After Dara Ladjevardian became a founder, he wanted advice from his grandfather, who some had called the Rockefeller of Iran.
There was only one problem: his grandfather had passed away.
Dara took a book on entrepreneurship his grandfather had written and, by using LLMs, created an AI version he could ask questions to.
Fast forward two years and he’s raised $2.7 million for Delphi, a company built on the concept, from Keith Rabois and Founders Fund.
Oh, and this is all after he built and sold his first AI company in 8 months.
Here’s our full chat:
In our chat we discuss:
Founder Journey
(00:56), Dara's grandfather
(03:45), Dara's first encounter with LLMs
(06:04), Launching Friday: Dara's first company
(08:10), The Friday acquisition journey
(08:54), Working at OpenStore post-acquisition
(48:03), Lessons from building Friday
Co-founder Dynamics
(09:38), Choosing the right co-founder
(12:01), Transitioning from solo to co-founder
(13:58), Co-founders: bootstrapped vs. VC-backed companies
Marketing & Positioning
(14:49), Positioning Delphi
(21:01), Delphi's product roadmap
(23:38), PLG growth strategy
(26:30), Testing paid marketing channels
(27:30), Differentiating in the age of AI
(33:35), Dara's vision for building Delphi
(37:27), Attracting talent to your company
Mentorship & Investment
(18:38), Pitching Delphi to Founders Fund
(38:16), The importance of mentorship
(40:21), Lessons from Keith Rabois
(41:51), Effects of high-profile investors
(42:57), Why Keith Rabois invested in Dara
(43:55), Securing well-respected angels
(44:44), Dara’s fundraising tips
(47:00), Recognizing the need for VC backing
Additional Insights
(29:18), Future role of creators
(31:02), Future role of founders
(35:26), Passion as a priority in startups
(49:35), Niche focus vs. broad targeting
Rapid Fire
(51:54), Who's an investor you'd recommend?
(52:32), One thing you'd change about startups?
(53:14), Advice for first-time founders?
(53:53), Something you believe that most disagree with?
Where you can find Dara and Delphi:
X → x.com/daraladje
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/dara-ladjevardian
Startup → delphi.ai