In this episode, serial entrepreneur, investor and founding partner of Anti-VC, Saleem Ahmed, joins us in an engaging discussion about his transition from an unfulfilling career in engineering to founding successful startups. In addition to Anti-VC, Saleem founded Jrop and Zown. Today, Saleem discusses what many founders tend to underestimate about building a startup, finding mission alignment with co-founders, bootstrapping vs raising capital, and how to actually generate revenue in your startup.
Key Takeaways:
- How to tell if you’re a serious entrepreneur
- Healthy partnerships with VCs
- Finding the right co-founder
- Creating mission alignment throughout your team
- Ensuring peaceful legal dissolutions
- Issues with relying on venture capital for a lifeline
- Reasons why founders choose to go and secure grants
- Building a powerful network via LinkedIn
- Defining product market fit
- Bootstrapping vs raising money
Mentions:
Website: https://www.antivc.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antivc/
Funds and Founders: Untold Journeys Behind Their Breakthroughs