Have you noticed that everyone assumes OpenAI will win the AI search wars without ever asking how AI search actually makes money??
Jim Ferry has a contrarian take: Google wins, and the reason has everything to do with ads, distribution, and human behavior, not model quality.
Jim is a Partner at Volition Capital, a $1B+ growth equity firm behind companies like Chewy, Swoogo, and RealSelf. He rose from analyst to Partner in under a decade and leads investments across marketplaces, ad tech, logistics tech, and digital insurance.
He’s a strong fit for conversations around:
- Why Google ultimately beats OpenAI
- The future of CTV, digital video, mobile in-app, and open web
- What it really means to be an “AI-first” startup (and when it’s just a label)
- Why being a growth equity investor and board member is part psychologist
- Growth equity trends and where capital is flowing in 2026
Jim joined the team at Volition in 2014 and is responsible for evaluating and executing new investment opportunities on the Internet & Consumer team and assisting with current portfolio operations. He focuses on consolidation platforms, mobile, supply chain & logistics, ad tech, marketplaces, and other high-volume internet transactional businesses.
