Let’s Be Real: Your AI Startup Might Need to Tell ‘Venture Capital Vampires’ to Back Off

A Bold Stance

Think twice before you allow your investor buddies to”Konnect” with your company, especially if you’re in the AI turf. In the magical kingdom of startups, our main character today is Michael Koch, CEO of HubKonnect, an AI-enabled local store marketing platform. It seems Mr. Koch has some wise words of caution for his fellow entrepreneurs on mingling too closely with the venture capital crowd.

Capital Influences, Not Always in Your Favor

It turns out, when you play the game of venture capitals, you win or – well, you might not lose, but your control over your own company’s strategy, product, and even thinking process might get a significant dent. Dear AI entrepreneurs, you might be nurturing a product that’s more ‘unique’ than a unicorn, but that doesn’t mean your venture capital buddies should be calling all the shots.

Hot Take

Here’s a spicy Cheetos thought for you – instead of succumbing to the venture capital sirens, consider creating an intelligent AI product that ends up ruling humanity…just kidding. But seriously, don’t let your vision be clouded by dollar bills. Keep your control, keep your cool, and remember, sometimes it’s okay to channel the proverbial cat and say ‘no’ to the VC cuddles. After all, your “AIdea” just might be too groundbreaking for the old, traditional investment methods to comprehend.

Original article: https://techcrunch.com/2023/11/03/how-to-bootstrap-an-ai-startup/