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/
The most expensive mistake in VC is treating social proof as proof of value. A crowd can be impressive and still be wrong. Parties, panels and press create a noisy dataset. Real signals come from customers who return, numbers that keep moving and founders who solve real problems.
November 19, 2025 at 12:15 PM
The most expensive mistake in VC is treating social proof as proof of value. A crowd can be impressive and still be wrong. Parties, panels and press create a noisy dataset. Real signals come from customers who return, numbers that keep moving and founders who solve real problems.
In emerging markets, the real moat is the ability to operate in chaos. Tech helps, but endurance matters more. Most competitors quit long before they run out of features - they run out of patience, discipline, or clarity. But those who survive are worth watching.
November 18, 2025 at 12:14 PM
In emerging markets, the real moat is the ability to operate in chaos. Tech helps, but endurance matters more. Most competitors quit long before they run out of features - they run out of patience, discipline, or clarity. But those who survive are worth watching.
Tested Threads for a bit. It feels faster than Bluesky, but there’s a lot of noise, the algorithm takes ages to figure you out, and there are fewer ways to control your feed.
Funny thing: Kazakh users are unusually active - people joke it’s a local network now.
Funny thing: Kazakh users are unusually active - people joke it’s a local network now.
November 17, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Tested Threads for a bit. It feels faster than Bluesky, but there’s a lot of noise, the algorithm takes ages to figure you out, and there are fewer ways to control your feed.
Funny thing: Kazakh users are unusually active - people joke it’s a local network now.
Funny thing: Kazakh users are unusually active - people joke it’s a local network now.
I see yet another angle here. When marketing turns into a list of tricks, it rarely works. But when you talk about what you build because you genuinely want to share it, people notice. Honest intent is easy to read. It does not replace solid execution, but it makes everything else clearer.
Most people get frustrated with #marketing.
Because they follow hyped advice, not knowing that only strategic marketing execution will produce results.
It's not your fault.
You weren't taught how to set up and interpret campaign data.
You were lured into acting fast based on FOMO.
Because they follow hyped advice, not knowing that only strategic marketing execution will produce results.
It's not your fault.
You weren't taught how to set up and interpret campaign data.
You were lured into acting fast based on FOMO.
November 17, 2025 at 2:47 AM
I see yet another angle here. When marketing turns into a list of tricks, it rarely works. But when you talk about what you build because you genuinely want to share it, people notice. Honest intent is easy to read. It does not replace solid execution, but it makes everything else clearer.
How’s everyone liking ChatGPT 5.1 so far?
Feels like a direct answer to all the "too dry, too formal" complaints about the original 5.0.
They’re pitching it as "warmer, smarter, more precise - better at following your instructions and matching your tone."
Does it feel that way to you?
Feels like a direct answer to all the "too dry, too formal" complaints about the original 5.0.
They’re pitching it as "warmer, smarter, more precise - better at following your instructions and matching your tone."
Does it feel that way to you?
November 13, 2025 at 6:46 AM
How’s everyone liking ChatGPT 5.1 so far?
Feels like a direct answer to all the "too dry, too formal" complaints about the original 5.0.
They’re pitching it as "warmer, smarter, more precise - better at following your instructions and matching your tone."
Does it feel that way to you?
Feels like a direct answer to all the "too dry, too formal" complaints about the original 5.0.
They’re pitching it as "warmer, smarter, more precise - better at following your instructions and matching your tone."
Does it feel that way to you?
"The more AI we have, the more we’ll need the human kind".
Can’t recall who said that. Might’ve been me 😁 .
Can’t recall who said that. Might’ve been me 😁 .
November 11, 2025 at 12:46 PM
"The more AI we have, the more we’ll need the human kind".
Can’t recall who said that. Might’ve been me 😁 .
Can’t recall who said that. Might’ve been me 😁 .
This year is ending with unusual feelings for me.
I’m usually excited about the long holidays, meetings, and trips.
But this year it feels different.
I’m usually excited about the long holidays, meetings, and trips.
But this year it feels different.
November 10, 2025 at 1:39 PM
This year is ending with unusual feelings for me.
I’m usually excited about the long holidays, meetings, and trips.
But this year it feels different.
I’m usually excited about the long holidays, meetings, and trips.
But this year it feels different.
Ever read a post by a famous expert and thought: "Brilliant logic, hard to argue" - only to realize later the facts were solid but the interpretations shaky?
Even the strongest rhetoric is just a hypothesis if it rests on sand, not stone.
Even the strongest rhetoric is just a hypothesis if it rests on sand, not stone.
August 27, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Ever read a post by a famous expert and thought: "Brilliant logic, hard to argue" - only to realize later the facts were solid but the interpretations shaky?
Even the strongest rhetoric is just a hypothesis if it rests on sand, not stone.
Even the strongest rhetoric is just a hypothesis if it rests on sand, not stone.
Why no “end at 30:00” button?
Zoom, Meet, Teams - timers, warnings, but no auto-end.
Just me, or does Big Video Call want our meetings to run long?
Zoom, Meet, Teams - timers, warnings, but no auto-end.
Just me, or does Big Video Call want our meetings to run long?
August 25, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Why no “end at 30:00” button?
Zoom, Meet, Teams - timers, warnings, but no auto-end.
Just me, or does Big Video Call want our meetings to run long?
Zoom, Meet, Teams - timers, warnings, but no auto-end.
Just me, or does Big Video Call want our meetings to run long?
Charisma can open the door, but it won’t keep you in the room.
Early-stage investors often fall for the founder, not the product. Yet what starts as dazzling energy can turn into stubbornness. Real leadership is proving worthy of the trust you inspired.
Early-stage investors often fall for the founder, not the product. Yet what starts as dazzling energy can turn into stubbornness. Real leadership is proving worthy of the trust you inspired.
August 18, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Charisma can open the door, but it won’t keep you in the room.
Early-stage investors often fall for the founder, not the product. Yet what starts as dazzling energy can turn into stubbornness. Real leadership is proving worthy of the trust you inspired.
Early-stage investors often fall for the founder, not the product. Yet what starts as dazzling energy can turn into stubbornness. Real leadership is proving worthy of the trust you inspired.
In every story, the main character is the storyteller.
Even when it seems to be about someone else, it's the storyteller who quietly shapes everything - the plot, the focus, the cast.
Even when it seems to be about someone else, it's the storyteller who quietly shapes everything - the plot, the focus, the cast.
August 15, 2025 at 11:30 AM
In every story, the main character is the storyteller.
Even when it seems to be about someone else, it's the storyteller who quietly shapes everything - the plot, the focus, the cast.
Even when it seems to be about someone else, it's the storyteller who quietly shapes everything - the plot, the focus, the cast.
YC just put out a call for startups to retrain workers for the AI economy.
Replacing instead of reforming sounds bold. But maybe that’s exactly what the system needs. YC’s move adds welcome diversity to a very stale space.
Replacing instead of reforming sounds bold. But maybe that’s exactly what the system needs. YC’s move adds welcome diversity to a very stale space.
August 13, 2025 at 12:02 PM
YC just put out a call for startups to retrain workers for the AI economy.
Replacing instead of reforming sounds bold. But maybe that’s exactly what the system needs. YC’s move adds welcome diversity to a very stale space.
Replacing instead of reforming sounds bold. But maybe that’s exactly what the system needs. YC’s move adds welcome diversity to a very stale space.
Really curious to see how U.S. regulation handles this shift. Other jurisdictions have been more cautious. Let’s see if this turns into a model - or a cautionary tale.
August 12, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Really curious to see how U.S. regulation handles this shift. Other jurisdictions have been more cautious. Let’s see if this turns into a model - or a cautionary tale.
Exactly. Innovation is not just about technology - it’s also about the rules that govern it. You can’t look at a new world through old lenses.
How Policy Shapes Startups: Bobby Franklin on the VC Silent Battle
What Washington gets wrong about venture, and why it matters to every founder
buff.ly
August 11, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Exactly. Innovation is not just about technology - it’s also about the rules that govern it. You can’t look at a new world through old lenses.
GPT-5 feels like a kid coming back home from college. Smarter in some ways, better at a few things… but somehow forgot half the stuff you taught him before he left.
August 8, 2025 at 11:10 AM
GPT-5 feels like a kid coming back home from college. Smarter in some ways, better at a few things… but somehow forgot half the stuff you taught him before he left.
If we're going to build gods, better a council than a monarch. Polytheistic AGI sounds like healthy digital pluralism.
www.linkedin.com/posts/a16z_b...
www.linkedin.com/posts/a16z_b...
Balaji says the default vision of AGI imagines a single all-powerful mind that might turn us into paperclips. | Andreessen Horowitz
Balaji says the default vision of AGI imagines a single all-powerful mind that might turn us into paperclips.
But there's another path: polytheistic AGI.
“At a minimum there's gonna be American AI a...
www.linkedin.com
July 29, 2025 at 1:11 PM
If we're going to build gods, better a council than a monarch. Polytheistic AGI sounds like healthy digital pluralism.
www.linkedin.com/posts/a16z_b...
www.linkedin.com/posts/a16z_b...
Big VC rounds vs small ones.
Sometimes moving in small steps gets you there faster, safer and, in the end, further.
Sometimes moving in small steps gets you there faster, safer and, in the end, further.
July 28, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Big VC rounds vs small ones.
Sometimes moving in small steps gets you there faster, safer and, in the end, further.
Sometimes moving in small steps gets you there faster, safer and, in the end, further.
How can AI help untrain your bias?
According to numerous accounts - backed by research - the accuracy of AI-generated answers often depends on how much a prompt nudges the model toward the outcome the user expects.
The less bias in your question, the more truth in the answer.
According to numerous accounts - backed by research - the accuracy of AI-generated answers often depends on how much a prompt nudges the model toward the outcome the user expects.
The less bias in your question, the more truth in the answer.
July 26, 2025 at 4:02 PM
How can AI help untrain your bias?
According to numerous accounts - backed by research - the accuracy of AI-generated answers often depends on how much a prompt nudges the model toward the outcome the user expects.
The less bias in your question, the more truth in the answer.
According to numerous accounts - backed by research - the accuracy of AI-generated answers often depends on how much a prompt nudges the model toward the outcome the user expects.
The less bias in your question, the more truth in the answer.
When you manage to create a viral post, it does stroke the ego, doesn’t it? The key in those moments is to remember: the attention of 10 right people matters more than 10,000 random ones.
Especially if you're building something deep and lasting - not just riding a wave.
Especially if you're building something deep and lasting - not just riding a wave.
July 25, 2025 at 12:01 PM
When you manage to create a viral post, it does stroke the ego, doesn’t it? The key in those moments is to remember: the attention of 10 right people matters more than 10,000 random ones.
Especially if you're building something deep and lasting - not just riding a wave.
Especially if you're building something deep and lasting - not just riding a wave.
The bitterest disappointment comes from mistakes made in a state of absolute certainty.
July 24, 2025 at 12:01 PM
The bitterest disappointment comes from mistakes made in a state of absolute certainty.
There’s nothing so reliable that a curious mind can’t break it.
July 23, 2025 at 12:01 PM
There’s nothing so reliable that a curious mind can’t break it.
Who’s your Peter in investing?
I don’t want weather reports from someone who just watched the forecast.
I want data from the one standing in the storm.
In startups, too, signal degrades with each retelling.
Find your Peter. Or become one.
I don’t want weather reports from someone who just watched the forecast.
I want data from the one standing in the storm.
In startups, too, signal degrades with each retelling.
Find your Peter. Or become one.
July 22, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Who’s your Peter in investing?
I don’t want weather reports from someone who just watched the forecast.
I want data from the one standing in the storm.
In startups, too, signal degrades with each retelling.
Find your Peter. Or become one.
I don’t want weather reports from someone who just watched the forecast.
I want data from the one standing in the storm.
In startups, too, signal degrades with each retelling.
Find your Peter. Or become one.
AI startups come in three flavors:
1. ChatGPT wrappers look slick but vanish when OpenAI sneezes
2. Vertical plays wire AI into health, finance, logistics, law
3. Core infra teams build the engines that power us all
Use my checklist to see if your bet survives model churn.
buff.ly/wR6IZe7
1. ChatGPT wrappers look slick but vanish when OpenAI sneezes
2. Vertical plays wire AI into health, finance, logistics, law
3. Core infra teams build the engines that power us all
Use my checklist to see if your bet survives model churn.
buff.ly/wR6IZe7
July 21, 2025 at 12:03 PM
AI startups come in three flavors:
1. ChatGPT wrappers look slick but vanish when OpenAI sneezes
2. Vertical plays wire AI into health, finance, logistics, law
3. Core infra teams build the engines that power us all
Use my checklist to see if your bet survives model churn.
buff.ly/wR6IZe7
1. ChatGPT wrappers look slick but vanish when OpenAI sneezes
2. Vertical plays wire AI into health, finance, logistics, law
3. Core infra teams build the engines that power us all
Use my checklist to see if your bet survives model churn.
buff.ly/wR6IZe7
If you’re not sure what to do next - start with recovery. Rest, reset, breathe. It’s never a waste of time. Clarity loves a rested mind, and momentum returns faster when you’re not running on fumes. Recovery is doing something. It’s doing what matters.
July 19, 2025 at 4:03 PM
If you’re not sure what to do next - start with recovery. Rest, reset, breathe. It’s never a waste of time. Clarity loves a rested mind, and momentum returns faster when you’re not running on fumes. Recovery is doing something. It’s doing what matters.
In a world where AI answers anything, your real edge is asking the right question.
“Would you buy this?” sounds smart - until 9 of 10 say yes… and none pay.
Try: “How do you solve this today?”
Clarity doesn’t come from volume. It comes from precision. Ask better, build better.
“Would you buy this?” sounds smart - until 9 of 10 say yes… and none pay.
Try: “How do you solve this today?”
Clarity doesn’t come from volume. It comes from precision. Ask better, build better.
July 18, 2025 at 12:03 PM
In a world where AI answers anything, your real edge is asking the right question.
“Would you buy this?” sounds smart - until 9 of 10 say yes… and none pay.
Try: “How do you solve this today?”
Clarity doesn’t come from volume. It comes from precision. Ask better, build better.
“Would you buy this?” sounds smart - until 9 of 10 say yes… and none pay.
Try: “How do you solve this today?”
Clarity doesn’t come from volume. It comes from precision. Ask better, build better.