Indian-Origin Graduate Fools 27 Investors With Fake Founder Persona, Calls Out "Rigged" Startup World
It's undeniable that prestigious credentials and flashy logos on a resume significantly boost one's appeal in professional circles. Bhavye Khetan, a UC Berkeley graduate of Indian origin, recently demonstrated this by attracting nearly 30 venture capitalists with cold emails using a fake persona and buzzwords like "Stanford," "AI," and "Palantir." In a post on X, Mr Khetan criticised the startup and venture capital ecosystem, highlighting how superficial markers of credibility can generate interest, even without a solid product, pitch, or plan.
"I made a fake founder persona. No product. No pitch. No deck. Just: - Stanford CS - Ex-Palantir - Used the word "AI" 3 times. Sent cold emails to 34 VCs. 27 replied. 4 asked for a call. This game is rigged in ways most people don't understand," he said in the tweet.
See the post here:
I made a fake founder persona. No product. No pitch. No deck.
Just:
- Stanford CS
- Ex-Palantir
- Used the word 'AI' 3 times
Sent cold emails to 34 VCs.
27 replied. 4 asked for a call.
This game is rigged in ways most people don't understand.
— Bhavye Khetan (@bhavye_khetan) June 2, 2025
The post went viral and sparked a heated debate. Some people nodded in agreement with his critique of the superficial startup and venture capital ecosystem. Others, however, criticised his approach, arguing it was deceptive and called him out for his tactics.
One user wrote, "I heard about a guy who faked his CV with/ similar founder, tech nonsense & landed major consulting & then executive jobs this way. The entire climb up the ladder, he delegated key tasks he had no idea how to do himself to underlings. Now he's CFO at a Fortune 500, clearing 500K a year."
Another commented, "This is stupid. You lied. Stanford is meaningful. Palantir is meaningful. AI is meaningful. The only person acting inappropriately is you."
A third said, "I don't think it's rigged, if you lie of course, they will take your call, but I think you won't get past that when they figure out you are lying pretty quickly."
A fourth added, "It doesn't stop there. Some of these founders only consider candidates who graduated from elite universities. We've received specific requests for sales positions where graduating from a top-tier school is a non-negotiable requirement. Candidates from other schools won't even be considered, regardless of work history. I get it if you're hiring for an entry-level role. But once people have some WE, it's a mistake."
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