Startup Newsletter

What did the founders of WhatsApp (19B exit), Apple, and the INC 5000 know that 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 of startup founders miss?

→ WhatsApp was initially self-funded
→ Same with Apple, Microsoft, Dell, HP, Oracle, SAP & ZOHO
→ Along with Instagram
→ And Candy Crush, Minecraft
→ Basecamp too
→ And, most of the INC...

Founders - Something very personal

→ What I learned 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.
→ First, the setback was a setup
→ Not to get too cute
→ But, what I learned was a setup for my present success

𝗜 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵. 𝗜𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲. 

→ I was in my 22nd year as an entrepreneur
→ Several of my s...

Founders — I found a way to 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘁𝘀 between

→ VC
→ Startups
→ Purpose
→ Faith

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗜 𝗸𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲.

→ The faith part (faith + purpose)
→ The entrepreneurial part (startups + VC)

𝗜 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀.

→ My faith friends
→ My entrepreneur friends

But t...

Founders - The Impact of a Disorganized Cap Table 🚩

Managing your cap table is a crucial but often overlooked aspect of being a founder. Proper bookkeeping here is essential. Common issues with poorly managed cap tables include:

🚫 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆: Previous founders who have left but still retain equit...

Founders, there's a better way to get in front of investors.

→ It's not sending cold DMs

→ It's not sending cold emails

→ It's not attending every Startup & VC event

That's what everyone else is doing without much success. Remember, only 0.05% of startup founders seeking VC actually get funded.

The startup ecosystem is broken.

Just look at the numbers.

90% of startups fail.

If you think getting funded will solve your problems, think again, the numbers say otherwise.

First, less than 0.05% of startups seeking funding — get it.

But for those who do, 70% still fail.

That's broken. Getti...

Last week I took some advice from a stranger on LinkedIn — My results shot up 2,540% in one day.

We all need advice. Some of the best is on LinkedIn.

I started investing time on LinkedIn a year ago to attract co-investors and the right startups for our venture studio.

(100% of our LPs and startup...

90% of founders fail because they fall into this trap.

The wishful-thinking trap. All idea, no plan.

You've heard the saying, "all hat no cattle".

Your deck is a pitch, not a plan. You need three vetted plans.

#1 - The plan to raise VC

#2 - The plan if you get funded

#3 - The plan if you don't...

Founders - If you're planning on raising VC, you need to learn the LINGO 💰

This is a great foundation...

𝐂𝐚𝐩 𝐓𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞: Ownership structure of a company with investor stakes.

𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Reduction in existing investor ownership due to new equity issuance.

𝐄𝐒𝐎𝐏: Reserved shares for future employee comp...

My #1 mistake as a 6x entrepreneur? 
 
That I repeated three times. 
 
Shortcuts. 
 
Many times in my life, super rich guys have offered me dream opportunities to come join their thing. 
 
Three times I said yes. 
 
In my earlier days when I first entered into the venture studio space, I had a reputation for ...

Founders, if you were a VC  

→ Name 3 things you would change? 

I've always had a love-hate relationship with venture capital. 

Venture capitalists like to think they get to choose the winners and the losers. Too often there's a pungent air of elitism in the VC community. 

I'm in my 22nd year le...

After failing for 11 months, I started selling 1 million a month. Here's what changed. 

First, the answer was right in front of me the whole time. I could have done it day one, but I was solution-blind. 

I couldn't see the solution even though it was right in front of me the whole time. 

I had st...