Profile avatar
armankassym.com
Startup Investor | Exploring venture insights with a fresh, casual twist. From AI to economics, sociology to tech — real conversations, bold ideas, endless curiosity.✌️ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/arkassym/ 🌐 https://armankassym.com/
1,482 posts 1,475 followers 797 following
Regular Contributor
Active Commenter

Invisible luxury is the new flex. It’s not what you have, it’s what you don’t need to show. Silence, space, privacy — that’s premium now.

Maybe I’m old school, but I try not to buy from companies that go against my values — even if their product is good. I see my purchases as a way of voting for what I believe in.

AI has insane potential in venture analysis — no doubt. But you shouldn’t trust it blindly. It’s a tool, not a prophet. Use it to dig, spot patterns, pressure-test ideas. Just don’t let it replace your judgment.

Totally get the urge to protect your idea. But asking a VC for an NDA upfront often backfires. Instead, share just enough to spark trust and curiosity. In venture, clarity wins — and trust is built, not signed.

We reviewed a startup the other day that thought they’d nailed GTM. Signups spiked, the team cheered, and they rushed to pitch investors. Turned out, it was just a holiday bump — happens. Not every surge means you’re ready. But it’s not a failure — it’s just another lesson.

I really liked one recruiter’s answer to a question about AI bias in candidate interviews: “Yes, AI is often biased — but do you think humans aren't?” I’d add that it’s actually easier to teach AI to handle bias than it is to teach a person.

The hardest part of the most effective model is that one day it stops working. What used to bring results starts to fail. You try to fix it, but deep down you know it no longer fits. The world has changed — and now it’s your turn to catch up and rebuild.

Agree: PMF Score is critical at the MVP stage to determine if the product is worth pursuing. NPS takes priority at the ready-to-scale stage, focusing on enhancing user experience, retention, and growth.

Pattern recognition helps, but it can also trap you. The most interesting startups often feel off at first — something doesn't quite add up. That’s exactly why they’re overlooked. If it feels too familiar, chances are it’s already too late.

A pitch deck won’t save you if you’re the red flag. Investors read the founder first — how you think, how you speak, how you handle questions. If the pitch isn’t landing, it’s rarely the slides. It’s usually the story — or the one telling it.

You don’t get asymmetric returns from symmetric founders. Extraordinary outcomes often come from people who think differently, move faster, or see value before others do. They’re not reckless — just wired for a different kind of risk.

Your first hire isn’t a developer. It’s someone who gives a damn. At the earliest stage, it’s not about roles — it’s about shared urgency, curiosity, and care. Skills matter. But startups grow with people who stay after midnight because they want to.

A new VC doesn’t need a fund to start investing. AI handles the grunt work, platforms manage the structure, and the network does the rest. If the inbox stays empty, it might not be the market — just a sign it’s time to leave the coffee shop and get out in the field.

An idea always has a chance — as long as you keep working on it. The market won’t respond to what’s in your head. It reacts to what it can see and try. Even in rough form.

Honestly, it all matters—timing, your unique value, and a dozen other factors. But Factor A—your ability to adapt and grow—that’s the real king.

$1 spent on prevention = $5 saved on fixing problems. The CDC confirms this in healthcare. Startups are no different — it's cheaper to anticipate issues than to patch holes in your product, team, or reputation later.

Some get paid to innovate. Legends get paid to hibernate. Looks like I just found my new career goal😉 .

Looks like Bluesky is evolving into a Reddit–Twitter hybrid — not just following people, but joining interest-based communities, all in one place. Sounds promising. Let’s see what it looks like by year’s end. buff.ly/lwm9QB8

Unfortunately, I tend to agree: once AI figures out what you want to hear, it starts generating exactly that. But that doesn’t mean the information is accurate — or even aligned with what you actually needed to know.

Some say a great product sells itself. Others say a great marketer could sell snow in winter. But I think it’s a mistake to separate product from marketing — they work best as a unit. It’s all about balance: knowing when to prioritize what, not ignoring either side.

VC is becoming a product, not just a check. Capital’s still needed, but not enough. Top firms like a16z, Craft, and First Round win by offering real help — hiring, access, infra. Founders want more than money. They want a partner who shows up and delivers.

A startup needs just enough money to grow fast. Less is bad — but more can be bad too. That’s why financial forecasting is a crucial skill for any early-stage company.

AI is powerful - no doubt. But when 7 of 10 VC dollars chase the same trend, we should ask: what’s getting starved in the process?

The most underrated metric in a startup is how fast you move after bad news. Everyone can look impressive after a win. But how quickly a team regains momentum after a failed launch, a missed deal, or harsh feedback — that’s a real competitive advantage. And most don’t have it.