Argu Ai
missed deal
Argu AI - Deal Memo
Status: Missed Stage: Seed Reason: No allocation — round oversubscribed ($3M of $4M already committed)
Summary
One-liner: Video Intelligence from prompt.
Founder:
- Ido Deu — LinkedIn
Round: Raising $4M Seed, $3M already committed. Lead investor setting price.
Why I Wanted In
Really liked the founder and what they're building. Video intelligence is a massive market and prompt-based video understanding is a compelling approach.
What Happened
Couldn't get allocation — round was oversubscribed before I could squeeze in.
Lessons / Notes
Keep relationship with Ido warm. If they raise again or start something new, want to be top of mind.
Contacts — Argu AI
Founders
| Name | Role | Phone | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ido Deutsch | CEO & Cofounder | ido@argu.ai | — | |
| Lior | CTO | — | — | — |
Relationship Timeline
- Oct 5, 2025 — Intro via a16z speedrun program
- Oct 8, 2025 — First contact with Ido
- Oct 10, 2025 — Founder call with Ido
- Oct 15, 2025 — Follow-up, pitched value add (APAC distribution)
- Oct 17, 2025 — Ido responded warmly, offered CTO intro for DD
- Oct 21-22, 2025 — Tried to syndicate with Wynn Wang (Colopl Next)
- Jan 2026 — Confirmed couldn't get allocation, round oversubscribed
Last Touchpoint
- Date: Oct 2025
- Status: Missed (no allocation)
- Next Action: Keep relationship warm, follow their progress, reach out for Series A
Notes — Argu AI
New entries at top.
Jan 2026 — Missed Allocation
Type: Missed opportunity
Summary: Wanted to invest but couldn't get allocation. Round raising $4M with $3M already committed. Lead investor setting the price.
Impressions:
- Really like the founder (Ido Deutsch)
- "Chat with your camera" / Video Intelligence from prompt is compelling
- Strong enough traction that round was oversubscribed
Follow-up: Stay connected with Ido. Good founder to back in future rounds or ventures.
Email Timeline
Oct 5, 2025 — a16z Speedrun Intro
Source: a16z speedrun program connected Steven with Argu
Oct 8, 2025 — First Contact
Ido Deutsch (CEO & Cofounder) responded to intro. Scheduled initial call.
Oct 10, 2025 — Founder Call
Had call with Ido. Some scheduling hiccups but connected successfully.
Oct 15, 2025 — Follow-up & Value Add Pitch
Steven to Ido:
"Really appreciate your time last week to connect. I can be of value when you are ready to sell into Taiwan, the Philippines, or Japan. Understand you're oversubscribed already but I'm still very interested to learn more about your technology. Can I get some time with your CTO to ask some technical diligence questions?"
Oct 17, 2025 — Ido's Response (Key Message)
Ido to Steven:
"I'd truly love to have you as both a partner and an investor. At the moment, I can't commit to any allocations just yet (good problems to have!), but my goal is to bring in the best strategic partners that Argu deserves, and I'd be happy to work with you."
"Can you confirm the amount you're considering investing? So I'll add it to our allocation considerations. After that, I'll arrange a meeting with Lior, our CTO, to support your diligence process."
Note: Ido offered to connect with Lior (CTO) for technical DD if Steven confirmed investment amount.
Oct 21-22, 2025 — Fighting for Allocation
Steven to Wynn Wang (Colopl Next):
"Argu is in extremely high demand so I'm basically fighting for an allocation. If you're interested please let me know so I can ask for more allocations and we come in together in a syndicate."
Wynn's response:
"About Argu, do you happen to know their closing timeline? Sounds like it's already oversubscribed, so we might pass this round due to the tight timing."
Key Takeaways
- Source: a16z speedrun program — good deal flow channel
- Product: "AI YOUR CAMERAS" — chat with your camera, real-time video understanding
- Team: Ido Deutsch (CEO), Lior (CTO)
- Why missed: Round oversubscribed, couldn't get allocation despite trying to syndicate
- Relationship: Ido was warm and open — keep relationship alive for future