Search the archive

YOUR REFERRAL LINK - https://tldr.tech/design?ref=2613930

THE 80/20 RULE FOR US VENTURE? NOT EXACTLY

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.

STARTUP FUNDRAISING PLAYBOOK FOR 2024

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.

TO MAKE

Some New Year inspiration from Jason Fried at 37 Signals about going out and just making something.

GETTING OFF THE VC TRAIN

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.

DO YOU NEED DOMAIN EXPERIENCE TO BUILD A GREAT COMPANY?

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.

DEAR SAASTR: WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO FIRE YOUR CO-FOUNDER… WHO WAS ONCE A FRIEND?

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.

PROGRESSIVELY (PRODUCT)

Build features that matter to your audience.

CBI ANALYST (PRODUCT)

CBI Analyst is an always-on AI-driven research analyst.

TRELLUS (PRODUCT)

A personalized AI sales coach for each and every cold call.

GETTING LUCKY ISN'T A PLAN

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.

GLOBAL STARTUP FUNDING IN 2023 CLOCKS IN AT LOWEST LEVEL IN 5 YEARS

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.

FROM ZERO TO “TOP 10 GEN AI STARTUPS” IN 289 DAYS: 11 LESSONS FROM THE FRONTLINE

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.

THE STATE OF SAAS

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.

EXPERTISE IS PLENTIFUL OUTSIDE VENTURE FIRMS

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.

FAMILY VS. TEAM?

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.

YOUR REFERRAL LINK - https://tldr.tech/founders?ref=2613930

4.5 MILLION INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED BY DATA BREACH AT HEALTHEC

A data breach at HealthEC impacted 4.5 million customers. The stolen files contained personal information such as names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, medical information, health insurance information, and billing and claims information. All impacted users have been informed.

FALLON AMBULANCE SERVICE DATA BREACH IMPACTS 911K INDIVIDUALS

Transformative Healthcare is informing more than 900,000 individuals that their personal information was stolen in a data breach at now-defunct subsidiary Fallon Ambulance Service. The files contained names, addresses, Social Security numbers, COVID-19 testing and vaccination information, medical information, and information provided to Fallon in connection with employment. Fallon notified impacted individuals about the breach in December 2023.

CISA WARNS OF EXPLOITED VULNERABILITIES IN CHROME AND EXCEL PARSING LIBRARY

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has warned federal agencies of two recently identified vulnerabilities that have been exploited. The vulnerabilities include a Google Chrome flaw and a bug in the open-source Perl library "Spreadsheet::ParseExcel" for reading information in Excel files. The vulnerabilities expose systems to potential remote code execution and data theft.

COMPROMISING GOOGLE ACCOUNTS: MALWARES EXPLOITING UNDOCUMENTED OAUTH2 FUNCTIONALITY FOR SESSION HIJACKING

A critical Google exploit was discovered in October 2023 that enabled persistent access after password resets. A threat actor reverse-engineered this into Lumma Infostealer, protecting it with blackboxing. The exploit spread rapidly among malware groups. CloudSEK identified its root as an undocumented Google Oauth endpoint "MultiLogin". This report examines the exploit's discovery, evolution, and cybersecurity implications.

KRAMPUS DELIVERS AN END-OF-YEAR STRUTS VULNERABILITY

NIST updated CVE-2023-50164 for a new path traversal vulnerability in struts-core. It is reminiscent of the 2017 Equifax breach stemming from an unpatched Struts issue. This post discusses the vulnerability, provides a proof-of-concept exploit, and outlines remediation steps.

YOU SHOULDN'T RUN NSA-GRADE WI-FI AT HOME. HERE'S HOW TO DO IT

This blog post describes the steps to setup an enterprise-grade Wifi network with WPA3 Enterprise 192-bit and Radius server for authentication. The post mentions that this is more than anyone needs for a home network, but it's fun to learn how to set up a secure Wifi infrastructure. It walks through creating a Certificate Authority, Radius server, and configuring access points to set up a secure network using WPA3 Enterprise.

SUASS

Cybersecurity is a critical field in today's digital world. This repository aims to provide a centralized location for a wealth of knowledge and study materials. Whether you're just starting your journey in cybersecurity or an experienced professional, you'll find valuable resources here.

HARDENING

A quick way to make a Ubuntu server a bit more secure by hardening the image/VM when it’s running.

NGOCOK

ngrok Collaborator Link is a free Burp Collaborator alternative built on ngrok.

MANDIANT, THE SECURITY FIRM GOOGLE BOUGHT FOR $5.4 BILLION, GETS ITS X ACCOUNT HACKED

The hacked Mandiant account was initially used to masquerade as one belonging to Phantom, a company that offers a wallet for storing cryptocurrency. Posts on X encouraged people to visit a malicious website to see if their wallet was one of 250,000 that were eligible for an award of tokens. Mandiant has since regained control of the account and is investigating the incident.

DON’T TRUST LINKS WITH KNOWN DOMAINS: BMW AFFECTED BY REDIRECT VULNERABILITY

Cybernews researchers discovered two BMW subdomains that were vulnerable to a SAP redirect vulnerability. The vulnerability allows attackers to redirect users to a malicious website or inject arbitrary content into a legitimate website. BMW was immediately notified and the vulnerability was fixed.

LASTPASS NOW REQUIRES 12-CHARACTER MASTER PASSWORDS

LastPass has announced that it will begin requiring all users to use 12-digit master password minimums. This has been the default setting since 2018 but could be bypassed until now. LastPass will also compare master passwords against a database of leaked credentials and surface a pop-up in case of a match.

ANDROID GAME DEV’S GOOGLE DRIVE MISCONFIG HIGHLIGHTS CLOUD SECURITY RISKS

Japanese game developer Ateam accidentally exposed the personal information of nearly one million people due to an insecurely configured Google Drive instance that was accessible to anyone with the link since March 2017.

AWS SECURITY SERVICES BEST PRACTICES (GUIDE)

AWS has published a guide for its security services like GuardDuty and Inspector with detailed information on what to do before enabling a security service and how to tune it afterwards.

YOUR REFERRAL LINK - https://tldr.tech/infosec?ref=2613930

GOOGLE CHROME STARTS BLOCKING DATA TRACKING COOKIES

Google has finally started experimenting with a new Chrome browser feature that disables third-party cookies. It is available to 1% of global users (30M users) initially. The change is part of an effort that Google claims is aimed at increasing privacy. However, critics argue that it may adversely affect publishers’ revenue streams and that it primarily benefits Google.

WHY EXPERTS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT META’S NEW LINK HISTORY FEATURE

Meta’s new Link History feature aims to help users recall visited links. However, it is creating concerns due to the substantial data collection involved. Despite Meta promoting it as user-friendly, apprehension is rising over the automatic tracking of every clicked link, potential advertiser access, and lack of clear opt-in procedures.

HOW TO DESIGN A REFERRAL PROGRAM

Referral programs, such as the common “give $5, get $5”, are acknowledged for their initial effectiveness in user acquisition. However, their impact diminishes over time. This article advises prioritizing sustained value creation through viral features and growth engines. It delves into the structural components of referral programs, covering elements like the ‘ask’, target audience, incentives, and program metrics.

STEP-BY-STEP PLAYBOOK FOR MAKING $$$ WITH EMAIL MARKETING

This post outlines an email marketing playbook for e-commerce brands. It covers audience segmentation, mobile responsiveness, automated email flows, effective CTAS, and more. It also breaks down each email tip into actionable steps.

CREATING SIGN-UP PAGES THAT CONVERT

This article details the essentials of creating effective sign-up pages, offering 14 examples and practical advice. The comprehensive guide emphasizes the importance of elements like clear headlines, minimalistic forms, and compelling calls-to-action, aiming to streamline the sign-up process and enhance user experience.

7+ RECOMMENDED TOOLS FOR GETTING STUFF DONE IN 2024

Coda is useful for managing projects, organizing meeting notes, and handouts. It works like Google Docs, but you can embed videos, maps, social media posts, and more. Day One is a free app for digital journaling. It’s good for keeping separate personal, reading, and work journals. Arc is a browser that’s good for creating separate spaces for distinct projects. BeeDocs 3D, Genially, and Venngage are good for creating compelling interactive timelines that are shareable.

SEO RANK TRACKER TEMPLATE ON LOOKERSTUDIO

This template in Looker Studio (formerly known as Google Data Studio) is an easy way to visualize and track keyword ranking data. It includes the number of ranked queries, gains and losses, the trajectory of queries, and more. To use it, make a copy of the template and connect it to your Google Data Studio source.

10 FREE COURSES TO BUILD YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS

This post contains 10 online courses from schools like Harvard, MIT, and Stanford that range from 4-8 weeks. Examples include Strategic Social Media Marketing offered by Boston University, Applied Storytelling from Davidson, and the Art of Persuasive Writing from Harvard.

5 KEY LESSONS LEARNED FROM HIRING CONTENT WRITERS

This article provides tips and strategies for effectively outsourcing quality writers. These include establishing an efficient filtering process with a Google Form and SOP, utilizing websites like ProBlogger and LinkedIn for recruitment, and employing content outlines for clarity in assignments.

HERE’S HOW THREE PEOPLE IN THE AD INDUSTRY ARE USING AI

An agency exec, a creative engineer, and a data analytics expert share how they are leveraging AI in their daily work. The agency exec uses generative AI for compliance, innovation, and global tech infrastructure. The creative engineer employs AI for image creation, foreseeing its evolution to enhance creative communication. Lastly, the data analyst heavily relies on AI for code-related tasks.

BRANDED SEO TACTICS FOR AI-POWERED SEARCH

Branded search under Google’s Search Generative Experience is more complex and less straightforward for brands. Use a branded subreddit, knowledge base content, and UGC videos to improve results.

TREND-HOPPING CAN LEAD TO BRAND FAILURE ON SOCIAL

Jumping on social media trends without assessing their brand value and enduring impact can result in failure and wasted time.

OPENAI’S APP STORE FOR GPTS WILL LAUNCH NEXT WEEK

OpenAI plans to launch a store for GPTs with custom apps based on its text-generating AI models in the coming week.

YOUR REFERRAL LINK - https://tldr.tech/marketing?ref=2613930

IS LTV TO CAC THE NICKELBACK OF SAAS METRICS?

This article looks at LTV to CAC, a flawed yet consistent recipient of misplaced love. Two metrics to consider using instead: CAC Payback Period and Net Dollar Retention.

THE POWER OF VISIONTYPES

True innovation involves turning a vision into a viable product, highlighting the importance of effective leadership, problem discovery, and solution delivery in the product development process. This blog reflects on the significance of product vision.

THE TWO PATHS OF A MANAGER

New managers commonly struggle with micromanagement, which harms trust, and macromanagement, which reduces team effectiveness. Recognizing these issues early, understanding team dynamics, applying intervention frameworks, and becoming a context sponge are key steps for effective management and avoiding crises.

SHOULD PMS BE RESPONSIBLE FOR P&L?

The debate on whether Product Managers should be responsible for P&L highlights the risks of short-term thinking and rushed feature development. It underscores the influence of seniority and market type (B2B vs. B2C) on strategy and decision-making. This thread provides insights on balancing immediate targets against long-term vision.