Navigating the AI Startup Ecosystem: Insights from Network Analysis

The artificial intelligence (AI) startup ecosystem is a complex network of founders, investors, and companies working together to drive innovation and growth. To better understand the dynamics of this ecosystem, we conducted a quick and dirty network analysis using GAT (Pytorch Geometric) of 601 AI startups (deemed successful since 2013), focusing on the connections between founders and investors. Our findings provide valuable insights for founders seeking to raise funds at different stages of their startup journey.

Our analysis revealed the top 10 most influential investors in the AI startup ecosystem based on their number of connections:

1. Sequoia Capital: 43 connections

2. Insight Partners: 41 connections

3. Tiger Global Management: 40 connections

4. NVIDIA: 35 connections

5. Andreessen Horowitz: 34 connections

6. HongShan: 32 connections

7. Lightspeed Venture Partners: 29 connections

8. Google Ventures: 28 connections

9. BlackRock: 25 connections

10. Intel Capital: 24 connections


These investors play a significant role in shaping the AI startup landscape through their investments and partnerships for the last 10 years.


Series A Investors

1. Sequoia Capital

2. Andreessen Horowitz

3. Lightspeed Venture Partners

4. Google Ventures (tend to invest a little more in Series B in recent years)

5. Intel Capital


Series B and Later-Stage Investors

1. Insight Partners

2. Tiger Global Management

3. NVIDIA

4. HongShan (Focused on China mostly, going international now)

5. BlackRock (More later stages)


Advice for Founders in AI

Based on our analysis, we recommend the following approach for founders seeking to raise funds:

1. Series A: When raising a Series A round, focus on investors like Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. These investors have a strong track record of backing early-stage startups and can provide valuable support beyond just capital.

2. Series B and Later: As you progress to Series B and later rounds, consider investors like Insight Partners, Tiger Global Management, and NVIDIA. These investors have the resources and expertise to help startups scale rapidly and navigate the challenges of later-stage growth.

3. Build Relationships: Regardless of the stage of your startup, it's important to build relationships with investors early on. Attend industry events, participate in startup accelerators, and leverage your network to get introductions to potential investors.


Disclaimer: Of course, past track record does not mean the future will be the same.

Three Reasons Why Nations Whisper in Wonder at the Scarcity of Large Venture Capital FDI

In Southeast Asia's vibrant venture capital and startup landscape, a transformation echoes through the realms of enterprise software and deep technology as they descend upon us. As we embark on this new era, nations, both burgeoning and mature, ponder deeply on nurturing startups that reach for the stars. The venture funding sphere, once a bastion of bold dreams, now yearns for revolutionary creations and teams with global aspirations.

Reflecting upon this, I have discerned three pearls of findings:

First, the Luminance of Product and Technology:

In an age where only the extraordinary captivates, a startup's product or intellectual property (IP)/technology must not just innovate but shine among the global elite. This shift towards top-tier innovation resonates with trends favouring enterprise and deep technology.

Second, The Founding Team's Odyssey Beyond Borders:

The spirit of the founding team is pivotal. In a world without borders, founders must carry belief, confidence, and courage to journey globally. This international vision is the heartbeat of venture capitalists seeking market disruptors.

Third, The Art of Skill and Global Canvas:

The founding team's mastery in global expansion is crucial. Skills in international storytelling, team building, and capital raising form the fabric of their venture. Success is increasingly measured by the global footprint and international business acumen.

As we conclude, remember that in the universe's grand dance, every venture has its place. The pursuit of large venture capital FDI is a journey through an ocean of possibilities.

Echoing Rumi, "You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?" Startups and nations must realize their potential to soar in the global market. Let this understanding uplift them toward horizons of success and innovation.

Luck Plays a Crucial Role in Extreme (Venture/Startup?) Success

As seasoned venture capitalists, we frequently strive to unearth the crème de la crème of entrepreneurial talent—those brilliant minds brimming with tenacity and innovation. Yet, recent intriguing studies have uncovered a hidden gem: luck. Yes, you read correctly! It seems that while talent remains essential, fortune's favour might play an even larger role in achieving extraordinary heights.

In a groundbreaking 2018 study conducted by Italian researchers, they developed a compelling model illustrating the delicate dance between talent and luck. Although talent is undeniably important, their findings reveal that luck often holds sway over those reaching the pinnacles of success. Surprisingly enough, moderately talented individuals who experience a stroke of serendipity tend to excel beyond expectations.

These revelations hold significant weight when considering investment strategies. Investors must acknowledge the considerable impact of luck and external circumstances. No longer should we solely target the topmost talents; instead, casting a wider net could lead to increased efficiencies.

Moreover, this study sheds light on the fact that success adheres to a power law distribution, whereas talent follows a standard bell-shaped curve. Companies such as Google and Facebook owe part of their monumental achievements to sheer luck, being in precisely the right place at the right moment.

While identifying gifted founders remains crucial, we must recognise that extreme success transcends mere talent. Even an ordinary founder armed with a remarkable concept can benefit from a fortunate turn of events and surpass the most accomplished competitors. Diversifying investments increases the likelihood of capturing future blockbuster ventures. Talent and luck both matter, yet luck reigns supreme among the elite.

So, how does one discern whether a founder possesses an innate knack for luck? Perhaps by posing questions such as, "Do you consider yourself a lucky individual since your early years?" Gathering responses linked to startup performance data might yield surprising results. After all, fortune favours the bold...and perhaps the curious too!

The Traits That Make Great Founders vs. Those Who Fail - Quick and Dirty Experiment

In recent years, researchers and practitioners alike have been studying the personalities of successful startup founders to understand what makes them tick. By analysing the Big Five personality traits—openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism—we can gain insights into the characteristics that contribute to a founder's success or failure. In this blog post, we will use what a quick Google search list as the best and worst rated founders and take a look at their personality traits. However, I only did a small sample set as a quick experiment. 

Best Rated Founders

The following five founders stand out as examples of those who excel in their roles:

1. Patrick Collison (Stripe)

2. David Vélez (Nubank)

3. Max Levchin (Affirm)

4. Brian Armstrong (Coinbase)

5. Stewart Butterfield (Slack)

These founders generally exhibit high levels of openness and conscientiousness, moderate to high agreeableness, moderate extraversion, and low neuroticism. These traits help them navigate the challenges of building and growing successful startups.


Worst Rated Founders

On the other hand, there are founders whose actions and decisions led to negative consequences for themselves and their companies. Some notable examples include:

1. Travis Kalanick (Uber)

2. Elizabeth Holmes (Theranos)

3. Parker Conrad (Zenefits)

4. Billy McFarland (Fyre Festival)

5. Adam Neumann (WeWork)

Founders here often display high openness and extraversion, but extremely low conscientiousness and agreeableness, along with low neuroticism. Their actions and decision-making processes contributed to the failures of their respective ventures.


Findings

Based on the analysis of these founders, several patterns emerge:

- Successful founders typically exhibit high openness and conscientiousness, moderate to high agreeableness, moderate extraversion, and low neuroticism.

- Unsuccessful founders often show high openness and extraversion, but very low conscientiousness and agreeableness, and low neuroticism.

- Sociopathic founders are characterized by very high extraversion, very low agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism, with variable openness.

- Founders with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) tend to have high extraversion, very low agreeableness, moderately low conscientiousness and neuroticism, with no clear pattern in openness.


As Rumi once said, "What you seek is seeking you." Similarly, the qualities that make great founders also attract them to entrepreneurship.