UC Berkeley Grad, In A Stunt, Misleads Investors Using Fake Identity

Photo: LinkedIn

India-West News Desk

BERKELEY, CA – A UC Berkeley graduate, Bhavye Khetan, has drawn sharp criticism after exposing a troubling loophole in the startup ecosystem by fabricating a founder persona and misleading 27 venture capitalists—without any real product, pitch, or plan.

Khetan created a fake founder profile citing prestigious credentials such as “Stanford CS,” experience at “Palantir,” and repeatedly used the buzzword “AI.” By sending cold emails to 34 investors, he secured replies from 27 and even four calls—all without any legitimate business to back the claims. “This game is rigged in ways most people don’t understand,” he pointed out.

There were those who lauded him and pointed out the skewed advantage for those attached to big name universities and businesses.

For many it was a cautionary reminder that this kind of leveraging undermines the integrity of an entire ecosystem built on trust, merit, and genuine innovation.

Khetan’s stunt as an unethical abuse of trusted institutions and the venture capital system drew comments of disapproval. “This is stupid. You lied. Stanford is meaningful. Palantir is meaningful. AI is meaningful. The only person acting inappropriately is you,” one commenter wrote, underscoring how such deception damages the credibility of genuine entrepreneurs and misuses well-earned reputations.

Others pointed out that while strong credentials do open doors, deliberately tricking investors erodes trust and wastes valuable time. “If you lie, of course they will take your call, but you won’t get past that when they figure out you are lying pretty quickly,” remarked another.