Ajay Y.'s Linkedin Analytics

Everyone says, “Build fast and raise.” I did the opposite. Closed a paying customer before I wrote a single line of code. Why? Because easy money is gone. We’re in a time where traction, ideas, or a little revenue can still get you funded. But for AI-driven ventures, to achieve 10x-plus returns, it has to stick. So, I took a revenue-first approach: > Revenue first > Company Formation second > Fundraising third This approach is unlike anything I’ve done before. Now, we’re navigating the next phase: > Building the product based on our thesis and real paying customer feedback > Building a team that really believes in the vision without any funding > Honing in on the ICP and figuring out what our wedge would be > Execution to close more customers (Follow along as I share each step in real-time.) I’d call this the revenue stage rather than the venturing stage. There’s so much to figure out, but one thing’s clear: Start with revenue. Build from there. Everything else follows.

Most founders think the hardest part of fundraising is getting a yes. But after raising $30M across two VC-backed startups, I’ve learned something else: The hardest part is realizing what that “yes” actually costs you. → It costs you time → It costs you product focus → And sometimes, it costs you your own clarity as a founder Raising money is supposed to unlock growth. But too often, it replaces real feedback with pitch feedback. It pulls you into forecasting when you should be shipping. It makes you optimize for the wrong customer, which is the investor. I know, because I’ve done it. Twice. Now with Otto, we’re bootstrapped. Small team, fast loops, 38 paying customers. We’re not trying to raise. We’re trying to get sharper every week. And we’re solving for revenue, not just runway. I’m not against VC. It works if you know exactly why you’re raising and what you’ll trade to get it. But if you’re early and still figuring it out? You don’t need funding. You need clarity. You need a working product. You need one person who’ll pay for what you’re building, today. Everything else can wait.