The hottest Founders Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

Two Drinks with . . . Bridgit Mendler, the Disney Star Turned Space Founder

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 171 implied HN points • 21 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Founders
  1. A former Disney actor has reinvented herself as the founder and CEO of a space-satellite company, showing that career pivots can link pop culture with cutting-edge tech.
  2. She credits relentless determination rather than innate genius for her success, saying that if she wants something she will find a way to make it happen.
  3. Her celebrity background and clear mission drew strong public interest and venture backing, helping the company secure major funding for antenna technology aimed at strengthening American capabilities.

What Do You Invest in?

Pratyush’s Newsletter • 79 implied HN points • 16 Oct 24
💼 Business Founders
  1. Investors should look for unique founders who stand out with exceptional traits, like intelligence and grit. A well-rounded person often doesn't lead to great investments.
  2. Successful companies often become the top choice in their category and have strong characteristics that help them stay ahead. These can include tricky competition or special technology.
  3. Timing is crucial; it's better to invest in companies before they become popular in the market. If everyone's already paying attention, it might be too late to find a winner.

Why solo-founders quit

Tiny Empires • 147 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
💼 Business Founders
  1. Don't try to do everything. Pick one product or service, focus until it runs without constant babysitting, and say no to distracting ideas.
  2. Stop comparing yourself to other founders' highlight reels. Track your own numbers and measure progress against your past performance, not someone else's posts.
  3. Charge properly and build for sustainability. Serve fewer, better-paying customers, keep simple routines for bad weeks, and have outside support so you don't burn out or quit.

The Freedom Tradeoff

Jay's Data Stream • 29 implied HN points • 07 Jan 26
💼 Business Founders
  1. Bootstrapping buys you control over decisions and the freedom to choose your lifestyle. It also forces you to prioritize immediate profitability and often limits rapid scaling.
  2. Taking venture capital adds constant pressure to grow quickly — a ‘boot on your neck’ — which can drive fast scaling but reduces autonomy and can cause burnout or loss of control.
  3. There’s a clear tradeoff between outsized freedom and outsized growth, so you need to decide what you’re optimizing for. You can try to self-impose urgency to grow, but it’s not the same as the external forcing function investors provide.

The Archive

A Letter a Day • 550 implied HN points • 13 Apr 23
💼 Business Founders
  1. The project involves sharing letters from influential investors, founders, and operators.
  2. The bottom-up approach helps to understand industries and people by reading their published works and listening to their talks.
  3. The newsletter provides a diverse range of insights from various individuals across different sectors such as public markets, venture capital, private equity, founders, operators, and talent hubs.
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How to Stop Worrying and Start a Company

The Generalist • 1140 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
💼 Business Founders
  1. Consider seeking advice and permission from trusted individuals before making a big career move.
  2. Spend time with other founders to learn from their experiences and normalize the risks of entrepreneurship.
  3. Assess your market value and consider entrepreneurship as a way to capitalize on your true worth.

How VCs Make High-Quality Investment Decisions? | Why Top 1% Of Founders Quit Their Startup? | Best Traits That Investors Look In Founders | VC Remote Jobs and More

Venture Curator • 199 implied HN points • 11 Sep 23
💼 Business Founders
  1. Understanding the Venture Capital Method can help founders grasp how investors evaluate startups and make high-quality investment decisions.
  2. Top 1% of founders often quit due to factors like loss of control, pressure for results, and personal finance realities, emphasizing the importance of mental health in entrepreneurship.
  3. Investors look for specific traits in founders, such as resilience, integrity, and adaptability, when deciding to fund startups, underscoring the significance of founder characteristics.

Visionaries and Leaders as Founders

SaaS Engineering • 176 implied HN points • 09 Jul 23
💼 Business Founders
  1. There can be amazing business leaders who are not great founders, and vice versa.
  2. It's important to recognize and complement different talents within a founding team.
  3. The journey of entrepreneurship requires a unique mindset shift and stamina, and successful teams are a combination of visionaries and leaders.

So, you found a co-founder. Now what?

The Founder Memo • 19 implied HN points • 12 Jun 24
💼 Business Founders
  1. It's really important to discuss how you'll split equity with your co-founder before diving into your startup. This helps avoid confusion and potential disputes later on.
  2. You should clarify each person's roles and responsibilities right from the start. Knowing who does what can prevent misunderstandings as you work together.
  3. Taking the time to talk about your motivations for starting the business will keep you aligned on goals. It's vital to be on the same page about why you're building this company together.

Founder-Led Stocks

Spilled Coffee • 32 implied HN points • 09 Jul 25
💰 Finance Founders
  1. Founder-led companies are important to consider when investing in stocks. They often have a unique perspective and commitment to their business.
  2. Over the years, the number of founder-led companies has decreased, which is notable for investors. Fewer options could impact investment strategies.
  3. It's beneficial to research and understand how founder-led companies have performed. Their track records can offer valuable insights for potential investments.

Series A Activity: June 2023

Magid and Co • 39 implied HN points • 05 Jul 23
💰 Finance Founders
  1. There was a significant decrease in Series A deal activity from June 2022 to June 2023, with 290 deals in 2022 compared to 146 in 2023.
  2. It's crucial for founders to closely monitor individual firm actions rather than just market-level statistics, especially when major players from previous years are less active.
  3. Founders seeking funding should focus on understanding which investors are actively writing checks and building relationships with these firms, even if they are less known or harder to reach.

New Wave 🌊 One Year In 🎂 Hiring 🔥

Venture Prose • 99 implied HN points • 28 Feb 22
💼 Business Founders
  1. New Wave venture firm achieved impressive results in just one year: 10 investments, 22M€ deployed, 6 rounds announced, and 265M€ raised by portfolio companies. Their IRR stands at 500% and TVPI at 3x.
  2. New Wave focuses on seed deals and carefully selects companies on the critical path between Seed and Series A, emphasizing building strong equity stories with founders.
  3. New Wave is looking to hire individuals with key attributes such as the ability to sift through data effectively, form and defend opinions thoughtfully, and cultivate strong relationships.

Insights on Co-founder Dynamics

Lika’s Substack • 2 HN points • 02 Jul 24
💼 Business Founders
  1. Co-founder dynamics are crucial for startup success, often more impactful than other factors like funding or product-market fit.
  2. Factors like shared history, vision alignment, ego issues, emotional awareness, and boundary setting play significant roles in co-founder relationships.
  3. Investors look for co-founders with strong cores, trust, and the ability to handle disagreements effectively, indicating the value of interpersonal dynamics in startup evaluations.

Love the Mission or Love the Game

Working Theorys • 76 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
💼 Business Founders
  1. There are two types of true entrepreneurs: those who love the mission they're obsessed with and those who love the game of entrepreneurship itself.
  2. The entrepreneurial type you are, whether Type I or Type II, can significantly impact how you approach ideas, your role, and your long-term success.
  3. Identifying whether you are driven by the love for a mission or the game of entrepreneurship can help you understand your motivations, make better decisions, and potentially find more fulfillment in your entrepreneurial journey.

How the world's best companies build strong cultures

Afridigest • 55 implied HN points • 14 Dec 23
💼 Business Founders
  1. The essay explores actions taken by top companies like Nvidia, Facebook, and DoorDash to build and strengthen their cultures.
  2. African tech companies with strong cultures empower employees and allow room for graceful failure.
  3. The content on Afridigest provides insights for startup founders, operators, and investors in Africa and beyond.

The Art of The Impossible

Danielle Newnham • 19 implied HN points • 30 Jun 23
💼 Business Founders
  1. The newsletter shares inspiring content for founders, including podcasts, interviews, quotes, books, and videos.
  2. Founders can benefit from learning about what investors look for, pitfalls to avoid in fundraising, and the importance of building a network.
  3. The book 'Super Founders' reveals surprising insights about billion-dollar startups, such as the lack of industry experience among unicorn founders and the role of competition.

On WIRED magazine's startup phase (1993-1997)

The Future, Now and Then • 51 implied HN points • 04 Oct 23
💼 Business Founders
  1. WIRED magazine's startup phase (1993-1997) was like a tumultuous startup journey, filled with rapid growth and financial struggles.
  2. Louis Rossetto led WIRED as a startup, investing in various ventures but facing financial challenges.
  3. The magazine's early years were marked by rapid expansion, big ambitions, and struggles to adapt to the changing tech landscape.

YC W24 Batch Breakdown

Commas by Beau • 2 HN points • 04 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Founders
  1. New laws/regulations are creating opportunities for startups to fill gaps; entrepreneurs should stay current with regulatory changes
  2. Foundation models in AI startups are gaining significant interest and could be the next big trend in the industry
  3. Although many startups are AI-powered, AI features are not always necessary to solve user problems; it may not always be a game changer

Can You Avoid Overhiring?

How the Hell • 2 HN points • 14 Jul 23
💼 Business Founders
  1. There is a natural tendency for organizations to want to hire more people.
  2. Software companies can often grow and scale with fewer employees compared to traditional businesses.
  3. Predicting the impact of hiring more people in tech is challenging, but optimism can lead to unnecessary hires.