The Startup Podcast

🚀 The R.U.N.W.A.Y. Founders Can’t Afford to Ignore Runway isn’t just about money it’s about survival. We talk about financial runway all the time: how many months until your startup runs out of cash. But there’s so much more to it. As a founder, you’re constantly managing multiple types of runway. If even one runs out, the entire startup can stall. A few weeks ago, 🤖 Yaniv Bernstein kicked off an incredible discussion on his feed, highlighting the other kinds of runway that founders need to keep an eye on. The response was 🔥 and the list grew with brilliant contributions from the community. Here are the 10 types of runway every founder should watch: 🔸 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗮𝘆 🚨 How long can you endure the stress and pressure before burning out? 🔸 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗮𝘆 💡 How long until your skills as a founder can’t keep up with your company’s growth? 🔸 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗮𝘆 ❤️ How long until your partner says, “It’s time for something more stable”? 🔸 𝗖𝗼-𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗮𝘆 🤝 How long until your co-founder runs out of their own runway—and decides to leave? 🔸 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗮𝘆 🔍 How long until you ask yourself: “Is this still my life’s work?” 🔸 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗮𝘆 👶 How long can you balance startup life with parenting responsibilities? 🔸 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗮𝘆 📈 How long can you chase product-market fit if there’s no real demand? 🔸 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗮𝘆 🔥 How long can your team keep bringing their A-game before enthusiasm starts to fade? 🔸 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗮𝘆 🤖 How long can you maintain trust from your team, investors, and partners? 🔸 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗮𝘆 🌴 How long until startup life no longer aligns with your real-life needs? This isn’t just a list. It’s a wake-up call. 🚨 💬 Which of these resonates with you most? Are there other types of runway founders should think about? Thanks to: Peter Haasz, Pam Stevenson, Mark Dombkins, James Meldrum, Jack Chan, Ivan Bondarenko, Tim Morris, David Ballantyne , Anabel Maldonado, Lauren Wallett, Matt McFarlane, Drew Mansur for your contributions! #startups #entrepreneur #founders  #earlystage #leadership

OpenAI is rewriting the rules of tech. But they don’t need to beat Google to win. How to spot the Trojan Horse strategies shaping AI. OpenAI isn’t trying to replace Google or Microsoft overnight. Instead, they’re embedding themselves into your daily habits redefining how we search, collaborate, and create. → 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿? Imagine this: Google sells Chrome, and OpenAI buys it. Suddenly, you’re browsing with an AI that saves everything, organizes your life, and eliminates bookmarks. Boom! distribution problem solved. → 𝗔𝗜-𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 Sora simplifies video creation, Canvas hints at disrupting Google Docs, and ChatGPT Pro is selling exclusivity at $200/month. These aren’t just tools,they’re glimpses of an AI-native future. → 𝗔 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 OpenAI isn’t waiting for others to build their vision. They’re setting the bar, creating products that rewrite the rules instead of tweaking the old ones. If you’re building something transformative, you can’t rely on others to get it right. The real story here? OpenAI doesn’t need to dominate they just need to embed. From search to workflows to creativity, they’re building an ecosystem you won’t want to live without. AI isn’t competing. It’s taking over the operating system of life. 💬 How should startups respond to OpenAI’s moves? 🎧 Go listen to Chris Saad and Hooman Radfar’s deep dive on our last Reacts Episode of 2024.

Two startups tackle the same industry. One wins, the other disappears. Why? One disrupts. The other digitizes. 🚀 Disruption rewrites the rules. 📈 Digitization just upgrades them. 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: • Starts from scratch: "What would this look like today?" • Creates new behaviors and business models. • Demands boldness and risk-taking. 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: • Improves existing processes with technology. • Focuses on efficiency and small improvements. • Fits into current systems and norms. Here’s how this plays out: 🚀Uber: Disrupted taxis by connecting riders and drivers directly via smartphones. 📈Digitization Alternative: Make call centers faster and more efficient. 🚀Netflix: Disrupted rentals with streaming and eliminated late fees completely. 📈 Digitization Alternative: Built software to improve Blockbuster’s DVD tracking system. Both approaches work. Docusign digitized contracts and became a $10B company.  But disruption creates entirely new industries. The biggest risk for startups? Playing it safe. Is your startup disrupting or digitizing?

The biggest mistake founders make? Taking any check. But not all money is smart money. How to choose 1 investor who aligns with your vision. Too many founders settle for the first check offered.  The result? Misaligned investors who derail your focus and stunt your growth. In a replay of one of our favorite episodes, 🐘 Nicholas Crocker, General Partner at Blackbird Ventures, explains how to vet your investors and avoid costly mistakes: > Ask Around: Talk to 5+ founders from their portfolio. > Go Deep: Evaluate the specific partner, not just the fund’s brand. > Do Your Homework: Contact founders directly, no permission needed. 🐘 Nicholas Crocker breaks it down: “Founders and VCs are partners in a long-term, multi-stage game. The right investor isn’t just funding, it’s alignment and strategy.” And remember, timing matters. Is your startup ready to raise now? That’s where our 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗽 can help: 💡 Ask yourself: 🔸 Are you aligned with investor risk appetites? 🔸 Can you clearly articulate your product-market fit? 🔸 Is your team prepared to scale with new capital? 🎧 Catch the replay for more founder-tested tips and strategies below. P.S. Unsure if it’s the right time to raise? Use our 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗽 to decide. #StartupFunding #VentureCapital #SmartMoney #Founders

Most founders think scaling fast leads to success. It’s actually the fastest way to fail without product-market fit. Pablo Srugo, host of The Product Market Fit Show, joined The Startup Podcast to share the 5 steps to master product-market fit. Here are 4 steps he discussed with Chris Saad: 1. Master Research Mode Forget building too soon. Instead: -Immerse yourself in your customer’s world. -Uncover subtle but critical problems. -Solve issues manually before scaling. 🛠 Example: Ada’s CEO Mike Murchison worked as a support agent for a year. Result? $50M ARR. 2. Do Things That Don’t Scale Obsess over early users. Instead: -Personally connect with new users. -Solve problems directly, no shortcuts. -Set a high bar for scalability. 🏆 Example: Wealthsimple’s founder called users personally, helping grow a $5B company. 3. Forget Growth, Focus on Value Growth follows value creation. -Solve problems, not just drive usage. -Prioritize engaged users over fast scaling. -Add friction to attract serious customers. 🚀 Example: Clio - Cloud-Based Legal Technology’s Founder Jack Newton required onboarding, ensuring beta users cared deeply. 4. Pivot Harder, Faster Move boldly when things aren’t working. -Pivot product, market, or team when needed. -Ignore sunk costs and focus on real solutions. 🔄 Example: Noibu pivoted to fixing checkout bugs, skyrocketing to $300K MRR. What’s Step 5? It’s the game-changer for uncovering what makes your product stick. 🎯 Type 5 in the comments, and we’ll send you the link to the episode! Pablo’s interviewed 100+ founders on The Product Market Fit Show. Don’t miss his insights. #startups #entrepreneur #productmarketfit #founders #growth #earlystage 

Your co-founder can make or break your startup. 💔 But most founders don’t spot the red flags early. How to avoid 4 co-founder mistakes that ruin startups. Let’s be real: startups are hard enough without a misaligned co-founder. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻: 👨🏽💼 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻: Chasing every shiny customer request and destroying the roadmap in the process. 🦄 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: One wants a billion-dollar unicorn; the other just wants a steady business. 💼 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁: Treat the startup like a 9-to-5, not an all-in mission. 🙊 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀: Dodge the tough conversations about equity, vision, or roles until it’s too late. So how do you avoid these traps? 1/ Align early and often. Sit down and have the hard conversations about goals, vision, and what success looks like. Do it early and keep doing it. 2/ Respect complementary skills. You’re not supposed to be clones. Your co-founder should fill the gaps you can’t. 3/ Set clear roles. Avoid the finger-pointing. Decide who’s in charge of what upfront. 4/ Go all in. If one of you isn’t fully committed, the cracks will show when things get tough. 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼-𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹. Pre-product-market fit, every decision you make (or avoid) shapes your future. So tell us: Which one of these anti-patterns have you seen or lived through? Or do you have another one to add to the list? Drop it in the comments, we’re all ears. #startup #entrepreneur #founders #cofounder #founders #earlystage #producmarketfit

Do You Find a Co-Founder? Or Do You Earn It? Most founders think finding a co-founder is about luck or networking at startup events. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵: 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗼-𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲. Attracting the right co-founder is about proving you and your startup are worth their time. It’s not about having the perfect idea. It’s about showing you’ve done the work to de-risk the business and build a solid foundation. Think of it like an M&A deal. You wouldn’t walk into one unprepared. The same goes for building a co-founder partnership. Here’s what you need to focus on: 1. Shared Vision Do you agree on the future of the startup? Is the business model clear and aligned? 2. Complementary Skills Does your co-founder fill gaps in your expertise? Do they bring technical, business, or product skills? 3. Division of Responsibilities Who’s driving product? Who’s fundraising? Clarity now avoids confusion and tension later. 4. Growth and Resilience Startups are an emotional rollercoaster. Is this someone who can adapt and push through setbacks? 5. Compatibility Think of this like a marriage. Trust, shared values, and conflict resolution are key. 6. Equity and Commitment Have the tough equity talks early. Are they committed enough to stay when things get hard? Building the right co-founder relationship isn’t just about luck. It’s about preparation and alignment. Use our Co-Founder Vetting Checklist to evaluate your next potential partner 🔽 Found this useful? Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive insights and resources + our episode replay on this topic in the comments: https://lnkd.in/gGzM_c6J

Founders: Boldness wins if you can back it up. But taking on a giant requires strategy and precision. Here’s how to pitch against a monopoly like NVIDIA. In this week’s Spotlight, we met Thomas Sohmers, founder of Positron AI. They’re tackling NVIDIA, which controls 90% of the AI hardware market. Sound impossible? Thomas proves bold founders can beat the odds. 🔍 3 Lessons from Positron AI Pitch: 1️⃣ Acknowledge the Giant’s Strengths "NVIDIA sets the standard, we respect that," said Thomas Sohmers. Starting with this disarms critics and builds trust. 2️⃣ Back Bold Claims with Data "We’re 70% faster and 3x cheaper than NVIDIA," he said. Numbers like that make even skeptics listen. 3️⃣ Own a Specialized Niche "We don’t compete everywhere, just where they aren’t optimized." Focus beats trying to outdo a monopoly on all fronts. 📝 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀: Don’t fight giants on their turf. Find the blind spots and dominate them. 🎧 Link to the EP in the comments below. Special Thanks to Shak 15 a vibrant community based out of the iconic Ferry Building in San Francisco, that help us found this great founder. #thestartuppodcast #startup #entrepreneur #founders #vcs #fundraising #pitching #fundraising

Trump’s victory is sparking optimism. Bitcoin has surged to $93K. S&P 500 is climbing. But. Is now the time to raise? Why the post-election market looks good: > Bitcoin’s $93K surge reflects high-risk, high-reward investor confidence. > Startups raised $130B in 2020, a 53% jump during Trump’s term. > Deregulation means looser antitrust rules, unlocking M&A and big exits. What’s driving venture capital activity now? > Corporate tax cuts could drop rates from 21% to 15%. > Fintech funding might rebound to $15B in 2024. > Crypto’s optimism is back, with regulations easing under Trump. But there’s a catch. > Markets are volatile. Confidence is high, but it might not last. > 🤖 Yaniv Bernstein said it best: “Lock in funding while you can.” > Raising now could be the move for founders ready to act. Would you raise now, or wait it out? Check what Chris Saad and 🤖 Yaniv Bernstein think about Trump's Return in today’s Reacts EP 👇🏽. #thestartuppodcast #startup #entrepreneur #fundraising #vc #trump #bitcoin

💰 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝟭𝟬𝟭: How to ask for the right amount without screwing yourself later Let’s cut through the noise. Raising money is a delicate balance. Get it right, and you’re on the fast track to success. Get it wrong, and you’ll either run out of cash. Or worse, give up so much of your company that future investors won’t touch you. Here’s how to avoid the biggest mistakes 👇 1. 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 When you go small, you’re telling investors, “I don’t know what I’m doing.” You might scrape by, but you won’t have the firepower to: -Smash your milestones. -Build credibility with your team and backers. -Take the market by storm. 2. 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 Listen, dilution is part of the game. But if you don’t plan for it, you’ll get burned. Here’s how it plays out for even the legends: Elon Musk (Tesla): Started with 100% in 2004. After Tesla’s IPO in 2010? 24%. Jeff Bezos (Amazon): Began with 100% in 1995. Amazon’s IPO in 1997? 20%. Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook): 100% when Facebook was a dorm room project. By the IPO in 2012? 28%. Even the GOATs get diluted. The difference? They used that capital to scale and grow their companies into juggernauts. 3. 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Yes, high valuations look sexy on TechCrunch. But: If you overpromise now, you risk down rounds later. Too much cash can wreck your culture and leave you bloated, distracted, and slow. So, how do you get it right? 1️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 This isn’t about surviving. It’s about winning. Your raise should match the size of your vision. Show how you’ll crush your goals and set up for the next round. 2️⃣ 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟭𝟴 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 That’s your sweet spot for execution. Ask yourself: What’s my budget to hire, build, and scale? What milestones will I need to hit? Hint: Investors don’t fund “keeping the lights on.” They back momentum. 3️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝟭𝟱-𝟮𝟬% 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Yes, you’re giving up equity. That’s how this works. 💡Remember: Fundraising isn’t about grabbing a bigger slice. It’s about growing the damn pie so everyone wins. Want more on how to avoid sell yourself short? 🎧 Jump into today’s replay episode👇 #thestartuppodcast #startup #entrepreneur #fundraising #venturecapital #vc