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Seattle AI Week: Startups Urged to Solve Problems, Attract Capital

11/26/2025

Summary

Story summary

During Seattle AI Week, Kellan Carter and Rohan D’Souza said early-stage startups must solve specific problems and build a strong distribution strategy to attract capital.
Carter noted the median Series A round is $7.9 million, with substantial variation across deals.
D’Souza urged founders to be transparent with investors about product timelines and to emphasize strengths.
Avante, D’Souza's startup, aims to reduce HR workload and costs after launching this year.

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Story summary

During Seattle AI Week, Kellan Carter and Rohan D’Souza said early-stage startups must solve specific problems and build a strong distribution strategy to attract capital.
Carter noted the median Series A round is $7.9 million, with substantial variation across deals.
D’Souza urged founders to be transparent with investors about product timelines and to emphasize strengths.
Avante, D’Souza's startup, aims to reduce HR workload and costs after launching this year.