Unique Research's CES 2026 closed-door dialogue reveals AI companies must abandon internet-era thinking and adopt "tiered subscription + usage limits" hybrid models. Tanka CEO Kisson Lin and Emmy-nominated producer Jesse Z analyze market selection, localization, fundraising, and pricing strategies, declaring the freemium model dead. AI firms should charge early to validate value, with future AI evolving into autonomous Agents with enhanced memory and contextual capabilities.

Acorn Pacific Ventures' Benny Liao stated at CES 2026 AI Demo Day that founder relocation to target markets has become a core due diligence metric for AI overseas expansion. Liao emphasized that founders must personally handle Product-Market Fit, sales models, and customer engagement on the ground, warning that remote management fails. Key screening criteria include signal-based localization prioritization, compliance as a veto item, young generalist hiring over senior executives, Net Revenue Retention as the primary health indicator, and paid proof-of-concept as PMF validation. The discussion highlighted that early-stage scaling requires functional separation between sales "hunting" and Customer Success teams to avoid premature hiring pitfalls.