Is the $400 billion currently being poured into AI infrastructure a visionary bet or a massive bubble waiting to burst? Vijay Rajendran explains why we are seeing the biggest investment in fixed capital since the railroads, and what could cause it all to come crashing down. In this interview, Vijay and Sean discuss the new velocity of fundraising, where startups hit $100M ARR in months, and the rise of "seed-strapping" (raising once, then profiting). They also debate why VCs are obsessed with "founder pedigree," the structural reasons why European startups struggle to scale compared to the US, and the geopolitical shocks (food and fuel prices) that could abruptly end the AI party. Check out the company: https://gai.ventures

👀 CONNECT WITH SEAN

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@seanweisbrot

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanweisbrot

Inquiries: [email protected]

🕒 CHAPTERS

00:00 - How AI Changed Fundraising Forever

00:40 - The Anomaly: 0 to $100M Revenue in 12 Months

04:02 - What is "Seed-Strapping"? (Profitable & Funded)

09:02 - The Pedigree Trap: Why VCs Obsess Over Stanford/Ex-OpenAI

10:07 - The Alumni Ventures Model

14:43 - Silicon Valley vs. Lisbon: Why Europe Can't Scale

17:32 - The Bureaucracy Problem in the EU

23:34 - The $400B Bet: Will the AI Bubble Burst?

27:32 - The "Geopolitical Shock" That Could Crash the Market

29:59 - How to Win Investor Money Right Now (Momentum)

📈 WORK WITH ME

▶ Startup Fundraising: https://welivetobuild.com/ai-startup-fundraising

▶ Sponsor the Channel: https://www.welivetobuild.com/ai-product-testing

▶ My AI/Automation Agency: https://optimai.ai

🎧 LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68lykxIMOyofZNiWSF4vFx

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-live-to-build/id1531994765

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.