AI Bubble Burst Could Boost Europe's Trusted Platforms
what a silly oped on so many levels “But the resource-intensive AI platform bubble in which the US dominates cannot last. A market correction will shift attention to alternative models. This will in turn create new opportunities for Europe, which has strengths in applied AI and the chance to build the most trusted AI stack in the world.”
VCs Win by Nurturing LP Relationships, Not Pitching
Every week I meet three new LPs. Even when I am not fundraising. And... I never ever sell 20VC to them. The single biggest reason VCs struggle fundraising: they do not build relationships in between funds. This is wrong. You...
Decision Cadence Beats Co-Location: Design Remote Immediacy
The phrase captures something teams feel long before they can describe it. Early stage work depends on a level of shared pressure that only forms when people experience the same uncertainty at the same time. The speed of communication inside...
Make Pitch Meetings Two‑Way: Ask VCs These Questions
I think pitch meetings should be a two way street. Most of the time, I find that few founders I speak with have any questions for me or about Hustle Fund. Here are some questions that may be helpful for...
Best Show Yet: SpaceX, Netflix, Massive Fundraises
It is midnight and I am working on the final edit for the show tomorrow with @jasonlk @rodriscoll. Holy s***. By far the best show we have done. - SpaceX valued at $800BN - The BFD: Netflix Buys Warner Brothers - Harvey...
Sign Year-End Deals Only When Vendor Delivers Value
So I’m starting to get emails from sales reps I’ve interacted with over the past months trying to get a deal done by year end. The problem? They added zero value. There’s really no reason to sign a contract for...
Founders Cash Out Millions While VCs Walk Away Empty
This does happen, but it’s almost unheard of for founders still running a company to make nothing in a material exit The acquirer wants the most consideration to go to the team, the least to the VCs A liquidation preference is hardly...
MindEval Introduces Multi‑Turn Benchmark for AI Therapy Evaluation
Important work from @SwordHealth and @VSwordH on how we evaluate AI for mental health. MindEval is a new multi turn benchmark that tests how models behave across full therapy like conversations, not just single replies. Much needed, rigorous, and open...
AI Handles Low-Value Leads, Boosts Revenue by 15%
We deployed 20+ AI agents & replaced our entire SDR team. 60K hyper-personalized emails. 70% open rates on ghosted leads. 15% of London ticket revenue from AI alone. The 5 things that actually work: 1⃣AI crushes the work humans refuse to do...
Even AI Agents Need Human Help; No-Code Engineers Essential
We’ve worked with some really great “no-code engineers” at Hustle Fund. Although many people think that agents will eat everyone’s jobs, agents are not good enough to implement themselves. Ironically we find ourselves looking for even more people-help to build...
Seed Funding Dominates San Francisco, Outpacing All Regions
check out this chart -- the majority of seed rounds go to startups in SF and NY (and really, mostly SF) (we'll be dropping a report on "the state of seed" from Carta tomorrow on our official substack) But it's data like...
Investors Must Rethink Pattern Matching Amid Rapid Change
As an investor today, you should question pattern matching assumptions more than ever. Consumer behavior is changing. Business models are changing. The tools to build are changing. Org charts and roles are changing.
SMB SaaS Can Command Enterprise‑Level ARR Multiples
SaaS companies serving the SMB space are often overlooked as potential investment opportunities because, when compared to enterprise SaaS providers, these companies tend to have higher churn and less well-known (or even unknown) customers. Despite these relative weaknesses, if positioned...
Investors Will Dilute to Join YC for Mutual Gain
If you want proof of what a good deal YC is for founders, I just told a UK startup I've invested several million pounds in that I'd be happy if they wanted to do YC. I'd get diluted alongside them,...
Customers Choose Outcomes, Not Just Software or Platforms
People don’t want to buy software or platforms or even products They want to buy outcomes
By 2026, Legacy Systems Risk Exceeds Change Risk
🚨 New 2026 Andreessen Horowitz prediction. A turning point is coming to financial services & insurance 👇 By 2026, the risk of *not* replacing legacy systems will exceed the risk of change. Major institutions will let long-standing contracts expire and...
Backed Nir Zicherman Again—Rapid Funding Round Completed
it was a blast to back Nir Zicherman a second time, and we're not surprised to see another round get done so quickly. Thanks for including Homebrew https://lnkd.in/gEgWQAXE
Your Business's True Core Isn’t the Product, It's the Network
What people think is core - the biggest asset - to their business is often not what they think it is. For example: for Uber, is the core the app? Not really. The core is their supply and demand sides.
Bootstrapped SaaS Sold for $1.65M in 85 Days
We just helped a founder get acquired for $1,650,000 on @acquiredotcom. Business was a bootstrapped SaaS. Multiple 4.8x profit. Took about 85 days from listing to close. 100% cash at closing. This was a life changing outcome for an amazing entrepreneur. https://t.co/zI8Ght5LNS
VC Success Demands Courage Amid Low‑Probability, High‑Impact Risks
Strong agree + And an Iron stomach when you are wrong which happens a lot. Venture capitalists live in low probability-high impact equations that are filled with uncertainty. Hence you need courage.
Enterprise AI Needs Full‑Service Implementation, Not Just a Sale
Unpopular opinion: You cannot sell AI to large enterprises and expect usage and retention without an FDE model managing implementation and customisation. They will not buy and apply. The art is in implementation.
Turning Down Nine‑Figure Deals Fuels Bigger Growth
I had CEOs at 2 @saastrfund portfolio companies turn down M&A offers this year that would have made them nine figures. I would have been equally proud of them either way. In fact, I told both to seriously consider the deals....
Listeners Love the Show, yet Few Value Targeted Content
I get 10+ LPs per day email me stating they listen and love our weekly show with @jasonlk and @rodriscoll. Continues to amaze me how few truly see the strategic value of targeted content.
Outcome‑Driven Remote Work: Zapier’s Early Success Blueprint
Here’s how Zapier managed an entirely-remote workforce YEARS before COVID lockdowns made them mandatory. On our latest TWiST Flashback, Lon Harris and Alex Wilhelm check out a 2016 chat between me and Zapier mastermind Wade Foster. Back then, the automation...
Instantly Gauge Your Startup's Value and Funding Odds
What's your start-up worth? And what are the odds you'll get funded? Find out in seconds with SaaStr AI Valuation Calculator -> https://t.co/jvgsU2zIKA https://t.co/jUHBqpNXte
Portfolio Company Posts $334M ARR, 117% Growth
Nothing beats a one on one catch up but damn it's cool to hear a portfolio founder update via a live earnings call. $334M annual run rate. 117% YoY Q3 revenue growth. 70% gross margins. GAAP profitable company-wide. What a company. https://t.co/2SlwkNCLz0
Harvey's $8B Valuation May Look Cheap by 2026
Is Harvey cheap or expensive at $8B? If it triples again in 2026, may be "cheap" We'll see https://t.co/Hx5bmcTbeU
Solugen Slashes Six-Year Process to One Month
Took a process that typically takes 6 years down to 1 month. Solugen is bringing software timelines to the chemicals industry.
Execution Reveals Truth; Ideas Never Fight Back
People fall in love with ideas because ideas never fight back. Execution does. It exposes your blind spots, your patience, your habits and your excuses. Most founders learn more from the first week of doing than the first year of...
AI Saves Workers Hours, Yet Vendors Capture Only 5%
A new study from OpenAI shows AI saves the average white-collar worker 54 minutes per day. Where does all that value go? BLS data shows median weekly earnings for full-time workers hit $1,165 in Q3 2024, or $60,580 annually. Across 2,080...
Founders Treat Ideas as Hypotheses, Execution as Science
The best founders treat ideas like hypotheses. Execution is their science. They run experiments, gather evidence, and adjust without getting sentimental. That discipline compounds faster than inspiration.
EquipmentShare Files S-1, Signaling Upcoming IPO
EquipmentShare filed their S-1 today
Rule of 40: No One‑Size‑Fit Metric, Choose Wisely
I’m going to be straight with you. I don’t know the “right” way to calculate Rule of 40. I’m a metrics sensei by many standards, but this one sparks religious debates with CFOs, FP&A directors, and VC friends across stages....
Rivalry Fuels Market Growth and Regulatory Breakthroughs
How @Polymarket @shayne_coplan Made @Kalshi @mansourtarek_ Raise Their Game: " An industry truly becomes an industry when there's a rivalry. Without Polymarket, we wouldn't have pushed our marketing and pushed our product as hard. Without us, they wouldn't have pushed their marketing and...
From $1M to $100M in Two Years
$1M to $100M in 2 years is an incredible run
Sequoia Stewards Reveal Proven Tactics for Winning VC
I sat down with Sequoia's new stewards, @gradypb and @Alfred_Lin. Maybe a bit selfishly, I spent almost the entire time asking them about the tactics of how to do venture capital well. I got a ton out of it and hope...
Fal Secures $140M Series D to Power Generative Media
Having invested in RedNote in 2014 and Musical.ly back in 2015 which turned into TikTok, I had a front row seat to watch the rise of social media and its transformation into web 2.0. Now is the time for generative...
SAFE Funding Is Instant; Priced Rounds Drag Months
It is so straightforward to get money signed and wired on a SAFE that many founders are thrown for a loop when they do their first priced round. That process can take several months from term sheet to redlines to...
Embodied AI Renaissance Fueled by Foundation Model Advances
embodied ai is clearly undergoing a renaissance driven by progress in foundation models in this essay, i dive into substantive progress in the last 12 months, anchoring on @stateofaireport, with case studies from @SereactAI @wayve_ai @nvidia @allen_ai https://t.co/qHsMlJckuu
Acquired.com Launches New Service to Grow Startups
Been working on something new at @acquiredotcom. After helping 1000+ founders exit, we’re hoping to also help startups grow next. Coming soon! https://t.co/pVBggapdgh
Lead Investors Must Commit >50% or Appear Uncommitted
Investors, when you put down a term sheet as a lead for the round and you only commit to 50% or less of the round, you are just showing a lack of commitment. That simple. Be bold.
300 Slides of AI State Report Deliver Massive Alpha
right there, a state of ai report prediction, done imagine the alpha you get reading those 300 slides… https://t.co/ziEeEhZm1I
Pre‑seed Investors Should Match Founders with Right‑stage VCs
A role of a pre-seed investor is to guide your founders to VCs that are most likely to do the deal. Throwing them into Sequoia, Accel and Index too early is like throwing SBF into the compliance team, shouting “good...
Alfred’s Contrarian Nuance Keeps Founders Grounded
What Makes @Alfred_Lin @sequoia So Good? "Alfred is a very unique investor in many dimensions 1. He's not the type of investor to make strong, simplistic statements. Alfred's answer to everything is very nuanced, uninteresting and uninspiring. But it tends to be the...
PR Veterans Turn VC: Storytelling Becomes Investment Edge
Why it makes sense that PR experts are starting venture firms Veteran flack Lulu Meservey , the author of the viral “Go Direct” manifesto, is launching a VC fund. But does the industry really need comms experts funding companies? On...
Lulu Funding: Rare, Powerful Reality‑Distortion Field
Raising money from Lulu is like having a reality distortion field conjurer in your corner. Highly prized, incredibly rare.
M&A Pre‑Check: Fast‑Track Media Deals Over Hype
Big Picture: Does this $NFLX-$WBD “mega-deal” even matter? On TWiST, I suggest that these much-hyped media consolidation deals are essentially re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, the equivalent to a bunch of high-profile magazines and publications swapping hands just...
AI's Incremental Rise Fuels Diverse Startup Opportunities
We Version One Ventures often get asked what’s our AI investment strategy is so we thought we’d share these reflections that we prepared for our LPs recently. At a high-level: - We’re seeing a slower take off toward super intelligence...
Tenacity and People Drive Success Despite Early Hardships
Anyone building going through a low moment - this thread is for you. What incredible tenacity. And a reminder as an investor that the people make all the difference. Early stories over overcoming hardship aren’t necessarily...