"Labor is the first piece - and often the hardest to meet. As the AI talent wars intensify and international employment visas become increasingly inaccessible, securing the right workers can be challenging for an early-stage company. Rampell said that people are paid "a fortune" to work at a larger AI lab, such as OpenAI, Anthropic, or Meta."
"Next comes capital, the piece Rampell knows personally as a venture capitalist. There's an art to fundraising. It's not just about preparing a deck or having the right connections; it's about telling a story. Founders need to be able to present their company as the horse that investors want to bet on. "Can they convince people like me to give them money?" Rampell asked. "That means, hopefully, that n+1, n+2, n+3 rounds will be a little bit easier.""
Founders must deliver three essentials: labor, capital, and customers. Labor is frequently the hardest due to intense AI talent competition and tighter international employment visas, which make hiring for early-stage companies difficult. Leading AI labs pay high salaries, so assembling a team willing to accept pay cuts is uncommon and valuable. Capital depends on the ability to tell a compelling story that convinces investors to fund the company and eases future fundraising rounds. Customers are critical and often the hardest to lock down because the product must attract initial buyers and sustain demand over time.
Read at Business Insider
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