SEA of Startups

🎙EP3 Deep, Narrow, and Agentic: The New Stack That’s Quietly Taking Over

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Episode notes

“These APIs are pretty cool… they allow people to sell quickly without having to go through bureaucratic buying processes.”— Chris Birrell

🧠 Episode 3: Deep, Narrow & Agentic — with Chris Birrell (FUNC Ventures)

In this episode of SEA of Startups, we dig into the quiet revolution happening inside the software stack — where smart APIs, agentic AI, and vertical SaaS are giving focused founders an edge over generic platforms.

Our guest this week: Chris Birrell, Managing Partner at FUNC Ventures — a multi-exit founder and deep-tech operator who’s seen this shift from both the enterprise buyer’s seat and the founder’s side of the table.

This isn’t about building big.It’s about building specific.Precision, embedded value, and leverage — not noise.

💡 What You'll Learn

✅ What agentic AI actually is — and how it goes beyond automation to full-stack decision-making✅ How APIs act as distribution tools, not just plumbing✅ Why deep-and-narrow beats “all-in-one” in vertical SaaS✅ How to stay defensible as OpenAI and the majors keep moving fast✅ What founders in Southeast Asia need to do differently — mindset, model, and moats

🧩 Real-World Examples We Cover

• Using APIs to bypass enterprise red tape• Agentic flows for KYC, gym memberships, and onboarding• How Stripe and Twilio scaled by staying narrow, then expanding• What an “AI-native” stack might look like in healthtech, fintech, and transport• Why founders with specialist insight are best positioned to win the agentic future

🎧 Listen or Watch

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SEAofStartups

🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gmMi2NyR

📨 Subscribe on Substack:https://lnkd.in/gVfiXaPz

If Episode 2 explored the funding terrain,Episode 3 dives into the stack itself —where the real leverage is quietly being built.

And if this feels like a calm before the storm… you’re not wrong. 💥

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insights.indelible.vc