NVIDIA on Building AI Startups Worth Betting On: Models, Ownership and Cost

AI founders face a series of consequential decisions — which models to use, what technology to own, and where to invest limited resources. NVIDIA's Nader Khalil, Director of Developer Tech, and Sydney Sykes, Global Head of VC Partnerships, explore how those choices shape the way startups are built and funded in this Disrupt 2026 session. The conversation digs into the tradeoffs between open and proprietary models, and how considerations of cost and control influence strategy. These are not abstract questions: the answers determine a startup's technical foundation, its economics, and how attractive it looks to investors. For founders weighing build-versus-buy decisions and for anyone trying to understand what makes an AI startup worth backing, Khalil and Sykes offer perspective from inside one of the companies most central to the AI infrastructure landscape.