Founders are using AI to build incredible products. And now, I’m using it to evaluate their businesses. Here’s how…

When I was researching a startup in the past, I had to Google a hundred things and hope I’d find the right info. Team, possible competitors, market size, you name it.

Now, I have AI do most of it for me. Here’s my process:

1) Summarizing the meeting. I use Fathom to record, transcribe and summarize my meeting with the founder.

It’s incredible to be able to pull the transcript and summary whenever there’s a detail I can’t remember. It’s like having the founder right there with me throughout my research.

2) DeepSearch. I use Grok 3 DeepSearch to find every possible piece of information on the startup.

Grok routinely searches over 100 websites. I’ve found non-public sections of a startup’s website showing job openings, etc. These can tell you a lot about what’s going on at a company.

3) Reviews. Next, I look for any reviews or mentions of the startup’s service. DeepSearch is great for this too.

Do customers like it? What issues are they having?

4) Competitors. I also have DeepSearch look for any competitors the startup may have. Grok does a great job of summarizing what those competitors do.

This used to take endless Googling. I always dreaded it. But now, it’s incredibly easy and finds more than I ever did anyway.

5) Evaluate. Finally, I give Grok every piece of info I have on the startup, based on my research.

I prompt it “You are the world’s greatest angel investor. Do you want to invest in this startup?”

For this part, I use the Think function. This lets Grok take more time to self-prompt and come up with a great answer.

So far, Grok has agreed with me on what investments to make.

I’m not going to slavishly do what an AI tells me, though. Grok’s answer is just one data point among many.

Wrap-Up

I estimate that researching an investment takes me 30% less time with AI. I also get perhaps 50% more relevant information.

This research use to be a really painful process. Umpteen Google searches, reading through product reviews until my eyes pop out of my head.

It’s incredible how much easier it’s gotten in just the last year. I simply point Fathom and Grok in the right direction and they bring me all the info I need.

If you’re an investor, AI could make your work a lot easier. And if you’re a founder, AI could help you find competitors early.

Give it a try!

There will be no blog tomorrow. I’ll be at a conference.

See you Friday!

More on tech:

Using Grok 3 to Manage My Stock Portfolio

How Good is Grok 3?

Testing Alibaba’s New Qwen Model

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