In this conversation, Ali Dastjerdi, founder of Raylu.ai, shares his journey from being born in Iran to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the AI and venture capital space.

He discusses

• ​the evolution of his company,
• ​the challenges of finding product-market fit,
• ​and the unique insights gained from transitioning from an investor to a founder.
• ​The conversation delves into the role of AI in enhancing deal flow for venture capitalists, the financial realities of running an AI company, and valuable sales strategies for startups.

Connect with Ali via Linkedin.

Read about Raylu on Business Insider

STARTUP MINDSETS is Sponsored by DELVE

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Time Stamps

03:07 Ali's Journey: From Iran to Harvard and Beyond

05:49 Understanding Raylu.ai: Revolutionizing Deal Flow

09:24 The Role of AI in Venture Capital

13:35 The Evolution of Raylu.ai: From Idea to Product

18:00 The Dual Perspective: Investor to Entrepreneur

21:39 Navigating the Challenges of Entrepreneurship

26:50 Sales Strategies and Lessons Learned

30:46 The Financial Realities of Running an AI Company

35:04 The Future of AI in Business

37:50 How much do AI native startups spend on AI?

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Raffaela is a tech entrepreneur turned board director, with experience on boards including Porsche, €5bn PE firm Mutares, and tech unicorn IU.Her newsletter, The AI Leadership Edge, delivers actionable insights to over 11.000 investors, board and business leaders.Previously, Raffaela founded CareerFoundry and WWV, scaling startups to eight figure revenues and building ventures in frontier technologies.She began her career at BlackRock and launched three companies across Asia-Pacific for Rocket Internet.Recognized by Forbes, Capital’s 40 Under 40, and among Europe’s most influential women in tech and VC, Raffaela has built her career at the intersection of innovation, leadership, and emerging technologies.

BoardLens turns post-investment work into momentum — so funds can systematically drive performance after the check clears, not just report it.

Startup Mindsets is SPONSORED BY DELVE

To say compliance is complicated is an understatement.

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Also a major shoutout to Popup.fm which we used to record and host this live conversation. Popup helps you make money from your live events. Forget juggling dozens of apps. With Popup you can sell tickets or run free events then monetize with products, merch, recordings and offers before, during, and after you go live.

The intro music was my cool cousin, Jim Narvios, a person injury lawyer in Houston, Texas if you ever need one.

It's been a while, I know... but we back in action!

Back in September, Paul Cecil, joined us to share his story as VP of Strategy at ReAlpha, the world's first AI-powered, integrated real estate platform.

We cover

• How AI products like ChatGPT are being used in business and our personal lives for enhanced productivity.

• A career highlight moment in ringing the Nasdaq bell in Times Square as his company went public
• How ReAlpha is changing the home purchasing experience by taking out the middleman.
• Corporate Strategy and finance.

• Skydiving and fun stories along the way.

• 
  

We got our book sold in Walmart! Buy it for the holidays with this link https://business.walmart.com/ip/Startup-Mindsets-A-Blueprint-to-Thrive-in-an-Innovation-Driven-and-Globally-Connected-World-Paperback-9789815204872/14546373834