Indian-origin man fakes founder identity, claims he fooled 27 investors with AI-laced CV
An Indian-origin UC Berkeley graduate claimed to have tricked 27 investors into responding to cold emails by faking a founder profile, with no real product, pitch, or plan.In a now-viral post on X, Bhavye Khetan, a graduate from the University of California, Berkeley, claimed he fooled dozens of venture capitalists (VCs) using a fictional founder identity packed with popular keywords. There was no company and no idea, just a made-up resume with the right names in the right places.advertisementHe detailed the experiment in his post, saying he posed as a Stanford computer science graduate and ex-Palantir employee, while using the term 'AI' thrice in his email pitch. Out of 34 investors he reached out to, 27 replied, and 4 asked for a call.
'I made a fake founder persona. No product. No pitch. No deck. Just: Stanford CS, Ex-Palantir, and used the word 'AI' 3 times... This game is rigged in ways most people don't understand,' he wrote.His post pointed fingers at the start-up ecosystem and suggested that investor interest often leans more on buzzwords and branding than actual substance. He added that it's less about what you build and more about who you appear to be.Take a look at the viral post here: The post has garnered millions of views and divided opinions all across the internet. advertisementA section of the internet argued that cold emails are part of the VC routine, so a reply doesn't prove much. 'Your point may be valid, but your example is useless... Most VCs take thousands of meetings a year. Taking a meeting isn't a very big sign,' said a user.Another user added a shocking anecdote: 'I heard about a guy who faked his CV with similar founder, tech nonsense and landed major consulting and then executive jobs this way. Now he's CFO at a Fortune 500, clearing 500K a year.'However, not everyone was impressed. One of the users said, 'This is stupid. You lied. Stanford is meaningful. Palantir is meaningful. AI is meaningful. The only person acting inappropriately is you.'Another questioned the impact of the act: 'If you lie, of course, they'll take your call. But you won't get far once they realise you're faking it.'See the comments here: Bhavye Khetan's post stirred up uncomfortable questions around how start-up funding works. If a fake founder with a trendy CV and buzzwords can create face value for themselves, the system might need more scrutiny and fewer shortcuts.Trending Reel
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