Technology, finance and social impact investing are colliding in ways we’ve never seen before — AI is rewriting industries, blockchain is turbocharging trust and venture capital is morphing to match the speed of a market in overdrive. This era of capital convergence is redefining how value flows across sectors, blurring the lines between innovation, investment and impact.

John Furrier talks with guest host Elliott Donnelley about how capital convergence is transforming technology, finance and social impact investing.

In the latest episode of theCUBE Pod, industry analyst John Furrier (pictured, left) was joined by guest host and Forward Global Chairman Elliott Donnelley (right) to discuss the role of technology in modern investing, the changing landscape of philanthropic capital and the growing influence of trust networks. This convergence is happening faster than ever, disrupting traditional institutions and creating new opportunities, according to Donnelley, who is also the co-founder of venture capital firm KDX Management LLC.

“It’s really exciting to be in Silicon Valley at this time to be focused on the world of finance, institutional investment, how capital moves,” he said. “But also, not just financial capital — how philanthropic capital moves and other forms of capital. One of the things we were talking about before was the speed of trust and how you build trust networks.”

Capital convergence reshapes investment models and trust networks

Blockchain and AI aren’t just revolutionizing traditional business models — they’re powering social good initiatives on an unprecedented scale. Industry leaders increasingly recognize that technology, investment and impact can work in unison rather than in isolation, according to Furrier.

“After coming back from your event, Forward Global, it’s now … clear as day that we are at a nexus of tech, money and impact … philanthropy and all the money that’s used for social good and institutions that do that — they’re too slow and things have to go faster,” Furrier said. “Blockchain changes the old way, cloud changes the old way, the new way is money, tech and impact of life all happening in one shot.”

This capital convergence is taking direct aim at the inefficiencies of legacy institutions, streamlining both philanthropy and investment. As AI-driven analytics and decentralized finance mature, the potential to deploy capital faster and more effectively is no longer theoretical — it’s quickly becoming reality, according to Donnelley.

“The objective of philanthropic capital is to try to maximize an impact return … or identify which are the highest impact NPV projects that you can invest in using a financial term, Net Present Value,” he said. “Then you should have a methodology for allocating capital so that it’s being put to its highest and best use in service of humanity and the world.”

Venture capital disruption and the future of investing

The venture capital model is shifting fast — solo general partners and founder-led seed rounds are now driving early-stage investments. At the same time, technology is redefining how capital flows, cutting out intermediaries and putting more power directly into the hands of innovators.

“I think there’s two things that are happening,” Donnelley explained. “One is if you can take that capital and give the power to those institutional investors through technology, and you can give them the power to drive new insights to actually disintermediate middlemen. I think in a way, strangely enough, if we’re successful as a venture capital firm, the field of venture capital will go away.”

This shift signals a broader evolution in investment strategy: Data-driven insights, AI-powered risk analysis and blockchain-backed transparency now give institutions the tools to allocate resources with precision. As automation anchors financial decision-making, the forces driving capital convergence continue to reshape the venture landscape, prioritizing speed, efficiency and long-term sustainability, according to Donnelley.

“Capitalism can be a beautiful thing, but it’s an objective function,” he said. “This is this concept of money — it can relate two disparate objects. But now it has this abstract concept that relates them and … through the use of capital has propelled this incredible growth in technology and in the benefits that we see in the world around us.”

Optimism, trust networks and the changing Silicon Valley mindset

Beyond financial and technological disruptions, there is a growing shift in the cultural and philosophical mindset of Silicon Valley. Optimism, trust networks and collaboration are becoming central themes as the industry moves toward a more connected and value-driven ecosystem.

“[It’s] a narrative of hope, it’s a narrative of possibility, it’s a narrative of kind of a higher sense of compassion in an era where we’re predisposed to fear,” Donnelley said.

This shift represents a departure from the highly transactional and competitive nature of past investment models. Instead, new generations of entrepreneurs and investors are prioritizing long-term thinking, ethical governance and a more inclusive vision of innovation.

“There’s an opportunity to do a lot of cool things,” Donnelley reflected. “We as humans tend to create silos and exist in silos — we have a hard time looking across silos. There are huge opportunities that exist by going across silos, by disrupting the way we think and the way that we’ve structured our lives and our world.”

Stay tuned for theCUBE’s upcoming event coverage for more breaking news and insights, including our exclusive theCUBE + NYSE Wired events.

Watch the full podcast below to find out why these industry pros were mentioned:

Elliott Donnelley, chairman of the board of Forward Global
Brian J. Baumann, founder of NYSE Wired and director of capital markets, technology at NYSE
Lip-Bu Tan, CEO of Intel
Bill Tai, venture capitalist, athlete, adjunct professor
Dr. Ashby Monk, executive and research director for Stanford long-term investing at Stanford University
Lou Gehrig, former MLB first baseman
Govind Shivkumar, director of investments at Omidyar Network

Here’s the full theCUBE Pod episode:

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Photo: SiliconANGLE