Issue 07 · May 2026
The Moat Review
Strategy, scale and defensibility in modern technology.
The Moat Review explores how technology companies build durable competitive advantage in the AI era. The focus is not only on product innovation, but on the infrastructure underneath scalable businesses: commercial strategy, data, enterprise readiness, operational systems, trust and defensibility.
Featured
From the Editors
AI & Defensibility
Why AI Startups Struggle to Build Durable Moats
Model access is no longer a differentiator. The defensible layer has moved — and most teams haven't followed it.
Enterprise Readiness
Enterprise Trust Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage
Procurement, security and compliance have quietly become the most important growth functions in modern software.
Trending
Most read this week
AI & Defensibility
Moats Aren't Built — They're Recognised Too Late
Traction is not defensibility. The decisions that produce structural advantage are usually made — or missed — long before anyone calls them a moat.
02AI & Defensibility
Why AI Startups Struggle to Build Durable Moats
Model access is no longer a differentiator. The defensible layer has moved — and most teams haven't followed it.
03Enterprise Readiness
Enterprise Trust Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage
Procurement, security and compliance have quietly become the most important growth functions in modern software.
04AI & Defensibility
The Real Risk in AI Is Operational Fragility
The headlines worry about model behaviour. The boardrooms should worry about what happens when the pipeline breaks at 3am.
Sections
Where we look
AI & Defensibility
Where artificial intelligence creates — and erodes — competitive advantage.
Startup Scale
The mechanics of going from product to durable company.
Product Strategy
Positioning, pricing and the craft of long-term product thinking.
Commercial Infrastructure
Pipelines, contracts and the operating systems behind revenue.
Data & Trust
How data discipline becomes the foundation of enterprise credibility.
Enterprise Readiness
What it takes to sell, serve and survive inside large organisations.
Market Analysis
Patterns, signals and structural shifts in modern technology markets.