This is how Zayd Ali sold his first company in high school and immediately started a new one in AI, called Valley, that has raised over $3 million already.

📚 1,800 Pitch Decks (Free) → deck-database.carrd.co

Follow Zayd's journey:
🐦 X → x.com/zaydsyedali
💼 LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/zayd-syed-ali-4201101a9
🚀 Startup → joinvalley.co

Follow us:
🎥 YouTube → youtube.com/@foundingjourney
📝 Newsletter → join.foundingjourney.com
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💼 LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/michael-houck

Founder's Journey

• (01:19 ) — Selling a company in high school
• (07:03 ) — The feeling after selling a company
• (09:09 ) — Community accelerator programs
• (21:30 ) — Bootstrapped vs. venture-backed startups
• (34:58 ) — Selling before building
• (52:34 ) — Risk of startup life in your 20s

The Art of Pivoting

• (14:51 ) — Executing a pivot
• (17:39 ) — Advice for reluctant founders
• (18:54 ) — Founder market fit & "why now"

Investor Dynamics

• (23:11 ) — High-profile investors’ impact
• (24:52 ) — High energy in investor meetings
• (28:23 ) — Creating urgency for investors
• (38:03 ) — Investor response to customer LOIs
• (38:47 ) — Pre-read deck strategy
• (41:45 ) — Analyst to partner transition
• (44:01 ) — Anticipating investor pushbacks
• (45:10 ) — Avoiding introductions from investors who passed
• (47:30 ) — Challenges for AI startups
• (50:44 ) — Raising in a hot market

Rapid Fire

• (54:56 ) — Who's an investor you'd recommend?
• (55:47 ) — One thing you'd change about startups?
• (56:44 ) — Advice for first-time founders?
• (57:38 ) — Something you believe that most disagree with?