June 17, 2026 l Business Mirror
Sometimes I wonder where billionaires invest and what opportunities they see. I’m also curious about the investment options available in 2026.
This year, key trends include artificial intelligence (AI), healthcare innovation, digital infrastructure, alternative energy, and income-generating investments. Many investors are focusing on where these trends overlap.
This brings me to the title of this article. A timeless investing lesson is that some of the biggest winners are not those chasing an opportunity, but those supplying what everyone else needs to pursue it. As the saying goes, “During a gold rush, some of the biggest winners are often those selling the picks and shovels.”
The idea comes from the California Gold Rush of 1849. While thousands searched for gold and only a few found lasting wealth, many fortunes were made by merchants selling essential supplies such as tools, clothing, food, and tents. Their success depended on steady demand, not on finding gold.
A famous example is Levi Strauss. Instead of mining for gold, he supplied durable clothing to miners. Growing demand for his products helped build Levi Strauss & Co. into one of the world’s most recognized clothing brands, while many miners left empty-handed.
The same principle applies today. We may not be experiencing a gold rush in the traditional sense, but we are seeing a modern-day rush driven by AI, digital transformation, renewable energy, and healthcare innovation.
While many investors are trying to find the next breakthrough company, others are focusing on the businesses that provide the infrastructure, technology, and services that make these innovations possible. In many cases, these are the modern equivalents of the merchants who sold picks and shovels during the California Gold Rush.
Examples of today’s businesses that provide AI infrastructure include manufacturers of advanced computer chips, operators of data centers, electricity providers, cybersecurity firms, cloud computing platforms, and networking equipment companies. These are the modern-day equivalents of the “picks and shovels” that support the AI revolution.
Although these companies are major enterprises, they benefit from supplying the essential tools that power AI development.
As demand for artificial intelligence continues to grow, these businesses are positioned to benefit regardless of which AI companies emerge as market leaders.
Of course, no investment is entirely risk-free. Technological changes, market competition, and economic uncertainties can affect even the strongest companies. However, investors seeking long-term opportunities often prefer businesses that benefit from the growth of an entire industry rather than relying on the success of a single company. By investing in the providers of critical infrastructure and services, they gain exposure to a broader trend rather than placing all their bets on one potential winner.
As investors, there is an important lesson to remember. When a new industry begins to boom, the question is not simply which company will become the next success story. Equally important is finding the businesses that supply the tools, services, and infrastructure needed by all participants in that industry.
In many cases, those selling the modern-day “picks and shovels” become the most consistent and enduring winners.
***The views expressed herein are her own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of her office as well as FINEX. For comments, email wimiranda@inventormiranda.com. Photo is from Pinterest.