The hottest Startup Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

👩‍👩‍👧‍👧 The power of Community in Job Searching and Reskilling, 🧊 Hidden Job Market,🧞 Career pivots

Work3 - The Future of Work • 58 implied HN points • 16 Mar 23
💼 Business Startup
  1. Developing a learning mindset, problem-solving, and determination are crucial competencies for working in the tech industry.
  2. Building a community in job searching and reskilling can provide valuable support, especially for early-stage careers.
  3. To access the hidden job market, focus on networking and building relationships rather than solely relying on job applications.

Carro: Solving the Lemon Problem

Math Not Magic • 58 implied HN points • 02 May 23
💼 Business Startup
  1. The used automotive market faces challenges due to asymmetric information, leading to the 'lemon problem.'
  2. Carro, founded in 2015, uses data and machine learning to streamline the buying and selling of used cars.
  3. Carro's successful business model involves offering end-to-end solutions, financial services, and AI-powered inspections.

Lean SRE

Certo Modo • 19 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Startup
  1. Smaller organizations and startups can benefit from implementing Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) practices, leading to reduced operational costs and time savings.
  2. Implementing SRE practices in smaller companies may differ in approach from larger organizations, but can still yield significant benefits.
  3. Starting an SRE program at a larger company can be achieved by beginning with just one software engineering team.
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Engineering management in the next unicorn app

Leading Developers • 65 implied HN points • 05 Nov 24
💼 Business Startup
  1. A great remote team relies on hiring independent and motivated people. This way, there's less need for management and everyone takes ownership of their work.
  2. Launching a product takes time and patience. It's important to experiment and iterate rather than rushing to get features out.
  3. Growing a startup doesn't mean you have to hire a lot of new people right away. Instead, focus on what the market needs before expanding your team.

Advice for Young Coders

Amaca • 223 implied HN points • 12 Apr 23
🚌 Education Startup
  1. Seek free advice from boring people - valuable education might be a bit boring.
  2. Conformism works - traditional institutions like textbooks and universities are reliable sources of knowledge.
  3. Don't worry about AI, it's an opportunity - focus on building or learning to use AI.

A Spotlight on...Urban Company

Tigerfeathers! • 16 implied HN points • 04 Jul 25
💼 Business Startup
  1. Urban Company provides a unique service by taking full responsibility for service delivery. They train freelancers, set standard prices, and ensure quality, which makes their approach different from other platforms.
  2. The company has shown impressive financial growth, reaching over ₹1,100 crore in revenue and recording their first profitable year. However, user growth and engagement have plateaued, indicating potential challenges ahead.
  3. Urban Company is navigating a challenging market and exploring new strategies like quick service options to attract more customers. Their focus on improving workers' lives helps create a stronger, more successful business.

From corporate slave to bored freelancer to boring businesses

Kenny’s Sub • 19 implied HN points • 21 Dec 23
💼 Business Startup
  1. After working in a corporate job, Ayush realized he wanted more control over his life and income. He decided to quit and pursue entrepreneurship to build passive income and assets.
  2. He experimented with various online business ideas, including freelance work and e-commerce, but found more success in digital products and software. He aimed to focus on products that can grow and generate income over time.
  3. Ayush learned the importance of focus and long-term planning in business. He now emphasizes building sustainable businesses with evergreen demand and higher leverage, like software, instead of just temporary spikes from services or e-books.

Trigger Warning: Your Gig Platform is About to Get Ghosted

Gad’s Newsletter • 29 implied HN points • 03 Mar 25
💼 Business Startup
  1. Disintermediation is when users go around the platform to make deals directly, which can hurt the platform's business model. This often happens once users have established trust with workers.
  2. Platforms need to keep payments and information flowing through their systems to stay profitable and maintain trust. When users handle things off-platform, the platform loses its ability to manage quality and safety.
  3. Gig platforms like Protector must balance building trust and encouraging new connections to avoid losing customers. If users only hire familiar workers, they may skip using the app altogether.

How we built a business out of recession - chapter 30 - Q is for Quentin

The ZIPster • 35 implied HN points • 17 Jan 25
💼 Business Startup
  1. CitNOW started as a small business and grew a lot over time. It shows how you can build something big from humble beginnings.
  2. Hiring the right people is super important for a company's success. Finding someone who can help guide and improve the business can make a big difference.
  3. Past mistakes can teach valuable lessons. It's essential to learn from experiences to avoid making the same errors in the future.

Introducing Ghost - A B2B marketplace to solve for >$1T of excess inventory

Equal Ventures • 59 implied HN points • 19 Jul 22
💼 Business Startup
  1. There was a significant rise in excess inventory due to supply chain challenges, leading to potential losses of over $1T annually.
  2. Ghost is a B2B marketplace created to help brands manage and liquidate excess inventory efficiently.
  3. The founders of Ghost, Josh Kaplan and Dee Murthy, demonstrated remarkable success with the platform in a short period, showing strong product-market fit.

Figma - Benchmarking the S1 Data

Clouded Judgement • 14 implied HN points • 02 Jul 25
💼 Business Startup
  1. Figma is a collaborative platform that helps teams design digital products together. It allows designers, developers, and other team members to work on projects in real-time.
  2. The company has a significant market opportunity, with an estimated total addressable market of $33 billion. This is based on the growing number of people involved in software design.
  3. Figma's subscription model caters to different user needs, offering various plans for individuals and organizations. This flexibility helps attract a wide range of users from freelancers to large companies.

The Ultimate Framework to build your Ideal Customer Profile for SaaS startups.

Startup Business Tips 🚀 • 108 implied HN points • 21 Oct 23
💼 Business Startup
  1. The Ultimate Framework for building an Ideal Customer Profile includes defining the ideal company and personas in detail.
  2. To build your ICP, analyze CRM data, product analytics, create a Dream 100 list, do market testing, research communities, and get qualitative feedback from sales calls.
  3. Creating an Anti Ideal Customer Profile can help in identifying personas and companies that do not align with your business due to various reasons.

Introducing Starday

Equal Ventures • 119 implied HN points • 17 Aug 21
💼 Business Startup
  1. The food value chain is undergoing significant changes due to shifts in consumer preferences towards sustainable, healthy, and local products, creating opportunities for new platforms and brands.
  2. Digital-first grocery platforms are empowering consumers to own the value chain and access a wide range of niche, specialty products, leading to a revolution in how food is purchased and consumed.
  3. Launching a strong platform in the food industry that focuses on data-driven optimization and efficient product launches can lead to the creation of multiple successful brands with long-term profitability.

Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself

The Polymerist • 149 implied HN points • 28 Mar 23
🔬 Science Startup
  1. The author introduces themselves and their background professionally.
  2. The author discusses their interest in startups focusing on polymer chemistry.
  3. There is a shift to intermittent publishing due to the abundance of content available.

Why Your Valuation Matters

Life on the Trail • 19 implied HN points • 19 Jun 23
💼 Business Startup
  1. Raising more capital at a high valuation can limit options and promote wrong behavior.
  2. Ignore the money you've raised and focus on finding urgent problems early on.
  3. Keep your team small and charge enough for your product to sustain growth.

Is Entrepreneur First Worth It? Part 2: Bad Ideas

Dan’s Substack • 19 implied HN points • 24 Mar 23
💼 Business Startup
  1. At Entrepreneur First, learning to quickly test ideas is a valuable skill.
  2. Mapping out the Idea Maze can save time by visualizing paths to success and understanding potential obstacles.
  3. Avoid tar pit ideas by seeking problems that are less obvious, less saturated by founders, and with high market demand.

How I Built This In Public: Luca Restagno

Build In Public Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 11 Aug 23
💼 Business Startup
  1. Start your 'build in public' journey early to engage with your audience and get valuable feedback.
  2. Building in public can be energizing, provide introspection, and offer opportunities for collective learning.
  3. Overcome the fear of judgment and share your journey authentically to gain trust and reputation in the community.

The Future of Video is Here and It's Spelled Wrong

aidaily • 19 implied HN points • 03 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Startup
  1. Generative AI is transforming content creation industry by revitalizing stories and ideas.
  2. AI has the potential to automate government jobs for better efficiency and services, though with potential drawbacks.
  3. AI bias can be easier to fix than human bias, making AI a valuable tool that needs attention.

No Coding, No Problem: Building a Successful Micro-Startup

layoffpreneur • 19 implied HN points • 01 Mar 23
💼 Business Startup
  1. Identify your idea by leveraging your skills, solving problems, and exploring your passions
  2. Research the market by identifying your target audience, analyzing competitors, and leveraging social media
  3. Choose the right no-code tools like website builders, email marketing tools, and analytics tools to build your micro-startup

Freelancing your way to Net Zero

Helix • 19 implied HN points • 14 Jul 23
💼 Business Startup
  1. Leafr is a platform connecting businesses with freelance climate talent.
  2. Leafr specializes in climate skills, unlike generic freelancing platforms.
  3. Challenges for Leafr include community building, demand generation, and achieving marketplace liquidity.

Wiz: Visible Vulnerabilities

The Product Person • 19 implied HN points • 13 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Startup
  1. Wiz achieved remarkable success with $10 billion valuation by rapidly growing in the cybersecurity industry.
  2. Wiz's founding team had a strong background in security from Israeli Intelligence, and previous successful ventures set a solid foundation for their new startup.
  3. Wiz's swift growth was boosted by their cloud-first approach and fast product implementation, attracting high-profile customers and significant funding.

Hire Executives Who Get Things Done

Build To Scale • 19 implied HN points • 12 Sep 23
💼 Business Startup
  1. When hiring senior executives, probe to understand their past actions and problem-solving approaches to gauge their potential fit with your company.
  2. Beware of big company executives transitioning to startups, as they might struggle with the hands-on, rapid decision-making environment and bring in unnecessary processes.
  3. Always personally check the references of potential executives to get genuine insights on their work ethics and impact.

My #1 biggest startup mistake

Tiny Empires • 85 implied HN points • 11 Oct 23
💼 Business Startup
  1. Validate your startup ideas properly by testing if they can make money, not just if they are good ideas.
  2. Connect with potential customers and speak to them directly to understand if they would pay for your product or service.
  3. Ask a fixed set of questions to potential customers, track their responses, and refine your idea based on the feedback.

TabaPay Working On A Deal To Acquire Synapse, Sources Say

Fintech Business Weekly • 59 implied HN points • 10 Mar 24
💼 Business Startup
  1. TabaPay is in talks to acquire Synapse, a banking-as-a-service platform, to potentially mitigate damage caused by a past financial incident.
  2. Oxygen, a neobank, is pivoting to focus on 'health solutions' temporarily, suspending its banking services.
  3. Trade groups are suing to block a new CFPB rule that limits credit card late fees, arguing it restricts choices and responsible credit card use.

The Birth of OpenAI Nemesis

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 19 implied HN points • 14 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Startup
  1. Open source AI is becoming important in the AI world. It means more people can access and contribute to AI technologies.
  2. Mistral AI, a new player in the field, recently raised a lot of money to develop their own open-source AI. Their goal is to create AI that is useful and widely available.
  3. Several experienced researchers are behind Mistral AI, showing that the competition against big companies like OpenAI is growing. They plan to release their first AI models next year.

How to lead teams through war [Storytime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 04 Feb 23
💼 Business Startup
  1. Communicate with your team as people, showing empathy and understanding during tough times can help them feel connected and supported.
  2. Include the entire team in important information and decisions to foster a sense of unity, responsibility, and transparency.
  3. Lead by being a guiding light during crises, providing clarity, direction, and ensuring the team stays focused on the common goal.