How to Raise $300K for Your AI Startup With Just a Mockup
As an entrepreneur, one of the biggest challenges is raising capital to fund your vision. But what if I told you it’s possible to raise a significant seed round with just a mockup or prototype? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how I did it for my AI startup:
Step 1: Validate the Idea by Selling Before Building
Before writing a single line of code, I started “selling” my AI solution to prospective customers. Using no-code tools and AI APIs like OpenAI, I created a realistic mockup that simulated the proposed workflow.This allowed me to land real paying customers from day one by providing the frontend experience, while doing all the backend work manually behind the scenes. It was unscalable, but it proved there was market demand.
Step 2: Automate and Scale Gradually
As I acquired more customers, I gradually automated pieces of the manual work using scripts and basic programs. This increased efficiency and demonstrated a path to scalability.My AI startup helps brands evaluate ad creative using eye-tracking data. So as I added more automation, I could process more ads and provide insights faster.
