AI is no longer a startup pitch differentiator, says Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath

Planning a startup investment pitch? Leading with artificial intelligence may no longer be the attention-grabber you expect it to be. For investors seeing countless decks every day, simply saying that your product uses AI can make your pitch look similar to dozens of others.

This is the concern Zerodha founder and CEO Nithin Kamath recently raised in a post on X, where he said the number of investment decks he receives that begin with “we use AI” has become ridiculous.

AI is just table stakes now

Kamath said the repeated focus on AI in startup pitches has reached a point where it automatically makes him roll his eyes, adding that he has “almost stopped looking at them.”

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His larger message to founders is that AI itself is no longer enough to make a startup stand out. According to Kamath, founders need to understand that AI has effectively become “table stakes” rather than a unique selling point.

He compared highlighting AI usage to bragging about taking a bath every day - something that is no longer impressive or differentiating.

For founders, that means simply mentioning AI at the top of an investment deck could work against them rather than attract investor attention.

Investors want more than an ‘AI’ label

Kamath also warned that opening a pitch with AI is a “surefire way” to get ignored, not only by Zerodha’s investment team but potentially by most serious venture capitalists.

The underlying issue is not necessarily the technology itself. Instead, investors want to understand what makes a startup genuinely valuable, difficult to replicate and capable of building a sustainable business.

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If AI is being used, founders may need to explain what it actually enables rather than treating the technology as the central reason an investor should care.

AI has also changed how startup decks look

There is another challenge emerging from the widespread adoption of AI tools. Kamath pointed out that AI has made it easier for almost anyone to create “nice-looking” investment decks.

That means polished slides alone are unlikely to impress investors. In fact, using the same AI tools as everyone else while presenting the same generic AI-focused messaging can make a startup blend into the crowd.

For you as a founder, the takeaway is simple - don't make AI the headline unless it genuinely defines the business. Your problem, solution, market, traction and differentiation need to give investors a reason to keep reading.