Sylvain Perron

Sam Awrabi just raised $10M as a first time solo GP to invest in AI. He's just 31 years old 🔥 Here’s the playbook Sam Awrabi used for Banyan Ventures: 1. Pick a sharp position — only AI-native companies, from chips to SaaS. 2. Show traction early — 14 startups backed pre-fund with $490M+ in combined revenue. 3. Brand the method — Escape Velocity Investing, a 5-step filter to spot winners. 4. Keep the model clear — $200–425K checks, 36+ startups, up to 10% ownership. 5. Leverage founder edge — AI GTM since 2018, scaled teams, raised $70M+. I got access to Sam's pitch deck 🔥 Comment deck below to get the link!

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Only ~3% of startups get into YC. Even fewer make it onto their Top 100 AI list. A while ago, StackAI did. 18 months later: - 100K+ AI agents deployed - enterprises in finance, healthcare, and defense - a team of 30+ from MIT, Meta, NASA, BCG How did we get there? By: - talking to users daily = fast feedback loops (early signals make the long-term vision more convincing) - building ugly (seriously, don't worry much) things fast - hiring slow, shipping fast, the right team multiplies velocity - staying uncomfortable - the moment it feels stable, you’re stagnating If you’re trying to get into YC, here's my 2 cents: - show real traction (even if it’s small), not hype - show technical depth, not noise - build a product that solves real pain, fast, scalable, and grounded P.S. StackAI is just getting started. We’re hiring, shipping weekly, and working with some of the most ambitious teams deploying AI into real operations. If you’re building something, or even just thinking about applying to YC, do it. You don’t need it all figured out. Just enough momentum, a real problem, and the courage to hit submit. Good luck! 🍀

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Controversial take (at the risk of getting kicked out of future YC demo days): What if getting into Y Combinator actually made your outcome worse? I've invested in 6 YC companies since 2014. 5 out of the 6 were pre-YC or early in the program, one was post-demo day. This includes winners such as Deel and May Mobility. Here's what nobody tells you: Most of what accelerators provide, you can get for free: - Mentorship? You are going to find the best mentors through your network - Network? Warm intros through investors who actually take board seats - Demo day? Most deals come from direct outreach, not demo days - Validation? Having revenue is better validation than any batch The worst part? YC invests in 400+ companies per year. They don't have time to actually help you beyond the program. You're a lottery ticket in a portfolio. The 2-3 breakout companies subsidize the other 197. You're probably one of the 197. And worse. Because they only make money from the breakout companies they would rather optimize their outcomes by pushing everybody to $20m-$40m post money SAFEs to optimize for the winners... Even though it's the wrong valuation for you and can kill your company. Yes, getting over your skis on valuation can kill your company. And no, YC doesn't care because while your company is dead they make more money on the winners. Here's when accelerators make sense: - You're 22, first-time founder, need basics - You have zero network in Silicon Valley - You need the brand to unlock initial meetings Here's when they're a terrible deal: - You're a second-time founder (you don't need the basics) - You already have investor relationships - You're giving away 7% for what amounts to a 3-month crash course Here's my controversial recommendation: Skip the accelerator. Take that 7% and: - Hire an exceptional early employee - Keep more equity for the people actually building - Raise much more money for the same equity to fuel your business If you absolutely must do an accelerator, negotiate. In most incubators/accelerators the 7% isn't set in stone, especially if you are further along. Some accelerators take 5%, some do notes that convert later. Is 3 months of mentorship worth 7% of everything I'll build for the next decade? For most founders with any serious experience, the answer is no. But everyone's too afraid to say it. #YCombinator #Accelerators #StartupAdvice

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Millions of users' data at risk because of ChatGPT wrappers This includes many YC companies are prioritizing "fast to market" over security fundamentals. let me break down what they actually telling us: ✅ 50+ MCP integrations → Piping users' sensitive data through 50+ third-party services ✅ Natural language agent builder → Basic OpenAI API integration ✅ Notion-style databases → Standard database with AI queries ✅ Remote MCP access → Users' data leaves their infrastructure entirely ✅ External spaces → Cross-org data sharing with zero security boundaries ✅ 100+ agent templates → Copy-pasted prompts anyone can write in 5 minutes Would love to hear if you used any custom datasets or DPO training. Security nightmare: Users' confidential data flowing through dozens of external APIs/MCPs No mention of SOC2, GDPR, or enterprise security standards "Remote MCP access" = your servers become the man-in-the-middle You took existing third-party tools, wrapped them in a chat interface, and called it "revolutionary." That's not innovation - that's integration theater (aka ChatGPT wrapper). What Siden agents actually do: Execute work in secure, isolated environments Own their tool integrations instead of relying on 50+ external services built by others Deploy code, manage infrastructure, run campaigns - not just chat about them Operate with enterprise-grade security by default The difference: We built an AI workforce. You built a data collection funnel disguised as productivity software. Your "nothing to hide" approach is exactly what enterprises should be hiding from.

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