Andrew First’s Post

[NEW EPISODE] This week’s NY Seed Round just dropped! This week, I spoke to Plannery CTO and co-founder Andrew First, a Forbes 30 Under 30 and second-time founder. First-time founders are prone to making mistakes that can be costly. Given that Andrew exited his first company, LeanPlum, in a multi-million dollar deal, we wanted to know how he's approaching his second company based on what he learned from the first venture. What mistakes did he make? How did his first time successfully building a company impact how he is building Plannery? Other things covered in the episode include product testing, building in regulated industries, picking the right CTO as a founder, Forbes 30U30, getting backed by top VCs like NextView Ventures, and more. I might be biased, but this is must-watch material for #startup #founders and investors, especially those in the NYC ecosystem we’re supporting at Rho. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:23 - Plannery and how it's helping healthcare workers address mountains of medical debt and medical burnout 08:59 - Mistakes he made as a first-time founder 10:27 - A/B product testing best practices 12:43 - Building in regulated industries 22:50 - The art of the pivoting from B2C to B2B 29:07 - The value of Forbes 30 Under 30 32:01 - How founders can find the right CTO 42:22 - UNC vs. Duke Check out a 15-minute teaser below, and let me know what you think! P.S. You can catch the full episode link in the comments below!

In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re so excited to talk with special guest Jake O'Shea. Jake is a professional match-maker and superconnector. He currently works as the Director of Portfolio Operations at Foundation Capital, building tools and systems to operationalize the firm's network and leading the 30yo firm's Platform and Portfolio Support functions.   Prior to Foundation Capital, Jake was Director of Platform at Capital Factory, where he was responsible for managing and developing the firm's value-add initiatives for portfolio companies. Jake is a co-organizer of AITX, a local Austin AI community. He is also cofounder of Serend.ai, a GPT-powered network management tool, and creator of ShowerThoughts, allowing you to turn your unstructured brain dump into a short summary with highlights and action items that are delivered directly to your inbox.   In this episode Jake gives an inside look into the venture capital business model and has an incredible way of demystifying the investment process in a way that is very clear and refreshing. He is an open book and gives clear steps and game-changing advice for founders.   We talk about: 🔹 The 3-step process for successful fundraising 🔹 Understanding the different rounds of funding 🔹 How to create an incentive for a lead investor to offer you a term sheet 🔹 Determining the right valuation for your company 🔹 How to build relationships with potential investors   Jake has such a big heart, and he is passionate about supporting others and creating a positive impact. He is a leader with a wealth of knowledge and insights that are incredibly important for founders. I know you are going to love this episode and get so many amazing take-aways. https://lnkd.in/gU_MJghQ #startups #founders #vcfunding #podcastinterview #INNW

In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re so excited to talk with special guest Jake O'Shea. Jake is a professional match-maker and superconnector. He currently works as the Director of Portfolio Operations at Foundation Capital, building tools and systems to operationalize the firm's network and leading the 30yo firm's Platform and Portfolio Support functions.   Prior to Foundation Capital, Jake was Director of Platform at Capital Factory, where he was responsible for managing and developing the firm's value-add initiatives for portfolio companies. Jake is a co-organizer of AITX, a local Austin AI community. He is also cofounder of Serend.ai, a GPT-powered network management tool, and creator of ShowerThoughts, allowing you to turn your unstructured brain dump into a short summary with highlights and action items that are delivered directly to your inbox.   In this episode Jake gives an inside look into the venture capital business model and has an incredible way of demystifying the investment process in a way that is very clear and refreshing. He is an open book and gives clear steps and game-changing advice for founders.   We talk about: 🔹 The 3-step process for successful fundraising 🔹 Understanding the different rounds of funding 🔹 How to create an incentive for a lead investor to offer you a term sheet 🔹 Determining the right valuation for your company 🔹 How to build relationships with potential investors   Jake has such a big heart, and he is passionate about supporting others and creating a positive impact. He is a leader with a wealth of knowledge and insights that are incredibly important for founders. I know you are going to love this episode and get so many amazing take-aways. https://lnkd.in/g4fXtWqW #startups #founders #vcfunding #podcastinterview  

Episode recording today: VC Roundtable Excited to pilot the VC Roundtable format w/ some amazing guests Should be interesting to get both their perspectives on the State of VC Stay tuned for more different formats, and learnings during this State of the Series Here's the episodes I have planned for the State of the Series: 1. State of VC now globally(then expand into different early, late stage, by countries and then regions) 2. State of fundraising(from a VC and founders perspective) 3. State of Angel investing 4. State of startups(by country, by region- from a founders perspective) 5. state of accelerators 6. State of bootstrapping And some other formats I am trying out in 2024 7. Founders vs VC(Founders and the respective VC's that backed them) 8. Deep Dive episode on different companies- growth levers, talent, sales, different functions of the company Let me know if you have a particular guest you would like to see on the state of series- by commenting their name down below

In my early days as a founder, I envisioned a world painted with 'PINK unicorns' where investors were eager to uplift startups. However, as I delved deeper into the fundraising arena, it became apparent that this was a mirage. Fellow founders, understand this: investors sit on the opposite side of the table. Yes, they're here to help, but only if they're convinced of your potential to grow their wealth. Their allegiance? To their investment. Not necessarily to you, your vision, or your venture. Recognizing this, it's crucial for founders to build a team that truly has their back, perhaps even bringing on advisors for business guidance. Make sure they know which side of the table they come to support. I learned this the hard way. An oversight cost me a business I had nurtured for over three years. Recently, a friend lost his six-year startup. The new captain? The executive brought by his investor. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. But expecting unwavering support from investors, especially during tough times, can be misleading. That's when you'll see where loyalties lie. Accelerators, Incubators, Angels, VCs—all have their own objectives. Harmony exists as long as you align with their agenda. Beware, not everyone lays their cards on the table immediately. Many cloak their intentions under the guise of "entrepreneurship acceleration." Why isn't this discussed more openly? Simply put, it's uncomfortable. Because it's a sensitive topic. It challenges the status quo, might deter potential deals, and could make budding entrepreneurs wary. It brings to the forefront the real terms and conditions attached to every dollar received. Seasoned founders might nod in agreement, but newcomers often discover this reality the hard way. The essence of this post? Always be cognizant of the fact that as a founder, you and your investors sit on opposite sides of the table. Your interests and those of your investors might differ. So when challenges arise, who'll be standing with you?

We did something a little different this week at PreSeed Now. Not only did we deliver two exciting startups to your inbox on Tuesday and Thursday as per usual, but we dropped in a little something extra on Wednesday... our FIRST. EVER. PODCAST 🎧 I first spoke to Ellis Seder, founder of Santa Monica Talent at the beginning of the summer. Martin SFP Bryant and I had just been to Gordon Bateman's #Climb23 and run a roundtable discussion on the PreSeed Investment Landscape in 2023. It was a lively discussion, with some difficult messages for startups. The market is competitive right now, there are lots of high quality, investment ready startups out there, and the kicker... investors (angels and early stage VCs alike) are looking for actual bonafide revenue traction, before they'll jump on board. A few weeks later, I was chatting to Ellis about the various ways startups can get the traction they need, and we got onto the importance of Team, and Sales, and Talent - Ellis's expert subjects. The conversation was too good to have without recording it, so our pro-journo stepped in to capture Ellis' insights from almost 20 years in the talent business. Listen to 'How to hire and keep great startup talent' and find out: ⏩ How to beat the rush on talent and get ahead of the competition 🤔 How to 'try before you buy' and avoid over-investing in the wrong person 👶 Which roles you can go junior on and which ones you absolutely, really shouldn't It's available as a podcast and a full transcript, so pop on the headphones and join the conversation. https://lnkd.in/e55kXbGB #PreSeedNow #StartupInsights #TalentAcquisition #RevenueTraction #InvestmentLandscape #Podcast #TeamDynamics #SalesAndTalent #HiringTips #StartupRoles

Thanks to Martin SFP Bryant and Samantha Deakin at PreSeed Now for inviting on the podcast we discussed "How to hire (and keep) great talent" specifically for early stage startups. Podcast https://lnkd.in/e8T9eRAz If you’ve just raised a funding round and need to scale the business, or are hiring a key leadership executive, feel free to message me for a catch up. [email protected] #startup #scaleup #technology #preseed #fintech #SaaS #AI #Healthtech #Edtech #socialimpact #insurtech #PreSeedNow #StartupInsights  #TalentAcquisition #RevenueTraction #InvestmentLandscape #Podcast  #TeamDynamics #SalesAndTalent #HiringTips #StartupRoles

Are you an early-stage investor looking to deepen your understanding of change dynamics? Ever thought about how ideas go from radical to mainstream? In our latest episode, hosts Cheryl Mack from Aussie Angels & Maxine Minter from Co Ventures sit down with Jessy Wu from AfterWork Ventures to delve into the concept of the "Overton Window," a theory that maps out the life cycle of ideas. Jessy shares how understanding this window can help you spot innovations that might just be at the tipping point of mainstream adoption. Jessy also sheds light on the importance of contrarian thinking in the investing landscape, a must-listen for anyone looking to invest in the next big thing! Don't miss out on these deep insights. P.S. If you're keen to explore more, we've got a treasure trove of episodes dedicated to founders, operators, and investors on our Day One Network! 🎧 Episode available now! 👉 Follow the show https://lnkd.in/gPFc9_v5 #angelinvesting #investing #startupinvesting #startups

Our Co-founder Richard Cristina and Naily Makangu 🎤 discussing #startup #founders building out thier products and navigating the validation process. Listen to the pod cast here… #mvp #startupstories #mentorlabs #founderhacks