A familiar tale is unfolding in the venture capital industry as rapid investment in AI startups is outpacing value generation – characterized by companies with sky-high valuations and accelerated cash burn rates. While a change in administration can certainly facilitate deal-making, it's not a silver bullet for sustainable value generation. In the dot-com era, it was Amazon’s focus on the fundamentals (customer experience, operational efficiency and diverse product lines) which allowed it to emerge over Books-A-Million.com and the many other failed companies who put an “internet spin” on the traditional bookstore model. The AI sector is now witnessing a wave of startups repackaging applications on top of existing models, like ChatGPT. And while financial sponsors may find them innovative, say, through their focus on a particular sector (e.g., healthcare, finance, manufacturing, etc.) – a bonus should be given to those having proven indicators of profitability, such as experienced leadership teams and strong customer relationships.