Uncomfortable Customer Interviews Separate Rich Founders From Poor
If your customer interviews don't make you sweat like you are asking someone to prom, you probably are not asking real questions. Founders who stay comfortable, stay poor.
Digital Founders Were Time Travelers Predicting Fax Extinction
Tech startup founders who digitized entire industries are basically time travelers who went to 1990 and whispered "trust me, the fax machine will die" to VCs!
AI Success Hinges on Gross Profit per Customer, Not Margins
Why Margins Matter Less in a World of AI and We Should Focus on Gross Dollar Per Customer: "We should not be placing that much emphasis on margin today. We should try to understand what does the terminal gross margin structure...
Solo Receipt Generator Nets $141K Profit, 95% Margins
I love crazy ideas like this. Live on @acquiredotcom: Fast, realistic online receipt generator. Built for personal or entertainment use, grew to $141K profit, solo-run, 95% margins. > $142K TTM revenue > $141K TTM profit > 33% MoM growth Full listing: https://t.co/1Xnal0Qk2L https://t.co/hQw31Th9SE
Embrace Risk: It’s the Source of VC Alpha
BUT WHY BACK NEW VC FIRMS? ISN'T IT TOO RISKY? "If you’re trying to remove all of the perceived risk in a venture investment, you’re just removing the alpha from it" - Screendoor MD Lisa Cawley, CFA https://lnkd.in/gwKunPg3
Claude Outperforms Humans in Portfolio Analysis
Claude is so good at helping you analyze your portfolio Better than any human I've worked with yet, that's for sure https://t.co/w6lYLtv7al
Learning From Peer VCs Elevates My Fund Management
I've really enjoyed my time serving as a GP Advisor and an IC member at Screendoor . One of the best parts of the experience has been getting to meet great fund managers like Ashley Smith and Liu Jiang ,...
Numbers Shape Investment Narrative Over 8‑10 Years
Biggest Investing Lesson from Mary Meeker: "She is the most qualitative investor I have ever worked with. She lays out all the sequential numbers historically for a company and then all the numbers going forward. She's seeing what the company will...
US Needs Indian‑Advantaged Oxide Refining to Counter China
Think of rare earths as a three step process. Step 1: mining and extraction Step 2: refine into oxides Step 3: manufacture value added products (like magnets) Steps 1 and 3 are being done in the US now. Step 2 is our Achilles...
A16z Talent Wanted: Join FiftyYears to Support Purposeful Founders
If you're at a16z and want to back honest and courageous founders who care for the common good and ask themselves how they're making the world a better place, @fiftyyears is hiring. DMs open.
Lux Backs Tenzai Labs' $75M AI Pen‑Testing Platform
Lux is thrilled + lucky to back Pavel Gurvich (@PashaGur) + team in their new company @Tenzai_Labs $75M w/friends @ Battery, Greylock, Swish amazing cyber geniuses 🦸💻building agentic penetration testing platform that continuously hacks, exploits, + fixes vulnerabilities…
AI-Enabled Finance: Mapping Vendors and the Messy Middle
It's (finally) here: I’ve emerged from the wilderness with a 59 page report, a herniated disc, and a better understanding of AI's impact on finance. I’m proud to present to you our most comprehensive report yet. What follows is a...
Master AI Transformation and Agent Building at Web Summit
Tomorrow I'm speaking twice (in the space of just 90 mins 💅🏻) at Web Summit . Talk 1: Becoming an AI Company, 10:35am, Stage 5. (this is largely about transitioning a business from one world to the next, if you're...
Limited Seats: Join My Tokyo Founders & Investors Talk
Limited seats for founders and investors, for my Tokyo talk here: https://luma.com/cm0x90mk
Tiger Global Poised for Higher Returns via Databricks and OpenAI
Why Everyone is Wrong About Tiger Global Returns: "I think Tiger's gonna end up much better than anyone thought. They got a big stake in Databricks. They were early into OpenAI and Scale. They will benefit from liquidation preferences and preferred stock."...
Predicting 2026 AI Valuations and Investment Priorities
we are going to survey Cerebral Valley attendees ahead of a discussion of the results on stage. these good? what am I missing? OpenAI has said it would top $20 billion in annualized revenue this year. What will its revenue be...
Treat Series A as a Stepping Stone, Not A
Non-AI founders who treat Series $ A like their last meal somehow keep getting invited back to the buffet. Those asking for seconds often starve.
Root Ventures: Celebrating Top Hacker-Founder Engineer Investors
Huge congrats to Root Ventures, such a great team of hacker founder engineer investors - the best kind
Polymarket Bets OpenAI IPO at $500‑750 B
When is OpenAI going to IPO? And how much will it cost? PLACE YA BETS! In this brand new TWiST clip, me and Alex Wilhelm revisit their ongoing wager about OpenAI’s public offering, and check in on how things are...
Youthful Belief in the Impossible Fuels Founder Success
The best VCs remember: at 22 y.o., not knowing it's impossible *is* the superpower; those founders could be very right.
Lux Backs Majestic Labs with $100M for 1,000x Memory
Latest investment revealed from Lux Majestic Labs with $100M💰––from the team that ran silicon at Meta + Google... ...🧠💻1,000x the MEMORY of typical enterprise server
Mega Funds Prioritize Capital Velocity Over Early-Stage Deals
Why the Mega Funds are Focused on Capital Velocity: "The North Star for @generalcatalyst @lightspeedvp is investment velocity. Talk to the principles and Jr Partners at these firms.... It does not matter what @ravi_lsvp @htaneja are saying; when you are writing $BN...
True Product-Market Fit Means Market Pull, Not Just Value
What exactly IS Product Market Fit? And how do you know when you have it? Alex Wilhelm favorite way to define PMF: “You don't have true product market fit until it feels like you're wearing a meat suit in a...
Root Ventures Launches $190M Fund for Early Wonky Startups
EXCLUSIVE: Root Ventures Raises $190 Million Fourth Fund for Early Bets on Wonky Startups https://t.co/9yvP8hW7oF
New Funding Raises Expectations, Work Never Stops
PSA for Startups: Every new funding round raises the bar for your outcome. That’s why the news mostly excites investors. They just got a markup or won the deal. For everyone on the team, it’s a reminder that expectations just went...
AI B2B Sales Teams Halved, Efficiency Soars
AI B2B companies do need sales teams. Almost all of them. The question is just … how large of a sales team? It’s a question no one fully questioned until recently. But now founders & CEOs are asking: - is...
Help Founders Grow Into Unicorns, Not Just Grab Coffee
The surest way to break into VC isn't asking your favorite VC for ☕. It is advising and referring founders who become 🦄 a few years later.
Peter Fenton Excels by Trusting Founder Conviction over Stages
What Makes @peterfenton So Good? " Peter does an amazing job following his founder conviction. He doesn't think about stages. When he finds a @howietl @btaylor that's what guides him." @EverettRandle What have been your biggest lessons from working with Peter @howietl...
AI Travel SaaS Hits $345K Revenue, 300% Growth
Big fan of AI plays like this. Vertical AI SaaS built for travel customer experience. > $345k TTM revenue > $265k TTM profit > 300% YoY growth High-margin + Lean ops Check out listing @acquiredotcom: https://t.co/W8PNmLJqTD https://t.co/xuUCVn0BpK
Helping 2–3 Founders Secure Daily Acquisitions
We help 2–3 founders get acquire’d every day on @acquiredotcom. Life changing moments for everyone involved. Pretty awesome to see it happen daily.
Align Incentives: Invest With Partners to Test Conviction
The Biggest Investing Lesson from Peter Thiel: "Peter creates incentive structures to test the conviction level of partners. For example, you can personally invest alongside the fund in a deal you are leading. If you do not, he will ask, do...
AI-Native Status Now Essential, Even for Legacy Firms
Today, legal software @goclio announces a round at $5B and presentation software @GammaApp at $2.5B valuations What do they have in common? Both were around well before the AI Era. Clio in 2008, Gamma in 2020. Being “AI Native” is critical to...
Exit Tax Threatens $200M UK Investment and Jobs
I have invested $200M into the UK in the last five years. If @RachelReevesMP implements “Exit Tax” all that funding will go overnight. That is countless jobs, companies and people who will lose out. Rachel, you have managed to steal our...
Western Startups Increasingly Rely on Chinese AI Models
this is a great piece that captures the current love affair that western startups and even some bigger companies have with chinese ai the models are intelligent, accessible, and open weight turns out some of your fav sf startups are built on...
SaaS Achieves 90% Profit Margin with Minimal Overhead
A margin this high for a task and workflow SaaS is insane. Live on @acquiredotcom: > $423k TTM revenue > $384k TTM profit > 5,000+ paying customers 20+ years in the market. Near zero overhead. Full listing here: https://t.co/Bu8ma6ccSD https://t.co/Y2sadhLoRe
Free AI Reviews 2,000+ VC Pitch Decks Instantly
This week we’ll cross 2,000 (!) VC Pitch Decks reviewed for FREE on SaaStr AI Try it here -> https://t.co/hVolcGvbUt - Real time scoring - Real time valuation based on 5,000+ rounds - Exact odds of funding based on top VC rounds this...
AI Customer Support Flooded with Billion‑Dollar Funding
One market I cannot figure out in a world of AI is customer support. You have: Sierra Decagon GigaML Parloa Forethought Kore Cresta All of these have raised over $100M. and then oldies like Intercom Zendesk Help me out, how does this market shake out?
Meghan K. Reynolds Clarifies Current LP Sentiment
For those wondering the LP sentiment @MeghanKReynolds does a great job explaining… 👇
Skip the Competition Slide if You Claim Uniqueness
Many startup founders claim they are building something nobody else sees yet, but their pitch deck comp landscape slide has 7 companies doing the exact same thing. Easy fix: remove this slide from your pitch deck.
Nice CTOs Stifle Innovation and Halt Growth
A VP mis-hire is always tough. A VP Sales mis-hire can set you back a year in sales. A VP Marketing mis-hire can lead you down massive time and money ratholes that don’t get you any more customers. But,...
Vet-Focused Shopify Brand Turns
I love when founders turn passion projects into profitable businesses. A Shopify brand built for vets and healthcare pros. > $142K TTM revenue > $130K TTM profit > 17% YoY growth > Low overhead Full listing on @acquiredotcom: https://t.co/ddxifCeDgi https://t.co/CsDd7W2XxK
Non‑obsessed Founders Are Just Underpaid, Under‑insured Employees
Startup founders who aren't irrationally obsessed with their startup are just rationally employed people with worse health insurance and lower pay.
Roelof Botha Celebrates 23 Years Shaping Founders
Congrats @roelofbotha on an incredible 23 years at Sequoia! You’ve helped shape a generation of founders and investors. None of the scoops or noise can take away from what you’ve achieved and the legacy you leave behind.
AI Chatbots Loved, Yet Doomer Billionaires Fuel Fear
If judged based on consumer adoption, AI chatbots are the most popular technology ever. If judged based on poll numbers, they are the least popular. How to explain this? A big part of it is the Doomer Industrial Complex —...
Two Portfolio Wins: Nasdaq IPO and Time Cover
One @fiftyyears portfolio company IPOed on NASDAQ the same day another appeared on the cover of Time. Pinch me.
Send Investor Updates: Leverage Trust, Drive Growth
Founders, for the love of God; send investor updates. 1. Leverage them for help with customer intros, hires and fundraises. 2. Use them to create excitement and conversation about you in market. 3. Because these people have trusted you and...
Bootstrapped SaaS Grew via SEO, Sold for Right Price
Christopher Lier built LeadGen App as an internal tool. Turned it into a SaaS, grew it with SEO, and never raised a dollar. When he sold on @acquiredotcom, he knew what his startup was worth and waited for the right buyer...
SaaStr AI VC Matchmaking Delivers 183 Intros in Two Weeks
The new SaaStr AI VC Matchmaking tool has already made 183 VC intros in its first 2 weeks Try it here -> https://t.co/ZbU9L2c0td https://t.co/HXWF2pE3Gx