From Refugee to Licensed LA Contractor: New Construction Firm
Update on the Ukrainian refugee family we helped get situated in LA: As you may recall, the husband, Oleh, had run a successful construction business in Ukraine before coming here. But he was a business guy who had never really worked with his hands. Bc he needed to help feed his family, he taught himself to do handyman-type work and I got him a job at a PM company. When that didn't work out, he and his wife, Maria (who had previously run a successful interior design business) started a little handyman biz of their own. I helped publicize it on here and they did good work and, eventually, so much business came in that they hired people. Now, I am delighted to announce that Oleh has obtained his contractor's license and they have launched a full-fledged construction company available to do rehabs, ADU construction, etc. in the LA area. If you have a project you need help with, please visit https://t.co/tLNq24kS0U to learn more. (Before anyone starts with the "why didn't they stay in their country?", I would invite you to consider what *you* would do after spending a few nights with your three young sons huddled in a bomb shelter.)
Cohere’s Aidan Gomez Chooses Sovereign AI Over Easy Wins
"We're not looking for the easiest path, we're looking for the right path." NEW: Aidan Gomez is trying to build a different kind of AI company at $6.8B-valued Cohere. On The Upstarts Podcast, Gomez talks about his journey from small-town Ontario to...
Creator Coins Use Bonding Curves to Bootstrap BitClout
"I raised over 4,000 BTC for BitClout, and to bootstrap, we created creator coins so every profile could have a coin associated with it and every coin would go up or down as more people bought or sold. It was...
Consistent Practice Separates Successful Founders From Others
I’ve raised millions and spent years building companies....This one practice consistently separates successful founders from the rest👇
Execution Beats Idea: Focus on Demand, Distribution, Consistency
You don’t need a great idea to build a successful company. What actually mattered (from my experience building and selling 2 companies): -doubling down on what worked -picking something with clear demand -building distribution early -creating consistently Most people overthink the idea and underinvest in everything...
Deal Sourcing Wins: Shaq’s Ring Investment Story
Shaq story investing in Ring before Amazon bought it for $1B is very entertaining. He wanted a security camera. One firm tried milking him for $80k (“no…beat it”). So, he went to Best Buy, saw Ring camera and bought it. Loved the...
AI Friendships: EigenHQ Tackles Loneliness Through Tech
When I first met @paulscherer I was struck by his intellect, values, and vision for how technology can help bring people together in a time of extreme hyper-personalization. I've long believed one of the most important consumer opportunities in AI would...
From Newsletter to Six Figures: Nathan Barry’s Side Hustle
Did you know Kit isn't my only business? I started a local newsletter and found the perfect person run it. Marissa Lovell grew From Boise to 24,000 subscribers and crossed six figures. We talk about it the latest...
Launch AI Pitch Coach Now, Refine Later
I built chatbot and voice versions of myself so founders can get feedback without waiting for my calendar. It stress-tests decks and filters the strongest pitches to my team. Was just featured byPitchBook. The tech has gaps but waiting for perfection...
From Instacart’s Rise to Investor Lessons
For this episode of Uncapped I got to sit down with my close friend @Max, cofounder of Instacart 🥕 We talked about the key moments of Instacart...how it got started, critical wins, tough losses, competitive dynamics, earned insights, going public, and...
Relentless Hiring Standards Preserve Culture and Excellence
🚨🚨NEW EPISODE DROP Sally Kornbluth, President of MIT🚨🚨 "If you take a lick of the lollipop of mediocrity, you will suck forever." I love this. She was talking about how MIT sustains excellence after 150+ years. And it applies to founders and CEOs...
Investors Rush to Fund Founder After Product Halt
He emailed investors: "We're stopping work on the product. Expect MRR to decline." They called back in 20 minutes. Not to pull funding. To ask how much more money he needed. https://t.co/TlhbiiLl2Q
Wispr Flow Expands in India’s Voice Productivity Market
Wispr Flow is gaining traction in India in the productivity space. I looked into its strategy for expansion in a market with great potential for voice applications https://t.co/Jc63060vGT
Validate with Sales Before Building Your Product
Some founders build first and sell later. I believe you should sell first, then build. No sense in spending time on something people haven’t paid for.
80‑Year‑Old Billionaire Still Launches New Apartment Venture
If you sold your business for $10 billion and were nearing 80 years old, would you hang up the cleats and enjoy retirement? If you say "yes," you are not Aimco/AIR founder Terry Considine, who is starting over again with his...
Media Ad Measurement Still Attracts Startups and M&A
Why we continue to see startup formation and m&a in media and ad measurement. https://t.co/uCJ23GTccm
Delhi NCR Hosts 54 Grocery Delivery Startups, Disproving Myth
Why these random thoughts that people on X have- " hey anyone can set up new age businesses by losing money and there is no other moat" are so wrong. There were 54 grocery delivery start ups in Delhi NCR alone. https://t.co/S00vfn7flW
Foundation Model Sparks GPT‑Era, Zero‑Shot Robotics Revolution
Physical Intelligence (@physical_int) is building a foundation model that can control any robot to do any task — what the team describes as the GPT moment for robotics. The company's cross-embodiment approach trains across many different robot platforms, and recent...
Entrepreneurship: The Ultimate Personal Development Masterclass
Sales teaches you communication. Marketing teaches you strategic thinking. Scaling a business teaches you mindset and leadership Entrepreneurship is the best personal development program.
SpaceX IPO Fuels Employee Spin‑offs and New Startups
SpaceX IPO wealth creation: how many SpaceX (and xAI) staff will generate enough $ from an IPO to go and seed their own startups? Tesla, SpaceX alumni story well know: lots of startups out there Does this create some big wave of...
Indecision Costs Founders Control and Value
A lot of startup pain comes from founders not deciding what matters most and owning it. Wasserman's take (Founder’s Dilemma) on this is kind of brutal: founders who toggle between "I want control" and "I want maximum value at sale" are...
Launching Spam-Free Competitor, Ads-Free at Launch
tempted to build a direct competitor to https://t.co/J9hksWvHtX solve the spam, no ads at first
From Corporate to Solo: Managing All Tasks Alone
Live Today What happens when you leave corporate and suddenly have to do everything yourself? This is a ‘must see event’ for anyone managing a small team or growing a business. Set yourself a reminder on YouTube here: https://t.co/pi3G0bxd2A https://t.co/mNsoC9P45q
Rapid AI Iteration: Essential for Every Modern Business
We just did a 90 minute hackathon as a team. We hired an ai consultant to build us a sourcing tool better than all the tools we previously used. We then spent 90 minutes all on a zoom using it,...
Turning Down $10M Led to GitLab’s IPO Success
Sid Sijbrandij, co-founder of GitLab, was offered $10 million for his company. His dad said sell. His accountant said sell. His response: 'I really like working, so I don't mind working. And I think we can do better Six years later,...
Sell the Result, Not the Product
Nobody wants your product. They want what your product does for them — the outcome, the relief, the transformation. The product is just the delivery mechanism. What does your customer wake up wanting? Build that. Not the product. That.
AI Supercharges Growth for Diligent Startup Founders
AI is giving a lot of hard-working founders the growth they deserve. Every couple days I hear about another startup that was working hard and doing ok but not great but has now had its growth accelerated by AI.
Doubling Business With Zero Capital Through Vendor‑Financed Acquisition
the acquisition that doubled my business: not through: – more marketing spend – more staff – more locations – more effort through one deal: – motivated seller – vendor financed – zero personal capital
Startup Failures Are Timing Issues, Not Talent Flaws
The startup failure rate isn't 90%. Most ventures don't die dramatically. They fade. Cash, customers, and conviction run out at the same time. That's a timing problem — not a talent problem. Most failures are recoverable if you catch them early enough. Know your...
Objection Lets Anyone Pay $2k to Challenge Stories
Really excellent interview here by @RebeccaBellan with Aron D'Souza, whose new startup Objection allows anyone to pay $2,000 to challenge a story and trigger a public investigation into its claims. It's backed by Peter Thiel and Balaji Srinivasan. https://t.co/iLEBZ4paHE https://t.co/6Fe1t2W4XN
One Facility, One Vision: Machine Builds Machine
Building a world-class humanoid robots is about more than just AI, it’s about the Machine building the Machine. Here, Bernt Børnich, CEO of 1X, explains how 1X manages research, development, AI, production, all from a single facility and why this...
Cultural Relevance Equals Product‑market Fit
What came to mind as I was reading this is that continuous cultural relevance IS product/market fit. Plain and simple.
Success Stories Hide the Hard Truths of Entrepreneurship
The number one thing I hear from people who run their own business is “why didn’t anyone tell me how hard this will be”? Truth is, many people venture into a business because they only hear about the success stories...
Your Users Might Now Be AI Agents via API
common startup advice: talk to your users only difference now is that your users might also be AI agents using your API 😂
Validate 5 Key Elements Before Showing Any Demo
Founders: Discovery validates 5 critical elements: 1. Need Existence: Do they have the problem? 2. Current State: How solving it now (or not)? 3. Pain Severity: Economic/operational cost? 4. Prioritization: Ranked vs other initiatives? 5. Fit Assessment: Worth more time? No demo until you validate all...
Founders Must Use Vesting and One‑Year Cliff
Founders should have vesting shares like everyone else. With a one-year cliff for early folks that don’t work out, which is extremely common; the more founders, the more common. Yes you should make that legal before you start. Always.
Transparency: Sponsorship Fuels New AI Project Amid Financial Strain
Why did Scoble sell out? I'm starting to get a lot more sponsors who are willing to pay me to introduce their companies to you. You'll see more later today. I just wanted to say a few words about this. First: thank...
Use a Decision Tree to Confirm Fit and Move Forward
Founders: The discovery close decision tree: Confirm fit: 'Seems like something here - am I right or off base?' If YES → Concrete next step: - POC with timeline - Stakeholder meeting scheduled - Technical deep-dive booked If NO → Part as friends: 'Sounds handled. Call me if...
IPSC Tissues Supply Causal Data to Power Simulations
A general-purpose biological simulator, one that can predict how the human body responds to any intervention, isn't blocked by compute. It's blocked by data. Not data in general. Causal, human-relevant data. The kind where molecular interactions actually produce functional outcomes you...
Identify and Fix Tech Debt to Boost Happiness
RE tech debt: Is _____ slowing us down, whether because it's hard to change, risky to change, or we keep fixing bugs there? If yes, addressing it soon will boost team happiness and performance. Otherwise, maybe it’s best to keep that loan outstanding. https://t.co/UJrgWx9kEr
Founders Need Ambition Density, Not Just SF Location
The debate about whether founders need to move to San Francisco misses the real point. It's not about capital. It's about density of ambition and understanding competitive pace and landscape. More >>
From Near Shutdown to $40M in Five Months
🚨 Last call 🚨 This week, I'm sitting down with @EricSimons, Co-founder & CEO of @boltdotnew, to talk about how they went from weeks away from shutdown to $40M in 5 months. If you're a founder, investor, or just trying to understand...
Startups Stink Early, Freedom Comes After Years
Every startup sucks when you start. Expect many years of intense pain before decades of freedom.
Investors Demand Proven Revenue Before Funding; Bootstrapping Essential
Investors are basically telling early-stage founders to figure it out first, then come back for money. I know how that lands, but after a month of conversations with founders, investors, and accelerators - it's hard to argue with the pattern. Investors want...
From Shoes to AI: Launching BirdBrain
I’m going to start a shoe company with venture capital and then turn it into an AI company. Calling it BirdBrain.
Allbirds Shifts to AI, Secures $50M Financing
Allbirds pivots to an AI company and raises $50M via convertible financing. Nothing surprises me anymore.
20% Seed Dilution Now Standard, Up From
Most founders will sell 20-25% in a seed round right now, up from 15-20% a few years ago. Selling 20% is reasonable 99% of the time.
Solo Founders Need One Unified AI, Not 13 Agents
Most solo founders don’t need “13 AI agents.” They need one system that remembers the whole business and doesn’t hallucinate. AI feels useless when it lives in 5 different tabs, forgets every conversation, and can’t see your revenue or launches. The OS shift:...
Turn Quantified Pain Into Demo Anchors with Automation
Founders: Map every discovery question to product capabilities: Pain Discovery: 'What's biggest time suck?' → 'Deprovisioning takes 5-10 min each' Pain Sizing: 'How often?' → '10x daily = 2 hours/day lost' Demo Anchor: Show automation feature that saves exactly those 2 hours. Questions build your demo script.
Nuvacore AI Emerges, Targeting AI‑optimized Datacenter CPUs
Congrats to @NUVACOREAI coming out of stealth and the @sequoia investment. The value prop makes sense. Agents are driving the need for more and better datacenter CPUs, particularly in the hyperscalers. The company says it wants to overcome the limitations of...