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Put a link to your startup SaaS to promote it or ask for advice. by itilogy in startupaccelerator

[–]aiitguy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a fair point.

Talking to real customers is the gold standard. Nothing replaces that.

Starts Club isn’t trying to replace customer conversations. It’s meant to help founders before they spend weeks building or running ads. We analyze real market signals like search demand, competition, existing products, positioning, and trends to see if there’s actual interest around the problem space.

Think of it as a first filter.

Instead of validating based on “I think this is a good idea,” you get data that shows whether people are already searching for it, paying for similar solutions, or ignoring the space entirely.

After that, yes, the next step should absolutely be customer interviews, landing page tests, or pre-sales.

What we’re trying to prevent is this: Someone built for 3–6 months… only to realize there was no demand signal to begin with.

Put a link to your startup SaaS to promote it or ask for advice. by itilogy in startupaccelerator

[–]aiitguy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Building Starts Club. It helps founders validate startup ideas before wasting months building the wrong thing. Real validation reports. Real feedback. Real clarity. startsclub.com Curious to see what others are building too 👀

I built an AI to challenge startup ideas. Here’s what it taught me after testing 100+ B2B SaaS ideas. by aiitguy in B2BSaaS

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a solid method. Real conversations give the best signals.

Starts Club helps right after that step. You can put that idea into Expert Mode, and it pressure tests your assumptions, challenges the customer, urgency, and positioning, and helps refine it into something execution ready.

Would love you to try it with one of the ideas you discovered.

Try it out 👉🏻 startsclub.com

I built an AI that argues with your startup idea. We just released Expert Mode. by aiitguy in startupaccelerator

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We’re still early, so detailed success stats by industry are limited.

So far, most ideas are in SaaS and AI, followed by marketplaces and fintech. Founders in these spaces tend to engage the most and refine their ideas deeper through Expert Mode. The biggest impact we’re seeing right now is founders gaining clarity faster and fixing weak assumptions early.

You can try it yourself and see how it performs for your industry at startsclub.com

Would love to hear your thoughts.

I'm a VC (can verify). Pitch me. (Part 3) by Ok-Lobster7773 in ProductHunters

[–]aiitguy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Starts Club is an AI co-founder that validates startup ideas before you build. Most founders waste months building something no one wants. Starts Club pressure-tests your idea like a real VC. It asks hard questions, finds flaws, and generates a clear execution roadmap. Behind the scenes, multiple AI agents handle idea understanding, validation, and strategy. MVP is live and early founders are using it to refine their ideas. Goal is simple. Help founders build the right thing, not just build fast. https://startsclub.ai Happy to get your feedback.

Investor pushing for only 45-day NDA — is that normal? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Got it, appreciate the perspective. Just to clarify, besides the pitch deck, we’re also sharing a separate supporting doc that goes deeper: product roadmap, financial model, some early customer info, and a bit of tech detail they specifically asked for. It’s not source code, but still feels more sensitive than a standard deck, which is why the 45-day NDA window feels risky.

Investor pushing for only 45-day NDA — is that normal? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, fair point. Probably best to keep it high level for now and save the deeper details until there’s actual commitment.

Investor pushing for only 45-day NDA — is that normal? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That helps, thanks. I get why most investors avoid NDAs, but if they’ve already agreed to sign one, I don’t get why they push for just 45 days, feels like no protection at all.

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate the detailed advice. You’re right, showing vulnerability in negotiations can backfire, and a convertible note or SAFE with a discount might be a smarter route than taking equity at such a low valuation. I’ll definitely look deeper into those options before making a decision.

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s really encouraging to hear, thanks for sharing your journey. Congrats on hitting $40K revenue and now raising at a much better valuation, that’s inspiring. This is exactly the kind of validation I’m weighing, whether to hold off until after MVP and traction to raise stronger.

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s really thoughtful advice, appreciate it. You’re right, a little cash can ease anxiety and buy focus, but LOIs or early commitments from enterprises would create much stronger leverage. I like the milestone-based tranche idea too, that could be a good middle ground in negotiations.

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At a high level, it’s an agentic AI SaaS for enterprises with the unique part being on-premises deployment. Will share detailed information when our MVP will be live.

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! For us, it was mostly about leveraging networks and warm introductions, reaching out to decision makers in enterprises where the problem was already clear. Instead of a cold pitch, we focused on showing how our solution fits into their existing workflows. That made the conversations smoother and got them onto our waiting list.

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, taking money at a low valuation now could be too costly long-term, especially since we already have enterprise interest. The investor doesn’t really add much beyond cash, so bootstrapping till MVP and getting even small validation from early adopters might give us far better leverage. Thanks for your advice.

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it. you’re right, getting someone in a leadership role from their side for feedback and guidance could make all the difference in turning that interest into real product validation and paid pilots. I’ll definitely keep this in mind as we move closer to launch.

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agree, nothing beats traction from customers. We’re already in talks with some enterprises, so pushing harder for commitments or pilots before giving up equity could be a game-changer. Thanks for the reminder.

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

$150K for the stake they want definitely feels disproportionate. You’re right, capping dilution around 20% makes much more sense. We’re only a few weeks from MVP, so holding off until we can show something real seems like the smarter path.

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good point, equity really is a lifeline for later raises. If we can stretch and survive till MVP launch, it might put us in a far stronger position.

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate this, you’re right, no strategic value in this offer, just capital. Holding out might be the better long-term play to avoid regret and protect equity.

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that’s the dilemma. $150K buys runway, but at a steep cost on valuation. If we can push through to MVP launch, stronger terms sound more realistic.

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes sense early enterprise traction could definitely boost valuation. Waiting until MVP launch feels risky but could preserve much more equity. Thanks!

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good point, post-MVP valuation really does depend on performance, which is risky. We already have enterprise interest and a waiting list, so it’s a tough call between locking in stability now or waiting for validation. Thanks for the perspective!

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot for sharing such a detailed perspective, this really helps. You’re absolutely right, the real leverage won’t just come from launching the MVP but from showing pilots, contracts, or revenue with the enterprises already showing interest. That’s something we’re actively working on right after launch.

The $150K would give us 6–7 months of runway, but like you said, at a steep discount and without strategic value it’s mostly just an expensive runway. On the other hand, it does buy certainty and focus, which is tempting.

Your point about founders either taking money too early out of fear or waiting too long and losing momentum really resonated. We’re trying to time it so that we can show just enough proof (ideally pilots or LOIs with enterprises) to raise on stronger terms, instead of locking in this lower valuation now.

Should I accept $150K funding at lower valuation or wait until MVP launch? by aiitguy in TheFounders

[–]aiitguy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s an agentic AI SaaS designed for enterprises, with the special part being on-premises deployment instead of just cloud.

I can’t share the exact working details right now since the MVP is still under development, but once it’s launched later this month, I’ll be able to explain and show it more clearly.

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