Arun kumar’s Post

1 of every 18 YC companies grows to a $1B+ valuation. That's even crazier when you realize YC is just the world's greatest psy-op: YC partners are world-class at getting you to feel confident about your business. That, in turn, makes it far more likely that you succeed. Controversial opinion: starting a company is hard. Really hard. And what kills more companies than running out of money is the founders running out of steam. If you HONESTLY believe that you're crushing it, that's an infectious attitude. It'll bleed into your hiring, sales, and fundraising conversations. And folks will want to get on board. Yes, the accelerator is great for guidance, networking, and tactical methods for helping grow your startup. But my biggest takeaway from the experience was how confident they made us that our businesses could succeed at all. And that gave us the ability to manifest it.

Is running a startup like a marathon or a sprint?  I would say that in the same way my toddler runs full-tilt all the time, even when we’re going for a leisurely family stroll, a startup is also a series of sprints. There’s a constant drive to forge ahead at great speed to reach that next goal because you know you have to get there before your business starts suffering. When it comes to startups, you’re always dancing on a knife’s edge between thriving and floundering.  That’s why we push like mad to hit our next target, whether it’s a project deadline, a rebranding, or a board meeting.  Then comes the crash after the sprint. This reminds me of my investment banking days, where a week of leaving the office at 2AM would culminate in delivering crucial work on an IPO and then have me sleeping all weekend!       This type of lifestyle certainly isn’t for everyone, but once you get used to all the fartlekking, it becomes a way of being like any other.  But I’d like to know your thoughts - is running a startup a marathon or sprint for you?

🚀 At Stripe, we are building more than just financial infrastructure; we are facilitating growth, partnering with determined founders whose visions transcend boundaries. In this spirit, supporting the inaugural event of Moroccans in Tech—a dynamic collective of entrepreneurs, operators and investors intertwined with the vibrant tapestry of the French tech ecosystem—was a natural fit. On a personal note, moderating a segment of their panel was an opportunity I seized with genuine enthusiasm and a keen sense of privilege. 💡 The evening was an insightful journey through the success paradigms of ambitious immigrant founders. Panelists Othmane Bouhlal and Omar Benmoussa of Chauffeur Privé/Kapten/FREENOW (exited to Daimler 🇩🇪), Mohamed Tazi of Gymlib (exited to eGym 🇩🇪), Amine Mezzour of Lalilo by Renaissance (exited to Renaissance 🇺🇸), and Driss Ibenmansour of Motto, shared raw insights on navigating the entrepreneurship maze. Their stories took us through the rollercoaster of taking risks, the motivational forces at play, and the intricacies of timing a business launch with one’s career path. 🔄 Freedom was a recurring theme—a notional twist, not about the absence of reporting lines, but the liberty to make meaningful choices. The candid dialogue traversed the harrowing decisions and sacrifices, such as opportunity costs and the pursuit of an entrepreneurial vision. We heard firsthand accounts of navigating turbulent times—an investor’s unforeseen exit, a global health crisis testing the foundations of a business transaction, or logistical nightmares disrupting the flow of operations. Reflecting on their experiences, the speakers shared advice from hindsight and actions they would change if they embarked on the journey again. For example, one said they would target a larger market and focus more on the go-to-market strategy from the get-go! 🎉 As we transitioned from thought-provoking dialogue to networking, the room buzzed with energy from students, aspiring entrepreneurs, startup veterans, and savvy investors alike. A massive shout-out to Mehdi Benjelloun, Sofia DAHOUNE, Maria Tahri, and Kenza Boughaleb for orchestrating such a top-tier event. Seeing the resolve and excitement of so many present and future founders strengthens our dedication to backing their dreams, enhancing their visions, and aiding their global impact. Here's to scaling new heights together!

Here's how to have every VC wanting to invest in your company. Back when I ran an investment bank, a full 1/2 of our clients were capital efficient. Some skipped VC entirely. Others raised an early round and then got profitable. TaxJar | A Stripe company is a great example. Taxjar raised a seed round from a local VC firm. They then skipped the VC alphabet. No series A, B, etc. Work your way through the alphabet and watch your ownership disappear. Especially if you throw in some bridge rounds along the way. Taxjar got profitable with that seed round. They still grew fast enough for VCs to want to invest. But they did it profitably. From that small seed round, their next move was a $ 65M growth equity round. From there, they sold to Stripe. With the founders still being massive shareholders. The lesson here: Do more with less. Don't just assume that you have to raise round after round. The more traction you achieve with your capital, the more investors will want to be part of your company. Be ruthlessly efficient with your capital. Treat it like blood (because that is what it is). - Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Mark MacLeod for more. For more tips on how to lead your company to a massive exit Join the leading newsletter for startup CEOs https://lnkd.in/gWqQBd-n

I stalked my co-founder for months before we started a VC firm together. Not in a creepy way. I just knew Janneke Niessen was brilliant at building tech companies from scratch. She'd done it twice already. Most VCs look at the obvious things: market size, product-market fit, financials. But here's what 15 years of research taught me: 60% of startups die because their teams implode. Not competition. Not market conditions. Not running out of money. Teams fall apart. After studying thousands of founders at Berkeley and Amsterdam, I discovered something counterintuitive: The traits that make someone an amazing early founder often become toxic during scale-up. That raw drive? It can turn into control-freakery. That passionate vision? It might blind you to market changes. That fierce independence? It could prevent crucial delegation. This is why Janneke and I built CapitalT differently. We don't just evaluate pitch decks. We measure team dynamics using hard science. We spot scaling problems before they emerge. Because unicorns aren't born from pitch decks. They're built by teams that evolve. P.S. Know a founder who needs to hear this? Tag them below.

This business is changing. We've tripled in size since last year. As we go from startup to scaleup, there are a couple major changes we're going through. Our leadership is becoming more decentralised. As our team gets bigger, I'm part of less and less decisions. This frees me up to work on other parts of the business, But it's still scary as f#$k to hand over the reins more and more. This new phase also means we're going to start decentralising our budgets. Rather than having one big budget, we'll have departmental budgets that teams have autonomy over. And this is huge. We've run so lean for so long. And now I'm going to have to let people spend money. But no one's going to care as much about it as I do because it's not their money. So that's going to feel real different. One really important change is that our peaks and valleys are smoothing out. Last year, losing a 20k/month client would have crippled us. This year, we can survive and even grow when that happens. So if you're stuck in the startup grind and want to move into this phase, here's my advice: You have to put your money where your mouth is. If you're bootstrapping, you need to be willing to take a financial hit in the short term. This means hiring the people you need that will push you to that next level. Then you can focus on the things you need to do to grow the business. Because as long as you're trying to do as much as you can yourself to save money, You'll never grow into the next phase as a business.

I obtain comparable insights as a mentor with experience in over 100 startups and scale-ups, while also leveraging my own entrepreneurial background.

The VC lottery isn't always worth the ticket price Many founders trade away their freedom chasing unicorn dreams Success doesn't require explosive growth or giving away half your company. After spending 20 years in corporate roles, I chose to bootstrap my startup. The decision wasn't easy, but it aligned with my vision of building something sustainable rather than chasing rapid scaling. Three reasons I chose bootstrapping: 1. Control matters more than speed. VCs push for rapid growth, often at the expense of building solid foundations. Bootstrapping lets you validate and iterate without external pressure to hit arbitrary metrics. When your building a system around methodologies that prioritize iteration and small incremental improvements, it just makes sense to practice what we preach. 2. Sustainable growth beats hypergrowth. When you're not burning through VC cash, you're forced to focus on real customer problems and revenue. This can create stronger product-market fit if you do it right. 3. Freedom to pivot. Without investors breathing down your neck, you can adjust your strategy based on customer needs rather than board expectations. Sure, bootstrapping means slower growth. But it also means keeping control of your vision and building something that lasts. Does that mean we will never seek institutional capital? No. I can't even pretend to see into the future, and what our needs may be at that time. But, for now, I am enjoying the opportunity to build the vision I see, rather than jeopardize that vision for rapid growth. What factors would influence your funding decision? #StartupLife #FounderJourney #Bootstrapping #VentureCapital #EntrepreneurshipAfter40