Insight certainty 4/5 debate potential 3/5

Startup founders are inaccurately pitching non-recurring revenue as ARR

Leigh Marie Braswell · Windsurf: The Making of a Billion-Dollar AI Company | Leigh Marie Braswell, Kleiner Perkins · Sourcery with Molly O'Shea · May 2, 2025 · at 26:20

Kleiner Perkins partner Leigh Marie Braswell warns against distorted revenue reporting standards in AI startup pitches.

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“Many, many times I have heard something that is not predictable, that is not recurring, be described as error. And that, you know, historically, you know, traditionally error is, is predictable. It's recurring. It's like signed, you know, contracts, usually they're live. And so like it, it's fine to use these other metrics, but it's, I think important to be intellectually honest as a founder and not call it ARR.”

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