Earlier this year, Dylan Robbins, founder of Lucra Sports, landed a $20 million fundraising round. His secret? Friendly conversations at the dartboard.

In 2025, when venture capital was all about AI, Robbins pivoted his pitch to include a strategic AI discussion. This helped him secure investment from Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest, despite previous failures in similar ventures.

Robbins identified two key strategies: building a network through casual conversations and framing his business as a smart diversification play for investors interested in the future of gaming.

His pitch evolved to argue that whether AI succeeds or fails, people will still find time for games. Lucra’s novel loyalty programs, offering interactive competitions, impressed VCs with consistent year-over-year growth and a vast potential market.

The lesson? Even without cutting-edge tech, a well-told story of human connection can open doors in the most AI-dominated markets.