The hottest Startup Success Substack posts right now

Founders with deep understanding and passion for a market they know well can achieve success like turning an unsuccessful idea into a billion-dollar startup.
Building a product that solves a real problem, utilizing product-led growth, freemium model, strong focus on retention, and creating a unique brand can lead to rapid growth and success.
Investors prioritize market opportunity over market size, seeking startups that challenge conventions, address future needs, and have strategies for customer acquisition and profitability.

Understanding why customers care or don't care about a product's value proposition is crucial for building an actually robust business with a compelling value proposition.
The absence of information (what people don't do or say) is just as important as what they do, highlighting the importance of understanding why customers behave as they do.
By combining the Customer Development framework with a deep understanding of why, entrepreneurs can build a good product, orient business functions correctly, and operate with greater capital efficiency.

The company started by sending tablets to customers through the mail
They hired high school students to help with setting up tablets
Jasper and Louis evolved from packing tablets in a mail room to becoming an outbound sales team

Focus on building features with high impact and easy implementation
Prioritize features by talking to users, creating a user journey map, setting goals, using a prioritization framework, and iterating
Iterate on features based on user feedback to improve and deliver value

Perfection isn't necessary at the start of a project; it evolves over time with user feedback.
Pivoting quickly during development based on user needs is crucial for success.
Focus on building a high-quality product first; revenue will come later.

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Successful founders walk fast, outrunning responsibilities and fueled by caffeine.
Lower cash compensation for founders is correlated with higher likelihood of success.
Every successful founder dreams of running a start-up studio and starting a country.

Hyped sectors often lead to poor outcomes in early-stage ventures.
Chasing hype may be a good strategy for late-stage funds but is challenging for early-stage investors.
Success in early-stage investing lies in identifying genuine market needs and supporting teams that can address those needs.

Key elements for a successful mobile consumer app include product-market fit, positive virality rate, and retention over time.
To succeed, a mobile app must provide utility, become a regular part of users' lives, and foster a sense of community.
Building a mobile consumer app involves creating great UI/UX, ensuring quick user benefit discovery, and connecting users for interaction and engagement.