99% of AI investors will lose money -and that's expected. Oli Hammond, Fuel Ventures

<p>Could the first wave of AI turn out to be a capital destruction event? On today&#39;s episode we&#39;re joined by Oli Hammond, Partner at Fuel Ventures, where he leads seed rounds of £1–2 million into B2B companies — and, full disclosure, a SyndicateRoom alumnus who started his career with us before going on to bigger things.</p><p>Oli believes AI will create enormous value — for a very small number of firms — while most startups in the application layer get swallowed by the very platforms they&#39;re built on. We dig into why he thinks 99% of the money chasing AI will lose, why regulated markets may be the last place software can still build a moat, and why founder–market fit misses the thing that matters most: whether a founder can deliver bad news early. Plus how a lead investor sells his money to the best founders, what Fuel&#39;s 1,800-strong investor network does for a portfolio company, and the top rule on Oli&#39;s list of eight — &quot;mediocre people with unique ideas don&#39;t work.&quot;</p><p>Enjoy the episode? Please like, subscribe and tell your friends, and leave a comment or question; we&#39;ll do our best to reply. </p><p>Follow Oli on LinkedIn, find Fuel Ventures at fuel.ventures, and see what we&#39;re doing at SyndicateRoom at syndicateroom.com</p><p>Learn about the <a href="https://www.syndicateroom.com/eis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Enterprise Investment Scheme</a>.</p><p></p>