Bubble or Breakthrough? How CIOs Should Think About the AI Tech Boom

February 27, 2026

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About the Guest

Duncan Davidson

Co-Founder & Partner | Bullpen Capital

Duncan Davidson is a Co-Founder and General Partner at Bullpen Capital, a venture capital fund focused on post-seed investments in early-stage companies, with areas of focus that include artificial intelligence, SaaS, and IoT. Prior to Bullpen, he co-founded Xumii, an early mobile social app company that was later sold to Myriad Group and now powers over 200 million users in the developing world. Earlier in his career, Duncan co-founded Covad Communications, a leading independent DSL provider that went public in early 1999 and reached a market value of $9 billion. He also co-founded SkyPilot Networks, a developer of outdoor wireless mesh systems acquired by Trillium in 2009, and noted that he took InterTrust public in October 1999.

Episode Overview

Is AI just another tech bubble or the defining platform shift of this era?

Duncan Davidson, Co-Founder and General Partner at Bullpen Capital, argues that the answer lies in one critical distinction: Is the technology being used for its core purpose? In this episode of Technoventure, Duncan draws on his experience across the PC boom, dot-com era, mobile, and now AI to explain why real adoption signals durability.

He also explores why CIOs can’t afford to sit out a boom, how AI agents may disrupt the SaaS model, and why history suggests productivity revolutions create more opportunity than they destroy. For technology leaders navigating board-level AI pressure, this conversation reframes the question from timing the bubble to strategically participating in the inflection.

Key insights include: