A clear read on the market. Thanks @iamjakestream

“So what can we do? Our job is to make money in bull markets and bear markets. To ride the waves up, but also to not drown when the waves break.”

Which is still: “get out at the right moment so that someone else is holding the bag.”

Someone always has to hold the bag unless and until we have various options and pathways out, which we don’t.

Can confirm! Drowning….!

There seem to be too many founder conversations right now that go something like, “What do we need to do to raise our next round?” And not enough about, “What do we need to do to build the foundation of a wonderful business, one worthy of spending my scarce time on?”

New startup launch playbook?

Launch an eerie documentary about yourself and actually star in it while your husband launches your co. and before you are out of jail for your last co. Get a running start.

(hat tip: elizabeth holmes)

Effective brand building, distribution, conversion and retention have become one of the bigger challenges for new companies.

But this I didn’t expect as a strategy.

I believe an underrated trait of successful founders is being inherently structured and organized.

Yes of course creative and visionary but also attention to detail and methodical in the chaos.

Just as how we are all becoming worse at driving as self driving becomes a preference. Sharpness comes from practice.

By all means, leverage AI, but there is a balance that will make you more effective.

I believe the founders who stay in the practice of being structured and organized will separate from the pack.

Great to join Shaherose and discuss all things @2040WorldX, geopolitics, investment flows - and where the world is headed! I was pretty open on this one, including on the role of sovereign money in the US tech ecosystem.

Discussing 2040 with my friend @taufiqzrahim was refreshing and thoughtful. We recorded this conversation in May, and I'm publishing after a week in the Nordic tech ecosystem. Much of what we discussed came up with the founders and investors I met there. x.com/i/article/2095…

The next frontier! Congrats to the team, the journey begins…

You have not truly experienced the world of traditional #biotech startups and investing until you see (better yet, experience) a toxic ☢️ term sheet from a trad bio #venture fund that totally wipes out #founder equity and control for no reason other than that 'they can'.

I'm nds we all know and "admire".

In one variant I've seen, a "financing" term sheet was actually architected into an acquisition into a private, empty shell company 100% controlled by the brand VC!

And these are for companies they *LIKE* and want to fund.

If you're a founder and wish to control your own destiny, JUST SAY NO 🛑 to predatory, parasitic term sheets.

Generate better options.

So many stories... share yours below! 👇

the more people you consult for advice, the more likely you’ll make a bad/average decision.

(1) ppl are, on average, risk averse...and, in quantity, will blunt your boldness.
(2) ppl may hate/envy opportunities they lack.
(3) ppl tend to mix cynicism (bad) w/ criticism (good)

What a time to be a founder! Having been in the Valley since 2005, I've been through multiple booms and busts in tech as an operator, founder and leader. This wave feels generational, and it also feels familiar. Either way, I am excited to see what this generation of immigrant shackled Ventures we invest as if we are your friends and family. We write that true first check, before you have clarity, often before you've even incorporated, and certainly before any other capital comes in, and we stick around with follow-on support at subsequent rounds.

As a firm, we've all been there: new to the country, navigating the journey as a first-time founder, building while learning the game, and we want to be there for all those first moments, helping navigate everything from setting up your business, to immigration, to hiring, to fundraising.

Because access is the biggest challenge for immigrants, we make it a priority to evaluate every submission. If you are ready, or even if you don't feel ready or think you are too early, it's exactly when we want to hear from you:

unshackledventurespitchus.lovable.app/pitc

Our Pitch Us form is open.

Unshackled backs the top 1% of technical immigrant entrepreneurs at Day Zero — pre-product, pre-revenue, sometimes before you've left the job that holds your visa. We write first checks of $150–750K, and for many of our founders we're the d that was never available to them.

No warm intro needed. The form gives every founder the same access, regardless of introduction source.

If you want a sense of how we think before you submit, we wrote about what we look for at day zero: the two archetypes we've seen recur across a decade of pre-seed investing (article in thread).

They're lenses, not filters. See article in the comments.

If you're building something that feels too early, too technical, or too complex for traditional investors, we want to hear from you.

Send us what you're building here: unshackledvc.com

Unshackled portfolio company, @plantible, announced a $35M package to scale commercial production of Rubi Protein: a $25M USDA-backed loan (X-Caliber Rural Capital, via the USDA B&I Loan Guarantee Program) and $10M in equity from RA Capital and existing investors.

The funding will increase annual production capacity fivefold to more than 1,000 metric tons, allowing the team to fulfill its existing customer pipeline and enter new markets.

Read more here: lnkd.in/eExUb6Yq

Emerging managers are also founders.

I talked to one this week that took zero pay for 2 years, a second mortgage on their home, and zero vacations.

I'm not saying we should break out the tiny violin. But we venerate one group, and willfully make fun of the other.