Ask HN: How do you get traction for AI startups not funded by YC (or equivalent)
1. Training large models requires a lot of capital and GPU
2. Large models (OpenAI, Anthropic etc.) are absorbing functionality offered by startups with new releases. For example, ChatGPT can perform numerous operations on CSV and PDF leaving hundreds of startups moot.
3. A negative climate has built whenever people say AI. This may be due to overmarketing, overpromise on what was possible.
4. No marketing budget for early stage startups
5. Biased treatment by large players. For example, Google promotes Reddit. Reddit promotes ChatGPT, Claude whenever someone signs up. Reddit immediately removes other startup posts whenever it reads like a promotion.
6. Hard to get people use new AI when they distrust or already have hundreds of other solutions offering same thing.
How do you differentiate in this case and how do you market? I know BoltAI got descent traction. Are there any other examples of how people are getting traction when building AI startup?
Suggest any marketing methods that you know worked either for your or other startups.