Spend $20 on AI, Earn $500K: 5 Rules
I pay $20/month for AI. It generates $500K in revenue. The secret to 2,000x returns? These 5 rules.
Validate Demand, Craft Standout Product, Let Creative Drive Sales
How to build a $10M+ ecom brand (based on some of the most expensive lessons I’ve ever learned) PRODUCT & BRAND - Dropshipping isn't a business, it's a test - validate demand then move to white-label or you'll be racing to the...
Target High‑value Buyers, Not Discount‑driven Churners
Discounts get you customers who can’t afford the product. And so they churn when the discount wears off. Wasting everyone’s time, and unprofitable. Redirect your efforts towards getting customers who want your product so much, they think it’s too cheap.
Build, Not Hype: AI Topia Empowers Real Implementation
300 members in a few weeks. Here's why I built this. I've watched too many AI communities and influencers do the same thing. Hype, fluff, and zero substance. "AI will change everything." "This tool is a game changer." "10x your productivity with this one...
Seed Pursues the New, Avoids Over‑Specializing in Trends
"Seed is not small venture. Its sole purpose is to navigate the new." This is one of the reasons why we've never over-indexed into any single category or trend. Our goal is to catch the "new".
Leaders Who Risk Change Markets, Not Companies
observed: the default view of many public investors is that companies cannot materially change - that they exist in a static state. in some cases, this assumption is right. but markets evolve when leaders take risks driving change. and markets...
Automate Your Passion: Run Business Without You
Build what you love, but create systems and automations so your business actually runs without you being chained to it.
AI Forces VCs to Rethink Sourcing: People Remain Moat
Venture capital is not immune to AI disruption. So we asked ourselves the hard question: If we were starting Harlem Capital today, what would we do differently? We spent three days in a house rebuilding our sourcing strategy from scratch. We walked away...
Mentorship Fuels Startup Success and CEO Growth
93% of startups say mentorship drives their success. 80% of CEOs credit a mentor for where they are today. A mentor gives you two assets: experience to avoid mistakes and access to networks you lack. If you want faster growth and fewer blind...
Founders Overpay Employees, Undervalue 24/7 AI Agents
A lot of founder are okay with paying 30k/mo for employees but not okay with paying 3k/mo agents which work for 24/7.
Handshake's Pivot Targets $1B Revenue in 2024
Incredible founding story and astonishing pivot into a new business at Handshake. A conversation in Dec 2024 led to a new business that will do $1B+ this year. CEO @GarrettLord with Upfront’s @nickbkim https://t.co/MRUtbjzcA1
Flawed yet Genius Method to Decode Customer Intent
This both genius and massively flawed. And I love it. Depend song on the average communication skill level of your customers, we might finally have found a way to truly understand customer intent. Placeholder should have been “I want X so...
SaaS Apocalypse? Market Hype Meets Skeptical Reality
Is the SaaSpocalypse upon us?! Markets went bananas after this Citrini article was published — but is this legit? Deedy Das isn’t so sure… Which businesses do you think are going away?
Ten Years to Profit: Turning Deep Red Into Success
It took “just” ten years for them to be profitable. It’s easy to look at this graph and have vitriolic thoughts. But ultimately, profitability is one of the hardest things to ever reach. Series J or bootstrapped. It’s amazing to have turned...
Solana Poised as Go‑to Platform for Trading Startups, Says Zora
"When the next entrepreneur has a trading-related idea, they are going to do it on Solana. A powerful proofpoint? Zora." @MikeIppolito_ https://t.co/CJcMhLr945
Build for Tomorrow’s LLM, Not Today’s
Boris Cherny (@bcherny) on the @LightconePod about how he approached building Claude Code: "At Anthropic, we don't build for the model of today, we build for the model of six months from now. And that's still my advice to founders that...
Avoid Judging Beginners; Growth Feels Uncomfortable
“Everybody knows what it’s like to be a beginner” - I disagree. I think some find the feeling of growth so deeply uncomfortable they do as little of it as possible. Their belief that success only ever looks like mastery...
Validate Demand Before Scaling, Not Just Chasing Network Sales
Revenue does not equal product-market fit. If sales rely on your network, do not scale. Churn drops, retention holds, 40% of users say they need it, and your team repeats the sales process without you. Build, test with users, iterate, and prove demand...
US IT Budget Wasted on Maintenance, Not Innovation
The US spends $100B annually on IT, and nearly 80% of that goes to maintenance instead of building new things. @cognition is ushering in an era of software abundance to the public sector 🇺🇸
OpenAI's $100B Raise Defies Profit Logic
OpenAI is closing a ~$100B funding round despite being unprofitable. On paper, it makes no sense... But here’s what everyone’s missing:
From Doorbot to Ring: $1B Dream in 2018
“Back when I sold Ring in 2018, $1 Billion was a lot of money” @JamieSiminoff and @hametwatt at the Upfront Summit - Hamet came up with the name Ring (instead of Doorbot) and Jamie wanted a four letter domain like...
Samsung's Narrow-Pixel Display Adds App‑Level Privacy
this is cool as hell. new Samsung display tech uses narrow pixels to give privacy screen to certain apps and even smaller elements like notifications, making it so people around you can't see private info https://t.co/IpQYd5od6I
Weak Ties Expand Network, Accelerate Learning, Shape Future
Identity Capital for 20-Sometings #3 = Relationship Capital Meet with people beyond your family and friends. Weak ties can expand your networking reach, enable rapid learning as you explore potential futures, and change your life.
Guard Your Cap Table: Success Attracts Detractors
Founders, know that even if you build a world class product and achieve an outcome most can only dream of, there will still be people that try to tear you down. Be very careful with who you allow onto your...
AI‑Powered Prediction Game ‘Hunch?’ Launches on iPhone
Prediction markets are hot. Here's a new one, made with AI, that is more fun, less gambling. Get it on iPhone at https://t.co/YYZS6efkU5 It's called "Hunch?" on iPhone and here founder Daniel Buchner talks to me about what makes it different...
Filter Feedback: Follow Vision, Ignore the Noise
Customer feedback can sometimes lead you astray. ⚠️ Not all feedback is created equal. Focus on the insights that align with your vision and strategy, and be wary of trying to please everyone.
Build Community First, Then Product, for Billion-Dollar Success
Glossier spent 4 years building a community on a beauty blog before launching a single product. They co-created with their audience. Hit a billion-dollar valuation. Meanwhile you're building products nobody asked for. That's the gap.
Automation Will Kill Network Effects of Seat‑based Tools
If a company had a network effect but that network effect is induced by people whose roles will get automated via AI, that company will surely have a decelerating network effect. There are many seat-based tools like this that are...
Raise Prices Now: Stop Giving Customers a Hidden Tax
Are you paying a 50% tax you didn't vote for? You're just gifting it to your customers instead of the government. Here's how: Say you're a store doing $3M at 10% margins makes $300K in profit. You finally raise prices 15%, something that's LONG...
Launch Festival Returns: Free 3‑Minute Pitch for Early‑Stage Founders
LAUNCH FESTIVAL is back… March 16 & 17 in San Francisco This is the demo-or-die format I created for TechCrunch50 back in the day. 3 minutes to pitch your vision to a panel of investors and founders Always free for...
Non‑technical Founder Slashes UI Build Time with Claude Code
I don't write code. But I build every screen that our users touch on Theanna. I'm a non-technical founder using Claude Code to build frontend and it has cut our dev time from 2 weeks to 2 days. Here's my exact process (steal...
Pivot to AI Secures Enterprise Deals, Fuels Growth
In this episode of Founder Firesides, @sdianahu talks with Ali Akhtar and Armen Forget of @LetterAICo, who just announced their $40M Series B. After pivoting during YC, they landed enterprise customers like Lenovo in the batch and expanded rapidly. They discuss...
AI Readiness: Essential Strategy for 2026 Growth
A lawyer and an entrepreneur walk into a room... To discuss how 'AI Readiness' is THE strategy you need for 2026. Especially if you're looking to grow, get funding, have an exit, and everything in between. Join me and Thomas...
Real Breakthroughs Happen in Face‑to‑face Conversations, Not Screens
I discovered the best standing desk setup. I’m writing this from an infinity pool in the middle of a rainforest. It looks like vacation, but it’s not. I’m here with a small group of agency owners for something I’ve been building for...
Invest Two Hours Today, Simplify Tomorrow's Workflow
If you can follow someone else’s system all day, You can spend 2 hours building your own. Make tomorrow easier.
Turn Agency Data Into AI Powerhouse: $1M to $18M
I interviewed a founder who turned his agency into an AI SaaS. $1M to $18M ARR in 9 months. The secret? 6 years of agency data trained the AI. @rich_fyxer_ai (Fyxer AI) told me how he pulled this off. Here...
Courageous Founders Get Belief and Capital to Build Generational Companies
Entrepreneurship requires courage. To have a vision, be uncomfortable, fail, and bounce back. We bring the belief and capital to match our founders’ courage. If you or someone you know is attempting to build a generational company, please reach out. All Winners Welcome. https://t.co/TKJCXsQiWi
Stop Winging It: Clarify Vision, Offer, Audience
Too many founders are “winging it” and that’s the reason they can’t get any traction. You must get clarity around: • Your vision • Your messaging • Your banger offer • Your ideal audience
Capital Raising Is the Real Estate Bottleneck
The biggest bottleneck in real estate is raising capital for your first deals. In my case, I raised $400k from eight friends after calling everyone I knew when I was 26. Others who’ve built real estate portfolios, how did you raise the...
Closing Short: When Business Sales Lack Funds
What happens when a small business is sold… and there isn’t enough money at the closing table? https://t.co/2PBFSkyCNC #SmallBusiness #BusinessSale #BuyingABusiness #SellMyBusiness #BusinessBroker #Entrepreneurship https://t.co/skl9JQoWaW
Redefine Success: Sustainable Income Over VC Scaling
After 2 years of indie hacking, my definition of success needed a full reboot. The Old Code: → Quit the 9-5 → Scale to $100k MRR → Raise VC funding The New Code: → Keep my stable income → Build to $2k MRR sustainably → Own my mornings...
My SaaS Was Born Solving My Own Problems
People often ask me where my business ideas come from. From problems. Mostly my own 😅 Here's the genesis of my main SaaS:
Both Building and Distribution Are Equally Tough
Business gurus on X be like “building is easy, distribution is the hard part now” I have news for you: it’s all fucking hard
Remote Svelte Engineer Wanted: $9k/Mo, Fast‑Growth Startup
Hiring: engineer who loves Svelte 💪 → UK, Europe or East Coast North America → Small, remote team → $9,000 a month → PLG, shipping fast and often Help us grow from 3,000 to 10,000 paying customers Job description in reply https://t.co/5GVRQ6Y8aN
Build Companies by Solving Real Problems, Not Ideas
Entrepreneurship without innovation fails. Innovation means solving real problems, not inventing random products. You win by spotting gaps, testing ideas, and improving fast. Netflix shifted models, Amazon improved process, startups repeat this daily. If you want to build a company, start by asking: what...
Automation Gives You Freedom to Say No
Declining a $5K consulting gig because it doesn't fit your schedule. Ignoring partnership requests that don't excite you. Taking a month off without worrying about revenue. You can only do this when you have dialed in automated systems. → Email sequences that nurture and...
Pricing Should Reflect Value, Not Just Usage
IMO Claude pricing will eventually change. Consider these 3 users: 1) solo founder making $1 million per year, Claude helps fix a critical bug in minutes that allows the founder to spend more time with family 2) dev employee using Claude...
DIY Cinematic App Credits Without AI Slop
I made cinematic opening credits for my app. No film crew. No actors. No stock footage. One evening. A few bucks. And it doesn't look like AI slop. I wrote up my entire workflow — every prompt, every tool, every step. Steal it. Fight...
Founders Must Balance Selling Vision With Execution
I’ve worked with hundreds of founders. I see 2 failing types again and again: A-Heavy Founder: Big vision. Great at selling. Weak at execution. Overpromises → underdelivers → loses credibility. C-Heavy Founder: Strong execution. High quality. Weak at selling. Works 80 hours → earns...
Skip Stressed‑desk Videos: Launch Monaco with Fresh Approach
We just launched Monaco. Here’s the exact playbook we used. I hope it's helpful to other founders and startups: 1. The launch video: most launch videos I see orient around some stressed out person at their desk or some philosophical approach...