Last-minute shopping for Thanksgiving is its special kind of chaos. This year, it was a circus of empty shelves, overpriced butter, and the great egg hunt—because the whole country decided to bake again. Then there’s my family’s annual Thanksgiving dilemma: finding the “best” desserts. We argue every year over whether to stick with the classics or try something new. My mom always insists on her famous biko (sweet rice with brown sugar), my sister is a die-hard for pumpkin pie, and then there’s that one cousin who loves to throw a wrench into everything by suggesting we ditch dessert entirely for something wild like FBI—Fried Banana Ice Cream.

By the time the table was set—with honey-baked ham (mom waited 2.5 hours for it), mashed potatoes, and my radish salad that most people hate —I thought I’d lighten the mood with something futuristic: CB Insights' "Tech Trends 2025." Big mistake.

I mentioned AI-driven disease management, autonomous caregiving robots, and retail’s personalization revolution, only for my sister to deadpan, “So…we’re getting robots to cook next year?” And as I talked about AI agents managing spending power and cyborg wealth advisors, the whole table gave me the kind of polite smile you reserve for someone who’s clearly lost their mind.

The truth is, Thanksgiving isn’t just about food; it’s about tradition. My family’s love of reinventing tradition is why I couldn’t help wondering: will the U.S. eventually rethink turkey as the centerpiece? My family’s been at it for years—dabbling with turducken, tofurkey, and even replacing the bird with crab. Maybe, just as CB Insights predicts new waves in technology, we’ll see a cultural shift in how we celebrate holidays, too.

Other predictions are equally intriguing, such as compressed fintech valuations opening doors for acquirers or cheaper access to space sparking an investor rush. When I casually mentioned that we might see interplanetary real estate one day, my sister chimed in, “Sign me up for a moon condo!” The table laughed, but as someone in PropTech, I can’t help but wonder if we’ll get there. Could virtual tours of Martian properties or lunar timeshares really be that far off?

As the conversation drifted back to sports and whether the HoneyBaked ham was worth the hype, I gave up trying to convince everyone that the U.S. leading the AI arms race—or LLMs becoming more explainable—are actually fascinating. Maybe I’ll save those debates for next year.

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For now, I’m grateful for family, a full table, good food, and lively debates that make Thanksgiving what it is. I hope your holiday was filled with just as much laughter, too many desserts, and maybe even a glimpse of the future—whether it’s in tech trends or just a bold new dish at the center of the table.

xoxo,

Maximillian Diez

GP, Twenty Five Ventures

P.S. Stay with me on this journey. 

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