Sidekick is a weekly catch-up with David & Rhys exploring the HumanOS and what’s happening across Learning & Work.
We share the market signals, deals, founder stories and conversations that catch our attention.
Think of it as a coffee with the Brighteye team, sharing what we’re seeing and hearing from founders.
Powered by Brighteye, Europe’s leading early-stage VC fund for Learning & Work.
www.brighteyevc.com/sidekick
What do defence, supply chains, space & government share? Take a guess... 🤷
Europe is spending billions on defence, but the skilled people aren’t there. And it’s not the only industry with that problem.
Rhys and David unpack Brighteye’s Q4 2026 Future of Work report across five markets: defence, government, space, supply chains and solopreneurs. They cover why a quarter of Europe’s defence engineers are close to retirement, why AI is putting entry-level jobs under pressure, and the rise of the solo economy.
Plus, Brighteye Founder Studio 2.0 starts in January 2027: a six-week programme for first-time technical founders. Applications close in December. If you’re building in the future of work, these are the gaps worth chasing now.
**Timestamps**
0:00 Opening thoughts
1:30 Introducing the Future of Work Report Q4 2026
2:42 Brighteye Founder Studio 2.0 announcement and application details
5:33 Common patterns across five markets: defense, government, space, solopreneurs, and supply chains
7:14 How every role is changing, the chef example and AI-driven workflow transformation
8:50 Defence sector deep dive: Europe's talent crisis and three big startup opportunities
12:30 The AI paradox: how does the next generation develop expertise without entry-level jobs?
16:15 Sovrano: rethinking early career paths by training graduates to evaluate AI models
17:30 Optimistic takes on career evolution, new job categories, and shifting salary dynamics
19:10 Solopreneurship: entering the solo economy era with push and pull forces
23:30 Which problem from the report would you be most excited to solve and why?
26:03 Wrap up
Links:
1. Q4 2026 Future of Work report: https://www.brighteyevc.com/sidekick-posts/the-future-of-work-report-q4-2026-edition
2. Founder Studio: https://brighteyevc.notion.site/brighteye-founder-studio-winter-2027
13 Oct 2026
Jonathan Evens: Reflections on AI after five years at Google DeepMind
What does someone who spent five years at Google DeepMind really think about the future of AI?
Fresh from his last day at Google DeepMind, Jonathan Evans joins Ben, Brighteye's Managing Partner, for a candid conversation about how AI is changing the way we work, build products and create value. From the rise of AI agents to the changing role of engineers, Jonathan shares what he's learnt from working at the frontier of AI, and where he believes the biggest opportunities (and risks) lie ahead.
A few questions we explore
- Is AI making us more productive, or just intellectually lazy?
- As AI models become commodities, where can startups still win?
- How is AI changing engineering roles, and which skills will become more valuable?
- Why are so many DeepMind researchers leaving to build their own companies?
- What really gives startups an advantage when the AI giants keep getting better?
The big takeaway? As AI becomes more accessible to everyone, deep industry expertise, proprietary data and a real understanding of customer workflows could become more valuable than ever. A conversation packed with insights for founders building in the age of AI.
**Timestamps**
0:00 Opening thoughts on intellectual laziness with AI
1:11 Jonathan introduces himself and his career background
2:50 Jonathan's last day at DeepMind; it's also his birthday
3:30 Ben asks about DeepMind's roadmap and its impact on work and learning
4:48 Layers of AI: model, harness, agents, and learning-specific applications
6:47 Model commoditisation and Karpathy's tweet about being behind on tools
8:07 DeepMind's advantage: using AI to improve the model itself
10:43 How the ML engineer role has changed with LLMs
11:55 Warning about intellectual laziness and work lacking substance
12:20 The founder's question: avoiding the buzzsaw of large language models
16:40 Neo labs, the DeepMind mafia, and betting on AI approaches
21:18 Closing: AI models are commodities, but deep expertise is not
Link:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-evens/
7 Oct 2026
Inside M&A: The reality check every founder (and VC) needs
What actually happens when someone wants to buy your company? Recorded live at the Brighteye Founder Summit in London, David sits down with Carly Becker (Chief of Staff and Strategic Projects - M&A) from Multiverse, Hannes Aichmayr (Director of M&A and Corporate Development) from Seven Education and Sam Pout from CMS for a candid conversation about how M&A really works. How do buyers decide what your company is worth? What can kill a deal during due diligence? How do you create competition between buyers? And what should founders be doing years before they actually want to sell? They unpack the gap between VC and M&A valuations, earn-outs, exclusivity, what buyers are looking for in the age of AI, and the mistakes that can leave money on the table. A practical M&A reality check for founders and investors.
** Timestamps **
0:00 Opening: VC vs. M&A valuation mindset differences
0:26 Honesty about why you're selling matters; "It's amazing" isn't enough
0:51 Deal breakers preview: IP ownership, messy cap tables, data security
1:18 Intro: Welcome to Sidekick
2:00 Round of intros: Carly (Multiverse), Hannes (Seven Education), Sam (CMS)
3:30 Market gap: well-integrated companies get high multiples, niche ones drop
4:25 Deal volume: big transactions and small ones, middle is thinning out
5:20 What does an M&A process look like from start to finish?
6:31 Timeline: LOI to deal signing typically takes 3-4 months
7:46 How do buyers actually value your company? (EBITDA vs. ARR multiples)
11:40 Red flags and deal breakers: IP ownership, messy cap tables, data security
12:41 Earn-outs discussion: problems and alternatives (equity rollover)
14:37 Creating buyer competition when one buyer demands exclusivity
31:03 Closing summary: three key takeaways from Carly, Hannes and Sam
** Links **
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-becker-profile
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannesaichmayr/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-pout-89190642/
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