With technology progressing and artificial intelligence dominating almost every field, Zerodha co-founder Nithin Kamath suggested that start-ups stop boasting about using AI, saying it's as impressive as bragging that you took a shower this morning.<\/p>\n
Exhausted by an endless flood of generic \u2018nice-looking\u2019 investment pitch decks, the entrepreneur warned founders that leading with the AI buzzword is a guaranteed way to make serious investors roll their eyes and move on.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe number of investment decks I get leading with \u2018we use AI\u2019 is ridiculous,\u201d Kamath said in a LinkedIn post. \u201cIt\u2019s reached a point where it automatically makes my eyes roll, and I\u2019ve almost stopped looking at them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kamath said that the startup founders today \u201cneed to realise that AI is just table stakes now.\u201d \u2014 \u201cBragging that your product uses AI is like bragging that you take a bath every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that using AI is no longer a differentiator. \u201cIn fact, opening your pitch with it is a surefire way to get ignored, not just by us, but by most serious VCs,\u201d Kamath said.<\/p>\n
The Zerodha co-founder suggested that founders should be more careful now that they have the \u201cexact same generic\u201d tools to generate \u201cnice-looking\u201d decks.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially now that AI has democratised the ability to generate \u2018nice-looking\u2019 decks, the last thing you want to do is say the exact same generic things as every other founder using the exact same tools,\u201d Kamath wrote.<\/p>\n
In a follow-up comment, Nithin Kamath said that the fundamental questions are: Why AI? How do you manage security risk? Continuous evaluation, especially of the high-stakes decisions. \u201cDo you know your workflow, exceptions, Responsible Accountable Consulted Informed (RACI)?\u201d<\/p>\n
Several founders on Nithin Kamath's network commented on his post, agreeing with his AI analysis. Each founder also pitched their suggestions on how startup founders can add differentiators to their pitches.<\/p>\n
\u201cCompletely agree,\u201d said a social media user. \u201cAI has become infrastructure, not the product. The real differentiator is solving a painful problem with proprietary workflows, data, and execution. We're building an ESOP platform ourselves, and AI is a small part of the experience\u2014not the reason it exists. Users don't pay for AI. They pay for outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInteresting point,\u201d another noted. \u201cAI is becoming infrastructure rather than differentiation, so leading with the technology says very little about why the business deserves attention. The stronger pitch is probably what becomes possible because of AI that wasn\u2019t economically or technically viable before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018We use AI\u2019 is rapidly becoming the startup equivalent of \u2018we have a website\u2019. The question investors care about is: What can you do that others can't?\u201d suggested a founder.<\/p>\n
Another said that it is becoming the new \u201cwe\u2019re disrupting the industry.\u201d \u201cAs a founder building with AI, I\u2019ve realised the harder question isn\u2019t can AI do this? \u2014 It\u2019s why this needs to exist, who actually needs it, and why they would keep using it? AI is becoming infrastructure. The real differentiation is the problem you understand, the product you build around it, and the users you can earn,\u201d the founder added.<\/p>\n
A user suggested: \u201cThe useful test for founders: if your competitor swapped in the same model tomorrow, what would still be true about your product? If the answer is nothing, AI was never the pitch. Proprietary data, a workflow you rebuilt, distribution nobody else has. Those survive a model upgrade. \u2018We use AI\u2019 resets to zero the moment anyone else does.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arshdeep Kaur is a Senior Content Producer at Mint, where she reports and edits across national and international politics, business and culture\u2011adjacent trending stories for digital audience. With five years in the newsroom, she strives to balance the speed and rigor of fast\u2011moving news cycles and longer, context\u2011rich explainers. <br><br> Before joining LiveMint, Arshdeep served as a Senior Sub\u2011Editor at Business Standard and earlier as a Sub\u2011Editor at Asian News International (ANI). Her experience spans live news flows, enterprise features, and multi\u2011platform packaging. <br><br> At Mint, she regularly writes explainers, quick takes, and visuals\u2011led stories that are optimized for search and social, while maintaining the publication\u2019s standards for accuracy and clarity. She collaborates closely with editors and the audience team to frame angles that resonate with readers in India and abroad, and to translate complex developments into accessible, high\u2011impact journalism. <br><br> Arshdeep's academic training underpins her interest towards policy and markets. She earned an MA in Economics from Panjab University and holds a Post\u2011Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the India Today Media Institute (ITMI). This blend of economics and broadcast storytelling informs her coverage of public policy, elections, macro themes, and the consumer\u2011internet zeitgeist. <br><br> Arshdeep is based in New Delhi, where she tracks breaking developments and longer\u2011horizon storylines that shape public discourse.<\/p>\n