Latest news with #Ex-Palantir
Time of India
4 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."
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Indian-origin man pretends to be fake startup founder, tricks 27 investors: ‘This game is rigged'
An Indian-origin UC Berkeley graduate has claimed that he was able to attract the interest of nearly 30 venture capitalists by sending cold emails using a fake persona and keywords like "Stanford," "AI," and "Palantir." In his post, Bhavye Khetan criticised the startup and venture capital (VC) ecosystem, claiming that investor interest can be generated with just the right buzzwords and credentials—even when there's no real product, pitch, or plan. "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," he wrote. Khetan explained that he invented a startup founder and, without a business idea, product, or even a presentation deck, he received responses from a majority of VCs simply by leveraging a prestigious academic background, a hyped tech company, and a trending buzzword. He claimed that the startup game isn't always about what you build—sometimes, it's just about who you appear to be. The post received over 330,000 views, and many were shocked by the results. "Who would have thought having shiny logos on resume makes people more likely to wanna talk to you," joked one user. Another wrote: "I heard about a guy who faked his CV with similar founder, tech nonsense and landed major consulting and then executive jobs this way. 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." However, some argued that using actual prestigious institutions and companies on your resume does lend credibility and that a lie like this wouldn't hold up for long. "This is stupid. You lied. Stanford is meaningful. Palantir is meaningful. AI is meaningful. The only person acting inappropriately is you," remarked one commenter. "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," added another.
