Peter Walker

📈 Curious about the startup scene in Massachusetts? Explore our detailed funding list featuring startup names, HQ locations, and investor info. Perfect for investors and entrepreneurs alike! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/dAp3xj-Q #startup #startups #venturecapital #funding #vc #managementconsulting

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Paraform just raised $3.6M to help startups connect with independent recruiters—a smart pivot after the 2022-2023 tech layoffs. With 100,000+ recruiters laid off and going independent, Paraform’s platform offers startups access to this valuable network. So far, they've helped over 200 companies hire and grow their revenue 10x since their pre-seed round! The subscription Key takeaways: Subscription + success fee model ensures commitment from startups. Paraform works with in-house talent teams for flexible, on-demand recruiting. Expanding globally and branching into new industries like defense and manufacturing. PS: Will the future of recruiting be all about networks? #startups #recruiting #AI

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At most networking events… Business owners shake hands, exchange business cards, and go home. HumanX has a different approach. You’ll be paired together in 1:1 conversations with investors & AI startups. You’re not just adding people to your rolodex. Deals will be made.

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Compensation indexing continues to be an asymmetric game. Companies continue to have access to voluminous amounts of data across multiple benchmark sets (Pave, Carta) as well as private VC benchmarks. Candidates, meanwhile, have access to some of the benchmark sets -- but are often in the dark about how to use it correctly. The biggest challenge? The benchmarks sometimes aren't reflective of what Tier 1 compensation looks like for companies, even when filtered for Tier 1 markets. Case in point: for product marketing, in SF, for companies valued between $25-$100M (most Series A cos) -- Pave doesn't even have enough data to confirm what a typical variable compensation looks like. And the quoted median base at the P3 level (Sr. PMM, Product Marketing Lead)? $126,437 (🧐!) with a "very high confidence" grade next to it. Jumbled leveling charts, unclear titling, and numbers like this create confusion in the market, whether it's for IC or leadership roles. This is where search firms come in. In any given Sr. PMM search we're probably talking to more than 50+ candidates, getting real time compensation data and compensation expectations. Our own private benchmarks show that Sr. PMMs in SF command much, much more. No wonder candidates are confused --- even companies have trouble getting it right when the underlying data requires an interpretation lens! So the best approach is often the simplest approach: just go out into the field and get the data, real time.

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Did you know that 68% of small businesses report having cash flow problems, and many small businesses rely on the owner's personal funds to stay afloat? Relay exists to solve this and the best part is it's actually working! Which makes this announcement even sweeter: We raised a USD $32.2 million Series B round. What does this mean? - More spend management tools to improve financial visibility - More products to give small business owners flexibility - More integrations to streamline operations - And ultimately more businesses making better and smarter financial decisions Exciting times ahead! PS We're hiring: https://lnkd.in/gMT2mN25

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EdTech in Chicago used to feel like a ghost town. But over the last 6 months, we’ve built a talented community that now rivals other startup hubs across the country. Sneak peek of who we are and what we’re building 👇 By the numbers... 🚀 0-88 members in 6 months ✅ 2/3 founders (~40 percent women) ✅ 1/3 operators and investors ✅ We span pre-K to gray (early childhood, K-12, higher-ed, future of work, lifelong learning) -AI- Owler AI AI-driven tool for teachers to review, grade, and leave personalized feedback on student work Turbolearn AI Turn lecture recordings into notes, flashcards, and quizzes Impara Personalized micro-learning AI feed for lifelong learners OpenClass Generate research-based review assignments, quizzes, and lessons directly around your learning materials -Language learning- Bilin Academy Global classroom for multilingual learning Panglot Labs Duolingo for endangered languages -Curricular- Video Pro Learning Turn mundane lessons into dynamic multimedia assignments immersionED Immersive history learning video games for students NextWave STEM STEM focused in-school and after-school programs for K-12 schools -Gamification- ThinkingCrown Platform that uses the science of reading & hip-hop to bridge the reading and confidence gap ASL Aspire Teaching STEM literacy to deaf students and their teachers Overture Games Duolingo meets Guitar Hero -Personalized Learning- https://studyaloud.com/ Faith-based app for personalized learning journeys through the Bible Impactfultutor.com High quality, affordable, and accessible STEM tutoring -College and career readiness- Loper Personalized college search Reach Pathways A virtual world where digital native students can interact with mentors and companies https://www.scope-app.io/ Platform where students explore and discover their ideal career paths -Upskilling and professional development- Education Walkthrough Simple way for K-12 principals and district leaders to give feedback to teachers Skilbi Platform to help students develop new skills and build better networks Stryke Social platform connecting the next generation of talent to employers and like-minded professionals Archer Career Micro-learning platform for early career and professional development -Platform- Innovare All-in-one personalized student data dashboard Otus Platform that compiles and visualizes student growth data Entiendo (Neo ‘23) All-in-one platform for personalized learning PiggyBack Network Carpool network focused on sustainable mobility and equitable transportation -Learner engagement- Rang Rewards platform for high school students CoderHeroes Imaginative and personalized coding instruction for children Threadable Social media for books and reading …and many more! VCs/angels, DM me if you’d like to learn more about any of these founders. Let’s start cutting some checks! #chicagotech #founders #startup #vc #investing #entrepreneurship 

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Tem ‎Nugmanov, CEO of Optemization, was on the podcast this week. Ironically… he cautioned Notion users on the idea of OVER-OPTIMIZING their workspaces. At LA Tech Week, some VC and founder types hit him with a question that stopped him in his tracks. — ”How do you take a workspace that is already a 4/5 to a 5/5?” Apparently, that's not a situation Tem deals with on the regular. But it got his gears turning, and he realized something key. The answer? Keep it simple, stupid. Tem sees tons of folks getting a little too excited about all the crazy stuff Notion can do. They get sucked into this never-ending cycle of tweaking and optimizing every little thing. But here's the reality: There's a point where all that extra effort starts to give diminishing returns. At some point, you just gotta call it good and start actually using the workflow. And here's the kicker: Even a "good enough" setup is going to get you most of the results you're after. So Tem's words of wisdom for all you Notion nerds out there? Don't get too carried away with all the bells and whistles. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. — What is the silliest over-optimization you have ever seen? How do you keep your Notion workspace simple? If you wanna hear more of Tem’s expert takes on Notion, catch the full episode, now live.

Harmonic’s team recently tripled their hiring speed, going from 1 hire/quarter to 1 hire/month. They also 6x-ed their quality candidate pipeline. All without paying an upfront retainer. How? By partnering with Paraform. Harmonic’s investors and customers make up all the household VC names you can think of. They’re scaling fast, and needed exceptional engineers to match that growth. Soham Kamat, Harmonic’s Head of Business Operations, knew what the company needed to build. He just needed to find the right talent to build it. Last quarter, Soham made a bet with Harmonic’s head of sales. Could the company generate $1 million in net new sales by the end of the quarter? Or could Soham hire 4 engineers first? The loser would buy the winning team a Michelin-starred dinner. Can you really hire as quickly as you scale? Turns out, you can. Harmonic hired 4 new engineers last quarter – with Paraform recruiters Clint Tankersley, Ryan Poole, and Nick Kimball helping land 3 of those 4 roles – AND secured $1M in net new sales. Congrats to Soham, Max, and the team on both milestones! To learn more about Harmonic’s story, check out the link in comments.

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This company is valued at a P/E multiple that is 4.6X higher than Nvidia's They're trading at about 47X ARR and 311X earnings. Palantir is at $2.9B in ARR - valued at $140B. It's peers (other SaaS co's $2-5B in revenue) trade for a lot less Hubspot 13X Atlassian 13X Veeva 14X Okta 5X Docusign 6X They are on a tear 30% ARR growth 57% FCF margin in Q3 87 Rule of 40 117 Rule of X 118% NRR up from 107% last year CAC Payback down to 15.6 months from 28 months last year Magic number of 0.96 up from 0.54 last year Net income of $150M in Q3 FCF of $415M for the quarter Just an incredible performance. But should it be trading at a P/E multiple 4.6X higher than Nvidia - probably not. 

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It's time. I'm looking for a U.S.-based Engineer—preferably in Detroit—who's ready to gain experience working with a new AI startup. This is an equity-based position until we secure our first round of funding. As a tech headhunter for other startups, I understand the importance of salary. However, this is a bootstrapped startup at the moment, led by myself and another co-founder. We're building something truly groundbreaking: an AI-First Social Networking Startup, unlike anything that exists today. The MVP is 95% built (by me), and we're gearing up for a Beta launch. I need a founding engineer to: Help finalize code to production standard Deploy and test both the staging and production servers Bring 3-4 years of Machine Learning experience to the table and help take the LLM I've built to the next level Tech Stack MUST know - Multi-Agent AI systems, (Flask) Python, Tensorflow & Pytorch, Node, ReactJS, Redis, Docker / Dockerhub, Tailwind, Various AI Models, LLM Training, Digital Ocean / AWS, MongoDB, Web Scraping, Third Party APIs, Full-Stack Architecture, Message Queuing, CI/CD Pipelines This is an opportunity to be a founding Engineer and play a key role in shaping a transformative platform that has great impact. If you're passionate about AI, ready to sign an NDA, and willing to have some skin in the game like myself and my co-founder, let's connect. Please email me at [email protected]. Note: I’m not looking for a team or an agency—just dedicated individuals who are ready to build something incredible.

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Spoke to Techstars (SF & Oakland) yesterday on building a growth machine. 13 takeaways to get to PMF & scale faster -   1. Growth is optional: Post-PMF, growth is hard, but the roadmap is simple (and mostly in your control).   2. Even the best startups get punched in the face (and often): But they find ways to not get demoralized, will things into existence, and take bad news well.   3. Sustainable growth is about scale AND unit-economics: You need both.   4. It’s easy to fake growth: Total Actives is a vanity metric. Understand the health of its inputs i.e. New, Resurrected, and Retained. The same concept applies to revenue, MRR, etc.   5. Marketing’s purpose Pre- and Post-PMF are different: When Pre, only spend to bring enough people back to validate PMF; when Post, go for scale.   6. A strong marketing mix has Awareness, Consideration, and Conversion: They’re all a hedge with unique pros and cons i.e., time to results, cost, effort, defensibility, etc.   7. You don’t need a Growth Team: The whole company is the Growth Team.   8. There’s 4-stages of growth: Know where you’re at b/c it’ll tell you where to focus, and focus is the lifeblood of a startup.   9. There’s various frameworks to hypothesize models for growth: AARRR, Growth Loops, The PLG Flywheel, and Network Effects are my favorite.   10. ICE is a great way to prioritize (Impact, Confidence, and Ease). Nothing easier than being busy in a startup, but it means nothing. Be effective.   11. Build great process to get through The Growth Flywheel fast: More tests > more learnings > better tests > higher success rates > faster path to growth.   12. When you find things that work, double down: Finding winners takes time; don’t take them for granted.   13. Make time to think and play offense: "Time to think” is 100% in your control; you have no excuse; when in doubt, do less.

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Had a great conversation with Jacquelyn Miller and Christina Farr on the ins and outs of the direct communication method for startups. They had lots of great advice, which you can check out at the blog. My big takeaway, personally, is that there's truly no substitute for authentic expertise: Founders eat, breathe, and sleep their startup's market, giving them the kind of nuanced, insightful perspective that nobody else can provide. You don't need to be a professional writer or a seasoned on-camera personality to shine; you just have to give your real thoughts on the topic.

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San Francisco's political landscape is taking an innovative turn as mayor-elect Dan Lurie appoints OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to his transition team. This strategic move signals a fresh approach to bridging the gap between city government and the tech sector at a crucial time for San Francisco. What makes this particularly noteworthy is how it represents a shift in how cities might leverage tech leadership to address urban challenges - from public safety to economic revitalization. The inclusion of both Altman and former Twitter CFO Ned Segal suggests a deliberate strategy to reconnect with the tech community while maintaining the city's position as a global innovation hub. Key developments to watch: ▶️ How this tech-government partnership influences public safety initiatives ▶️ Impact on downtown revitalization efforts ▶️ Response from other tech leaders and companies ▶️ Potential new policies to attract and retain tech talent ▶️ Balance between innovation and traditional urban governance https://lnkd.in/gMJ3yvk9

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Inspired by what we’re building at Build Momentum. We realized tech recruiting is broken—non-technical recruiters struggle to find and attract the best talent. That’s why we’ve flipped the script and developed a community-based recruiting approach: a trusted network of elite engineers, embedded within Latam’s top tech communities. The best engineers know the best engineers, and we tap into these deep, authentic connections to deliver top talent faster and with better fit. Want to see how we’re doing it differently? Check out our post

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The tech industry is a mess and Fractional is here to save it Between capital influx in 2020 and the subsequent need for agility post-2021 layoffs, companies are leveraging top talent in more flexible, impactful ways. Fractional roles offer sustainability and low stress, maximizing ROI without historical burnout. What do you think of this evolving model? Dive deeper into this transformation. #TechTrends #Leadership #BusinessStrategy #Innovation

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💡 Are vertical AI startups the future of industry-specific SaaS? SignalFire's latest blog outlines a compelling case for how AI-enabled vertical SaaS solutions could transform industries, tapping into a $6 trillion market opportunity. By applying seven innovative frameworks, startups can address unique, industry-specific challenges like handling unstructured data, achieving data defensibility, and automating workflows. One standout approach is the “networked SaaS” model, where diverse stakeholders—from end-users to insurers—can connect on a single platform, driving efficiency and deep integration. Curious about these frameworks and examples of companies pioneering this space? Dive into the full article! 📈👇

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💰 $1000 → $1.5 billion. That's not a typo. It's the journey of Dr. Kenan Sahin, from startup to exit. 🚀 Just finished reading "Lean Startup, Lean Company, Rich Exit" which just dropped. 📚 Key takeaways I'm excited about: • Field-tested principles for multiple business objectives ✅ • Roadmap from startup to high-value exit 🗺️ • Lessons from decades of building companies 🏗️ As a founder, I'm always looking for real-world wisdom. 🧠 This isn't theory. It's a $1.5 billion case study. 💼 Who else is adding this to their reading list? 🤔 #EntrepreneurshipLessons #StartupGrowth

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Check out three M13 portfolio companies currently hiring - Bento (gobento.com) & Lifeforce are making strides in the future of health, while the team at Rho is building the future of fintech. Scroll through to learn more about each and how you can fuel their missions 🚀 #hiring #brightertogether #m13 #bento #lifeforce

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