Nithin Reddy’s Post

I touched on a subject that most #techfounders wouldn't be as vulnerable about. On the next stop of the journey, I talk about the day I almost quit. Quitting has never been an option for me. This journey has no instruction manual and when you're trying to do it alone, it can become a burden and not a journey. I am glad I finally raised my hand and asked for help from the amazing team I work with every day. Here's to vulnerability: https://lnkd.in/e4zHnQ25

Q1 at Crew Home App: Lessons in Trash Tech After my first full quarter at Crew, Here are a few key takeaways. Joining a Trash Tech startup has been a bit more challenging than simply "Taking the Trash Out." While the core function may seem simple, the reality involves much more of a logistical lift and psychological understanding than anything else. A Mercenary's Mentality: When contracting with gig-workers, we have to understand the lack of loyalty associated with them and the job at hand. Thanks to B.F. Skinner's "The Behavior of Organisms", which outlines the framework of Operant Conditioning, we have been able to incorporate a robust rewards structure combined with a clear penal system that keeps our gig-workers actively engaged and surprisingly reliable. Which keeps our Backup Crew off the streets. The Hybrid Model: Crew goes beyond a one-size-fits-all subscription. Our hybrid model allows you to utilize our standard waste removal features while being able to opt-in to any additional waste services you may need. This model has proved to be the most efficient selling point for us, prioritizing customers over cash-flow. Crypto to Trash: Transitioning from my previous work at a crypto startup, there have been some interesting conversations. The most comical response to my switch? "It seems you left one trash industry to join the other, not much has changed." While a humorous dig at my past work, the affinity for all things "trash" remains strong. Finally, The Most Important Takeaway.. Team Dynamics: Finding a founding Team I truly enjoy being around has meant everything. I was fortunate enough to convince my best friend J.R. Schneider Jr. to rip up his post grad sales contract to join me (Quite the leap of faith). Since his onboarding early this year, we have already doubled our MRR, a small testament to what he brings to the table. Needless to say, I am excited to see what Q2 has in store. If you want to "talk trash" my DMs are open. Cheers.

EleaTek frens, we didn’t set out to be adored, but wow, it feels good to see so many of you lining up to lend a hand. At EleaTek, we’ve always believed in the power of community, and seeing so many of you ready to jump in, roll up your sleeves, and contribute to our mission of transparency and positive change is truly heartwarming. The world’s a tough place, and if you’ve got a heart that still beats for something real, something that cuts through the noise—well, you’ve found your tribe. We’re not just another startup throwing buzzwords into the void. We’re out here, in the trenches, building something that matters. And when we see folks who want to volunteer—not for a paycheck, not for glory, but because they get it—it hits us deep. You’re not just filling a role; you’re part of this messy, beautiful thing we’re creating. You’re the ones who see that transparency isn’t just a word—it’s a way of life. You’re the ones who believe in the power of tech to do good, to shine a light where there’s darkness. And you’re the ones who know that, sometimes, the smallest acts make the biggest waves. We’re humbled, we’re grateful, and we’re mad proud to have you with us. Keep the fire burning. You're the G.O.A.T! #RealTalk #EleaTekRevolution #VolunteerLife #ThankYou

If you did not make it to the StartupExperts panel as part of NY TECH WEEK by a16z, our panelists (Venture)Crushed it (a pun for my friends at Lowenstein Sandler LLP). My favorite takeaway: Most folks agree that early/growth-stage employees should always be vesting equity. Typically, for regrants (especially for top performers), I've heard to do 25% of the original grant around 2-3 years in, which always felt random to me, and, worse, percentage thinking tends to drive inequity as people who came in earning less, get smaller bumps. Matt Hoffman shared a strategy focused on giving that employee the equity they would earn if they were hired today in that role, doing it at roughly the 3.5-year mark. Genius and simple. Love that. Michael Munroe and Megan Monson brought up other avenues such as smaller yearly grants (also genius and simple) and performance-based equity tactics (be careful but def interesting). Feeling FOMO? Come have breakfast with me and Christelle Rohaut tomorrow! Sign up: https://lnkd.in/dUFxnm4X

So few people post openly about their failures. I think we should change that, so I introduce to you: Failure Fridays. Every Friday I will share a failure, along with a story, so you can learn from (often my) mistakes. Thank you to Ryan Carter for kickstarting my thinking on this (link to his post in comments). Let’s get into it. 👇 I’m very willing to share feedback. I often will use my trusty Loom account to show what I see isn’t working. One of my friends recently launched a new venture. Loved by her audience. Got a ton of signups right away. I also signed up and noticed some issues with it that could potentially cause churn. So I wanted to give my friend a heads up. But I totally messed up the delivery. I didn’t consider her perspective, what had been going on for her, or how she’s feeling about this launch. Any founder probably feels excited, overwhelmed, and worried about doing things right with a new launch. Especially if it’s something completely new, there’s a lot of “how do we do this right so we don’t screw it up?” I should have thought about that first before hitting record. Here’s what I should have done instead: ✋ Pause and consider what she’s going through 🤔 Think about how I would feel in her shoes if I received critical feedback 🎉 Started off with celebrating her achievement so far and encouraging her 🔍 Shared what I noticed in the context of how great she’s doing 🎉 Cheered her on again and reiterated my support If you share feedback, take a minute to think about your audience before you speak. How it ended: I apologized for how I handled it, and wrote her an email of what I SHOULD have said. We talked about it, and I’m back to cheering her on like I usually do. PS: Yes posting publicly about something like this is uncomfortable!

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For people who were too lazy to read the whole post about Zepto: A recent anonymous post outlines significant concerns about Zepto's work culture. For good or for the worse, we do not know the validity of the facts. It's a post that seems to hit all the right strings for people who are plighted by the same inconveniences. Here's the gist: 1. ⏰ Irregular Work Schedules: -Meetings scheduled at 2 AM disrupt work-life balance. -Employees often work 14+ hours daily, starting at 12 PM and ending at 11 PM or later. 2. 🚪 High Turnover: -At least 10 employees leave every week, replaced by 20 junior hires to cut costs. 3. 📱 Customer Exploitation Allegations: - Dark patterns in the app allegedly charge higher fees for users with phones priced above ₹30,000. 4. 🔐 Data Security Concerns: - Claims of multiple data leaks, with fixes deprioritized due to investor pressures. 5. 💻 Demanding Work Conditions: - Tech teams reportedly work till 1 AM, with employees using tablets to stay awake. 6. 📉 Performance Appraisals and Layoffs: - Appraisals canceled; minor hikes only for a few. - Major layoffs expected by March, with hiring freezes already in place for most departments. 7. 🔄 Copycat Product Strategy: - Product design allegedly mimics Blinkit’s features and strategies. 8. ⚠️ Fraud Allegations: - Internal fraud cases reported (specifics withheld for anonymity). 9. 📈 IPO as a Retention Hook: - Many employees reportedly endure this culture, hoping for financial gains from a potential IPO in two years. Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/g5TW_u-Z I am not siding with any one of the sides, but what compelled a employee to almost dedicate a good many hours of his/her time to write all this 😂. Zepto has a Glassdoor rating of 3.5 given by 300 employees and 3.6 in AmbitionBox by 849 employees. Both ratings close to 3 stars for work and culture related ratings. #WorkCulture #StartupIndia #EmployeeExperience #Zepto #Leadership #ToxicWorkplace #Career

Our startup has now officially made us, as co-founders, financially free! I've dreamt about this day for 23 years👇🏽 Financial freedom means having enough income or assets to cover your living expenses and any discretionary spending you want, without relying on a traditional job. In other words, being financially free means breaking out of the matrix 😎 I wanted us to make enough revenue so that all co-founders can be financially compensated with our cash flow and not have to rely on anything else for income. We're now all salaried and can focus on one thing every single waking second that we have: being on the Alia rocket ship 😻 [and we're all salaried without having to raise a single dollar!] Here's the timeline for all co-founders joining full time: In June 2023, I graduated college and went full-time. In January 2024, Cory Gill graduated college and joined full-time. Bill Wohlers officially starts full-time this Monday after working at his previous company for over a year after graduation. 😌 We've achieved financial freedom. I wanna shout it from the rooftops. I can't wait to be even further in the trenches with two of my closest friends. ❤️

We have a few slots for non-portfolio founders for the next online "Founders Meet & Learn by Geek Ventures" on 5/23. This one will be on addressing two typical problems we see most founders encounter: 1. Too much of administrative "busywork" that they can't delegate to anyone 2. Few open positions are targeted only for highly experienced people that have significant cost Comment & DM about your startup and stage if you're interested in joining.

LOVED this article from Cake, figured why not share it with y'all! I was lucky enough to meet a lot of the Cake team during my time at AWS, an awesome team doing incredible things for the AUS Startup community. 7 Costly and time-consuming capital raising mistakes to avoid: 1. Share split 2. Members approval 3. Shareholder agreement 4. Disclosure requirements 5. Credible valuation 6. Number of shareholders 7. Stock option pool From our personal experience at B Found, we've been surprised at the weight a lot of the above holds with investors, to the point where certain responses will rule out any form of investor conversation before it's even started. 🤷♂️ Link to article in the comments!