In early October 2026 I posted a series of X updates sharing Hustle Fund’s September 2026 deal‑flow numbers, our automated filtering pipeline, and founder‑reported categories and valuation targets. The data highlights how we screen pitches, what criteria we prioritize, and where founders are building. x october 2026 posts
We passed on 1,901 of them (≈99 % pass rate) and 21 remain in progress.
69 % of all pitches were screened out automatically by our filters (incorporation, valuation, founder‑time).
The remaining 31 % go through AI triage plus human review.
The #1 pass reason was incorporation (47 % of passes).
The #2 pass reason was market competition (17 % of passes).
Founder‑reported category distribution: AI/ML 38 %, SaaS 23 %, Fintech 13 %, Social/community 9 %, Ecommerce/Healthtech/Infrastructure 6 % each.
Valuation targets: < $5 M 37 %, $5‑10 M 33 %, $10‑15 M 16 %, $15‑25 M 9 %, $25 M+ 5 %. Roughly 70 % seek < $10 M valuations.