Building the AI Super Connector with Andrew D’Souza, Founder of Boardy and Clearco
Andrew D'Souza, who scaled Clearco to nine figures, presents a contrarian approach to AI-powered networking with Boardy—optimizing for 'goodwill' rather than traditional matching metrics. He argues that while most platforms reduce humans to data points, truly effective founder-investor connections require AI that captures the multidimensional nature of relationships and chemistry.
Key takeaways
- •Optimize AI networking systems for goodwill as the primary objective function, not traditional engagement or conversion metrics.
- •Great connectors expand human dimensionality in their databases rather than reducing people to simple LinkedIn profiles or funding data.
- •AI matching platforms fail when they try to replace real conversations—the technology should facilitate better human connections, not automate them.
- •Trust operates as a hidden currency in startup introductions that can make or break fundraising outcomes.
- •Multidimensional mapping of founder-investor chemistry requires capturing insights beyond what's publicly available on standard databases.
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This AI connector optimizes for goodwill instead of traditional metrics
Gordy is when you think about any unsupervised learning system, you're trying to optimize an objective function or a cost function. For Gordy, that is goodwill. Right? How much goodwill can I actually accumulate across my entire network? And can I make intelligent bets in the introductions that I make that will lead to good conversations and, you know, economic value and and good outcomes of deals such that I continue to expand the goodwill, not only by expanding the network, but actually deepening the relationships that I have and the trust that I have with everybody in that that that network? And, Andrew, we've talked a bit about just a general connector
on large networks, But can you also do private networks? So, like, we've had 230 odd guests on rider unicorns. Could we create a private network
“What is their unique worldview that nobody else shares?”
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