Behind-the-Scenes: VC Funding for AI Startups

Episode notes

It seems like we are bombarded by news about millions of dollars pouring into AI startups, which have crazy valuations. In this episode, Chris and Dan dive deep into the highs, lows, and hard choices behind funding an AI startup. They explore early bootstrapping, the transition to venture capital, and what it’s like to trade in code commits for investor decks. Featuring: Chris Benson - Website , GitHub , LinkedIn , X Daniel Whitenack - Website , GitHub , X Links: Builder.ai Collapses: $1.5bn 'AI' Startup Exposed as 'Actually Indians' Pretending to Be Bots Sponsors: Miro: Feeling overwhelmed by AI? Miro brings clarity by combining human creativity with intelligent tools to help teams get great work done. Learn more at miro.com .

• AIUC-1: Building trust in AI agents54 / 100
• Zero Trust for AI Agents41 / 100
• Breaking down the 2026 Stanford AI Index Report33 / 100
• Rebooting Enterprise AI with MCP and Kubernetes
• Hermes Agent: Agents that grow with you