Perplexity AI CEO Ditches Pitch Decks, Uses AI to Secure Funding
While most startup founders spend weeks perfecting their pitch decks, Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas has adopted a radically different approach: he lets his own AI answer investor questions to secure funding.
Key Takeaways
- Perplexity AI CEO hasn’t used pitch decks since Series A round in March 2023
- Uses AI-generated responses from his own platform to answer investor queries
- Company raised $73.6 million at $520 million valuation using this method
The AI startup recently secured $73.6 million at a $520 million valuation, according to The Information. During an interaction with Berkeley Haas, Srinivas revealed he hasn’t created a pitch deck since Perplexity’s Series A round in March 2023, when the company raised $25.6 million.
“Series A was the only time I made a pitch deck. I’ve never done a pitch deck for any of the other Perplexity funding rounds,” Srinivas told the audience. “I just write a memo, and I tell them you can do a Q&A and ask whatever you want.”
AI-Powered Fundraising Success
The most compelling demonstration of this approach occurred during Perplexity’s most recent funding round. After a Zoom call with potential investors, Srinivas received a detailed follow-up email with numerous questions.
“I copied the entire email, put it into Perplexity, and said, ‘Answer it like Aravind,'” the CEO recalled. The AI analyzed his YouTube interviews, blog posts, and public statements to craft comprehensive responses in his voice.
Srinivas admitted being impressed by the results: “I took it out and I saw it. And it was like, ‘Damn, I don’t think I could have done as good a job as this.'”
He forwarded the AI-generated response to the investor with a note: “See if this suffices. If not, I can add more context.”
The approach proved remarkably effective. “And then they said, this is wonderful, and they wired the money the next day,” Srinivas recalled.
