Avnir
passed deal
Avnir
Summary
- One-liner: AI-powered relationship intelligence platform — "mapping the world's invisible asset: relationships"
- Founder: David Nour (dnour@avnir.com)
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Website: https://www.avnir.com/
- Founded: 2023
- Raised: $1.73M
- Team: ~10-14 employees
Investment Thesis
1000x Opportunity?
No. "Relationship intelligence" is a crowded space competing with LinkedIn, Apollo, Clay, and countless CRM tools. The positioning as "Relationship Economics" suggests a consulting brand being productized with AI, not a category-creating technology company. Target market of "boutique advisory firms" is also limited TAM.
Kingmaker Fit?
No. David Nour is a thought leader, speaker, and author — not a technical founder building category-defining technology. His background is in consulting, coaching, and executive education. More importantly, he's still actively recruiting a technical co-founder/CTO in 2026, three years after founding. This is a fundamental gap.
Green Flags
- Founder has built a personal brand and audience (Forbes, Thinkers50)
- Some traction: ~14 employees, $1.73M raised
- Graph analytics + AI + privacy-first design is technically interesting positioning
- Clearly articulated vision around "relationship value"
Red Flags
- No technical co-founder — actively recruiting CTO in Jan 2026, 3 years post-founding
- Founder profile mismatch — speaker/author/coach, not builder
- Crowded market — CRM, relationship intelligence, sales tools are commoditizing
- Consulting brand wrapper — "Relationship Economics" is his book/consulting brand, now with AI
- Relationship history — rejected Worca as "too early" in July 2024, now seeking investment
Key Questions
- N/A (already decided to pass)
Decision
Pass — The missing technical co-founder is disqualifying on its own. Three years into building an AI company and still recruiting a CTO signals fundamental execution issues. Combined with the founder profile (thought leader, not builder) and crowded market, this doesn't fit the 1000x or kingmaker thesis.
Relationship Context
- July 2024: Steven pitched Worca services to Avnir. David declined: "We're way too early and, as such, not a good prospect for you."
- Dec 2025 - Jan 2026: David reached out for angel investment. Scheduled/rescheduled meetings. Mentioned he's in Bay Area 1/19-1/30 looking for both investors AND a tech co-founder/CTO.
Avnir — Contacts
Founders
| Name | Role | Phone | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Nour | Founder & CEO | dnour@avnir.com | 404-462-1041 (W) / 404-913-2820 (C) |
Background
- David Nour: "Relationship Economics" thought leader, speaker, author
- Thinkers50 Radar, Forbes Leadership columnist, Inc. columnist
- Previous: GTMfund, Sales Community, Emory Goizueta Business School, Honey Tate Publishing
- Based in Atlanta, GA; office at 255 California St (SF Financial District) when in Bay Area
Team Gaps
- No technical co-founder/CTO — actively recruiting as of Jan 2026
Relationship Timeline
| Date | Type | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 5, 2024 | Steven pitched Worca to Avnir. David declined — "too early" | |
| Dec 22, 2025 | Calendar | Meeting scheduled, then declined/rescheduled |
| Dec 29, 2025 | David asked about Steven's investment sweet spot | |
| Jan 2, 2026 | David sent "Angel Investor Journey" link, offered Bay Area coffee meeting |
Last Touchpoint
- Date: Jan 2, 2026
- Status: Passed on investment
- Next Action: None — pass communicated
Avnir — Notes
2026-01 — Pass Decision
- Type: Investment decision
- Summary: Passed on Avnir. Founder David Nour is a thought leader/author type, not a technical founder. Most critically, he's still recruiting a technical co-founder/CTO three years after founding — major red flag for an AI company.
Email History Context
Interesting relationship reversal:
- July 2024: Steven pitched Worca to Avnir as a potential customer (offshore engineering talent)
- David replied: "We're way too early and, as such, not a good prospect for you"
- 18 months later: David is now pitching Steven for angel investment
- David mentioned he's looking for BOTH angel investors AND a tech co-founder/CTO
Red Flags Identified
- No technical co-founder — 3 years in, still recruiting CTO
- Founder is a speaker/author — "Relationship Economics" is his consulting brand
- AI wrapper on consulting — productizing thought leadership, not building tech company
- Crowded space — CRM/relationship intelligence is commoditizing
Product Notes
- "Relationship Bank™", "Relationship Map™", "Relationship Plan™" — trademark-heavy branding
- Targeting "boutique advisory firms" — limited TAM
- Claims AI + graph analytics + privacy-first design
Decision
Pass — Missing technical co-founder is disqualifying. Founder profile doesn't match 1000x thesis. Would need to see a strong technical co-founder join before reconsidering.