Xenia Muntean

Someone told me that 9 out of 10 founders think that their startup is unique, implying that maybe these founders (including me) are naive about their market requirements. I simply replied that I’m not familiar with such statistics. I only know the following: - 10 months ago, I thought I could bring something unique in a busy market - 7 months ago, someone believed in us - 4 months ago, I have seen the first POC of what my team could deliver - 2 months ago, people started showing interest in the concept via LOIs - today, we have a list of businesses interested purchasing the product in pre-launch Maybe I’m naive enough to think that our startup is unique, but I found comfort in the feedback of our potential customers. #DalilAI #CRMandAI #Innovation #CRM

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Bolt CEO Moves from Founder Mode to Grift Mode Not all founders are ethical, and I think this is a case in point here. It's one thing to attract a new investor who is willing to put money in when the company is about to go out of business. That new investor will often "cram down" existing investors because - well - last money in is often the first money out in a term called "liquidation preferences." If this is truly the lender of last resort, the cap table and ownership shares structure can be reset as well. But this is far beyond normal. Even on a business level, we are not creating a checkout and identity network any longer. We are building a super app. Because why not? It's house money at this point. First, how do you raise $250M in "marketing credits". Why not a billion? The value is unspecified. This sets the tone for the whole thing. Second, the new investor thinks Bolt is bigger than Stripe? There's a sucker born every minute I suppose. We are going to find out this "new investor" is on the take from Breslow. Just wait. Third, $28 M in revenue (which you have to bet is rapidly declining) on any valuation greater than $250M for this company is nonsense. I thought they signed Fanatics? At the top of Fanatics checkout is Paypal and no Bolt identity network. Likely this is not an accident. I question the $28M. But this is not even the worst of it. For all this, Breslow wants a $2M salary and a $1M bonus for coming back. Well, I want a pink unicorn but that doesn't make any sense either. 🦄 He wants a stock kicker if he can increase the ridiculous valuation even more. He wants to increase the grift by partnering with some of his other companies like Love (dot) com. All told, this is a ferriswheel of circus clowns and nonsense. But at least in this crazy world, we can get some entertainment out of it. 🎪 Almost sadly (which is the irony) our entertainment will be short-lived however because this "deal" is never going to close. And if it did, the number of lawsuits from existing investors would pile to the sky.

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First things first on Monday. Fixing some UI/UX bugs - Improved URL search and now it is ridiculously easy to check any startup URL. Who are competitors, where they are based, have they raised. And also Check investors who are investing in these kind of companies. Thank you Swotzy for being my go to test company to check if there are relevant investors and similar companies :) p.s. Also fixed annoying result page reloading. Minor bug for men, major annoyance for humanity.

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What is the Fastest Growing Area in Logistics? Recently, I came across a post on #Reddit that inspired me to dig deeper into the topic. I am NOT a #logistics expert, but logistics and #3PL are very important to GeekSeller and our customers. We have integrations and relationships with various logistics companies. 1️⃣ According to the post (https://lnkd.in/gVXj4PVH), as voted by Redditors, the fastest growing area in logistics is the final mile (delivered from a transportation hub to the final destination). 2️⃣ Another area experiencing significant growth is cross-border logistics, particularly with Mexico. Posting it as it sounds right, I get similar feedback from our customers and partners.

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I will build you an app for a % instead of £. I'm not looking for unicorn ideas. I'm looking for simple solutions that solve problems, (the kind that can generate a few thousand a month, not millions, and don't require VC funding). The dream person I want to connect with: 1. Knows their industry well. 2. Has a strong network in their industry. 3. Has an idea. Types of ideas I'm looking for: 1. You have a solution to a problem you and your industry face daily. 2. You run a successful business and want to transform it into a tech product. 3. You have identified a problem area you wish to address. What will we do? 1. Validate the idea. 2. Test the market. 3. Build an MVP. 4. Iterate the MVP. 5. Develop the idea into a product. Send me a brief pitch, and we can discuss further.

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🕸 From CMS Basics to Market-Ready Speed 🚀 I've always believed that hands-on experience and speed are critical for our interns' success in the highly polarized web project market. At ArchLabs, we ensure that our interns aren't just familiar with the basics but are equipped to handle real-world projects efficiently. Take WordPress, for example. It's often considered a no-brainer for many, but we use it as an introductory CMS to teach our interns about backend architecture and segmentation. This foundation is crucial for understanding how a backend operates, something I noticed many interns initially lack. I remember the days when we were deeply involved with Joomla. Our devs who mastered it turned out to be exceptional backend developers. They understood the intricacies of development, even if some functionalities were missing from the wireframe. This kind of deep understanding is what we aim to instill in our interns. Speed is another essential element. Small project briefs from platforms like Upwork are often extremely simple and abstract. To excel in this environment, our interns need to complete 20-30 good projects to truly understand and forecast what customers want. These projects are tiny, with minimal briefing time, so protection is necessary. That's where our training at ArchLabs comes in. Our approach is to train interns to think like customers. For instance, check out how Ruchaka Lakshan was trained to brainstorm and complete a basic brochure site in just five working days. This is the speed we need to compete in the small project market. By fostering such skills, we not only protect our interns but also ensure they are market-ready, capable of delivering high-quality work under tight deadlines. At ArchLabs, we're not just training interns; we're shaping the future of efficient, customer-focused web development. 💻🚀 ArchLabs, a new initiative by Archmage, bridges training and employment with capable interns. Partner with us to evaluate and benefit from this ready-to-deploy talent. #WebDevelopment #Internship #WordPress #BackendDevelopment #CMS #Speed #Efficiency #CustomerFocus #ArchLabs

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This year we are restructuring our business model to include the operations for the projects we invest into. It's something that for many years I thought was not scalable or attractive for Venture Capitalists. As a startup founder, I believed that I should stick to the traditional route. But after struggling with this decision, I realized that it was the right way to do it. Not every business needs to be a "startup" and you don't need to call yourself a "founder" to have a great scale or have the business you dream of. Depending on your model venture capital has its advantages, but it also comes with a lot of negative pressure to grow your business and valuation fast or die trying. Most people founding startups are business owners, and that's completely fine. At the beginning, don't fear to do unscalable things, things that are hard to operate, or things where you cannot have crazy margins. Try to understand where you are really good at and that has real value for people, then figure out how to make money and scale from there. It's easier this way than the other, believe me, I have tried. The path is challenging, but it doesn't have to be depressing and ruin your life. At the beginning, I only heard things about how horribly I had to live to demonstrate that I was putting my 1000% into my business and that I was willing to make a harder effort than anyone else. From hearing that Elon Musk lived on a mattress in his office while growing PayPal to hearing all crazy stories of other founders. Nobody, and I mean nobody, can give it all to his business if his health, mental capacity, and emotional wellbeing are in shambles. Remember, success is not just about achieving your goals but also about enjoying the journey.

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If you think growth is just about steady numbers, think again. SaaS companies are often sinking, not swimming, unless they embrace bold growth hacking techniques. In a world where many startups struggle with stagnation, strategies to explode user acquisition are essential. Take a look at the real MVPs of growth hacking: companies that leverage customer feedback, optimize their sites with conversion-rate tools, and engage their clients like never before. Online reviews are gold; they’re a modern word-of-mouth that can make or break a company. Remember Slack's phenomenal growth? It didn’t just happen because the software was good; it engaged users with clear value and fun features. But there’s no one-size-fits-all here. These tactics—like utilizing referral networks or influencer partnerships—require creativity and execution. Companies like Quuu.co and QuuuPromote.co are living proof that thoughtful content strategies can turn marginal gains into massive payoffs. Have you implemented any of these growth hacking techniques in your journey? Share your stories—your experience might ignite the flame someone else needs. https://lnkd.in/epUuaz-W

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THE PATH OF A WILDLY SUCCESSFUL STARTUP 1️⃣ Hard Work 2️⃣ Attention to Customer Feedback 3️⃣ More Hard Work, and then 4️⃣ ⚡️Disrupt⚡️ an Industry Marko Jak and his teams at Secta Labs have bootstrapped their way to thousands of LinkedIn profile photos, and they're just getting started. This week they rolled out body🕺🏻 shots, great for when you need more than just a headshot view. They're fantastic🌟... but in looking at the new model, I see just how far this team has come in terms of photo-realism... My 🙃 smile lines are alllll there, but a half-dozen other sticky issues have been solved. This is good 🤖 technology, my friends. For those I've pestered and stalked to replace your outdated, worn-and-weary headshots (you know who you are - and yes, I'm talking to you 👀)... You've seen me after Barre class and at campfires; the shots below were modeled on 🤳🏼selfies taken during the pandemic... after campfires.🔥 I don't own any of those clothes or 💍 jewelry, and I certainly didn't get fixed up for the photos 📸. Legend is, all my pix were uploaded while in my pajamas drinking a cup of Lady Grey tea late one night. We all deserve to present ourselves in the best possible light, but few of us have patience to chase the details of getting proper photos taken. Everyone should try Secta Labs and see for themselves just how far #AI photography has come.✨ Tell them Tonya sent you... I'm their biggest fan, as long as I don't have to arm wrestle Victoria or Kelli to prove it. 🫶🏼 🐦‍⬛ Quantum Crow Advisory 🐦‍⬛

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How to Estimate the Valuation of Your Startup (very personal post 😎 ) We are currently in the fundraising stage with Grechka Buckwheat Super Grain. Earlier this year, we had extensive negotiations with investors, but we couldn't agree on the strategy. I learned a lot from that experience, which I shared earlier. I'll put the link to that old post in the comments. Valuing an early-stage startup is a blend of personal ambition, your background, market opportunity, traction, and peers' cases. It’s not a simple mathematical equation, which is what makes it so challenging. This summer, we received new interest from investors, and the main topic was, of course, valuation. I had a gut feeling about our valuation—something that resonated with me, reflecting our potential, vision, and achievements. But how to estimate it more formally? That’s when we got invaluable advice from Sam Simpson at FounderCatalyst, who provided a straightforward approach to valuation (link in the comments). Their method made everything so clear, and you know what? My intuition was right—the valuation I had in mind matched exactly what we arrived at after the discussion with Sam. So, yes, valuing an early-stage startup can be tricky, but there are methods that align with your values, inner voice and give you confidence. If you’re a founder, what has been your experience with early-stage startup valuations? I’d love to hear your thoughts! P.S. Ha-ha! My dog Kuki just got tired of me working so hard on building the buckwheat revolution 😆 #femalefounder #startup #fundraising

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Being a founder is all about work flexibility, right? Wrong. Productive routine matters a lot. But like most of us, I haven't yet cracked the code for the perfect balance. Especially difficult when you don't have external accountability. Viktor Tsvil 🇺🇦 and I like to romanticize the period when we started Taita a year ago in San Francisco. Back then, it seemed we found a near-perfect work-life balance. ✅ Wake up between 7 am and 8 am. ✅ Viktor would often wake up a bit earlier and prepare breakfast for Ivanna Kreshchenetska and me. We lived together, like a true startup house. ✅ We’d pack a healthy lunch and go to a co-working space to work. ✅ Check out by 4-5 pm. Extremely productive 8 hours of work. ✅ Then, gym and social activities. Fulfilling rest. ✅ Weekends for personal projects (e.g., I was working on a cool research paper that sadly never got published). We felt productive. We felt rested. We felt like we could achieve anything without working more than full-time. Interestingly, the work-life balance crumbled as soon as we moved to Tokyo. We’ve been sucked into the workaholic culture. Staying in the office until 9-10 pm quickly changed from being an exception to being a rule. Gym or any sort of sports stopped being a part of a daily plan. Rest was superficial. We’ve put in more hours of work but the work seemed less productive, and more stressful. Here’s what ChatGPT thinks have been the reasons: - Cultural emphasis on long work hours in Japan - Quality of sleep due to increased stress - Regular, meaningful social activities in SF - Community support and networking opportunities in SF Not sure I agree with everything. What do you all think? 🤔

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A lot of investors tell me how our website does not truly represent that we are a $2.2m ARR product. To which I tell them: A lot of people are great looking, wear great clothes, and are presentable on the outside but are not good humans inside. Which you find out only when you spend time with them and realise they are different from what they appear. Similarly, a lot of startups have great websites, brand but if you look deeply, they are not good businesses. Unfortunately humans are lazy and look at surface level to make decisions. This is when relationships fail and so do startups. You need to dig deep to find gold. #startups #saas #marketing #founders #product

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🚨 2 DAY COUNTDOWN TO VIRTUAL CO-FOUNDER MATCHING EVENT Did you know that 80% of unicorns had more than one founder? If you have ambitions of building a unicorn, you may want to find a co-founder. At Kabila and Ambitious Labs, we gotchu! Monday, Sept 23rd at 1 pm ET, we are doing a virtual co-founder matching event and we have great non-technical founders registered. Register here if you're a technical founder with our 100% money back guarantee 👇🏾 https://lnkd.in/eUWpWNbi Register here if you're a non-technical founder with our 100% money back guarantee 👇🏾 https://lnkd.in/emH5mUse P.S., If you are bootstrapping your startup and money is tight, drop a comment telling me what you're building and why with a link to your site, send me a connection request, and I'll DM you a 20% discount code. Tally ho! https://lnkd.in/e_BHmvj8

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I met an angel investor this week This is how it went This was our second meeting In the first meeting, we presented our GrowthApp concept and its potential This is what I learned: Pitching to investors is not a mystical, divine burning man experience It’s sales and relationship building Depending on your stage, you're either selling a dream or selling traction You’ll need a capital raising strategy We’re approaching angel investors first instead of VCs If you target VCs, know this: • VCs want startups solving huge wicked problems • VCs need billion-dollar exits  • Niche markets aren’t attractive • You’re locked in a 10yr journey If you target angel investors, consider this: • Angels will invest earlier • They’re investing their own money  • They scrutinize how their money is allocated • Angels understand the bootstrapping, hustle mentality 1. The meeting moved very quickly 2. One key topic was scaling and distribution 3. We talked product-market fit and our launch date 4. If they invest, they’ll take a hands-on, personal approach 5. Another key topic was marketing and reaching the right customer 6. Another obvious question: will the budget allow us to reach our rev target? 7. Angels are willing to take higher risk if your expertise matches your GTM plan We’re now sharing more information with them, forecasts and deck. He may invest or introduce us to his network of angels. Timing also needs to be right. If an angel has too much on his plate, he’ll need more time to reflect. Building up trust and the relationship is critical, it’s a sales process like any other. Every handshake is a yes forward. 💰 Have you raised capital? Share so others can learn!

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This year's Mashup is clearly a sign of the times. It's the third year we organize a similar event, but looking at the audience there's a big change from previous years 🔎 Really high quality founders are joining. The "tourists" are gone and have been replaced by a multitude of founders building exciting AI solutions, generating revenue and growing quickly 📈 The average startup joining Mashup had €265k in revenue last 12 months, and founded 3 years ago. However on the VC side, a lot are prioritizing differently. VC investors can't make it because they need to focus on their own fundraising, looking for new LPs. Some can't make it because they have not yet done their first close. However, a good selection of 100 VCs will be there. For them awaits high-quality dealflow and less competition. The VCs investing now will make some of the best returns since the 2009 vintage 🚀

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🚀 'Weekly funding round-up! All of the European startup funding rounds we tracked this week (Sept. 30 – Oct. 4)' 🔥 A must-read for investors and founders looking to level up! 🌱 Check it out here: www.blog.pitchndeal.com" 🔥 https://lnkd.in/eBZmNPrF 🚀 Whether You're an Investor or a Startup, Discover Game-Changing Insights! Check Out Our Blog. #Leadership #Innovation #Marketing #Technology #Entrepreneurship

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Here is something you don’t know about me: I believe that all people deserve a 33rd chance 🫣 For quite some (pretty long) time One of our developers was hard to work with In the beginning: - He was delivering on time - He has been understanding - He has been charging us properly After a few months, things suddenly changed: - He started lying to me - He started disappearing for days - He started delivering worse and worse work And I always found a reason to forgive him and move on. Because I believed that things will improve…very soon! However, his work has been slowing us down a lot. And I knew that finding a new one would be hard. It took me 2 months but I found a guy who: - Has more experience - Works faster & gives better quality - Needs a lot less of my time (for now) Don’t make my mistake. You don’t need 33 red flags. Three-four should be enough. Hard means opportunity, not a problem. P.S. How many second chances do you give to people?

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