VC Elizabeth Yin stressed the need for startups to build a "moat" to retain customers. An example of this is Braintrust, a Greylock portfolio company that secured early customers who were industry leaders, leading to a successful $5 million seed deal. However, VC Elliott Robinson warned that the revenue many AI startups have generated may be one-time-only, as CIO budgets for AI exploration begin to dry up. Therefore, startups need to build something that compounds and is either faster or irreplicable by others.
Key takeaways:
- Fundraising in 2025 will continue to be challenging, especially for companies that need to build real and efficient businesses, as they will struggle to raise cash due to the tight fundraising market and higher interest rates.
- Having solid business fundamentals will be crucial for startups seeking venture funding in 2025. This includes selling a product or service at a profitable price point that serves a sizable customer base.
- Investors will be more interested in the quality of the annual recurring revenue (ARR) rather than the quantity. This means that startups should focus on retaining customers and increasing their spending over time.
- After the AI gold rush in 2024, the quality of customers will become even more critical in 2025. This is because much of the revenue that many AI startups have reeled in will turn out to be one-time-only revenue.