Ex-OpenAI Sales Leader Aliisa Rosenthal Joins VC Firm Acrew

Aliisa Rosenthal, a former senior sales leader at OpenAI, has joined venture capital firm Acrew Capital, bringing with her a rare insider perspective on how artificial intelligence is reshaping startup defensibility. After working closely with companies adopting large language models, Rosenthal says her time at OpenAI fundamentally changed how she thinks about competitive advantage and where startups can still build a durable “moat.”

At OpenAI, Rosenthal spent years advising enterprises and startups on how to deploy advanced AI models. That experience, she says, revealed a hard truth for founders: relying solely on access to AI models is no longer a sustainable advantage. As foundation models become more powerful, cheaper and widely available, companies built only on top of them risk being overtaken by the very model providers they depend on.

Now a partner at Acrew Capital, Rosenthal focuses on backing startups that understand this new reality. She argues that defensibility in the AI era comes from layers beyond the model itself. Proprietary data, deep domain expertise, strong distribution channels and tight integration into customer workflows are increasingly critical for long-term survival.

Rosenthal believes OpenAI offered a front-row seat to how quickly the AI landscape can shift. Capabilities that once took years to build can now be replicated or surpassed in months. As a result, startups must assume that today’s breakthrough features will soon become table stakes. The question for founders, she says, is not whether models will improve, but how their company remains essential when they do.

One key lesson she emphasizes is the importance of owning unique data. Startups that generate, refine or control data others cannot easily access are far better positioned to defend their market. Equally important is solving a specific, high-value problem for customers, rather than offering generic AI-powered tools that can be easily copied.

At Acrew, Rosenthal is also paying close attention to how startups think about partnerships with major AI providers. While collaboration can accelerate growth, she warns founders to be clear-eyed about long-term risks, including dependency and margin pressure. Building optionality into technical and business decisions early can make the difference between scaling successfully and being squeezed out.

Rosenthal’s move into venture capital reflects a broader shift in the tech industry, as operators with firsthand AI experience transition into investing roles. Her perspective, shaped by seeing both the power and limits of foundation models, resonates with founders navigating an increasingly competitive AI-driven market.

For startups seeking to build lasting companies, Rosenthal’s message is direct: assume the models will get better, faster than expected, and focus relentlessly on what cannot be easily replicated. In the age of generative AI, true moats are built around insight, execution and trust, not just technology.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com