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.

Constantly worrying about SOC 2, ISO, HIPAA, CMMC, FedRAMP and more can leave your head spinning. Even worse, a misstep can get pretty costly for your startup. That’s why Delve is designed as an AI-native compliance platform.

Delve uses AI agents to handle headaches like taking repetitive screenshots for you, monitoring your tech stack for security gaps in real time, auto-filling security questionnaires in your browser or in CSV, and creating secure data rooms to send to prospects and auditors. Their team can personally work with you in Slack to get you 100% compliant, and manage your whole audit for you.

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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

In this episode, we dive into the dynamic world of the beverage industry with Jayla Siciliano, a Shark Tank alum and entrepreneur. Jayla shares her journey from corporate life to launching Bon Affair, a pioneering wine spritzer brand. Discover the challenges she faced in educating the market about a new product category and the successes that followed, including securing investment from Mark Cuban. Jayla's story is a testament to resilience and innovation in an ever-evolving industry. Tune in to learn about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship and the lessons that can be applied to any business venture.

If still haven't read our book, Startup Mindsets, there's still time. Order used copies from Amazon and save some dinero.

Stephan Schenk is the designer-turned-entrepreneur behind Stapelstein, the German startup that is redefining children’s play through vibrant, ultra-light “stacking stones” made from 100 % recyclable EPP. Inspired by a childhood spent in a family of educators, Stephan set out to get kids moving in the classroom; what began as a dynamic chair concept in 2016 quickly evolved into an open-ended play system that lets children (and adults) build, balance, sort, and imagine without limits.

Learn more at stapelstein.comToday Stapelstein is a purpose-driven company headquartered near Stuttgart, employing 29 people and posting €40 million in annual turnover. Stephan has hard-wired social and environmental responsibility into the firm through a steward-ownership model, German-made carbon-neutral production, and a commitment to designing products that outlast trends and generations.Under his leadership, the brand’s rainbow-hued elements have earned a string of accolades, including Good Housekeeping’s Best Toy Award 2024 and multiple design honors for their minimalist aesthetic and durability. Stephan’s work has been featured at SXSW 2025, where he spoke on marrying playful design with positive societal impact.

Grab a signed a copy of Startup Mindsets: https://buy.stripe.com/5kAaGeddW5tF4WA5kq

Alan Bautista is a good friend since high school. His career story is quite inspiring for those who feel stuck at dead end jobs maybe in the restaurant industry.

We also delve into politics, family life, and shoot the shit in this unfiltered conversation.

Order your copy of Startup Mindsets on Amazon: =https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Mindsets-Blueprint-Innovation-Driven-Connected/dp/9815204874/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TCL9L0EZPI1F&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.x4QX_wiZMXF5-NRXQnIoccghWJuNE8WRlsD_tNLm5l4.iLyUPuRRmmUiKYfVJpHyA07WmZOQBZDXhOFwhtPvvXc&dib_tag=se&keywords=startup+mindsets+dan+gonzales&qid=1733460395&sprefix=%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-1

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What's up Startup Mindsets Nation! We've been out on the book tour in the Philippines but are BACK and better than EVER

If you've bought a copy of Startup Mindsets already, you don't know how much that means to me, thank you 🙏

If you'd like to order a copy, find it on Amazon.

Today's guest is Darren Cooke, the Chief Innovation/Entrepreneurship Officer at UC Berkeley. I was honored to have Darren on the podcast.

Time Stamps

(8:00) What does a CIO do? Coordinates resources

(15:00) Working for biotech companies

(25:00) How does Berkeley select which startups to work with

(36:00) Publishing a book

(37:25) Opinion on students pursuing entrepreneurial careers

(43:00) Experience at Columbia Law School

(45:00) Darren's Big Career Break

(47:00) What was your first job

(48:42) Book recs

Caroline Winnett is the Executive Director at Berkeley SkyDeck, a world leading startup accelerator.

We discuss

• What it is like running a startup accelerator.

• How academics make the decision to commercialize their ideas and research.

• What Skydeck looks for in applicants.
• Advising startups on their best path forward.

About their fund _ _ _ _

The Berkeley SkyDeck Fund is the investment partner for UC Berkeley’s SkyDeck Accelerator Program. The Fund invests $200K into each startup that goes through SkyDeck, and can participate in later stage investment rounds with Berkeley founders. One of the most active seed investors in the Bay Area, the Fund has made over 130 investments in 3 years!

In a first-of-its-kind, public-private partnership, the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund shares one-half of fund profits with UC Berkeley. This unique partnership helps support UC Berkeley education and creates a source of funding for UC Berkeley’s public education mission.

The Berkeley SkyDeck Fund is run by Chon Tang, Managing Partner, and Brian Bordley, Partner. It is funded by organizations such as Sequoia Capital, Sierra Ventures, and Canvas Ventures, as well as other VC firms, individuals, and large corporations.

Learn more about Berkeley Skydeck: https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/our_team

GRAB YOUR COPY OF STARTUP MINDSETS ON AMAZON, UNLOCK VALUABLE LIFE AND BUSINESS INSIGHTS FROM OUR RESEARCH, PODCAST, AND LIFE EXPERIENCES: https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Mindsets-Blueprint-Innovation-Driven-Connected