
Founder Traits And One Big AI Test: How Former NEA Partner Vanessa Larco Picks Winners
THE SO WHAT
When investors say they back teams that use AI to make products “dramatically faster, cheaper, or easier,” they’re telegraphing a bar — incremental AI features won’t clear it. As a founder, sharpen your narrative and metrics around step-change efficiency or UX, not generic ‘AI-powered’ positioning.
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