By Eric Paley The next year will be challenging for startups. Promising companies will struggle. Many will fail. The only consolation is that the “era of indifferent capital” is coming to a close — may it never return. What do I mean by “indifferent capital?” Historically, VC was a boutique…

By David Frankel Does your startup have an impressive cash stockpile? If so, the following will soon be plentiful: ⭐️ Talent 🥊 Competitors looking for soft landings 📣 Affordable customer acquisition Are you ready to take advantage of this moment? A few thoughts on how to prepare: This advice is…

By David Frankel 😍 At least one founder needs to love sales 👶 That founder doesn’t need to have sales experience ❄️ Sales can take many forms 〽️ But avoid being seduced by sales alternatives Let me explain… 😍 A founder needs to love sales The rise of Product-Led Growth (PLG) leads many founders to think they…

By Micah Rosenbloom Questions founders should ask as the market melts down: ⌛️ How long do you have? ✅ Do you have a plan? 🎭 Are you ready for a vibe shift? 🧯 Grow revenue or reduce burn? 👻 Is your revenue safe? ⚖️ Do you have the right team? ⌛️ How much capital do you have left? …

By Eric Paley VCs get excited about products and markets. Founder stories certainly move the dial. Big picture: investors want to back startups that feel *inevitable.* More than any fact, they’re swayed by this feeling. Think about the arc of electric cars. A decade ago, an all-electric auto fleet seemed…

By David Frankel 🎁 Could you spend $50 and make a customer for life? 😃 What have you done to make your biggest accounts happy? Not satisfied. *Happy.* A recent conversation with ShakeShack founder Danny Meyer reminded me how important small, thoughtful acts can be to customer relationships. Danny shared…

Every year we’re fortunate to have student associates join our team and bring new perspectives to our process. This year we’re pleased to welcome Alexis Coates and Kathleen Nisbet Halpin! A bit about our new teammates: Alexis Coates Alexis studied mechanical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she published research…

By Micah Rosenbloom It is with great excitement that today we welcome serial entrepreneur Dan Sommer to Founder Collective as our newest Founder Partner! I’ve watched Dan’s impressive entrepreneurial journey for over twenty years. In fact, we both jumped into the deep-end of startups together during DotCom 1.0 where we…

A case for three archetypal board members — the sherpa, quant, and impresario. — By Amanda Herson Some founders believe that VCs waiving a board seat (as a lead investor) is a “win.” While not every VC should be on every Board… here are a few thoughts on why you may want to keep a lead investor closer to the boardroom. Assuming you can…