One Person, $1B Revenue: How AI Changed the VC Playbook

Hey friends, Alberto here — hope you're enjoying your Sunday!

Let’s start with a question:

What if the next billion-dollar company is built by one person... with zero outside funding?

It’s already happening.

And this is not a drill.

A few weeks ago, I came across a wild story from Henry Shi (founder of Super.com). He talked about a startup doing $1 BILLION in revenue — with just 30 employees.

No VC funding. No blitz-scaling. Just smart use of AI.

The founder? Turning down term sheets left and right. In 2025. 🤯

Before we dive in…

Imagine if you could go back in time and buy shares in Airbnb before it went public — not just use it, but actually own a part of it.

That’s what Pacaso might be for this decade.

They’re building the future of luxury second-home ownership — a $200B+ market — and they've already passed $1 billion in real estate sold, all while letting everyday investors grab equity before an IPO is even announced.

No hype. No crypto. No middlemen.
Just real assets. Real equity. Real upside.

👉 Click here to see why over 5,000 people have invested already.

He’s already IPO’d once – this time’s different

Spencer Rascoff grew Zillow from seed to IPO. But everyday investors couldn’t join until then, missing early gains. So he did things differently with Pacaso. They’ve made $110M+ in gross profits disrupting a $1.3T market. And after reserving the Nasdaq ticker PCSO, you can join for $2.80/share until 5/29.

Invest today for $2.80/share.

_{This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals. Under Regulation A+, a company has the ability to change its share price by up to 20%, without requalifying the offering with the SEC.}

🚀 The Old Startup Playbook Is Dead

You know the classic Silicon Valley formula:

• Raise $200M+

• Hire 200+ employees

• Spend like crazy chasing growth

But now?

One founder + a few AI tools = $10M+ in revenue.
And they’re doing it in half the time — with 1/10th the team.

These new “AI-native” companies are blowing the doors off traditional venture logic. Check this out:

• $3.7M in revenue per employee (10x the SaaS average)

• $144M in company value per employee

• Teams as small as 4 or 5 people — and they’re profitable

Let me repeat that: companies with 4 people are now doing $10M+ ARR. 😳

📈 The Companies Already Doing It

Here are a few lean, mean, AI-powered machines:

• Telegram: $1B ARR with ~30 people

• Fal: $40M ARR with 25 people

• Cal AI: $12M ARR with just 4 people

• OpenArt (we’re early investors): $15M ARR, 10 people, infinite runway

These aren’t “maybe someday” companies — they’re live, scaling, and profitable.

🧨 This Changes Everything for Investors

If you’re a VC... this is terrifying.

The old model was: invest early, help them scale, wait 10 years for a big win.

But what happens when the best startups don’t need your money?

Here’s what we’re seeing:

• VCs are getting boxed out or forced to invest at sky-high valuations

• More founders are skipping funding rounds entirely

• Wealth is being built through ownership — not dilution

And for those of us investing as individuals? It’s a once-in-a-generation opening.

Get in early. Get in small. Watch it compound.

💡 Where This Is Going

Here’s what we think is next:

1. “One and Done” Funding
   Founders raise one smart round, then grow through revenue. VC optional.

2. More Capital Flows to Hard Tech
   The AI apps need less money — so VC dollars will shift to capital-heavy sectors like space, hardware, biotech, etc.

3. New Investment Models
   Think: revenue-share deals, micro-SPVs, dividend-based rounds.

We’re already building around this with our Deal Sheet product — finding capital-efficient, fast-moving private investments that most people never get access to.

This is the kind of shift where fortunes are made.

That’s it for today.

See you next time — and remember:
AI doesn’t just change how we work…
It changes who gets to build wealth.

Stay smart,
Alberto from Founderscrowd