Latest news with #BhavyeKhetan
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
No product, no pitch, just buzzwords: Indian-origin UC Berkeley grad claims he tricked VCs with fake startup idea
NEW DELHI: An Indian-origin UC Berkeley graduate has sparked a debate about the startup funding ecosystem after claiming he received responses from 27 venture capitalists—four of whom asked for a meeting—by posing as a fake founder with no real product or pitch, but with the right mix of elite buzzwords. Bhavye Khetan, who earned a bachelor's degree in Operations Research and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley , said he cold-emailed 34 VCs while pretending to be a founder. In a widely shared post on X, he wrote, 'I made a fake founder persona. No product. No pitch. No deck. Just: Stanford CS, Ex-Palantir, and 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) The post went viral, amassing over 1.2 million views and 22,000 likes, as it resonated with users frustrated by what they see as superficial filters in the venture capital world. Khetan suggested that investor interest is often driven more by pedigree and jargon than by substance. His experiment, he said, showed that what catches the attention of investors isn't always a solid business plan or innovation. 'Who would have thought having shiny logos on resume makes people more likely to wanna talk to you,' one user responded. Khetan's critique adds to ongoing concerns about how early-stage startups are evaluated and the role of branding over actual potential. The incident also sheds light on how tech and venture capital ecosystems can sometimes favour image over idea. Responding to Khetan's post, a user on X said, "Your point may be valid, but your example is useless. 1. People complain VCs don't take cold inbound. So don't complain if they try to. 2. Most VCs take thousands of meetings a year. Taking a meeting isn't a very big sign. 3. My guess is that a Palantir alum is good signal."
India Today
3 days ago
- Business
- India Today
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 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 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 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 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 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 Reel
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Indian-origin Berkeley graduate sends 34 Cold emails to VCs with keywords AI, Stanford and ex-Palantir, here's what happened
Bhavye Khetan, an Indian-origin UC Berkeley graduate, sparked online debate after claiming he faked a founder persona—using buzzwords like 'Stanford,' 'Palantir,' and 'AI'—to attract 27 responses from 34 venture capitalists. (Image: X/@bhavye_khetan) An Indian-origin graduate from the prestigious University of California, Berkeley recently conducted an experiment which initiated a debate across the startup world. As part of the experiment the Indian-origin student named Bhavye Khetan posed as a fake startup founder and sent some cold emails to 34 venture capitalists . In his proposal he used some buzzwords like " Stanford ," " AI ," and "ex-Palantir'. To his surprise 27 investors responded to his proposal and out of them four also asked for a call. Khetan shared his experience on a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) and called the startup funding as a 'rigged game'. Read Indian-origin Berkeley graduate Bhavye Khetan's viral post here Khetan shared the details of his experiment on X, highlighting how superficial markers of credibility—such as prestigious university affiliations and trendy tech terms—can generate investor interest, even without a product, pitch, or business plan. 'I made a fake founder persona. No product. No pitch. No deck. Just: by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo - 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,' wrote Khetan in the viral post. Khetan's findings suggest that VCs may be heavily influenced by signals of perceived credibility and alignment with current investment trends, sometimes even over the substantive details of a business idea. The inclusion of "AI" taps into the current technological zeitgeist, while "Stanford" and "ex-Palantir" (referring to the data analytics company co-founded by Peter Thiel, a prominent VC) signal an elite educational background and experience at a high-profile, data-driven firm. His post, which has garnered over 1.2 million views, critiques the venture capital ecosystem, suggesting that flashy credentials often outweigh substance in early-stage funding decisions.
News18
3 days ago
- Business
- News18
UC Berkeley Alumnus Creates ‘Fake Persona' To Fool 34 VPs. Then This Happened
Last Updated: A UC Berkeley grad of Indian origin said he got replies from 27 venture capitalists by posing as a fake persona and using popular buzzwords. There's no denying that big-name schools and impressive logos can make a resume stand out. Bhavye Khetan, an Indian-origin graduate from UC Berkeley, surprisingly proved this. He created a fake persona and used buzzwords like 'Stanford," 'AI," and 'Palantir" in cold emails—and ended up getting attention from nearly 30 venture capitalists. His experiment shows just how much weight fancy names and popular terms still carry in the professional world. On X (formerly Twitter), Khetan aimed at the startup and venture capital scene, questioning its obsession with appearances. He noted that just using impressive names and trendy buzzwords was enough to spark interest, even without a concrete idea or business plan. The post has already crossed 1.2 million views and quickly went viral, igniting a wave of debate across social media. A 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 said, 'This is stupid. You lied. Stanford is meaningful. Palantir is meaningful. AI is meaningful. The only person acting inappropriately is you." '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," an individual commented on X. '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," another user remarked. The post has since continued to fuel conversations about credibility, ethics, and what truly matters in the startup world.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Indian-origin Berkeley graduate claims he fooled investors. He has no product, no pitch
Indian-origin UC Berkeley graduate says he fooled investors by just dropping Stanford's name. Bhavye Khetan, an Indian-origin UC Berkeley graduate claimed on his social media that he fooled investors by dropping fancy words and big names of universities and got responses from them, while he has no product, no pitch and no deck. He just created a fake creator profile, Khetan claimed and his post went viral. His LinkedIn profile claimed that he studied a Bachelor's degree at Berkeley, while his work experience includes a position in New Delhi. He also called himself the founder of a card that apparently combines multiple credit cards. Khetan claimed that he made a fake founder persona who studied Computer Science at Stanford, worked at Palantir. He said he sent cold emails to 34 VCs and 27 among them replied. Four asked for a call, the Indian-origin graduate wrote, concluding that the game is rigged in ways most people don't understand. — bhavye_khetan (@bhavye_khetan) Social media users slammed him for shaming the investors and pointed out that taking meetings is not a big deal as venture capitalists take thousands of meetings a year and Stanford and Palantir are good names. "Yeah, and Americans don't even realize how degree of how much easier it is for them to secure funding or even just a client compared to euro/indian/asian folks," one wrote. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo "This is stupid. You lied. Stanford is meaningful. Palantir is meaningful. AI is meaningful. The only person acting inappropriately is you," another wrote, "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 third user wrote. The viral post comes amid a major H-1B row with US tech workers claiming that companies are downsizing to accommodate the hirings from foreign countries whom they pay less.
