Will VCs reject my startup because it's not AI?
Founders building non-AI companies face heavy investor bias and catch-22 situations where traditional commercial loans require licensing they cannot get without upfront reserves. This focus leaves traditional startups unable to secure funding from VCs, incubators, and lenders.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1bootstrappingDid this help you?
- 2angel-bootstrapping through personal connectionsDid this help you?
- 3Structuring deals with capital partners using dual-signature accounts and revenue shareDid this help you?
- 4Using a line of credit from a local bank backed by home collateralDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I can't get a regular commercial loan on this without licensing, and can't get licensed without the reserves, so catch 22.”source ↗
“I am worried about the attitude of incubators, VCs, and investors in general. Would the lack of AI be a nonstarter for most outside investors?”source ↗
Where this came up
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- 8How to get a small business loan to buy an existing business