Early-Stage Startups Don’t Need Costly Big‑4 Audits
Startups ($25M ARR? Get bids from multiple firms. You do NOT need a Big 4 audit. It does not me you are a legit company before the Big 4 did the audit. No one cares. 2nd tier firm is fine 3 years from an IPO? Yeah, switch to big 4 if you want
Ramp and Rippling Are Less Overlapping Than Assumed
Ramp and Rippling don't have as much overlap as people think. So says @rabois 👀 @eglyman @parkerconrad https://t.co/6Xh1bcpnjw
Rabois Predicts Trump May Block China's Nvidia Chip Access
Here's @rabois saying he thinks the Trump administration may ultimately reverse course on letting China get access to Nvidia's best chips https://t.co/XImO09oRyf
Spot the #1 Sign Management Lacks Business Command
What’s the #1 tell that a management team doesn’t actually have command of their business? I spoke with Paul Stansik , an operating partner at ParkerGale Capital , about the relationship between boards and their portfolio companies. Paul works on...
Mid‑Size SaaS Growth Re‑Accelerates, Rule‑40 Slips, NDR Returns
The latest Private Company SaaS Benchmarks are here. How did 2025 finish? TL;DR: 1) Growth is (somewhat) re-accelerating between $5M–$50M ARR 2) Rule of 40 is sad between $5M–$25M ARR 3) NDR is making a quiet comeback For the full...
Decode the LP‑GP Language Gap: Survival vs Longevity
LPs & GPs are often having the same conversation, but not speaking the same language. In my convo w/ @chudson & @miafarnham, we talked about the LP/GP “language gap.” As Charles put it: “Once you learn to decode it, it’s actually quite...
Incentives Keep Frontier AI Labs Private, Excluding Public Investors
it's deeply unfortunate that incentives have aligned such that all these frontier AI labs and other tech companies are way better off staying private and the general public cannot invest in them despite desperately wishing they could.
From Board Exit to AI‑Powered Gun Detection Revolution
After 13 years, I stepped down from the Board of $EVLV today. In 2011, Mike Ellenbogen and Anil Chitkara became Entrepreneurs-in-Residence at General Catalyst in Boston. We spent nearly two years exploring incubation ideas together. Then the world shifted. 2012 - Sandy Hook. 2013...
Biotech IPOs Deliver Median -15% Return, Outperforming Losses
Humbling 30 year Biotech stats shared by @verdadcap in a recent report: Just over 1,000 biotechs hit $200M mkt cap at some point. Of those, 67% have lost value (had cumulative negative returns), vs 48% for all other US companies....
Sourcing and Securing Cap Tables: Venture’s Toughest Challenges
Sourcing is the single hardest part about venture. Equally followed by actually getting on the cap table of the best companies.
Student-Built Livestorm Scales to $20M ARR
Gilles Bertaux built Livestorm for a university final exam in 2016. Nearly $20M ARR. 3,500 customers. $35M raised. Last round was 2020. https://t.co/DXieBIwtcs
Feisty Insights From My Talk with Keith Rabois
Just dropped my conversation with Keith Rabois . Things got feisty. https://lnkd.in/ei2xD9_X
Founder Friends & Rivian Host LA Networking Night Feb 26
Founder Friends is coming to LA on Feb 26! Join us and @Rivian for an evening of networking, learning, and connection with fellow founders and investors. More >> https://t.co/1bltGWHwcQ
Venture Splits: Platform Funds vs Early‑Stage Specialists
“I don’t understand why we call both things venture capital.” — Dan G. on multi-stage mega funds (or the “big banks” as Nicholas Chirls calls them) vs smaller managers dedicated to the craft of early-stage venture. We had a super...
Investors Need Massive User Base, Causing Game Sector Exit
You would need like 100 Mewgenics to satisfy the returns these types of investors in games are looking for which is why they are abandoning the sector.
Early‑stage Funds Demand Belief in Future Exponential Growth
I like this trend line. To invest in an early-stage fund you have to believe the outcomes will be much larger in the next decade than they were in the prior. via @daveclark85 https://t.co/p6Njk2pxW0
Stash Sold for $425M, Far Below $747M Raised
Ouch. Stash selling for $425MM after raising $747MM As a founder who has met a liquidation preference once in a while, this is PTSD. It is a tough hurdle to raise so much and then return the capital. Am sure the team...
Exclusive Investor Mixer at Vegas Hangar, Feb 26
I’m hosting an exclusive investor mixer at this private hangar in Vegas on Thurs 2/26 👀 DM if interested. https://t.co/65LxbH2BJO
YC Still Accepts Late Applications After Deadline
Stumbled across this snap from 2014 in my camera roll. Founders, YC’s deadline just passed but they accept late applications. https://t.co/wp6gokGBi5
45 New Billion‑Dollar Tech Exits Signal Accelerating Pace
since @behind_genius's last study of the 100 most recent billion-dollar-plus tech exits study in April 2025, there have been 45 new exits added...things are heating up! https://t.co/W4I8gsyiDu
Engineers: Build Real-World Companies Now with 5050
Enough AI slop. Enough gambling apps. There’s never been a better time for engineers to build companies that reshape the physical world. Start one with 5050. Apply now. Early bird deadline Feb 15. https://t.co/giXwZLE8uX
Spot Tiny Trends Early for Explosive Startup Returns
I like to think of startup investing like surfing 🏄♀️ You don't want to paddle out too early (market doesn't exist yet). You don't want to be too late (already crowded with competitors). And sometimes the wave you're betting on...
Orbex Bankruptcy Highlights UK Launch Policy Uncertainty
UK launcher startup @orbexspace starts bankruptcy procedure after merger/acquisition/funding talks fail. @spacegovuk launch policy looks to be a puzzle. Remaining @nyxcapsule interest uncertain. @esa @defis_eu @SaxaVord_Space. https://t.co/h0Gu8UB0cx https://t.co/RsfCNjTv3u
Funds Fail Early Without Real Business Foundations
Most private investment funds fail before the second raise, not because of the market, but because they were never built as real businesses. In this solo episode of Raise the Bar, Seth Bradley breaks down why a fund is more than...
Founders Should Prioritize Real Risks Over Competition
Why I avoid competitive markets (usually) We see 1,000+ pitches/month at @HustleFundVC. Many founders obsess over competition for the wrong reasons. Here's what they should actually worry about: 👇 https://t.co/b0BOgdWtRe
Valuation Blends SaaS Metrics with Deal Structuring
Valuation is understandably one of the most top-of-mind topics founders want to cover in our conversations. Something we often emphasize is that there are two sides of valuation: the objective side based on core SaaS metrics, and the subjective side...
UncorkCap Secures Investment Led by Inertia’s Jeffiel
We at @uncorkcap couldn't be more excited to share this news about a recent investment of ours: Inertia led by my old friend @jeffiel. https://t.co/DgUzgdgvhM
Investors See AI as New Core Platform Layer
Pavel (@pavelprata) mapped predictions from 132 investors. Common themes: 1. Autonomous AI as the Next Platform Layer 2. AI Infrastructure 3. AI Meets the Real World 4. Rebuilding Payments for an AI-Native Economy 5. AI Economics & Pricing https://t.co/0jsLI8PbFk
AI Dominates Startups, yet “Why Now?” Still Matters
Thanks for resurfacing this, Dimitry Gershenson 🙏 ❤️ So much has changed since we put this together in 2023 (i.e. AI dominating the startup ecosystem) but also, not much has changed (i.e. the importance of asking "why now?").
Screen‑time App Earns $40K Profit by Stopping Scrolling
$40K profit for helping people stop scrolling. Live on @acquiredotcom: screen time app that automatically boots users out when their timer runs out. > $48K TTM revenue > $40K TTM profit > 500+ paying users Full listing: https://t.co/iTEIt81XrI https://t.co/vb6LdS8811
Startups Can Grow Tenfold, YC Fuels the Boom
What do I believe that few other people believe yet? Startups can and will be 10x bigger YC’s role to make that happen. We're the tree of prosperity: minting more great founders so that both the mega-platforms and the boutiques have...
Future Teams: PMs Code, Architect Manages Infrastructure
anyone with theories on how software teams will evolve? today: 1 eng, 1 PM, 1 designer (EPD) tomorrow: 10 PMs who vibe code all day + 1 eng architect (the architect creates the scaffolding and writes adversarial agents to manage tech debt, security, scalability issues) Thoughts?
Learn With Me: $2M Insight, Fractional Cost
In 2020, I hired McKinsey to teach me about the global energy transition. I learned a lot, but it cost me more than $2M. After that experience, I decided to build my own internal research project at Social Capital called Learn...
Pre‑AI SaaS Loses Appeal as Costs Rise
When was the last time you were excited to buy a pre-AI SaaS tool? When was the last time you felt like you were overpaying on a renewal for a pre-AI SaaS tool, and thought about cancelling? Hence, the markets
Airwallex Hits $1B Run Rate, Finally Gets Noticed
Airwallex just crossed a $1B rev run rate and feels like no one talked about them until late last year. Crazy.
Prepare Detailed Financials to Impress Acquisition Buyers
I talk with a lot of founders who want to go to market on @acquiredotcom unprepared to save some time and see if it's worth it. The problem with this is how buyers evaluate startup acquisition opportunities. Most will require and expect,...
Tech Decentralizes: Unicorns Can Thrive Anywhere
Silicon Valley is a lagging indicator. Tech moved out of Delaware. Now it’s moving out of California. There are hundreds of other places. You can build a unicorn anywhere. So: cut bait on failed states. Our destiny is decentralization. That’s what the Internet means. https://t.co/9gygAEDScs
VC Token Hype Ends; GPs Exit, LPs Furious
"All the general partners are leaving. LPs are pissed. The VC-token flashy side of the industry is done The game has changed And now everyone wants to be like us." @nic_carter https://t.co/gNuh8qfmoE
Kyle Samani Reportedly Exits Entire Multicoin Capital Stake
The rumor on the street is that Kyle Samani redeemed his entire position in Multicoin Capital, say @nic_carter and @austincampbell https://t.co/gNuh8qeOz6
2026 AI Agent Deals: Contracts Over Collaboration?
So we added one new AI Agent to our arsenal this week, and it's a great one, even though it's pretty new. Much more to come. And another? In the end, we decided not to deploy it. What happened? It's...
Founders Quitting in AI Era Shows Lack of Resilience
Watching three 3 founder CEOs at $200m+ ARR quit their start-ups the past 2 weeks or so. On the one hand, I get it. Growth way down, no M&A options, it was supposed to get easier at that stage. Now...
Avoid Copycats: Dare to Think Differently for Startup Survival
When the typical outcome for a post seed, post series A, and post series B startup is death. Perhaps the best strategy is to be careful how much you copy the startups around you. Are you brave enough...
Being a VC Is Mostly About Mastering Sales
Aspiring VCs - do you know VC is a ton of sales? Externally: - Pitching to LPs - Winning over founders & other VCs - Recruiting talent Internally: - Pitching new deals to your team - Proposing new firm initiatives - Suggesting new firm processes
Upcoming Events for Founders & Investors
Three upcoming events worth checking out for anyone building or investing: 🤖 Lead Your Team With AI - February 24, virtual A practical session on how founders can effectively use AI to lead their teams. Featuring Doug Peete, CPO at https://t.co/Wcl0Ro2nMv 🤝...
Reflecting on the Significance of Today’s Moment
Great post that explores this moment in time...
FinTech Funding Soars: Over $1 B Raised in February
February FinTech funding off to flying start with over $1bn raised https://t.co/2EDie8Yh7q $1.02bn raised across 29 rounds. Past two-weeks Fintech funding topped $2.3bn.
Bug‑Fix Speed Reveals a Founder’s True Mastery
If you use any software, you will hit bugs. Only a tiny 5% of your users will ever report bugs. The speed at which those bugs are fixed is the true measure of a founder in mastery of their craft.
Avoid Exclusivity: Protect Your Deal Leverage
Buyers and investors will commonly request exclusivity as part of a transaction process. As a founder, you should be hesitant to grant that request. Exclusivity is a period of time in which a seller is locked into negotiation with just...
Voice AI Startups Secured $650M+ Funding in January
Voice AI startups raised more than $650 million in January. The figure goes up if you count startups like Synthesia and Decagon. I am keeping a track of voice AI funding in a post on my newsletter. https://t.co/j5BU7tpGJx
Navigating the ‘Second Desert’ Between Emerging and Established VCs
I wish I could write as well as Charles Hudson - 🙏 for talking about the 'second desert in venture capital'. It is much harder than people think to go from Fund IV - VIII or as Charles says... "no...
