The Fortune 100 Trap: Why AI Startups Are Wasting Time Chasing Big Customers

Andreessen Horowitz has identified a founder mistake: chasing prestige logos at Fortune 100 companies as a growth lever. These deals require sales cycles that span multiple funding rounds and lock engineering resources without closing. The alternative is building "lighthouse" products that gain velocity through smaller, faster-converting segments first—a constraint that enforces product-market fit discipline.