I built Vance, an AI SuperConnector that makes warm introductions between founders and investors (and eventually anyone who needs the right connection).
You just tell Vance what you’re looking for - e.g. “I’m raising for my seed round” or “Looking for a co-founder in AI” and he finds the right person from your extended network to introduce you to.
Right now, we’re experimenting with curated networks like IITs, IIMs, and founder communities to help Vance build context and trust.
I’d love feedback from this community -
1. Is this something you’d use? 2. How do you think about privacy/trust in AI led intros? 3. Any thoughts on building strong network density early on?
Would really appreciate any suggestions or brutally honest feedback
Here’s the link if you want to try it: https://vance.so
rluther5•1h ago
Warm intros aren't just about “matching nodes on a graph.” They’re about credibility and skin in the game. When an actual person introduces you, they’re implicitly staking their reputation. An AI “superconnector” can’t do that — at least not in a way investors or founders will trust when the stakes are real.
Also, the trend of turning personal networks into monetizable data graphs is getting pretty dystopian. We keep saying “privacy matters” while happily piping personal+contextual trust data into the next startup. I’m sure the intentions are good, but this is the kind of tool that looks harmless until it isn’t.
HN crowd will hate me for this, but if your startup only works when you get early density from elite gated networks (IIT/IIM/YC/etc.), the “ democratizing access to opportunity” narrative rings a little hollow.
Not saying this can’t become useful — but I’d want to see:
Crystal-clear privacy commitments Evidence that investors actually trust AI-mediated intros Proof it works beyond curated privilege clusters
Right now it feels closer to automating the illusion of warm intros than the real thing.
yednap868•1h ago
Warm intros work because they’re human. When someone introduces you, they’re putting their reputation behind it. Vance isn’t trying to replace that, it’s more like helping people make those intros faster and smarter. The AI just understands context and timing, the human still approves the intro.
On privacy, completely get the concern. We don’t scrape or sell data. Everything is opt-in through alumni or founder networks that choose to partner. It’s less about monetizing networks and more about making them actually useful.
And yeah, starting with IIT/IIM-type clusters is just to prove that the model works where trust density is high. The long-term goal is to open this up so access to good intros isn’t a privilege.
Appreciate you sharing this, these are exactly the kind of questions that help us build this right.