Daily Edition · Page 13

THE DAILY INDEX

Technology, AI, software, security, crypto and business

Continued

TLDR Founders — continued

DOCUMENTING EVERYTHING WE'VE LEARNED IN DEEL'S WILD RIDE

Deel grew from zero to $1.5B ARR in seven years. It has been EBITDA-profitable for three consecutive years now. This post looks at how the company got here and where it is going. It covers what most people get wrong about growth, the lightbulb moments that changed how the company operates, how Deel changed as it grew to a 7,000-people remote operation, the impact AI will have on Deel's next growth curve, and more.

WE SPEND $45,000 ON DOING MORE WEIRD EVERY MONTH

PostHog sets aside $45,000 every month for marketing ideas that may fail. Anyone can pitch one in Slack, and a two- or three-person "Council of Weird" scores the cost, effort, and whether people actually want to make it. Some bets did almost nothing. Billboards got zero comments, Easter eggs were found by about three people, and a documentary got 2,000 views. Most startups can steal the setup for far less money by fixing what they are willing to lose each month and judging several experiments together.

BUILDING A DIVERSIFIED STARTUP PORTFOLIO

Diversifying startup investments by sector, stage, and geography can mitigate risks associated with market volatility. Sector diversification helps balance industry-specific cycles, while stage diversification mixes potential high-reward early-stage investments with more stable later-stage companies. Geographic diversification protects against regional economic fluctuations, though it can be challenging to access international deals.

TLDR IndexPage 13