Gold in the Tactical Games: Why You Should Run a "Curling" Startup
As the 2026 Winter Games unfold in Milano Cortina, the world is glued to the high-octane events. We watch the Downhill Skiers risking death at 80mph. We watch the Figure Skaters landing defied-physics quads. These are the "Consumer Social" and "General AI" equivalents of the sports world: flashy, dangerous, and crowded with genetic outliers.
*But then, there is Curling. * It is slow. It is cerebral. To the casual observer, it looks like people aggressively sweeping ice in front of a heavy rock. It isn't "flashy."
But here is the reality of the medal table: A Gold Medal in Curling is worth exactly the same as a Gold Medal in the 100m Sprint.
For the B2B founder in 2026, the smartest play is not to race the giants down the mountain. The smartest play is to dominate the Curling sheet.
1. The Physics of Friction (The Sweepers)
Curling is the only sport entirely dedicated to manipulating friction. The "sweepers" don't touch the rock; they frantically polish the ice in front of it to smooth the path, allowing the heavy stone to travel further and curl precisely where it needs to go.
This is the perfect metaphor for Vertical SaaS.
In 2026, your customers (the heavy rocks) are legacy enterprises—hospitals, logistics firms, construction companies. They are heavy, slow, and resistant to movement.
The Sprint Strategy: Tries to push the rock. (This fails; the rock is too heavy).
The Curling Strategy: Obsessively removes friction from the path.
A "Curling Startup" doesn't try to change the customer’s behavior. It uses AI to smooth the ice in front of them. It automates the dense, complex paperwork, the compliance checks, and the data entry so the customer can glide effortlessly to their goal.
2. Zero Competition on the Sheet
If you try to build a "Better LLM" or a "New Search Engine," you are competing in the Downhill Skiing event against Google, OpenAI, and Meta. They have more funding, better equipment, and years of training. You will crash.
But who is competing in the "AI for Commercial HVAC Repair" event? Almost no one.
The "Tactical Games" have empty rosters. You can be the world champion of AI-driven Concrete Procurement or Sovereign Debt Compliance within 18 months because the giants refuse to play on that ice.
3. Longevity vs. Burnout
Sprinters and Downhill skiers have short careers. One bad injury (churn event), and they are done.
Curlers compete for decades. The game relies on strategy, communication, and precision, not raw, explosive power.
In a high-interest-rate environment, you want a business model that resembles a Curler: sustainable, low-burn, and strategic. You want a company that wins because it places the stone closer to the button than anyone else, consistently, round after round.
The Takeaway: Stop trying to look cool on TechCrunch. Pick up a broom. Find a heavy, immovable rock. And start sweeping.
9th February 2026