Bhavye Khetan, a UC Berkeley alumnus of Indian origin, conducted an eye-opening experiment revealing how prestigious school names and trendy buzzwords can open doors—even without substance. Khetan created a fictitious founder profile and sent cold emails to 34 venture capitalists (VCs), using terms like “Stanford,” “AI,” and “Palantir.” To his surprise, 27 responded and four requested calls, despite him having no product, pitch, or business plan.
Social Media Post Goes Viral
Sharing his experience on X (formerly Twitter), Khetan challenged the startup and VC world’s fixation on appearances. He tweeted on June 2, “I made a fake founder persona. No product. No pitch. No deck. Just: – Stanford CS – Ex-Palantir – Used the word ‘AI’ 3 times. Sent cold emails to 34 VCs. 27 replied. 4 asked for a call. This game is rigged in ways most people don’t understand.” The tweet has since surpassed 1.2 million views and triggered intense discussions online.
Mixed Reactions from the Community
Many agreed with Khetan’s critique, highlighting how flashy credentials often overshadow real talent or ideas. Yet, others criticized the approach, calling the stunt dishonest and undermining his message. One user commented, “I heard about a guy who faked his CV with/ similar founder, tech nonsense & landed major consulting & then executive jobs this way. The entire climb up the ladder, he delegated key tasks he had no idea how to do himself to underlings. Now he’s CFO at a Fortune 500, clearing 500K a year.”
Another wrote, “This is stupid. You lied. Stanford is meaningful. Palantir is meaningful. AI is meaningful. The only person acting inappropriately is you.” Others pointed out that deception might gain initial attention but would be quickly exposed: “I don’t think it’s rigged, if you lie, of course, they will take your call, but I think you won’t get past that when they figure out you are lying pretty quickly.”
Insights on Hiring Bias in Startups
The conversation also touched on how hiring practices in startups often favor elite university graduates, sometimes at the cost of overlooking experience. One user said, “It doesn’t stop there. Some of these founders only consider candidates who graduated from elite universities. We’ve received specific requests for sales positions where graduating from a top-tier school is a non-negotiable requirement. Candidates from other schools won’t even be considered, regardless of work history. I get it if you’re hiring for an entry-level role. But once people have some WE, it’s a mistake.”
Khetan’s experiment continues to fuel debates on ethics, credibility, and the true criteria for success in the startup ecosystem.