In a few years that I did not visit this site i grew tremendously, both by features and membership size. The recent surge of AI added a lot to app’s complexity. So, here is my question, stated in the topic title Is self hosting even feasible for a small startup with limited budget.
Opinions appreciated 
I would not worry about the AI, it makes using the site nicer for some things but is not needed.
Kind of like an electric can opener, nice to have but the manual one still works and is what most people use.
Of course it is, but without AI.
But, it depends how limited the budget is. For me just upgrading a VPS to that level what AI sevices needs is way over my budget. A friend has around worth of 1 million euro funding to theirs startup and for them Discource with AI would be pennies.