Spiros Xanthos’ Post

We talk about differentiation in the early startup age. More often than not we fall into the uniqueness trap. The idea of dominating a space is appealing. But if the space is too small to be insignificant, our growth will stagnate. The answer: There is value in doing something that is not unique. Where there is competition is a sign there is demand. To startup founders: Think differentiation to curve out the launch, and visualize market dominance to scale into unicorn and beyond. ✍🏿

2024 has been interesting because we’re starting to see the first big wave of diverse founders on their 2nd company. Many launched their first startup in 2012-2018 and are now thinking about or already in their 2nd act Been chatting with many and some themes for how they want to approach their 2nd startup - Who your investor partners are matters, alot. especially towards the end of your company. Pick wisely - Knowing who you want on your early team - Distribution and customers over everything - Focus on solving bigger, bolder problems

Ever feel lost in a sea of potential customers? Who are they and where to start from? As an Early stage startup founder, this is a common situation having a plethora of questions! A masterclass by Bimlesh Gundurao Foundership and Santosh Panda Foundership laid the foundational thinking on how early-stage startups identify can their champion: the perfect customer who screams "YES!" to your product! They delved into: 1. Uncovering Pain Points: Learn to identify the problems your solution magically fixes. 2. Early Adopters: Discover the thrill (and value) of working with customers who love embracing new things. 3. Building Your Tribe: Craft a clear picture of your ideal customer to target effectively and build a loyal following. All for the love for startup founders building with Foundership 0xCamp#5 Applications for next cohort are open! Apply now https://lnkd.in/dC44PepE

Octane OC's Launchpad and SoCal Startup Day were both instrumental for me, Rick Pinkerman, and NOTICENINJA. Both organizations helped us when Notice Ninja was just a thought on paper. Octane drilled the pitch into us, and really tore us apart, for the better. We ended up hiring Shaun Sanders, J.D. to design our deck and write our talk track. Who knew the pitch world was so competitive! Even though it was just a few years ago, it seems like eons ago. Our pitch deck has evolved tremendously since that first day pitching to Octane in 2019. During our time in Morgan Stanley's Inclusive Venture Lab in 2022 I spent weeks preparing to pitch to Carla Harris, who refined our message even more. I am thrilled to be returning to the Hangar today to take part in SoCal Startup Day's first Pitch Competition since 2020. They may have a new name, but the location is the same, and the energy is building. This is where we met George Kenney and Robert Kramarz, advisors who dove us into a 16 week Investor Pitch Bootcamp lead by George. I learned all about liquidation preferences, geez, watch out for those! There are roughly 35 companies taking part in the pitch competition today, if you are in the Orange County area and would like to attend, the first pitch round begins at 4:15 pm. Here is a link for tickets: https://lnkd.in/gvzvuDJ3 I am excited to share Notice Ninja's story in 60 seconds today! #pitchcompetition #femalefounder #startup #pitchday #orangecounty

Canny is 7 years old! 🎉 🎂 💜 To celebrate, Sarah (our co-founder) wrote this post reflecting on: • Running a remote & profitable bootstrapped startup • The AI wave • A slow economy • Team changes & dynamics • Personal wins and habits Wanna hear directly from Sarah? Curious about running a startup? Then this post's for you (link in comments).

65% more startups shut down in 2023 than 2022. This isn’t something we talk much about because it’s not pleasant or simple. Startups shut down for many reasons, and founders who shutter one company often go on to build successful businesses. Case in point: Henry Ward. Our CEO shut down his first company, a robo advisor called Secondsight. A year later, he founded what is now Carta. But first, he had to do the hard and unpleasant work of shuttering Secondsight. Creating employee severance packages, canceling vendor agreements, unwinding customer contracts, filing IRS dissolution tax returns, returning money to shareholders, and so on. Starting a company is hard. Shutting one down shouldn’t be harder. On March 25, we’re hosting a virtual event that’s all about effectively managing the process of winding down a startup. Come hear from:  ⏩️ Our CEO Henry Ward who knows the pain of closing down a startup firsthand ⏩️ Benjamin Bayat, an early-stage VC who advises founders at every stage ⏩️ Mike LaPlante, a startup lawyer and strategic advisor to hundreds of founders ⏩️ Connie Li, who helped build Carta Conclusions, will moderate RSVP: https://lnkd.in/g88sQraB

90% of startups fail, often due to trying to do too much. Here’s how James McCorkindale and I almost fell into the same trap working on Harlyy. Since day 1, we have maintained a constant feedback loop with our clients, and it's the foundation of our entire venture. Then where did we go wrong? When working on problems every day, the possibilities are limitless - as are distractions. Before we knew it we took on way too many things, spreading ourselves thin in an effort to please anyone who showed even a hint of interest in Harlyy. So now what? We restructured our framework in order to stray away from the cool features, and the extra add-ons and now put 100% of our focus on only the core issues of our product with our current clients. Then we're prioritizing which core issues to focus on, why we need to focus on them and how can we focus on them at the start of every day. Everything else is just a cost at such an early stage. The result? More (actual) progress in the last week, than an entire month’s work 🙏🙏

One for the founders ❤️ Pitching is a lot harder than it seems... During my time in VC, I sat through hundreds of pitches, trying to understand the solutions these startups had come up with. Something that became clear is that there's a difference between getting it and actually getting it. 🧐 A single person at a VC firm rarely has the mandate to solely make an investment decision, so they have to get other partners on board. To do that, they need to pitch and answer all kinds of questions about the startup. So, they need to actually get the ins and outs of the startup. 🤓 Haven't decided myself what makes a good VC in this case. Is it to always ask the founders questions until you actually get it… or is it to spend time on founders who make sure others actually get it? Get it? 🤪

What is the Secret to Building a Successful Startup? Some might say it's about having the best idea or getting the right funding. But let's not disregard the significance of grit, persistence, and resilience. The journey of building a startup is filled with ups and downs. Only those who stay dedicated and push through difficulties are able to turn their vision into reality. Believe in what you're doing and stand behind your vision. That's your secret sauce. --- Dear professionals around the globe, I'm Fredrik Persson from Sweden. Craving more of these insights? Just hit 'Follow' and ring my bell 🔔. A little about me: I've embarked on multiple entrepreneurial journeys. Always up for connecting and bouncing ideas off each other. 🚀

'To create and add value' (for the startup ecosystem), is the only factor for any initiative we begin at Arthayan. We wanted to do something more with this edition of our Startup Network series. With the funding winter underway, it only made more sense, to have startups pitch to relevant investors. On conducting and observing many demo days, we realized the need for a more personable approach. With this, we decided to have a startup pitch to either one or a maximum of two investors at once. Mapping investors and startups based on relevance, ensuring a smooth flow between pitches, and handling 10 simultaneous pitches across multiple spaces is something we had decided on keeping time at hand in mind. From having fail-safes, and corrective measures planned, my team and I brainstormed everything that could go wrong. As founders dealt with nervous nerves on the day of the event, we dealt with the operational things of seeing this come to life. It was indeed nerve-racking, yet a joy to watch. With our team being remote, planning and executing this has truly been a testament to what happens when a team equally believes and rallies behind the same vision and mission.