When Demand Overflows: Market Pull Overwhelms Supply
Extreme market pull is when you really don't have to do much to get customers. You just need to fulfill their demand. You are so overwhelmed with customers that you can't even fulfill everyone's demand.
Product‑Market Fit Is a Spectrum, Not a Binary
I think the problem with product market fit is that it's actually a spectrum. When people say that you know if you have it, that's only when you have extreme market pull. But there are plenty of products that can...
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...
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...
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.
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...
Pick the Right Boulder, Not the Uphill Push
Finding product-market fit is like pushing a boulder. The easiest way to grow a startup is to find the right boulder to push down the mtn rather than pushing it up. Unfortunately, if you have not experienced product-market fit, it's...
Test, Double Down, Then Pivot Before Channel Saturates
An ideal customer acquisition strategy as a pre-seed company is to try a handful of marketing channels and then quickly go all in on the one that is working well and optimize. The only issue is at some point that...
Easy Wins Signal Strong Channels; Hard Optimizations Signal Weak Ones
When you’re first starting something and doing customer acquisition through a channel, if it works, it often performs well even though it’s unoptimized. If you have to spend a lot of time optimizing to get it to barely work, it's...
Track Profit per Employee to Gauge Startup Health
Measuring profit per person at a startup is a great metric to track.
Pre‑seed Founders Should Hire Contractors, Not Full‑time Staff
I think most pre-seed founders would be way better off hiring contractors for specific projects rather than hiring employees for roles - at least in the beginning.
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...
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:
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...
Flex Team Celebrates Successful Funding Round
Congrats to the Flex team on their raise!
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
Live Pitch Dissection with Haley Bryant
We are live dissecting a pitch right now with @haleymbryant ! https://t.co/zpbdJFaHfL
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...
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...
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...
Only Top Firms Thrive Raising Capital Now
I'll take the counter. If you're a strong company, anytime is a great time to raise. I've had companies successfully raise at this time. But, if you're good but not great, deals go to die during this time. I've seen it...
Success Doesn't Require 80-Hour Weeks, Balance Wins
When I was a founder, I got conflicting advice about startup work hours. "You must work 80-hour weeks to succeed!" vs "Work-life balance is possible! But, it's nuanced. After years as a founder and now as an investor, here's what I've...
Remember Past Peaks to Fuel Future Leadership
As the CEO, it can be easy to stress about the next mountain to climb. Take a look back every now and then to remind yourself (and your team) about all the mountains you've already climbed.
Fast Experimentation Signals High-Performing Teams
How quick a team experiments is a good indicator of team quality.
Growth Depends on Uncontrollable Calendar Time, Not Just Action
There's 2 types of time in startups: 1) time to do something (you control that) and 2) Calendar time - the time required for a customer to buy and be successful. You can't control the latter, and this is a...
Both Founders and Investors Envy Each Other's Roles
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I know so many founders who wish they were investors, and so many investors who wish they were founders again.
Efficient Operations Teams Are the Hidden Winners
I think operations is one of the areas and startups that people talk the least about. But the most efficient teams are the ones that end up winning.
Seeking Your Top Picks for 2026 Founder Event Locations
In 2026, we will be doubling down on our events. Where is a location that you think we should bring one of our founder events to?
Use Thanksgiving Break to Plan 2026, Not Fundraise
Although in most cases, I would not recommend to my founders to fundraise between U.S. Thanksgiving and the year end, it is a really good time to reflect and think about 2026 plans. It's also a great time to plan...
Solve the Problem only You Can, Not Any Problem
Figuring out the problem that *you* are uniquely the person to solve as a founder is a big part of the battle in finding product-market fit. Don't force picking a problem to solve just because you want to start a...
Tech's a Commodity; Win with Distribution, Brand, Experience
Unless you are absolutely on the bleeding edge, technology for many startups is largely a commodity now. It is so important to differentiate on distribution, brand, and customer experience.
Serial Founders Aren't Significantly More Successful than First‑timers
@GChen99729 100% - There is research on it. It's why second-time founders who are starting a brand new company again actually don't have that much more success than a first-time founder.
Skipping 0‑to‑1 Isn't Laziness, It's Informed Decision‑Making
@RobertoCroci Sure, to be clear, avoiding the 0 to 1 phase does not imply laziness. It just means having that experience and knowledge to shape decision-making.
Investing Early: Lessons From Pre‑Seed, Pre‑Revenue Founders
@TheUtilizeApp We do invest pre-seed and pre-revenue. I'm talking about from the perspective of running a business and my learnings as a founder.
SaaS Offers Predictable Revenue Even when Bootstrapped
@excapite The multiples are higher on SaaS for sure. But even if you were bootstrapping the business, SaaS still gives you that predictability.
Why SaaS Revenue Matters to VCs, Even If Overrated
As a founder, I used to think that SaaS revenue was overrated. Why did VCs care so much about that? Especially when it didn't make sense per the business More >>
AI Startups Must Master Unit Economics to Survive
🔥 AI startups are burning cash faster than you think. You see Series A AI companies burning $500K/month on GPUs while showing zero profit margins. More users = more GPU usage = bigger losses. But the survivors won't have the...
Securing 18‑Month Runway at Startupfest
Thank you for having me at Startupfest! (Btw, I'm raising for 18 months of runway...)
Seeking Ideal 2026 Founder & Investor Event Locations
We are ramping up our founder and investor events in 2026. Where should we host them?
Unlock Angel Investor Tax Savings with Expert Session
Super psyched! We're doing a quick session with @ankurnagpal tomorrow who knows a TON about tax-savings strategies for angel investors. He is going to knowledge-dump a ton of tactical info - will be great! Hope to see you tmrw - sign...
Ops Become Startup’s Competitive Edge in Commoditized Tech Era
We're entering the age of better startup ops. In software, tech has largely become a commodity. Distribution is also becoming commoditized. Ops is the way to stand out today. How? More >>
Founders: Join Investor Panel Batter Up NYC & SF
NYC and SF Founders, this is your moment. Batter Up SF and Batter Up NYC are happening Nov 10 with an amazing panel of investors. ⚾ SF (6pm PT): https://t.co/cAqJ85ttH0 ⚾ NYC (6pm ET): https://t.co/vmE3f0YDPo Come and check it out! https://t.co/XYYvyB8D2H
Upcoming Investor Events: NYC, SF, Singapore This Week
Hustlers & investors! Fun events next week: • Batter Up NYC — Nov 10 • Batter Up SF — Nov 10 • Founder Friends SG: FinTech Fest — Nov 12 RSVP: → https://t.co/Tw02geADxF https://t.co/bNEeVsBkM4
Fundraising Split: Easy for Some, Tough for Others
Fundraising today is like a Tale of 2 Cities: easy for some and hard for others. Especially at the Pre-A and Series A. More >>
Upcoming Founder Events: Batter Up, Pitch Competitions, Game Night
Yo founders, mark your calendars: • Batter Up SF — Nov 10 • Batter Up NYC — Nov 10 • Founder Friends SG (Fintech Festival) — Nov 12 Community partner events: • Wild Card: Game Night — Nov 5 • Monterrey Tech Week — Early Stage...
LA Tech Week Fireside Chat Featuring Top Startup Leaders
LA, we're coming for you! Our fireside chat for #LATechWeek by @techweek_ is happening Oct 14, and you’re gonna wanna be there. We’ve teamed up with @rivianofficial, @quantfi_cfo, and @FidelityPrivate to bring you an evening with two stellar humans: 🎤 @KhalZahar (Founder...
