Tools for progress #16
Founder Mode, Negative roadmaps for startups, How embracing your emotions will accelerate your career
We (humans) read hundreds of articles on company building, angel investing, and self-management and curate the best ones into a weekly summary—helping founders and operators stay on the top of their game.
Better thinking
Paul Graham shares some thoughts following an event last week at Y Combinator, where Brian Chesky shared that he found success at Airbnb by rejecting conventional wisdom around scaling companies, and embracing "founder mode." This emerging approach, still largely undefined, challenges the norm of delegating through hierarchies. It suggests deeper involvement across all levels, potentially revolutionizing how successful startups scale. For founders, understanding and implementing this mode could be key to maintaining innovation and effectiveness as companies grow.
Build Yourself a Curriculum (1 minute read)
For anyone with a growth mindset, reading a lot is important. There’s so much to read, however, that it can often feel overwhelming. We’re likely all guilty for buying new books, when we’re yet to finish the one on our nightstand. Creating a personal curriculum can revolutionize your reading habits. This structured approach, akin to building a grocery list for knowledge, ensures you consume high-quality, relevant content rather than relying on random recommendations.
On Learning Deeply (11 minute read)
To achieve true mastery in complex fields like mathematics, rote learning and mere memorization are insufficient. In contrast to these approaches, deep learning is more appropriate and can lead to better comprehension of the material. There are a few unique strategies to consider, ranging from changing the metric of success from quantity to quality of understanding to teaching concepts to others to identify knowledge gaps. The reality is that deep learning requires patience, as it often takes more time than surface-level learning. But let’s not forget that the satisfaction of truly understanding a concept can be a powerful motivator for continued learning.
Operational tactics
Negative Roadmaps for Startups (2 minute read)
Traditional roadmaps outline future features and functionality, helping to set a vision for the product, communicate with prospects and customers, and align internal teams. Yet, many teams fall into the trap of trying to accommodate too many features or customer requests which can lead to bloated products and slower development. Enter the negative roadmap, a concept that outlines what features or functionalities will not be implemented such as modules that won’t be built or competitor functionalities that don't align with the company's ICP. The negative roadmap complements the traditional roadmap and helps align the team around what will not happen in product development.
Marketing Advice from OpenAI's and Stripe's First Marketing Hire (27 minute read)
Krithika Muthukumar was the very first marketer at OpenAI and Stripe. Here, she unpacks what it takes to found and scale a marketing operation to build an enduring brand. Her insights provide a useful framework for an early-stage startup looking to make their first marketing hire, or an operator looking to make the jump into startups.
Group Chats Rule the World (4 minute read)
Sriram Krishnan, a16z partner, explores the reasons behind an ongoing shift towards private discourse, including the culture wars of 2020 and COVID-19 isolation, which forced people to turn online for community. Today, group chats have become influential in shaping the tech world and are hubs for sharing ideas, gossip, and opinions before they reach the public sphere. And being part of the right group chat can feel like a ‘forever dinner party’ - good friends and conversations happening in perpetuity. These groups often share similar elements like careful curation and shared rituals, jokes, and routines.
Refer and we’ll send you our favourite books as a “thank you” for spreading the word.
Angel investing
From InstaDeep to Paystack: Here are Africa’s Biggest Startup Exits and How Much They Raised
African tech startups face exit challenges amid global economic headwinds, yet notable acquisitions like InstaDeep and Sendwave showcase the ecosystem's potential. As the market matures, strategic positioning and transparent deal-making will be crucial for navigating the evolving landscape of exits and M&A activity in Africa's burgeoning tech sector.
Become Known for Something ASAP (1 minute read)
The welcome mat to a VC career should say ‘you are a commodity’ because there are hundreds of peers doing the same thing—trying to find exceptional entrepreneurs to sell undifferentiated capital. The best way to overcome this challenge is to become known for something outside of your firm as well as within it. The tried and true path is to become a domain expert. But the key to differentiation is to think more broadly and play a different game; start a community group, organize dinners and become someone who actually helps rather than gives. Become known for something soon. Otherwise, you’re just another (replaceable) VC.
Clay Norris’ 93 Insights About VC (12 minute read)
Forget the glamor of venture capital - this experienced investor reveals the challenges and realities of breaking into and succeeding in the industry. Clay shares 93 things VCs wish they knew sooner, from the myths of proprietary deals to the perils of VC X (fka Twitter).
Managing your career
How Embracing Your Emotions Will Accelerate Your Career (78 minute podcast)
Silicon Valley executive coach Joe Hudson's insights offer startup founders a transformative approach to leadership. By reframing the inner critic, embracing authenticity over self-improvement, and fostering emotional fluidity, founders can enhance team dynamics and decision-making. Hudson's practical techniques, from innovative meeting practices to daily gratitude exercises, provide a roadmap for personal growth and organizational success.
Big Tech vs Startups for New Grads (4 minute read)
For new graduates, starting in Big Tech offers compelling advantages over startups in today's competitive job market. Big Tech provides prestige, structured career growth, and robust skill development opportunities. While startups offer potential for rapid advancement and direct executive access, they come with higher risks. Ultimately, a Big Tech foundation can provide valuable experience, network, and financial stability before transitioning to more entrepreneurial pursuits.
The Curse of Perfect (11 minute read)
Julie Zhuo, former VP of Product Design at Facebook and co-founder of Sundial, reflects on the pursuit of perfection, from her immigrant parents’ rigid formula for success to her own career in Silicon Valley. She shares that formulas are unreliable in predicting success in the fast-paced tech world, where timing and luck play significant roles. Her piece highlights how rapidly changing "rules of perfect" in various fields mirror the constant evolution in tech and business. She suggests that true success may lie in adapting to change and balancing different types of ‘perfect’ rather than rigidly pursuing an ideal that may become obsolete.