Start Pitch with Founder Credibility, Not Problem First
When founders are giving an intro on a VC pitch call, I highly recommend using that time to explain why you are the perfect person to solve that problem. Jumping immediately into the problem and solution of the business hurts more than it helps.
Fear Setting Turns Worst-Case Thoughts
Business is hard. Stressful. Difficult. But always dwelling and thinking about the worst thing that can possibly happen will cripple you and slow you down. Instead, I prefer to do an exercise called “fear setting” where you write down all...
Embrace Uncertainty: Waiting Kills Entrepreneurial Success
the thing with entrepreneurship is ya, its a very uncertain time, but if you need certainty to pull the trigger you'll be too late. diving headfirst into the abyss of the unknown is the only way. probably why first time entrepreneurs...
Validate Market Size and Growth via Trends and Competitors
How to know if market is big and growing? Analysts cover big markets; you can get their data by searching the internet. Often companies republish those papers, if they’re mentioned favorably. Look at Google Trends. Are competitors growing; are new ones entering the...
Innovation Thrives on Saying No, Not Adding More
Apple wasn’t saved by adding more. It was saved by cutting almost everything. In 1997, Steve Jobs reduced dozens of products to just four. The focus created clarity. Innovation isn’t adding more options. It’s deciding what to say no to....
Your Next Client Is Already in Your Network
🔥hot take: your next client is probably already in your network. you just don't have a system for staying in front of them. if i only had 5 minutes a day to move the needle on my business relationships, i'd follow...
Predictive AI Nailed $380M Blue Energy Funding
Crunchbase called it! 👏 Eight months ago, we predicted Blue Energy was likely to raise, with 95% confidence. Now it’s official with $380M in funding. That’s the power of our predictive intelligence, giving you the earliest private market knowledge.🔮 https://t.co/xE2a8NZbSK https://t.co/xxlYaZrRZo
Customer‑Driven Feedback Loop Fuels $10M SaaS Success
These guys built a $10M+ B2B SaaS by doing something that doesn't scale... Moneybird built the #1 bookkeeping software in the Netherlands by shaping their entire product around customer feedback. Even the founders handled support themselves in the early days....
AI Spotlights Viable Opportunities, Flags Overcrowded Markets
Claude Code is so good at spotting business opportunities and trends. (And also, what areas are really crowded and “too hard”) I don't see how we started businesses before without AI.
One Year Strong: GamesBeat Thrives Thanks to Community
Today is the one-year anniversary of when we spun GamesBeat out of VB as an independent company. We're in better shape with a strong team. I'm grateful for the work our team has done. It's exciting to see how far...
Use Public Listings for Growth, Not Just Exit
In this episode, Callum Laing breaks down a strategy most entrepreneurs completely overlook, how to use a public listing as a growth tool, not just an exit. Instead of chasing traditional IPOs, Calum reveals how his “constrained stock” model creates stability,...
Good Metrics? Push Back on Low Valuations
One of our founders successfully negotiated up a lowball valuation offer even though they were a bit hesitant to ask. If your metrics are good, do not be afraid to push back on valuation. VCs will work with founders of...
Win in Saturated Markets with Better Offer, Marketing
I spent years trying to find 'unsaturated' products. Never found one. I made my first million selling a 'saturated' product with a better offer and better marketing. Stop looking for no competition. Start being better competition.
Pricing Experiments Risk Reputation when Existing Customers Notice
That's the one thing I've always found complicated about running pricing experiments on any SaaS I've been involved with. If it escapes the top of the funnel and enters a broader conversation involving existing customers, it becomes almost a reputational...
Use Claude Code to Vet Startup Ideas Like VCs
Before you tie yourself to your startup idea, have a conversation with Claude Code about it. It is so good in evaluating business opportunities. If you want to look at your business from the lens of a VC, you can also...
Master Market Sizing: Essential Guide for Startups
📚2048 Ventures Blog Post: Everything You Need to Know About Market Sizing https://t.co/PLutwGMQGm @2048vc // #startuphacks // #VC
Bootstrapped Success: Wealth Doesn't Alter Perspective
Last week I asked a founder who just sold his 8-figure company what it felt like when the wire hit. He started it in 2014 and bootstrapped it to $30M ARR before selling in 2025. This is what he told me about...
AI Powers Restaurant Automation and Loyalty Rewards
AI for restaurants. @HostBuddy_AI lets restaurants automate themselves and add loyalty programs that will reward repeat customers. Here's founder Sagar Gola telling me about it. https://t.co/f4idphjguH
Founders' Dinner Sparks AI, Space Data Center Deals
Last night @BananaCap_ hosted an intimate dinner with the top founders in our network. We talked company building, AI, data centers in space, and multiple deals were closed. DM me if you'd like an invite to the next one. https://t.co/9E0Z5z0zus
Acquiring Is Easy; Operating Demands Naïve Optimism
Here’s one thing I’ve learned after 160+ podcast conversations with people buying, operating, and scaling lower middle market businesses: It requires a lot of optimism and naivety. Describing these people... yes, they're all extremely capable, great at executing the skills needed to...
AI Agents Consolidate Rental Management Tools Into One
Trellis (@usetrellis) builds AI agents that run operations for short-term rental managers. Instead of juggling 5–10 disconnected tools, operators get an agent that learns how they work and builds the software needed to run their business. Congrats on the launch, @lodobenvenuti00...
Build a Business That Grows, Not Just Survives
Staying in business isn’t the same as building something that truly works. Too many founders wear survival like a trophy—pushing through slow months, thin margins, and constant stress as if endurance alone equals success. But a business that only “hangs on”...
ReSeed Deploys $125M, Launches Cohort 3 GPs
ReSeed Cohort 3 Launch Week: Boulder, CO Rhett came to me with the idea for ReSeed ("y-combinator for real estate GPs") in '22. We started the business with a fantastic team of co-founders and an incredible anchor investor in early '23. Since...
Build Structure, Not Effort, to Lighten Growth
Growth starts to feel heavy when your business relies on your effort instead of your structure.
Startups Thrive Using Used Machines with Noah Graff
Discover inspiring success stories of startups that began with used machines and grew into thriving businesses with 𝐍𝐨𝐚𝐡 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟! Stream now: 🔗 https://t.co/2CnEZKJAMq 📽️ https://t.co/LgvpTRVQXi 🔗 https://t.co/DmYp21N5Kv #MachineShop #Entrepreneurship #UsedMachines https://t.co/KYs2v0pobs
Treat Scaling Your Business Like a Winning Game
Scaling an online business feels like playing a video game This is how you play to win:
Never Assume Anything Is Obvious—Test Every Assumption
The most dangerous word in a founder's vocabulary is "obvious." Obvious is where you stop asking questions. Founders consistently overestimate the accuracy of their intuitions and underestimate the value of contrary evidence. The assumptions that feel most certain are usually the ones that...
Vibe Coding Lowers Barriers, Speeds Product Creation
Vibe coding has really changed how product gets built - and the bar to start something keeps on getting lower everyday.
Your Mind Holds $100k Worth of Ideas—Share Them
Inside your head is $100,000 worth of digital product ideas that are incredibly valuable to others. The hard part is getting comfortable sharing them.
Listen to Aman R. Sanger's First Pre
LS was the first podcast cursor ever did listen back to baby @amanrsanger when they were 5 people and pre-PMF https://t.co/0tIvpIwjC4
Building a “Magical” Product Feels Truly Blessed
not every day you hear the product you’re building is “magical” feeling blessed right now building @flexpa
Cursor AI Secures First Backer, VerdictCap’s Michael Fertik
Congratulations to @cursor_ai for landing the 🚀. And to @VerdictCap MD @michaelfertik for being their very first backer. 🦄
Skipping Key Legal Docs Leaves Founders Vulnerable
A founder once told me the NDA was “just a formality.” Six months later their co-founder walked out with the IP. If you do not have these 10 documents locked in, you are not protected: 1. Founder Agreement with vesting schedule 2. IP Assignment Agreement 3. NDA (mutual...
SpaceX Eyes $60B Acquisition After $50B Raise
Interesting. @mntruell raises money at $50B valuation (reported) Friday. Agrees deal to work with SpaceX with option to be acquired by them for $60B, Tuesday.
Immigrants Power America’s Future Through Opportunity
I grew up in Pakistan barely able to afford a bicycle. Today I drive a Tesla with FSD through Silicon Valley and invest in companies building the future. That gap, from there to here isn't about me being smarter than anyone....
Pitch, Network, and Pizza at Batter Up SF
San Francisco founders, it is just under a week until Batter Up San Francisco. Practice your pitch, get actionable feedback from investors, network and of course, eat pizza. RSVP: https://t.co/5OU2oRYLjZ https://t.co/e6kLsrQWcH
Turn a Tweet Into an MVP and Startup
Developers. This is how you solve a problem with an MVP and sell right away: 1. Get a tweet like the below 2. Build the solution 3. Pitch everyone who commented or liked it or partner with the owner of the tweet 4. Now...
From Evening Firewood to 40s Entrepreneurial Success
Each April, we attend a small birthday gathering at a friend’s home. There is always this one guy whose entrepreneurial story I really like. Ten years ago, he was working a 9 to 5 job. During most evenings, he started cutting and...
Real Founders Face Instant Rejection After Cross‑country Investor Trips
You’re not a real founder until you travel cross country for an investor meeting only to be told no almost immediately.
AI Makes Plain Text Pitches Replace Decks
It’s funny - I think we will actually move from pitch decks to text files (or deal memos  will be OK too). Feels like we are going back to what we used in the 90s. But with AI agents,...
Investing in Visionary Builders Redefining Email's Future
Naveen, Steven, and Albert are amazing builders bringing email into the future. Very excited to invest and see what and how they build.
Bolto Secures $12M to Launch AI‑native All‑in‑one HR Platform
Congrats to @boltohq on their $12M Series A! They're building the first AI-native HR platform that brings full-cycle recruiting, payroll, and HRIS into one place. Companies post a job, Bolto's recruiters compete to fill it, and new hires transfer seamlessly...
Founder Matters More than the Startup Idea
The best early-stage startup investment isn't actually the startup. It's the founder. When Joshua Sirota came through the Launch accelerator after getting rejected by YC, and my team, "I don't know if this startup works. But I know Josh is...
Cut Facebook Ads, Build Sustainable Profitability
Blueland reached profitability and $300M in sales by *cutting* over $1M/month in Facebook ad spend to focus on a stronger business foundation. Meanwhile you're burning all your cash on Facebook ads to chase unprofitable growth instead of building a sustainable...
Announcing “Lookmaxxxing at 50” Startup on All In
On the next episode of All In, @chamath and I will reveal our new startup... "lookmaxxxing at 50" in partnership with @Clavicular0 https://t.co/3KFw5I88pZ
From Dorm to $275M: Early Ovarian Cancer Detection Breakthrough
This is my friend Surbhi Sarna. She came to Draper University in 2012. She had painful ovarian cysts as a teenager, but doctors didn’t have tools that could detect cancer without harming the ovaries. She studied molecular biology at UC Berkeley. Then came...
You Can Be a Savage Founder and Family Man
The strongest "message" is not anything said ... but seeing what people around you are DOING I got married and started my first company at 24. We had 3 kids by 31. But living downtown, I did not know anyone who...
AI‑Powered Automation Accelerates Startup Success
I’m a serial entrepreneur and I’m helping my husband build a new company. So far I’ve used Claude ai to create the website, the logo, and the entire operation workflow. It’s even setting up the automations for us so that...
Complex Product Derailed PLG, Forcing Sales Team Rebuild
PLG got Product Fruits to $2M ARR. Then it broke. The product was too complex for self-serve. Customers had no idea what it could do. They had to build a sales team from scratch. https://t.co/DInZ7mxOqy
Hiring at AI Speed: Artemis Secures Talent in 48 Hours
Shachar Hirshberg and Dan Shiebler make offers to new hires within 48 hours of their first conversation. They’re building an AI-native security company, Artemis Security, that battles threats that move at machine speed (which, for AI-driven attacks, is often in seconds)....