The AI Engineer’s Guide to Raising VC — Dani Grant (Jam), Chelcie Taylor (Notable)
Jul 27, 2025 · 34:17
Dani Grant (CEO of Jam) and Chelcie Taylor (Notable Capital) give AI engineers a tactical playbook for raising venture capital, arguing that you don't need revenue, a product, or even to leave your full-time job to raise a pre-seed or seed round. They explain that VCs bet on founders' vision and unique insights, not perfect technology or traction, and share real cold emails that led to investments—including one that simply referenced a blog post and another that didn't mention the startup at all. In pitch meetings, they advise focusing on 'why you, why now' over tech deep dives, making the conversation bidirectional, and ending by asking about next steps. Common mistakes include over-engineering the demo, failing to acknowledge competitors, and not having a prepared pitch deck to send afterward. Grant's original Jam pitch deck is still live at deck.jam.dev. Taylor's contact is ctaylor@notablecap.com.
