Main Responsibilities of a Founder at a Seed-Stage AIaaS Startup
Nikolas's responsibilities at the seed-stage AIaaS startup are diverse, reflecting the small company size, including creating "different types of financial models," strategizing hiring, and conducting market sizing to demonstrate product-market fit for fundraising purposes. This experience highlights the importance of founder skills in early-stage funding, as Nikolas emphasizes the need to "convince these investors" without a substantial track record.
Financial Modeling, Strategic Planning, Market Analysis, Fundraising, Start-up Operations
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Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
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Traits
Nikolas Win
ThoughtfulGPT, LLC
Seed-Stage AIaaS Startup
San Jose State University
UCLA Anderson FTMBA (Class of 2025)
Business Management & Admin, Finance
Consulting & Related Professional Services, Technology
Business Strategy
Video Highlights
1. Nikolas' diverse responsibilities at a seed-stage startup highlight the multifaceted nature of early-stage roles.
2. He emphasizes the importance of financial modeling (e.g., burn rate analysis) in securing funding, a crucial skill for aspiring entrepreneurs.
3. His involvement in market sizing and product-market fit demonstrates the need for a strong understanding of market dynamics in the tech industry.
Transcript
What are your main responsibilities within your current role?
Right now, I get to do a bunch of different things since the company is really small. The founders actually allow me to work on any project that I want.
I've had the opportunity to create different types of financial models. One to analyze burn rate, depending on the different levels of funding we've received. I also helped with strategizing different hiring processes.
And then I also got to work on market sizing, understanding where our product market fit is. This is necessary in order to communicate that you actually have a profitable product when you're looking to raise money for your ideas.
So, if you ever want to start your own business, especially within tech, it's extremely important to understand that you, as a founder, and your skills are more important to the success of the initial fundraising rounds. Because you have no past history or performance to convince investors otherwise.
In terms of my role, I was responsible for making sure that the executives understood that when going into the different pitches.
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