Parse notes
An annual look at venture capital returns, where the focus should be, and how results are continuing to change. It’s more like 90/10 now, but not sure where that will land in a post-free-money world.
This is a great read in the playbook for startups looking to raise in 2024. The environment is definitely different and if you’ve raised in the past or are just getting started, there are a bunch of great nuggets in this post.
Some New Year inspiration from Jason Fried at 37 Signals about going out and just making something.
So, you’ve raised venture capital, but you’re slowly learning that your business might not be able to achieve venture scale, or you simply don’t want to play the game of raising an A, B, C, and so on. How do you get off the VC train? This article explores some options.
There’s no real right answer here. Domain expertise helps – you likely understand the pain well and you have an existing network in the space you can use. However, sometimes, fresh eyes in a domain are a superpower. You’re not burdened by the knowledge of pitfalls, and that cavalier confidence is what makes you successful.
Maybe it’s because of the New Year, but this kind of advice seems very timely for those of us struggling with co-founders who just aren’t working out. The Golden Rule pretty much always applies everywhere in this instance.
Build features that matter to your audience.
CBI Analyst is an always-on AI-driven research analyst.
A personalized AI sales coach for each and every cold call.
Most success involves a large degree of luck. Luck can’t be relied upon. Try to remove it from your strategy and behave in ways that inch your company closer to your goals without getting lucky. Luck should still happen in the background.
While AI continues to lead, the drop in venture funding started in the US has gone worldwide, with Web3 dropping an obvious 73% near the bottom of the pack.
There is some really solid advice in this quick read, and so apropos with everything happening today in AI. “Launch, Launch, Launch” and “Global Workflows” resonate really loudly.
2023 was a rough year for SaaS. Tough sales cycles, companies consolidating their point solutions, and generally curbed spending across the board. This article discusses the current state of SaaS and forecasts a rebound after a temporary stall.
Some founders might look to raise capital as a way to get knowledgeable people aligned with their mission and benefit from their collective wisdom. You don’t need to raise capital to build a set of advisors - there are other ways to incentivize them.
This article talks about how you frame your company and the lessons learned from running Return Path as a “family”. Understanding how to balance some of the core values of taking care of your “family” is critical to the success of the best teams in the world.