The Truth About Startup Funding, Founder Resilience and AI in Venture Capital

In this episode of The Navvai Shift, we sit down with Alex Seleska, Founder and CEO of Spartan Capital and now Spartan Ventures, the global investment network backing early-stage founders with capital, coaching and hands-on support.

Alex shares the full story of how he left traditional work at 27 to build a digital agency with no plan, scaled it over several years and sold it for a multi-seven-figure exit. He explains how that experience shaped his philosophy as an investor, why character matters more than pitch decks and why most VCs fail founders by never having built a company themselves.

Alex also breaks down why Spartan focuses on founder resilience, real problem-solving and global networks rather than surface-level “value add”. He talks through how to know when to quit, when to push, and why most early-stage founders underestimate the importance of mindset and self-awareness.

We also dive into AI’s role in venture, why the market is in a bubble, and why investors misapply AI by relying on it for mass meta-analysis instead of using it as a genuine efficiency tool.

You will hear why
✅ Most founders fail not from lack of ideas but lack of resilience
✅ Character, self-awareness and delivery matter more than credentials
✅ VC firms often mis-evaluate startups because many investors have never built anything
✅ A strong network can shorten the fundraising journey dramatically
✅ Europe struggles with entrepreneurship due to low risk tolerance
✅ AI is being used incorrectly by many investment teams

You will also learn
• How Alex built and sold his first company with no long-term plan
• Why founder mindset and emotional resilience determine long-term outcomes
• How Spartan Ventures selects founders and what “fit” really means
• Why early-stage failure rates make capital hard to access
• How AI improves deal flow, analysis and operational efficiency when used properly
• Why the US outperforms Europe on entrepreneurship and risk appetite

👉 Learn more about Spartan Ventures: https://spartan.ventures
👉 Connect with Alex Seleska on LinkedIn:   / alex-seleska  
👉 Follow the Spartan ecosystem and apply: https://spartan.ventures/apply
👉 Subscribe for more episodes on AI, entrepreneurship and the future of funding