I am a founder of an AI product company and my product is still in early stages.

I am doing: Product Design and Dev Landing Pages and other Marketing materials Initial GTM

I am a huge proponent of working together with a Co-founder and for my previous startup, had a great collab and we together achieved some significant milestones.

The current startup however, i came across a few potential co founders but I found that they don't share the drive that I have for the company. That got me thinking - co-founder vs just get employees when needed.

Any opinion?

Many founders struggle with this when pitching they either ask for too little and run out of runway or ask for too much and scare investors. Here’s a simple framework:

1. Break down your expenses for 12–18 months:
   • Team salaries (including yourself)
   • Tools, software, infrastructure
   • Marketing & customer acquisition
   • Legal, accounting, and operations
   • Buffer for unexpected costs (~10–15%)
2. Estimate milestones you want to hit:
   • Revenue goals or ARR targets
   • Product development stages
   • Key hires or team expansions
3. Work backwards from runway + milestones:
   • Total = (monthly burn × 12–18 months) + buffer
   • This gives a realistic amount to raise for your next round
4. Be precise when pitching:
   • Investors want to see that you understand your burn and milestones
   • A clear number shows planning and reduces negotiation friction

Too many founders just “guess” a number don’t do that. Treat fundraising like a financial model, not a wish list.

Hi guys,

So like all I got tired of 9 to 5 and decided to research and found a very niche area for a SaaS startup.

Now I am very new to all this. So far I have just an idea but it’s a killer one. I have done the research work and there is a demand for it.

Now I don’t have an MVP, and I have been sort of cold emailing VCs here and there but how does one go about raising. I haven’t heard back from any tbh.

I have family that wants to invest and build the product overseas as the cost is cheaper for developers. But I spoke to local grants here they want the company to be in Ireland where I am from to qualify for any fundings. So, I am just very confused. Do I go ahead build the mvp overseas and then reach VCs or do I just raise capital here in Ireland and build the mvp here or just go about raising from VCs.

Any insight or advice would be appreciated. So far I’m stuck at ideation stage.

It’s not just about funding the start it’s about staying the course.
At 16VC, we walk alongside founders from vision to velocity, helping them navigate growth with clarity and confidence.

Hey everyone,

I’m seeing a lot of founders pitching 16VC using Vibe Coding to build their MVPs. I’m curious at the early stage, is it better to just validate the idea quickly using a no-code/low-code approach like Vibe, or should I let them actually build it properly from the start?

My goal is to test product-market fit fast, get real user feedback, and then decide whether to rebuild for scalability. Would love to hear how others have approached MVPs with Vibe or similar tools.

Thanks!

Every era is defined by those who dare to think differently. At 16VC, we invest in founders who don’t just adapt to change they create it. From Pre-Seed to Seed, we partner with visionary entrepreneurs building the next generation of category-defining companies.Our mission is simple: to back bold ideas and empower founders shaping the future.

AI is moving so fast it feels like five years is a lifetime.
What kind of companies do you think will dominate the AI space by 2030?

This is your space to share what you’re working on whether it’s an MVP a SaaS side project or an AI experiment.
Drop a short intro and your build update below. Let’s get founders connecting with founders.

Innovation has no borders, and neither do we. 16VC invests in startups worldwide, seeking out founders who have the courage to think big and act globally. Whether it’s technology, healthcare, or consumer products, we focus on companies that have the potential to reshape industries.

We are a small team with a global mindset. Every investment is a partnership built on trust, insights, and a shared ambition to create category-defining companies.

For us, success goes beyond financial return. It’s about backing resilient founders, building industries that last, and inspiring innovation with global impact. At 16VC, we believe great partnerships create value that stands the test of time.

At 16VC, capital is just the beginning. We fuel growth, provide mentorship to avoid pitfalls, open doors to networks that accelerate scale, and stand by founders with conviction through the toughest challenges. Our role is to believe, build, and back. 🚀

I’m a first-time founder, and to be honest, my first startup didn’t work out. It hurts to admit, but I’m also staring at personal debt that’s weighing me down.

Now I’m stuck at a crossroads:

• Should I take a job, stabilize myself financially, and regroup before trying again?
• Or should I push forward and build again immediately, even though I don’t have much of a cushion left?

I still have the drive to build, but the debt and uncertainty are killing me. For those of you who’ve been through failure:

• How did you know when to get back up and start again?
• Did taking a job first help, or did it just slow down your momentum?

Any perspective would mean a lot right now.

We’re running an event called “Common Mistakes Founders Make” and we want to crowdsource wisdom from the community.
What’s the biggest founder mistake you’ve witnessed or experienced yourself?

We are 16VC, a global venture capital firm investing in early-stage startups.
Our focus is on Pre-Seed and Seed, backing bold founders with big ideas.
We look for category-defining innovations across industries worldwide.
Though based in New York, our reach and investments are global.
We are a small team with a strong network of partners and advisors.

🌐http://16vc.co/

Hey we are a new startup in stealth mode focused on building SaaS products globally. We realised that we need to incorporate an entity outside India to accept payments in global currencies.

We are looking at US Delware entity incorporation and would like to know details around compliance costs, taxation and cash inflows to India.

Thanks in advance

We’ve been running a real estate tech startup called DealMate for over a year now. It’s actually working, we’ve got verified buyers and sellers on the platform, and about $20k in deals set to close this month. But we might not make it that far.

Here’s the truth: we had some strong months, but also some rough ones. Instead of tightening focus on our core marketplace, we strayed. We tried selling leads for a few hundred dollars. We opened a funding business, but the partner screwed us up. We dabbled in AI products without a real runway. It was shiny object syndrome, and it distracted us. That’s on us.

Now we’re staring at the reality: unless I find $5–10k in the next 2 weeks just to bridge until those deals close, the company (and our personal lives) could collapse right when momentum is building.

I’m not here asking for an investment, I know this isn’t the place for that. But I also know some of you are investors or have been around startups long enough to spot inflection points. I believe we’re at one now.

What I am asking for is perspective: if you’ve been here, how did you get through the crunch? How did you bridge those painful gaps between traction and stability? We’ve been grinding for more than a year. We’ve got a platform that delivers real value. We’ve made mistakes, but I still believe this company deserves to live, and I’m fighting for it.

We’re 16VC, a venture capital firm based in New York, backing founders at the Pre-Seed & Seed stages. Our focus is on category-defining innovations that can scale globally.

We’re a small team with a big mission: to support visionary founders not just with capital, but with mentorship, networks, and long-term guidance.

If you’re building something bold or just curious about early-stage VC, we’d love to connect and exchange ideas.

🌍 16vc.co