How to build a solid — and profitable! — AI startup

After a year of people throwing money at AI companies, investors are now looking for startups that are more solid and viable. That could prove daunting for AI founders: AI is expensive to build and maintain.

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SymphonyAI CEO Sanjay Dhawan offers some tips on how to build a strong foundation for a profitable AI startup. His first tip? Be realistic about your cost model.

Thanks for reading!

Karyne

How to build the foundation for a profitable AI startup

Generative AI isn’t a home run in the enterprise

Ah, we’ve found the one place that’s slowing down when it comes to generative AI: the enterprise.

According to a Boston Consulting Group survey of 1,400 executives, almost 70% said they’re ambivalent or dissatisfied with the progress their orgs have been making on generative AI. Though they still see it as a priority, factors like no roadmaps or strategies and a lack of talent are preventing those surveyed from jumping all in. “The results put into sharp relief the high degree of enterprise skepticism surrounding AI-powered generative tools of any kind,” writes AI reporter Kyle Wiggers.

Generative AI isn’t a home run in the enterprise

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Startups must use investors’ operational expertise to solve inefficiencies and scale up fast

Founders and investors should forge relationships beyond just the finances. Having an investor on the board could help accelerate growth, but knowing where the board member’s responsibilities begin and end is not always clear.

Vineet Jain, CEO and co-founder of Egnyte, a leading cloud-based collaboration and governance platform, offers some advice on how to navigate these conversations.

Startups must use investors’ operational expertise to solve inefficiencies and scale up fast

Ask Sophie: Do I qualify for the stateside visa stamping program?

Dear Sophie,

I’m working in the U.S. on an H-1B visa, which I received in 2022. However, I don’t have an H-1B visa stamp in my passport because I changed my status from an F-1 student to H-1B professional while in the U.S. Although I think I qualify for an interview waiver at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, I haven’t left the U.S. because of the uncertainty of whether I would be granted an interview waiver and the potential delay in returning to my job in the U.S. I heard a new visa stamping program will start in the U.S. soon. Do I qualify?

— Seeking Stamp

Ask Sophie: Do I qualify for the stateside visa stamping program?