition by ServiceNow.
  • Drawing on championship experience, Andre Iguodala, NBA champion and investor, likened high-performing companies to elite sports teams, emphasizing that trust, humility, and razor-sharp role clarity are the superpowers behind sustained success.
  • Blending insights from psychology and poker, Maria Konnikova, author, psychologist, and professional poker player, offered a disciplined framework for high-stakes decision-making: distinguish process from outcome, prepare with rigor, and place strategic bets rather than emotional ones.
  • Sharing perspective on where the market is heading, Will Griffith and Matt Jacobson, Partners at ICONIQ, outlined a roadmap for the AI era that argues tomorrow’s winners will harness proprietary data, embrace agentic workflows, rethink pricing models, and stay technically close to both product and customer.

As every founder knows, the entrepreneurial path is rarely smooth. We’re grateful to partner with our Community on their ascent, turning insight into action and driving uncommon outcomes now and for the future.

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Published:

June 24, 2025

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The ICONIQ Venture and Growth website does not present information relating to ICONIQ, its investment funds, or its advisory business and should not be consulted for any advisory purposes. The ICONIQ Venture and Growth content is intended for the use of company founders and executives.

Notes

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this presentation are those of ICONIQ Venture & Growth ("ICONIQ" or the "firm"), are the result of proprietary research, may be subjective, and may not be relied upon in making an investment decision. 

 This presentation is for general information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.  This presentation must not be relied upon in connection with any investment decision.  The information in this presentation is not intended to and does not constitute financial, accounting, tax, legal, investment, consulting or other professional advice or services.  Nothing in this presentation is or should be construed as an offer, invitation or solicitation to engage in any investment activity or transaction, including an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities which should only be made pursuant to definitive offering documents and subscription agreements, including without limitation, any investment fund or investment product referenced herein.  

Any reproduction or distribution of this presentation in whole or in part, or the disclosure of any of its contents, without the prior consent of ICONIQ, is strictly unauthorized.  

This presentation may contain forward-looking statements based on current plans, estimates and projections.  The recipient of this presentation ("you") are cautioned that a number of important factors could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements.  The numbers, figures and case studies included in this presentation have been included for purposes of illustration only, and no assurance can be given that the actual results of ICONIQ or any of its partners and affiliates will correspond with the results contemplated in the presentation.  No information is contained herein with respect to conflicts of interest, which may be significant.  The portfolio companies and other parties mentioned herein may reflect a selective list of the prior investments made by ICONIQ.  

Certain of the economic and market information contained herein may have been obtained from published sources and/or prepared by other parties.  While such sources are believed to be reliable, none of ICONIQ or any of its affiliates and partners, employees and representatives assume any responsibility for the accuracy of such information.  

All of the information in the presentation is presented as of the date made available to you (except as otherwise specified), and is subject to change without notice, and may not be current or may have changed (possibly materially) between the date made available to you and the date actually received or reviewed by you.  ICONIQ assumes no obligation to update or otherwise revise any information, projections, forecasts or estimates contained in the presentation, including any revisions to reflect changes in economic or market conditions or other circumstances arising after the date the items were made available to you or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.  

For avoidance of doubt, ICONIQ is not acting as an adviser or fiduciary in any respect in connection with providing this presentation and no relationship shall arise between you and ICONIQ as a result of this presentation being made available to you.  

ICONIQ is a diversified financial services firm and has direct client relationships with persons that may become limited partners of ICONIQ funds.  Notwithstanding that a person may be referred to herein as a "client" of the firm, no limited partner of any fund will, in its capacity as such, be a client of ICONIQ.  There can be no assurance that the investments made by any ICONIQ fund will be profitable or will equal the performance of prior investments made by persons described in this presentation. 

Any information in this presentation is directed at, and intended for, only persons who are experienced institutional or professional investors (“professional investors”) as defined by applicable law and regulation.  Any person that is not a professional investor is not an intended recipient of this presentation and the matters discussed herein.

ICONIQ is a trading name of certain ICONIQ Partners (UK) LLP. ICONIQ Partners (UK) LLP (Registration Number: 973080) is an appointed representative of Kroll Securities Ltd. (Registration Number: 466588) which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. ICONIQ Partners (UK) LLP is a limited liability partnership whose members are ICONIQ Capital (UK) Ltd, Seth Pierrepont and Lou Thorne, and it is registered in England and Wales and has its registered office at 27 Soho Square, London W1D 3QR. ICONIQ Partners (UK) LLP acts as an adviser to ICONIQ Capital LLC

Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this presentation are those of ICONIQ Venture and Growth (“ICONIQ" or the “Firm"), are the result of proprietary research, may be subjective, and may not be relied upon in making an investment decision. Information used in this presentation was obtained from numerous sources. Certain of these companies are portfolio companies of ICONIQ Venture and Growth. ICONIQ Venture and Growth does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy of the information obtained from these sources.

This presentation is for general information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. This presentation must not be relied upon in connection with any investment decision. The information in this presentation is not intended to and does not constitute financial, accounting, tax, legal, investment, consulting or other professional advice or services. Nothing in this presentation is or should be construed as an offer, invitation or solicitation to engage in any investment activity or transaction, including an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities which should only be made pursuant to definitive offering documents and subscription agreements, including without limitation, any investment fund or investment product referenced herein.

Any reproduction or distribution of this presentation in whole or in part, or the disclosure of any of its contents, without the prior consent of ICONIQ, is strictly unauthorized.

This presentation may contain forward-looking statements based on current plans, estimates and projections. The recipient of this presentation ("you") are cautioned that a number of important factors could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements. The numbers, figures and case studies included in this presentation have been included for purposes of illustration only, and no assurance can be given that the actual results of ICONIQ or any of its partners and affiliates will correspond with the results contemplated in the presentation. No information is contained herein with respect to conflicts of interest, which may be significant. The portfolio companies and other parties mentioned herein may reflect a selective list of the prior investments made by ICONIQ.

Certain of the economic and market information contained herein may have been obtained from published sources and/or prepared by other parties. While such sources are believed to be reliable, none of ICONIQ or any of its affiliates and partners, employees and representatives assume any responsibility for the accuracy of such information.

All of the information in the presentation is presented as of the date made available to you (except as otherwise specified), and is subject to change without notice, and may not be current or may have changed (possibly materially) between the date made available to you and the date actually received or reviewed by you. ICONIQ assumes no obligation to update or otherwise revise any information, projections, forecasts or estimates contained in the presentation, including any revisions to reflect changes in economic or market conditions or other circumstances arising after the date the items were made available to you or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Numbers or amounts herein may increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations.

For avoidance of doubt, ICONIQ is not acting as an adviser or fiduciary in any respect in connection with providing this presentation and no relationship shall arise between you and ICONIQ as a result of this presentation being made available to you.

ICONIQ is a diversified financial services firm and has direct client relationships with persons that may become limited partners of ICONIQ funds. Notwithstanding that a person may be referred to herein as a "client" of the firm, no limited partner of any fund will, in its capacity as such, be a client of ICONIQ. There can be no assurance that the investments made by any ICONIQ fund will be profitable or will equal the performance of prior investments made by persons described in this presentation.

Any information in this presentation is directed at, and intended for, only persons who are experienced institutional or professional investors (“professional investors”) as defined by applicable law and regulation. Any person that is not a professional investor is not an intended recipient of this presentation and the matters discussed herein.

ICONIQ is a trading name of ICONIQ Partners (UK) LLP. ICONIQ Partners (UK) LLP (Registration Number: 973080) is an appointed representative of Kroll Securities Ltd. (Registration Number: 466588) which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. ICONIQ Partners (UK) LLP is a limited liability partnership whose members are ICONIQ Capital (UK) Ltd, Seth Pierrepont and Lou Thorne, and it is registered in England and Wales and has its registered office at 27 Soho Square, London W1D 3QR. ICONIQ Partners (UK) LLP acts as an adviser to ICONIQ Capital LLC