How Startups Win Funding: Lessons from Investor Jimmy Ku

In this conversation, Jimmy Ku, Growth and Fundraising Expert, sits down with Ash Kumra from AI Collective to share practical lessons from his journey as a founder, angel investor, and VC partner. Jimmy reflects on his early mistakes, what makes a strong founding team, and how investors really evaluate startups. If you’re a founder, aspiring investor, or just curious about how deals get made, this is a must-watch.

🔥 Key Highlights:
– How Jimmy went from failed founder to raising $500M+ across startups and VC funds
– Why your co-founders’ skills matter more than you think
– The power of being a connector (and why genuine relationships open doors)
– What investors really look for: grit, resilience, and founder-market fit
– Frontier industries Jimmy is excited about: AI, healthcare, and fintech
– Lessons from Richard Branson on solving problems by just “fixing what bugs you”
– Why choosing the right VC is as important as raising money at all

🔗 Helpful Resources:
– The AI Collective:   / aicollective  
– Jimmy Ku:   / jimmyku  
– Ash Kumra:   / ashkumra  

🤖 The AI Collective Tri-Valley | AI Builders & Backers: Demos + Funding Tactics
Details: https://lu.ma/aic-eb-8-20

⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – Introduction and AI Collective community
02:37 – Early mistakes in fundraising and lessons learned
07:00 – How to become a connector and build meaningful relationships
09:06 – Why Jimmy became an investor and what drives him
10:58 – Startup trends: AI, healthcare, and fintech
12:34 – Lessons learned from Richard Branson
14:25 – What makes a strong founding team
16:35 – How founders grow after failure
18:53 – Grit vs. founder-market fit
23:35 – How to find a good venture capitalist
26:38 – Relating to startups outside your expertise
29:05 – Finding the right co-founder (or not)
32:30 – Traction vs. moat in fundraising
34:29 – Odds of funding and AI applications vs. infrastructure

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