Personalized Intelligence: Exploring the Frontier of Fulfillment

A new paradigm is emerging in consumer technology and we expect 2025 to be a critical year for the category. The internet and mobile waves transformed how we connect and brought us digital utilities. Now, generative AI is ushering in the age of Personal Intelligence. In this wave, software interfaces are humanized through natural language to amplify creativity, personalize experiences, and integrate growth tools into daily life.

When we analyzed previous waves of generational consumer companies, traditional frameworks like business model categorization proved insufficient. After all, consumers don't choose platforms based on monetization strategies – above all else, attention hooks and value creation determine how users spend their most precious resource: time.

We loosely applied Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to offer a map of our daily lives expressed through technology. Of course, not all categories are created equal. We must consider the economic and time constraints that shape each bucket to determine its market potential. Looking back, we observe fascinating patterns of adoption and value creation that emerge from the internet and mobile waves.

Startups in the internet and mobile eras concentrated on our foundational needs: food, safety, connectivity, personal finance, commerce, and entertainment. These companies leveraged emerging technologies to digitize and streamline essential services. The venture exits from these eras tell a clear story as well. Social networks, search engines, and e-commerce platforms dominated the internet era's returns, while fintech, mobility, and travel services led the mobile wave. Of the companies we’ve highlighted, these categories accounted for roughly 80% of total exit value in the internet era and 60% in the mobile era [2]. 

Personal Intelligence companies are ascending Maslow's hierarchy in pursuit of even greater scale.

With many foundational needs addressed by the previous waves, we believe today's innovations are uniquely positioned to unlock the pursuit of self-actualization: curiosity, creativity, and fulfillment. Platforms like Perplexity, ChatGPT, and NotebookLM are revolutionizing how we pursue knowledge and satisfy intellectual curiosity. Creative platforms such as ElevenLabs, Suno, Midjourney, Genmo, and Heygen are democratizing artistic expression across mediums. Experience-driven categories are emerging as the next frontier, with platforms like Mindtrip, Arcade, and Alta elevating travel and shopping through personalization and natural language discovery.

While there will certainly be opportunities across the spectrum of consumer needs, we believe the most compelling whitespace lies in self-actualization—we call this the Frontier of Fulfillment. The incumbents' data and distribution advantages may prove formidable in more utilitarian categories, but the deeply personal nature of self-actualization creates unique opportunities for new AI-native solutions. Although Maslow theorized that one’s needs must be addressed sequentially, Personal Intelligence–increasingly scalable and affordable–disrupts this hierarchy and enables simultaneous fulfillment of basic and higher-order needs through AI.

What might this future look like?

Like prior waves, we expect the exact problems tackled and the shape of the solutions offered will surprise us. As we look to visionary, ambitious founders to point the way, we’re excited by a future where users engage with a constellation of agents that: 

• Autonomously manage personal and professional tasks

• Identify career opportunities and orchestrate the end-to-end application process

• Personalize health interventions to extend longevity

• Identify learning gaps, proactively motivate and guide to upskill

• Take the guesswork out of purchasing decisions and negotiate the best price

• Help users explore and deepen their spiritual and philosophical beliefs

• Serve as a curiosity guide down the deepest rabbit holes of one’s interests 

• Unlock individual creativity and self-expression

We’re fortunate to partner with visionary AI teams including Perplexity, Wispr, Genmo, Limitless, Backflip, Sakana, TwelveLabs, World Labs and many more here. 

Building the next generation of personal AI? Find us at abordetsky@nea.com, dlay@nea.com, hworland@nea.com, mmurray@nea.com