EPISODE 36: In this episode of Founder Mode, Tim Barnes, cofounder of Scout, joins Kevin Henrikson and Jason Shafton to rethink how founders approach fundraising in an AI-first world. Tim explains why most startups leave non-dilutive capital on the table, how Scout uses AI to match companies with thousands of active grant opportunities and automate painful proposal workflows, and why grants should be treated as a “forever-on” business development channel rather than last-minute runway. They dig into the realities of working with government agencies, packaging climate and deep-tech work to match shifting policy priorities without losing your mission, and what it takes to stay compliant once the money hits your account. Tim also shares how he thinks about defensibility as foundation models get better, when to pursue grants before equity, and how to keep founders focused on building instead of spending 90 percent of their time pitching investors.
