Tanya Dua’s Post

"If you play by the rules of the incumbents, you’ll always hit a cap. The way to have unbounded upside is to deny the premise of the rules." I've read lots of reviews of this book already and now on order. This book, this thinking, is going to be huge in #startupland. Thanks for sharing Tanya Dua. Mike Maples, Jr Peter Ziebelman #AngelThink

Once you've entered a few online applications to accelerators, firms, pitches, you tend to notice they ask similar questions such as... What's your business model? Who's your competition? What makes you different from the rest? What's the problem you're solving? BORING. It all gets repetitive and mundane. You can't "sell" a company by answering generic questions and you can't pick the right company by asking the same boring ones. You have to get in front of each other over a coffee, tea or pizza. You got to have a real conversation. You gotta be able to laugh, relate and give hi-fives to people. You can only get nuggets of insight by talking with someone. The decision to fund a founder is a serious thing. It's a move into a committed, long-term relationship and you have to be sure you're picking the right person to work with. You can't do that by reading the 50th on-line application. I can just see it... The person having to read these applications has one hand on the chin while the other just robotically hits the "down" key to make room for the next sentence. Can Chat GPT screen these things? lol The best VC rep to do it right now is Darrel Frater ✝️. Every Friday he has office hours on Twitter and, I think, Linkedin. He goes out of his way to talk with founders and allows them to pitch their companies in the space. Let me tell you, I've come across a few VCs who seemed more interested in appearances than anything else. They can talk the big talk, but sometimes it feels like their choices are based on who they know rather than stepping out to an unknown face. It seems less about connecting with people and more about bragging rights. Why aren't more VCs using Twitter Space to connect with startup founders especially in pre-seed/seed rounds? I see Twitter spaces for entertainment, politics, tech, etc. All of it. Even Elon Musk takes the time to speak in Twitter spaces! I don't see any VC firms setting up spaces to reach out to startup founders. Why? The features are right there. There should be a whole list of VC reps having Twitter spaces throughout the days, weeks and months. Nothing. Strange. Anyway, just my little rant. Shout to Darrel and all the other VCs that really want to make a change. So, if you're a VC who hasn't done a Twitter Space or Linkedin room, please do. You'll be surprised who you meet. Hey...they can be the next billion-dollar enterprise. Ok... I'm out. Peace.

Founders → The allure of quick capital can be tempting → But remember, not all money is good money 🚀💥 → In the journey of building your startup → The partners you choose can significantly impact your venture's success Here are a few cautionary tales of founders who faced challenges due to partnering with the wrong investors: 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺𝘀 - 𝗢𝗱𝗲𝗼 (𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿) 🚀💥 Before Twitter's success, Evan Williams founded Odeo, a podcasting platform. He faced difficulties with investors who didn’t fully understand or support the vision. This misalignment led to a pivot that ultimately resulted in the creation of Twitter, but not without significant stress and challenges. 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘄 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 - 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻 🚀💥 Groupon’s meteoric rise attracted a lot of attention, but the company faced significant pressure from investors to prioritize rapid growth over sustainable business practices. This led to strategic missteps and a tumultuous journey for Mason, culminating in his removal as CEO. 𝗡𝗼𝗮𝗵 𝗚𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 - 𝗢𝗱𝗲𝗼 (𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿) 🚀💥 Noah Glass, co-founder of Odeo and an early influencer in Twitter’s creation, was pushed out by investors who didn’t see his vision for the future. His story is a stark reminder of how investor conflicts can lead to the loss of key founders. 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗺𝗲𝘀 - 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘀 🚀💥 While Theranos’s downfall is primarily attributed to internal issues and fraudulent claims, the pressure from high-profile investors to deliver results quickly exacerbated the situation. This case illustrates the dangers of taking money from investors who might push for unrealistic timelines and outcomes. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗿𝗮𝗱 - 𝗭𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 🚀💥 Zenefits founder Parker Conrad faced intense scrutiny and pressure from investors that contributed to regulatory missteps and ethical breaches. The wrong investors can sometimes encourage shortcuts that lead to long-term damage. → These stories underline the importance of aligning with investors who share your vision, values, and timeline for growth. → Always conduct thorough due diligence on potential investors, just as they do on you. → The right partners will not only provide capital but also support your journey in a manner consistent with your startup’s mission and values. Stay vigilant and 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆. Need help, reach out. → 𝗣𝗦 ... CanaGlobal's Startup Incubator is currently interviewing founders for our next cohort. Visit our site for the details. ~~~    Like this? Follow Gerald Duran for daily Startup and VC advice, and sometimes — a kick in the nuts. #startups #founders #venturecapital #entrepreneurship 

💰 Are Your Tweets Costing You $90,000? What Founders Need to Know! In our last post, we looked at the psychological factors which are at play in investment decisions, which made us wonder about the flip side of the coin… What about the mindset and psychology of start-up founders? We have come across this really interesting study that basically reads founders' Twitter feeds to guess how their start-ups will do. Yeah, you read that right. Let's break it down: 🌱 Quick Facts: ✨ Fascinating Methodology: Researchers analysed founders' tweets to guess personality traits. Yep, your Twitter is more telling than you thought! 📈 Big Sample: They didn't just look at a handful of start-ups. We're talking about over 10,000 pairs of founders and start-ups on Twitter. That's a lot of data! 💼 Personality Wins: If you're showing openness and niceness online, you're more likely to get that initial cash flow. But, if your tweets scream stress, it's kinda bad news for your funding. Seems like those calm and collected tweets are actually good for business. ⚔ Double-Edged Sword: Conscientiousness, often seen as a virtue, has a complex role. It helps in the early days but might be a hindrance at the exit stage. 🔍 Interesting stats: Openness and agreeableness can boost your funding chances by 5%. Coming across neurotic could mean $90,000 less in funding. 💡 Our takeaway? Cliché but true… It's not just about what you're saying, but how you're saying it. Who knew your path to success might just start with your social media personality? Of course, it is just one of the myriad of factors that go into the success of any venture. We know it is a brutal world but every little bit of data helps to stand out. For more details, find the link to the study in the comments and share your thoughts! #StartupSuccess #EntrepreneurMindset #FundingSecrets #SocialMediaStrategy #TechInnovation #BusinessGrowth #InvestmentPsychology #FounderJourney #StartupFunding #PersonalBranding #InnovationLeadership #DigitalMarketing #VentureCapital #EntrepreneurLife #StartupTips

Why is Koo shutting down? 🐤 As a founder, this news hit me hard. Koo's journey is a stark reminder of the challenges we face in the startup world. Koo had the vision. They had the users. But in the end, funding challenges proved too much. And they couldn't pull through. It's sad to see a platform that could've surpassed Twitter be shut down because of a 'funding winter'. This shows how important it is to know how to predict the market. What's your take on Koo's shutdown? #StartupLessons #TechIndia #FounderLife #SocialMediaTrends #koo #kooshutdown

Two tweets from Pitch got two very different types of reactions this week. - Bravo! for Foring a tough decision in the face of change. - How did you burn $85M in two years to make an unprofitable product? Let's dissect the second as it won't ,be the last time we hear it. For context, Christian Reber posted about a restructuring first . https://lnkd.in/dQm8UqcE Followed by a financial update from the new CEO Adam Renklint. The comments on this thread are worth reading, because you see similar comments on venture backed startups all the time. Based on a misunderstanding of how venture money works, they imply a sinister play. https://lnkd.in/dPm7xtTN @christianreber provided clues in a follow on tweet. However, my experience is that even most startup team members don't understand liquidation preference. Before we talk about it, a disclaimer: @Pitch is a @magicbell_io customer, but I have no intel on their strategy. https://lnkd.in/dsH_YGzh A liquidation preference is a multiple (1x or more) that determines the multiple of the original investment that is paid back, before anything remaining is distributed to the team. Late stage (or more likely in this case), opportunistic investments typically come with 3x+. Pitch used their cash to negotiate a lower liq. preference/buy stocks back and distribute it to the team. If you are serious about your team making money in an exit in this new climate, this is the correct and responsible move. But is that the main concern of Twitter? Venture startups get criticised for building unprofitable businesses. Criticism is a good thing, if it's rooted in understanding and experience. The discourse on Twitter usually isn't. I've built @supportbee bootstrapped and raised for @magicbell_io so I have seen both. Businesses manage a tension - predictability of outcome vs. size of the outcome. Founders like @christianreber and @adamrenklint go for big opportunities that can potentially dominate a new market (or shift). Anyone suggesting you can optimize for both hasn't built one. Products like @Pitch fight to replace incumbents like Keynote/Powerpoint, and that takes a large team to deliver on a large surface area, well. @figma and @canva played the same playbook successfully (and before tides turned). So why are people so upset? There is a notion that founders raise money to blow it on themselves or frivolous things and somehow it needs to be called out. Let me break it to you: founding a company is a terrible way to get rich. Don't let Wework/Theranos distort the reality of startups for you. There is also an implied moral superiority in these tweets with "what were you thinking". I can take a guess! Read more - https://lnkd.in/dpfF-W_W

🚀 Did you know pivoting was the (accidental) secret sauce behind many startup successes? Sometimes pivoting can be a terrifying idea. But what actually gets these companies to pivot in the first place? 1️⃣ Learning from the Market: Initial ideas often don’t match market needs. Startups gather feedback, understand user pain points, and adapt their products accordingly. Dropbox, for instance, started as a simple file-sharing service and evolved based on user needs. 2️⃣ Staying Relevant: Market trends and technologies change rapidly. Startups that pivot can stay relevant by aligning with current demands. Instagram, originally a check-in app called Burbn, pivoted to photo-sharing when they saw where users were spending their time. 3️⃣ Unlocking Growth Potential: Sometimes, the original market is too small. Pivoting opens up new opportunities for growth and scalability. PayPal started as a security software before shifting to digital payments, discovering a much larger market. 4️⃣ Overcoming Challenges: Every startup faces obstacles. Successful ones use these challenges as opportunities to rethink and innovate. Twitter was initially a podcasting platform called Odeo, but when iTunes dominated the market, they pivoted to microblogging. 📈 Key Takeaways: - Listen to your users: They will guide you to what they really need. - Be adaptable: The ability to pivot is crucial to build something people want. - Stay persistent: Embrace changes and challenges as part of the journey.

While it’s saddening to hear that Koo is shutting down, we must take a moment to celebrate the ambitious and audacious attempt the founders Aprameya Radhakrishna Mayank Bidawatka and their team made to create a Twitter alternative. Hits and misses are part of the entrepreneurial journey, but what truly matters is the effort, passion, and determination they poured into this venture. Koo was more than just an app, it was a bold response to global monopolies, a testament to what local innovation can achieve. As users, we should champion and support such endeavors. It’s crucial to back our homegrown apps and companies, much like other countries do. In China, for instance, local companies receive incredible support, leading to phenomenal growth and success. To the founders and team of Koo - thank you for daring to dream big and for giving us a platform that resonated with our local essence. Your effort is inspiring, and your journey has paved the way for many more innovators. More power to you, and here’s to the next big idea that you will bring to life. Every attempt, whether it succeeds or not, is a step towards a brighter, self - reliant future. And we should appreciate that irrespective of our competition or anything else. Build to end global monopolies and a better ecosystem in India. #Entrepreneurship #SupportLocal #BuildForIndia #LocalToGlobal

The next big companies are going to be built by small teams. We see this happening already (Whatsapp, Telegram, Midjourney) and hear it all the time from founders. Gone are the days of measuring the growth and success of your startup by employee scale ("we grew 100x employees during my 8+ years at Twitter" is a thing I've said before but won't be a hallmark of this gen of companies). Seasoned builders went through the whiplash of ZIRP era hiring sprees and RIFs and know that adding headcount can often mean adding headaches - management overhead and bureaucracy. And most obviously, thanks to AI there are now services and functions you can outsource. It's still early days, to be clear, but as investors who try to see glimpses of where things are heading, the signs are everywhere. Jeff Seibert is building this future with Digits -- both in the way he's building his org and the service they're offering to companies (outsourced AI accounting). Watch this space!

Navigating #Hostile #Takeovers in the Startup Ecosystem: Lessons and Strategies In the dynamic world of #startups, the threat of a hostile takeover remains a significant concern. These unwelcome bids can disrupt operations, alter visions, and even dismantle the original entrepreneurial spirit. However, history has shown us that with resilience and strategic foresight, startups can not only survive but thrive in the face of such challenges. Historical Examples: 1. #Twitter's Resilience: In 2016, amidst speculation of a takeover by larger tech companies, Twitter employed a blend of strategic innovation and stakeholder engagement to maintain independence, focusing on enhancing its core features and user experience. 2. #Papa #John's Defense: When faced with a potential takeover, Papa John's adopted a 'poison pill' strategy in 2018, diluting the value of shares to deter the unwanted acquisition, thus preserving its original corporate identity. 3. #Snapchat's Tenacity: Snapchat, after declining multiple acquisition offers, including a notable one from Facebook, concentrated on unique product offerings and diversified revenue streams, showcasing the power of product differentiation in defending corporate autonomy. #Preventive Measures for Modern Startups: a. Strengthen #Shareholder Relations: Regularly engage with your shareholders, ensuring they align with your startup's vision and values. Transparent communication can be a powerful tool in rallying support during potential takeover attempts. b. Implement #Defensive Measures: Consider legal strategies like a 'poison pill' (shareholder rights plan) or staggered board of directors. These measures can make a takeover more complex and less attractive to hostile entities. c. Diversify and #Innovate: Focus on diversifying your product or service offerings and continually innovate. A strong, unique market position can deter takeover attempts by amplifying the challenges associated with integrating your startup into another business model. In the face of potential hostile takeovers, startup owners must be vigilant, proactive, and innovative. By learning from historical precedents and implementing strategic defenses, startups can protect their vision, culture, and independence. For more insights and strategies on business resilience, visit: www.blozum.com.