The Startup Podcast

You ask questions, we give answers! In our first-ever Listener Q&A episode, Chris and Yaniv tackle the following questions asked by our wonderful listeners: -What are the biggest mistakes new founders make? -What are the pros and cons of taking money from a strategic investor? -Key operational metrics for engineering and product teams? -What should I do if I find out someone else is building the exact same product as me? -Should I wait until I find the perfect problem to solve before founding a startup, or dive right in? Follow us on Twitter @ybernstein @chrissaad People Engineering Newsletter: newsletter.peopleeng.com Startup Newsletter: www.chrissaad.com/startupnewsletter Please leave us a rating and review in your favourite podcast app! **This episode is brought to you by n14.io**

In this week's episode, Chris and Yaniv are joined by legendary angel investor and CEO of Tractor Ventures, Matt Allen.  The three of them discuss other ways for startups to raise capital beyond the traditional venture equity route, including innovative forms of debt financing. Topics covered include: -Non-dilutive capital & revenue-based financing -How to decide what the right sort of capital is for your company -What sort of startup are you? Are you even talking to the right investors? -Getting sophisticated by using multiple forms of financing Check out Tractor Ventures at www.tractorventures.com Follow us on Twitter @ybernstein @chrissaad Please leave us a rating and review in your favourite podcast app! **This episode is brought to you by n14.io**

Sentiment in the markets has turned sharply downward. What does this mean for venture-backed startups? Don't panic. In this special topical episode, Chris and Yaniv discuss: -Is this more like 2001 or 2008? -What should you be doing differently? -Should you extend your runway? Follow us on Twitter! @chrissaad and @ybernstein Leave us a rating and review in Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. It makes us so happy 🤗🤗🤗

What do you need to do to keep employees engaged and committed? What should your position be on remote work? Side hustles? Ping pong tables? Should you offer all employees equity? Chris and Yaniv discuss all this and more with Dan Brockwell, Founder and Chief Meme Officer of Earlywork, a vibrant community for early-career professionals. Topics include: Job risk vs. career risk What candidates are looking for in their career ESOP Remote vs. In office Diversity and inclusion Side hustles How young candidates are looking for jobs Check out Earlywork at earlywork.co This episode is brought to you by n14.io

Look at any great tech company, and there is an exceptionally talented team behind it. Great talent is always in short supply, so how do you make sure that you are able to secure incredible people for your startup? In this episode, Chris and Yaniv discuss: Hiring as marketing & sales Sourcing Employer branding What makes a good startup employee How to run a tight process Making a thoughtful decision Closing well Chris' "Tips for hiring like Uber" post: https://www.chrissaad.com/startupsnippets/2021/12/oxin1bo5ow0s53tz7vcsh7c3g8z5k3

This podcast explores the importance of finding the right co-founder for a startup. It discusses the key traits to look for in a potential co-founder, the benefits of having a well-rounded founding team, and the risks of founder breakups. The podcast also emphasizes the significance of equity and meaningful investment in being a founder, as well as the challenges of establishing compatibility with a co-founder.

You’re a “tech” company, so you’re building technology, right? Wrong. Technology is merely the medium through which you are bringing a product to the world. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv talk about what it means to build a product, what that means for your relationship with customers, and the profound importance of learning how to say “no” to your customers.

Have you followed your heart when choosing the business model for your startup? Or are you making the choice out of fear? Yaniv and Chris examine when to go B2B and when to go B2C, and how too many startups are selling to the very industry they should actually be disrupting. Episode overview: [1:44] Chris explains how the Netflix and Uber b2c business models made them so truly disruptive [7.22] Why pursue a full-stack disruption over a traditional B2B model? [11:16] Case study examples: Uber and Instagram’s success with customers [13:51] The consequences of moving from B2B to B2C [16:21] Aggregation theory and power of aggregating demand [29:01] The mirage of playing it safe in life and in business [29:53] How to bring investors on board with your b2c, full-stack disruption business model References: Stratechery blog - https://stratechery.com/

Chris and Yaniv have a discussion with Nick Crocker, General partner at Blackbird Ventures.  Together they discuss  The truth about "VC Value add" and how the wrong investor can be value destructive How founders and VCs partner over a multi-stage iterative game of growth Reference checking potential investors How founders imagine and build new products The importance of hiring operations and finance people The precious nature of a founder's attention and health And more!

Building compelling and clear fundraising narratives and pitch decks can be life and death for your startup.  In this episode, Yaniv and Chris discuss what a standard pitch deck narrative looks like and go deep on each slide and explain best practices and common mistakes when telling your story. They also talk about other important uses of the pitch deck that you might not have considered yet!