Search the archive

in days with no coding. Start free, then from $29/mo

32 MILESTONES FROM PRE-SEED TO EXIT (CHARTS)

Infographics covering every stage a startup needs to overcome in order to make it to IPO.

LAUNCHPAGE

Create and manage your waitlist in just 20 seconds with LaunchPage.

CONVEO

Qualitative research conducted and analyzed by AI.

WHY YOUR STARTUP NEEDS A PATENT STRATEGY

Even the busiest startups can't afford to ignore patent strategy. It's not about hoarding patents, but understanding their value and timing. With insights from seasoned experts in tech, law, and marketing at Balderton, this piece navigates the why and how of patenting for fledgling companies. It highlights the importance of crucial timing, potential loss of rights without patent protection, and strategic planning tips for startups.

LITTLE SISTER SYNDROME

Humans tend to be poor at making accurate estimates due to flawed mental shortcuts, such as the anchoring effect, where an initial piece of information influences subsequent judgments. This phenomenon can lead to underestimating or overestimating people's abilities, causing missed opportunities and talent to go unrecognized. By recognizing and adjusting for these biases, individuals and organizations can make more informed decisions and foster growth and success.

STARTUP GROWTH TRAJECTORIES AND THE SAAS MENDOZA LINE

The SaaS Mendoza Line, inspired by baseball, benchmarks growth rates to build a “line” from the early stages to IPO. If your growth rate stays above the line, you're deemed a high-growth startup and VC-backable. The Mendoza Line was first introduced six years ago, and since then, the standards for SaaS have increased significantly. Updated in 2024 to reflect higher IPO criteria, it suggests SaaS startups should aim for $250M ARR with 25% growth as a baseline pre-IPO, up from $100m ARR six years ago.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO IPO THESE DAYS?

Successful SaaS companies typically require over a decade to reach the milestone of going public.

FALSE DICHOTOMIES

In the startup world, leaders often face seemingly binary choices that can limit their potential.

THERE'S NO "ONE" PATH FOR VC-BACKED STARTUPS

Venture-backed startups follow diverse trajectories, with some achieving rapid success while others endure lengthy struggles before gaining traction.

✅ Onboard new hires in 90 seconds

✅ Manage global payroll, benefits, and HR [4] operations

the Rippling effect today →

THE RACE TO 150

Reaching an age of 150 years could be a breakthrough point in human longevity, as it would likely mean that many age-related diseases have been cured or managed, and that the body's natural decline has been significantly slowed. Achieving this milestone could lead to an exponential increase in healthy life expectancy, making it theoretically possible to live indefinitely in good health. A fundamental shift, from a "sick care" approach to a true "health care" approach focused on preventing and reversing the underlying causes of aging and disease, is needed to get there.

“DEATH OF A SALESFORCE”: WHY AI WILL TRANSFORM THE NEXT GENERATION OF SALES TECH

Artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize the sales industry by fundamentally changing the core system of record and sales workflows. Early AI-native sales solutions are enabling new proactive sales motions and evolving to serve multiple use cases, blurring the lines between traditional sales, marketing, and customer success roles. As AI becomes more prevalent in sales, pricing models may shift from per-seat to outcome-based, and go-to-market strategies will become more fluid and adaptable to individual customer needs.

WHAT IS “UNDERCONSUMPTION CORE”?

A new trend called "underconsumption core" is gaining popularity among Gen Z, who are rejecting influencer marketing and embracing minimalism by only purchasing what they need. This shift towards less consumption is partially driven by economic pressures such as inflation, rising costs, and debt faced by Gen Z. The trend reflects a growing distrust in influencers and their authority, as well as a desire for simplicity and frugality in response to financial anxieties.

HOW TO FIGURE OUT METRICS OWNERSHIP

Defining clear ownership of key metrics is crucial for avoiding organizational friction and slowdowns. Metrics can be owned outright by one team, shared between teams, or handed off when a team's ability to impact the metric declines. Mapping out the current and ideal ownership states for each metric, then taking steps to transition metrics to their ideal owners, helps align teams and drive progress.

SO YOUR COMPANY IS PIVOTING – HERE'S HOW TO RESPOND

A pivot may be necessary to achieve growth when a startup's current business model isn't working, but it can be a challenging and chaotic process for employees. To navigate a pivot successfully, it's essential to evaluate the change, commit to the new direction, and focus on the projects that matter. By doing so, employees can not only help the company succeed, but also accelerate their own careers and gain valuable experience in working through a crisis.

WHEN TO JOIN A STARTUP

Five types of risk need to be eliminated to create a successful and reliable business when building a startup: technology risk, market risk, scaling risk, business model risk, and defensibility risk. Understanding and assessing these risks is crucial for entrepreneurs, investors, and potential employees to decide when to join or invest in a startup. Individuals can make more strategic decisions that maximize their potential for success and economic reward by recognizing when a major risk is about to be removed.

READ SOMETHING WONDERFUL (LIST)

A collection of the best essays by the founders of Matter.

FEMALE FOUNDER CIRCLES (PROGRAM)

PearVC announced its inaugural Female Founder Circle AI cohort in partnership with Anthropic. It is seeking applications and referrals from female technical founders building in AI. The deadline is on August 15.

VILLAGE GLOBAL VELOCITY (ACCELERATOR)

Velocity is Village Global's exclusive program for founders at inception. It provides capital (up to $1M), a peer cohort, and AI resources to go from zero to one. Applications are due September 10.

WHY LARGE ORGANIZATIONS STRUGGLE WITH DISRUPTION

ZOMBIECALYPSE IN STARTUPLAND

The current state of the venture capital industry is complex and contradictory, with fierce competition for AI deals coexisting with a large number of unicorn companies awaiting liquidity events. Public SaaS companies are experiencing compressed multiples and slowing growth rates, making it challenging for many growth-stage startups to achieve successful exits through IPOs or acquisitions. Despite these challenges, VCs continue to deploy capital aggressively into AI startups, potentially exacerbating the existing backlog of high-priced companies and creating a risk of a "zombie startup apocalypse" that could impact the ability of emerging VC funds to raise subsequent funds.

“AUTHENTIC” IS DEAD. AND SO IS “IS DEAD.”

Overused phrases and buzzwords have lost their impact and meaning in today's marketing landscape. Companies should strive to be specific, demonstrative, and genuine in their communication instead of relying on tired clichés. Businesses can earn credibility and stand out in a crowded market by embracing authenticity and backing up claims with concrete examples and actions.

MARK ZUCKERBERG'S PLAYBOOK FOR BUILDING THREADS, FACEBOOK, AND WHATSAPP

Zuckerberg breaks down his playbook for product development.

THE RISE OF EFFICIENT, BOOTSTRAPPED SAAS COMPANIES

A new class of highly profitable SaaS companies is emerging, with impressive revenue per employee and founders taking home millions in profits without relying on venture capital.

HOW THE LOOM FOUNDERS PAID $150K FOR LOOM.COM

The Loom founders' wild journey to acquire the Loom.com domain from a public company while fending off other potential buyers.

📥 Download now

CANVA ACQUIRES LEONARDO.AI

Leonardo.ai, a generative AI art platform, has been acquired by Canva to enhance its Magic Studio suite with advanced AI capabilities. The acquisition is part of Canva's ongoing investment in generative AI tools, which began in December 2022 and has included the development of internal projects and acquisitions. With over 19 million registered users and a billion images created using its tools, Leonardo.ai is expected to significantly contribute to Canva's goal of building a powerful, all-in-one visual AI offering.

MAKING RESTAURANTS PROFITABLE

Blackbird is a loyalty and payments platform that helps restaurants drive better unit economics and provide personalized experiences to diners. By using blockchain technology, Blackbird enables restaurants to offer rewards, faster payments, and unique loyalty programs, while giving diners the ability to feel like a "regular" at any participating restaurant. The platform aims to make restaurants more profitable and give them more control over their future while providing diners with richer, more engaging dining experiences.

PERPLEXITY WILL PUT ADS IN ITS AI SEARCH ENGINE

Perplexity, an AI-powered search engine, plans to launch an advertising platform and share revenue with publishers whose content is used to generate answers. The initiative, known as the Perplexity Publishers' Program, has initial partners including TIME, Fortune, The Texas Tribune, Der Spiegel, and Automattic. Perplexity aims to let brands pay for targeted ads and share a percentage of the revenue with publishers whose content was used in the AI-generated answers.

A NEW BOOK OF THE STARTUP BIBLE

Successful startups often pivot from their original idea. A new book called "Pattern Breakers" proposes a theory called "inflection theory" to explain why this happens. According to inflection theory, startups succeed by identifying and timing significant changes in the world, such as technological or cultural shifts, and then harnessing these changes to create a new product or service. The book's authors argue that this approach is more effective than traditional methods, such as the lean startup methodology, and provide case studies and examples to support their claims.

PROVING TO INVESTORS YOU'RE THE RIGHT COMPANY

Timing is crucial for a startup's success. Founders should be prepared to answer the "Why now?" question when pitching to investors. Successful startups often spot trends early, develop innovative solutions, and leverage market shifts, technological advancements, or regulatory changes to their advantage. Demonstrating a deep understanding of the industry landscape and the unique opportunity presented by current circumstances can help founders create a compelling narrative and instill confidence in potential investors.

FOUNDER-MARKET FIT AND HOW IT IMPACT'S STARTUP SUCCESS

Founder-market fit is a crucial concept that significantly influences a startup's trajectory and success. Founders with deep domain expertise and a strong connection to their target market are more likely to build successful companies, as they can navigate challenges, solve problems quickly, and maintain sustained motivation. While founder-market fit is difficult to measure directly, it can be approximated through metrics such as time to product-market fit, customer acquisition cost, and net promoter score.

SYNTHETIC TRAFFIC

Simulate fake people to use your real product.

GUIDE TO SAAS METRICS (RESOURCE)

Equals' comprehensive guide to SaaS metrics.

GREYLOCK: CALL FOR STARTUPS (ACCELERATOR)

Bespoke 3-month company-building program designed to advance select pre-idea, pre-seed, and seed founders from inception to product-market fit.

THE FUTURE OF HEALTH AND PHARMATECH

The healthcare industry is undergoing a significant transformation with the integration of AI, driven by the explosion of healthcare data, advancements in pharma technology, and the need to address labor shortages and rising costs. Investment opportunities abound in areas such as data analytics, security, and interoperability, as well as in solutions that improve clinical workflows, accelerate R&D, and enable hybrid care models. Innovative startups are poised to make a significant impact on human well-being while driving efficiency and growth as the industry shifts towards value-based care and personalized medicine.

WHY MORE AND MORE COMPANIES ARE KILLING THEIR CLASSICAL HOMEPAGE

Ungated experiences, such as freemiums and interactive demos, are becoming increasingly popular in SaaS segments. These experiences allow prospects to explore and understand the product's value without requiring an email registration upfront. Companies can effectively engage users and drive activation by strategically placing these ungated experiences at the forefront of the customer journey, potentially even replacing the traditional homepage.

CLIO'S JOURNEY TO $200M ARR

Clio, a legal software company, has achieved significant success since its inception, growing from 50 customers to over 150,000 legal professionals and reaching $200 million in ARR. The company's journey highlights key learnings for founders and investors, including the importance of persistence, the potential for vertical software companies to achieve substantial growth, and the value of non-consensus ideas. Clio's success underscores the benefits of founder-led companies with technical expertise.

REWRITING THE RFP FOR AI

The introduction of AI is poised to revolutionize workflow software, much like a commercial dishwasher transformed a coffee shop's kitchen operations.

HOW UBER ONBOARDED ITS FIRST MILLION DRIVERS

Uber faced a significant challenge in finding drivers when the company was in its early stages.

SAFE TERMS IN 2024

Post-money SAFEs with valuation caps are currently the most popular type of SAFE among startups, with discounts becoming less common.

WHAT ARE WE SEEING AS VCS: SUMMER 2024

The AI startup landscape is experiencing a shift, with a decrease in the number of early-stage companies being funded, while large established players continue to attract significant investments. Venture dollars are still flowing into the space despite the cooling of the hype surrounding Generative AI, particularly toward companies with strong technical foundations, unique value propositions, and sustainable revenue streams. AI-native startups that have found product-market fit are scaling rapidly as the market continues to evolve, paving the way for potential IPOs.

SHIPPING AND SCALING AI AGENTS

AI agents are revolutionizing customer service by handling complex tasks like setting up speakers, refreshing radios, and processing returns. Developing these agents involves a collaborative process of defining journeys, building detailed specifications, and continuously monitoring and improving performance using AI-powered tools. The real learning and improvement happens after launch, as the agents handle more interactions and gather insights, requiring close collaboration between customer experience and technology teams.

AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS, AFTER 8 YEARS

Rows, a spreadsheet software company, experienced significant growth over the past few years through rapid experimentation and strategic decisions. By focusing on its ideal customer profile, leveraging AI features, and making bold moves like removing its homepage, it was able to increase its user base from 10,000 to 1 million users. Moving forward, Rows plans to continue investing in its product, exploring additional acquisition channels, and building product-led distribution channels to reach its goal of 1 billion users.