How AI Startups Can Attract Funding and Talent in Their First Year
How AI Startups Can Attract Funding and Talent in Their First Year
摘要: How AI Startups Can Attract Funding and Talent in Their First Year
A Beijing roundtable reveals why the best fundraising strategy is often to stop ch
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How AI Startups Can Attract Funding and Talent in Their First Year
A Beijing roundtable reveals why the best fundraising strategy is often to stop chasing investors and start building something too small for big tech to notice.
Last Updated: September 23, 2026
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Shamil Khan
Published on: September 23, 2026
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September 23, 2026, (Inside AI)
— In a closed-door roundtable held in Beijing on September 16, a group of early-stage investors and founders gathered to dissect the first-year survival playbook for AI startups. The event, titled "The First Year of AI Startups," was co-hosted by TechNode, Asia Capital Exchange (ACE), Lighthouse Capital, and BEYOND. The discussion focused on a counterintuitive reality: the most effective fundraising strategy often involves not chasing investors at all.
The roundtable featured
Qiao Jianlong
, editor of AI Insider's Demo Club, who moderated. Panelists included
Zheng Jinliang
, co-founder of Bensu Intelligence;
Song Haocong
, founder and CEO of Aurano;
Zhou Junting
, CEO of Lingqi Xiyuan; and
Li Zhengwei
, managing director at Lighthouse Capital and co-head of its 3i incubation business. Their conversation revealed a stark divide in the funding market and offered concrete tactics for founders navigating the earliest, most fragile phase of company building.
Chasing Investors Can Backfire
Li Zhengwei, who rejoined Lighthouse Capital earlier this year after a stint founding and incubating companies, delivered a blunt assessment of fundraising dynamics. He noted that investors who proactively reach out to a startup are at least twice as likely to invest compared to those introduced by a third party. Furthermore, an introduction from a trusted contact is at least twice as effective as a cold a