Relentless Margin Focus Sets Top Founders Apart
I caught up with one of my portfolio founders this past week. He's a successful serial entrepreneur, and one of the things that sets him apart from many founders is his relentless focus on margins. He constantly is trying to eke out greater margins, which is something that I see very few founders think about.
Kalshi Secures $1 B Funding, Valuation Hits $11 B
What I read this week... 1) Kalshi Raises $1B at $11B Valuation Kalshi has closed a stunning $1 billion Series E funding round at an $11 billion valuation, more than doubling its worth in under two months. The round, led by crypto-focused...
Seeking Traction-Driven Startups for 11,000 Angel Syndicate
Looking for startups with traction to syndicate to 11,000 angel investors
A Refreshing Perspective on the AI Bubble
This is one of the better takes on the AI "bubble" I've seen recently. https://t.co/sMJsm1vnT2
VCs Overload Winners, Driving Sky‑High Valuations
Larger VC funds want to cram more and more capital into their winners. More than ever. It’s not that complicated but two core reasons: #1. Fewer and fewer winners, so everyone wants to throw money at whatever truly breaks out...
Sequoia Backing Signals Growth; Ignore the BS
One of the most BS statements: You do not want people to join your company because of an investor that led the round. People want to grow and they want to make money. When Sequoia invests, it is a massive stamp...
Prioritize Margins Over Feel‑Good Hype in Startup Investing
BEWARE, INVESTORS IN “FEEL GOOD” STARTUPS! We’ve all seen these startups… they have bold ambition and admirable goals, but lack a cutthroat business model that will guarantee future returns for investors. But it’s surprisingly easy to fall into what I...
Future‑Focused Founders: Build for Tomorrow’s Unseen Challenges
Two of our faves from the latest Y Combinator cohort : Dome and Zephyr Fusion. YC just had their Fall ‘25 Demo Day, so Alex and I are running down some of their favorite contenders. Two startups that REALLY stand...
Join Mercury CEO Immad on Live Founder Hotline Dec 17
Excited to have @immad, CEO / co-founder of Mercury join us on the 24 hour live founder advice hotline on Dec 17! Sign up here:
Key Takeaways From Pete Warden’s Insightful Post
Solid post from Pete Warden sharing some learnings
Ship Fast: Speed Beats Polished Slides Every Time
The incumbents are still polishing their slide decks. You just shipped the product. While the world waits for permission, you are paving the road. Speed is your unfair advantage. Keep shipping!
2025 IPOs Underwhelmed; 2026 Promises Big Tech Giants
2025 IPOs: pretty meh in end 2026 IPOs: Anthropic, Databricks, SpaceX? OMFG
Small Funds, Big Impact: Strategy Beats Size
Fund size is your strategy. @micahjay1 + team at @fcollective demonstrate the art & super power of this. 5 funds & 20 $B+ outcomes, yet every fund <$100M. Today, that’s practically rebellious. All this + what 'unsexy' sectors are quietly delivering...
Small Seed Funds Punch Above Their $100M Weight
Fund size is your strategy. You hear it all the time because it's true, and Micah Rosenbloom and the team at Founder Collective demonstrate the art and the super power of this. Five funds and twenty $B+ outcomes, yet every...
Teach Decision‑Making, Not Just Math or AI
The latest on Outlier's Path - Being Right vs. Getting It Right -- During Thanksgiving Break, I found joy at several friends' and family gatherings. I've learned to sit between the adults' table and the kids' table. The conversations at that intersection...
Pentagon Funds Tiny Rare‑earth Startup After Trump Jr. Backing
A little-known rare earths start-up with about 30 employees has won a blockbuster funding deal from the Pentagon, three months after Donald Trump Jr’s venture capital firm invested in the company. https://t.co/dvj66uDJZC
AI Oncologist Gives Every Patient World‑Class Cancer Care
Radical Health is building the future of cancer care with their new AI Oncologist, giving every patient access to care as if they were being treated by the world’s top cancer doctor. https://t.co/EFqcwRfwXq
Hire People Who Already Are the Role
Some people aren’t just in big roles, they *are* the role. e.g. Tammy at Stripe. Solana at FF. Katherine at AD/a16z. For appropriate roles, recruit people whose natural inclinations fit your business and pitch them "be yourself, just with more support...
Unicorns Typically Need 10‑20 Years, Not 5‑10
While we have portfolio companies that have gotten to unicorn status in 5-10 years. It's much more realistic (and common) - even on a fast trajectory - to take 10-20 years to get there.
Consumer Health Boom Accelerates in 2026
One 2026 prediction I have is that consumer health companies will be an even bigger trend next year. With Function Health leading the way, you have fast growing newer upstarts helping consumers with longevity. Measurement of vitals, F&B for more...
Focus on Sales and Support, Not Features
Instead of building more features, do more sales and support at your startup. You'll will grow faster and learn more.
AI-Powered VC Intros: 526+ Matches for Founders
SaaStr AI VC has made 526+ VC intros for founders 1️⃣Upload your deck 2️⃣Get an instant AI score 3️⃣If it's a fit, opt-in to top-tier VC intros Learn more here: https://t.co/dd0zpQKZQp https://t.co/2pHhYC61aQ
Optics Excel at I/O, but Not for Computing
I responded to an investor re optical computing: More optical interconnects which we funded and sold. Have thus far been skeptical as optics for comms and moving data are amazing. But for computing/processing data very hard. Semiconductors work as switches and...
Kalshi's Media Deals Reveal Deep Finance‑politics Network
Kalshi ’s new CNN and CNBC deals are making headlines. But the more interesting story is its connections across finance and politics. I mapped the entire network here:
US Tech Must Treat Qatar Investors Like Threats
Any American tech or defense company should be as wary of any investor with ties to or money from Qatar as much as Russia or Iran or the CCP. It will NOT end well. Funds surely took money years ago...
Mission‑First Investing: We Match Founders’ Pace
At @fiftyyears, nothing matters more than the mission. So we don't operate like most investors. Not many OOO auto replies over the holidays. No weeks long trips to Aspen. No long summer vacations. We try to match the pace of our founders....
Rethinking Burnout: Rest Isn't the Whole Solution
We took a week off to celebrate Thanksgiving, but we are back with a new episode of The Learning Corner by Precursor Ventures . We are thankful for all of your who have listened, liked, and subscribed to episodes this...
Flex Team Celebrates Successful Funding Round
Congrats to the Flex team on their raise!
I’m Unable to View the Linked Content, so I Can’t Generate a Headline.
https://t.co/rmhdBlvLJa
Emerging Fund Manager Launches Succession Planning, Congrats Haley Bryant
Why we started succession planning as an emerging fund manager and congrats @haleymbryant ! https://t.co/TuBWR76gm5
Europe's AI Lag: Causes and Paths to Recovery
this is a great piece on why europe has fallen behind on driving ai progress and what we might do to rectify this
Prism Brings Real‑Time ARR, Burn Rate, Churn to ERP
If you told me five years ago that I could see my ARR, Burn Rate, and Churn in an ERP, I would have told you to go back to bed. Sounds like fiction. It's all possible now with Prism. CONGRATS...
150 AI Leaders Ignite Collaboration at State of AI Meetup
This week’s State of AI Report x London AI @airstreet meetup was something special. 150 people building across big tech, AI labs, startups, and academia packed the space with sharp ideas and real momentum. Highlights from the night: • @rosstaylor90 (@GenReasoning) on...
Stealth Mode: Founders Quietly Building the Next Big Thing
Founders building in stealth mode: https://t.co/PBn8AtWJ4s
Live Pitch Dissection with Haley Bryant
We are live dissecting a pitch right now with @haleymbryant ! https://t.co/zpbdJFaHfL
Foretell Emerges From Stealth, Backed by Elite
1/ Foretell is out of stealth Backed by Lux, Thrive, Founders Fund, Valor + @patrick_oshag + @GavinSBaker WIRED: "Want This Hearing Aid? Well, Who Do You Know?
Long‑term Ownership Beats Quick Exits for Founders
As a first time founder, it can be exhilarating to want to sell a company. As a second time founder, you know that results compound and it only gets better the longer you hold. I will never sell my business...
Hardware Dominates: V1 Ventures Backs Vertical Robotics
Two days ago, we Version One Ventures mentioned that this year we made 9 new investments, of which 8 (!!) have hardware. Proof that we LOVE the world of atoms, robotics, and physical AI. Here’s a quick refresher of our...
Fund Management: 80% Fundraising, Ops, Not Investing
A lot of emerging fund managers think they would like to start a fund because they enjoy investing in startups. But as a fund manager, investing is probably only 20% of the job. The bulk of it is fundraising, portfolio...
28 Days Left to Close This Year's Deal
if you told me in January that 'we should look to do a deal this year,' and we haven't, well, you have 28 days left to consummate
YC Demo Day Feels Like Reunion, Not Transactional Pitchfest
Someone asked me, "Why do you think YC demo day is far better than most tech events?" Me: "It feels more like a reunion, with far fewer aggressive pitches and requests to connect on LinkedIn." FWIW, I respect the hustle, but feel...
Incubating GoAutoLane to Manage Mall Self‑Driving Fleets
Excited to have incubated @goautolane… which is going to orchestrate the dozens of self driving cars as they coming in and out of your local mall and box box retailer’s parking lot!
Invest in the Next Coinbase at YC Demo Day
Highly recommend investing in the next Coinbase at YC Demo Day A+++++ incredible experience
Deep Dive Into Private‑to‑Private M&A Strategies
Fantastic article on private to private M&A from Bob Moore and First Round Capital with a level of detail and insight that you rarely find. https://lnkd.in/e9icT7sS
When Demand Outpaces Supply: From PMF to Market Pull
When does Product Market Fit turn into Product Market PULL? We all know how to spot Product Market Fit… there are real customers who are saving time and money by using your product, and they’re even evangelizing to their friends...
Drop Delegation Guilt, Unlock Massive Time
How to overcome the “Cardinal Sins of Delegation” and start saving more time for yourself. On TWiST, we’re joined by Jonathan Swanson of Athena, the startup that wants to pair you with remote assistants who can tackle all the tasks,...
Trust‑Driven Design Turned Thumbtack Into Services Amazon
How Thumbtack became “The $AMZN for Services” The iconic marketplace for home services started life as a simple idea… What if you could make the equivalent of Amazon for your random household tasks, not just products. Of course, there was...
Closing Four Deals This Week, Two More Next Week
Am in the process of closing 4 this week. And probably another 2 next week.
Haley Bryant Named First Non‑Founder Partner at Hustle Fund
Congrats to @haleymbryant for making Partner at Hustle Fund! Haley is one of the best operators and one of the most helpful investors I know. Easy decision to make her the first Partner at Hustle Fund outside of the...