Silicon Valley loves young founders. Until it doesn’t.

Silicon Valley is still funding very young founders, especially in AI, as open-source tools and learning resources have lowered the barrier to building startups.

But AI-era startups now face much tighter timelines, with investors expecting fast proof of traction and product-market fit.

Teenage and college-age founders are under heavier public and investor scrutiny than before.

That raises the risk of bad deal terms and ethical compromises in the rush to show breakout growth.