Arman Kassym
@armankassym.com
Startup Investor | Exploring venture insights with a fresh, casual twist. From AI to economics, sociology to tech - real conversations, bold ideas, endless curiosity.✌️
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/arkassym/
🌐 https://armankassym.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/arkassym/
🌐 https://armankassym.com/
Silence is becoming the new luxury. The right to live without algorithms is slowly turning into a privilege for the wealthy. From offline retreats to signal proof homes, absence is starting to cost more than presence.
January 9, 2026 at 12:24 PM
Silence is becoming the new luxury. The right to live without algorithms is slowly turning into a privilege for the wealthy. From offline retreats to signal proof homes, absence is starting to cost more than presence.
AI giants won't kill niche shopping startups. Broad models are great for "sneakers," terrible for "linen new-look summer dress." Depth wins: cleaned catalogs, real textures, fit logic. Big players bring scale; verticals bring context.
In this game, expertise is the moat.
In this game, expertise is the moat.
January 8, 2026 at 12:51 PM
AI giants won't kill niche shopping startups. Broad models are great for "sneakers," terrible for "linen new-look summer dress." Depth wins: cleaned catalogs, real textures, fit logic. Big players bring scale; verticals bring context.
In this game, expertise is the moat.
In this game, expertise is the moat.
Being first does not make you the best. But it makes you the one people notice.
Quality can catch up later
Quality can catch up later
January 7, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Being first does not make you the best. But it makes you the one people notice.
Quality can catch up later
Quality can catch up later
They said, "AI would reduce my workload.”
Now I have more tasks, more ideas, and more things I suddenly care about finishing.
Sitting here, wondering what exactly I misunderstood.
Now I have more tasks, more ideas, and more things I suddenly care about finishing.
Sitting here, wondering what exactly I misunderstood.
January 6, 2026 at 12:43 PM
They said, "AI would reduce my workload.”
Now I have more tasks, more ideas, and more things I suddenly care about finishing.
Sitting here, wondering what exactly I misunderstood.
Now I have more tasks, more ideas, and more things I suddenly care about finishing.
Sitting here, wondering what exactly I misunderstood.
Planning to experiment with Bluesky to make it more relevant for me. I want to tune feeds and custom lists.
If I remove Discover and For You and focus on Following plus niche feeds, the platform should become calmer and actually useful.
If I remove Discover and For You and focus on Following plus niche feeds, the platform should become calmer and actually useful.
January 5, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Planning to experiment with Bluesky to make it more relevant for me. I want to tune feeds and custom lists.
If I remove Discover and For You and focus on Following plus niche feeds, the platform should become calmer and actually useful.
If I remove Discover and For You and focus on Following plus niche feeds, the platform should become calmer and actually useful.
May your 2026 be filled with laughter, bright ideas, and kind connections. Wishing you a joyful New Year from my corner of the sky to yours! 🎇✨
January 1, 2026 at 4:07 AM
May your 2026 be filled with laughter, bright ideas, and kind connections. Wishing you a joyful New Year from my corner of the sky to yours! 🎇✨
Did a quick year-end check on my VC predictions for 2025. Turns out most of them actually played out. Not a euphoric year, but a solid one for the industry.
December 30, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Did a quick year-end check on my VC predictions for 2025. Turns out most of them actually played out. Not a euphoric year, but a solid one for the industry.
If AI takes over online communication, will offline clubs make a comeback?
If the internet becomes less human, will face-to-face become more valuable?
If the internet becomes less human, will face-to-face become more valuable?
December 26, 2025 at 11:26 AM
If AI takes over online communication, will offline clubs make a comeback?
If the internet becomes less human, will face-to-face become more valuable?
If the internet becomes less human, will face-to-face become more valuable?
TechCrunch spots a new buyer: zombie hunters. They acquire $-5M ARR SaaS that can’t raise but won’t die, streamline ops, lift prices, and run them at 20-30% margins. AI eats big markets, but steady niches survive. Not VC-scale, but perfect for operators and a real option for founders.
December 25, 2025 at 3:11 PM
TechCrunch spots a new buyer: zombie hunters. They acquire $-5M ARR SaaS that can’t raise but won’t die, streamline ops, lift prices, and run them at 20-30% margins. AI eats big markets, but steady niches survive. Not VC-scale, but perfect for operators and a real option for founders.
Would be great to isolate $10-30m early-stage funds. In theory, smaller fund size + concentrated portfolios should accelerate TVPI. In practice, does it help reach top-decile curves or just amplify volatility?
December 24, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Would be great to isolate $10-30m early-stage funds. In theory, smaller fund size + concentrated portfolios should accelerate TVPI. In practice, does it help reach top-decile curves or just amplify volatility?
Prediction markets might outgrow stock markets: there are simply more events than public equities. And unlike crypto’s early hype, this has clear utility - crowdsourced probabilities for anything. Exchanges, wallets, AI risk tools… the stack is forming fast. Anyone here building for it?
December 22, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Prediction markets might outgrow stock markets: there are simply more events than public equities. And unlike crypto’s early hype, this has clear utility - crowdsourced probabilities for anything. Exchanges, wallets, AI risk tools… the stack is forming fast. Anyone here building for it?
ML experts: It may well be that AI spends 100k hours on what a teen learns in ten not because it’s slow, but because it can’t feel when it’s wrong. No emotions, no instant feedback. Until we fix that loop, scaling is just an expensive detour.
December 19, 2025 at 2:15 PM
ML experts: It may well be that AI spends 100k hours on what a teen learns in ten not because it’s slow, but because it can’t feel when it’s wrong. No emotions, no instant feedback. Until we fix that loop, scaling is just an expensive detour.
What is it like to work with AI - not as a tool, but as a client?
I'm about to find out and share.
Joined Boardy Ventures as a Deal Partner - the world’s first AI-led fund built with AngelList, meeting founders early and moving fast.
Founders preparing to raise - reach out.
I'm about to find out and share.
Joined Boardy Ventures as a Deal Partner - the world’s first AI-led fund built with AngelList, meeting founders early and moving fast.
Founders preparing to raise - reach out.
December 18, 2025 at 12:24 PM
What is it like to work with AI - not as a tool, but as a client?
I'm about to find out and share.
Joined Boardy Ventures as a Deal Partner - the world’s first AI-led fund built with AngelList, meeting founders early and moving fast.
Founders preparing to raise - reach out.
I'm about to find out and share.
Joined Boardy Ventures as a Deal Partner - the world’s first AI-led fund built with AngelList, meeting founders early and moving fast.
Founders preparing to raise - reach out.
ElevenLabs' investor flags two red lights for startups: weak tech teams and overheated markets. True. But no single factor decides fate - it's how attributes mesh. Airbnb had weak tech early but killer timing + grit. That synergy is what investors hunt.
December 17, 2025 at 12:38 PM
ElevenLabs' investor flags two red lights for startups: weak tech teams and overheated markets. True. But no single factor decides fate - it's how attributes mesh. Airbnb had weak tech early but killer timing + grit. That synergy is what investors hunt.
I like this example because it shows how they earned their way up step by step, rebuilding the story, tightening GTM, proving they matter outside IT. Most teams never build that muscle. Early traction is easy; moving into the next segment is where the real work and real alpha begin.
December 16, 2025 at 1:58 PM
I like this example because it shows how they earned their way up step by step, rebuilding the story, tightening GTM, proving they matter outside IT. Most teams never build that muscle. Early traction is easy; moving into the next segment is where the real work and real alpha begin.
Investors fear recession less and political unpredictability more. Valuations shift with it: less love for bold forecasts, more for real unit economics and operational grip. Exits feel hazier, so practical liquidity paths matter again - CVs, LP secondaries, all the unsexy but solid stuff.
December 15, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Investors fear recession less and political unpredictability more. Valuations shift with it: less love for bold forecasts, more for real unit economics and operational grip. Exits feel hazier, so practical liquidity paths matter again - CVs, LP secondaries, all the unsexy but solid stuff.
It's a pity the Bluesky team couldn't ride the wave when the momentum was there.
Maybe they traded short-term growth for a cleaner, more solid technical foundation. Hard to say from the outside. We'll see if that choice pays off later.
Maybe they traded short-term growth for a cleaner, more solid technical foundation. Hard to say from the outside. We'll see if that choice pays off later.
December 12, 2025 at 12:08 PM
It's a pity the Bluesky team couldn't ride the wave when the momentum was there.
Maybe they traded short-term growth for a cleaner, more solid technical foundation. Hard to say from the outside. We'll see if that choice pays off later.
Maybe they traded short-term growth for a cleaner, more solid technical foundation. Hard to say from the outside. We'll see if that choice pays off later.
More VCs are rolling out their own AI scouts.
For founders, it means this: the clearer and easier your startup story is to parse, the higher the odds the model flags you. And that is often what leads to the message every founder wants to see: I came across your product, and it caught my attention.
For founders, it means this: the clearer and easier your startup story is to parse, the higher the odds the model flags you. And that is often what leads to the message every founder wants to see: I came across your product, and it caught my attention.
December 11, 2025 at 1:24 PM
More VCs are rolling out their own AI scouts.
For founders, it means this: the clearer and easier your startup story is to parse, the higher the odds the model flags you. And that is often what leads to the message every founder wants to see: I came across your product, and it caught my attention.
For founders, it means this: the clearer and easier your startup story is to parse, the higher the odds the model flags you. And that is often what leads to the message every founder wants to see: I came across your product, and it caught my attention.
Most early struggles I see are demand-finding problems. And no investor can solve that. All we can really do is point teams back to the market.
December 10, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Most early struggles I see are demand-finding problems. And no investor can solve that. All we can really do is point teams back to the market.
Enterprises now have the same APIs, model weights, and fine-tuning tools as startups. Which means you’re not just competing with other founders - you're competing with your own customers. Welcome to the most polite arms race in tech.
December 9, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Enterprises now have the same APIs, model weights, and fine-tuning tools as startups. Which means you’re not just competing with other founders - you're competing with your own customers. Welcome to the most polite arms race in tech.
Markets rarely shift just because a new model appears. They shift when the culture on the ground is ready. Most places don’t need another ChatGPT anyway. Some markets welcome a push, others barely tolerate fast change. Being essential at home beats being "innovative" in the abstract.
December 8, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Markets rarely shift just because a new model appears. They shift when the culture on the ground is ready. Most places don’t need another ChatGPT anyway. Some markets welcome a push, others barely tolerate fast change. Being essential at home beats being "innovative" in the abstract.
Every month feels different, but December hits in its own way. Something in it brings back that small, familiar spark we had as kids.
Enjoy the weekend.
Enjoy the weekend.
December 5, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Every month feels different, but December hits in its own way. Something in it brings back that small, familiar spark we had as kids.
Enjoy the weekend.
Enjoy the weekend.
These curves make one thing obvious: we're not in the old venture world anymore. Three companies pull ARR like this, and the rest of the market just becomes their orbit.
December 4, 2025 at 12:21 PM
These curves make one thing obvious: we're not in the old venture world anymore. Three companies pull ARR like this, and the rest of the market just becomes their orbit.
"Team" still matters, but an early-stage startup has its own texture. Most first-year teams lean on founders who jump between sales, product, and support in the same day. Experience helps, but the ones who break through are usually the ones who move faster than the market and stay steady.
December 3, 2025 at 12:50 PM
"Team" still matters, but an early-stage startup has its own texture. Most first-year teams lean on founders who jump between sales, product, and support in the same day. Experience helps, but the ones who break through are usually the ones who move faster than the market and stay steady.
Not every experiment deserves attention. We chase quantity because it looks like movement, but the meaningful tests are the few that actually change the direction you’re on. Everything else easy to undo.
December 2, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Not every experiment deserves attention. We chase quantity because it looks like movement, but the meaningful tests are the few that actually change the direction you’re on. Everything else easy to undo.