“From AI Agency to €2.5M Seed: How Delos Built an AI Orchestration Platform | 20VC | Harry Stebbings” from “The AI Chopping Block” by pods4.me

Agency to €2.5M Platform: The Anti-Prompting Revolution That Caught 20VC's Attention Thibaut de la Grand'rive, CEO of Delos, reveals how they evolved from an AI consulting agency into a €2.5M-funded orchestration platform backed by Harry Stebbings' 20VC—without building a single AI model. Inside This Episode: • Why 90% of enterprise employees can't prompt AI (and how Delos eliminates prompting entirely) • The strategic agency-first approach that validated their product while getting paid for R&D • How orchestrating Claude, GPT, and Mistral creates more value than building your own LLM • Why Allianz and Shiseido chose Delos over 250+ vertical AI competitors The "Post-RAG" technology that goes beyond traditional AI implementations • How they're retaining elite French engineers (Polytechnique, ENS) against 9x salary competition Perfect For: • Startup founders exploring agency-to-product strategies • AI entrepreneurs avoiding the "build your own model" trap • Enterprise leaders struggling with AI adoption and prompting challenges • CTOs seeking orchestration solutions over single-model dependencies • European tech founders planning US market expansion Key Insights: • Why most enterprise AI fails at the UX layer, not the technology layer • How Delos creates "cockpit" experiences where users "just click buttons" • The funding strategy that attracted Team Aventures (Xavier Niel) and Plug and Play • Why avoiding vertical AI plays (meeting notes, etc.) builds sustainable moats • How French engineering culture creates competitive advantages in AI talent retention Episode Timeline: 00:00 - Introduction to Thibaut and Delos platform overview 00:59 - Founding story: Starting 2 days after GPT-3.5 release 03:27 - David's distributed team problem and platform demo request 05:34 - Live demo: Newsletter creation and AI orchestration workflow 11:37 - Using custom prompts and agent templates in Delos 12:52 - Website localization and international expansion plans 13:28 - From agency to product: The strategic validation journey 16:18 - Investor relationships and fundraising philosophy 19:12 - Meeting Harry Stebbings and the 20VC investment story 20:22 - War for AI talent: Competing with OpenAI's Paris office 23:36 - Future fundraising plans and capital allocation strategy 27:51 - Competitive threats: Will OpenAI copy their approach? 31:15 - US expansion strategy and investor considerations 33:55 - Pricing strategy and roadmap for agentic AI features 38:50 - Go-to-market focus: Why B2B enterprises are the target 41:47 - Key lessons: Avoiding vertical AI traps and building sticky products 45:40 - Future of jobs: How AI is reshaping the developer market Where to find me: • David: Linkedin • Email:  hello@thehomebase.ai Want to stay ahead of AI's impact on jobs and future opportunities? Join 18000+ tech leaders and founders who are shaping the future of AI here: • Newsletter: Join Here