The hottest Startups Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Business Topics

The Great Sobriety for Venture Investing, Where To Start with AI, & Undeniable Data

Implications, by Scott Belsky • 707 implied HN points • 19 Sep 23
💼 Business Venture Capital AI Data Investing Startups
  1. The venture capital world is facing harsh realities and there are lessons to be learned about creating great products from failed ventures.
  2. Adopting AI requires a '4 P's' framework: Play, Pilot, Protect, Provoke.
  3. Financing for startups should prioritize product-led growth, focus, and discipline over raising large amounts of capital.

Revenge of the Angry Nerds: A More Competitive & Even More Ruthless Time in Silicon Valley

The Hard Fork by Marvin Liao • 216 implied HN points • 13 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Silicon Valley Startups Tech industry Innovation Digital Transformation
  1. Silicon Valley is seeing a shift towards a more masculine, ruthless culture led by powerful men in tech.
  2. Tech companies are moving towards a leaner, more focused approach after facing financial challenges.
  3. Surviving in the current Silicon Valley landscape requires a severe mindset change, frugality, and hard work.

The AI Revolution: Autonomous Vehicles, AI Biases, and Future Trends with Jérémy Cohen

What's AI Newsletter by Louis-François Bouchard • 196 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Autonomous Vehicles Ethics Innovation Startups
  1. The podcast episode discusses the ethical complexities of autonomous vehicles and AI biases.
  2. The conversation explores AI's transformative impact in various sectors beyond transportation.
  3. Listeners can engage with fresh perspectives on AI and its implications on society.

Rampersand Investment Notes: Hatch

Superfluid • 106 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
💼 Business Startups Entrepreneurship Investing Technology Innovation
  1. Rampersand is backing Hatch, a company changing how the next generation finds work. Hatch uses AI to match candidates with jobs based on core values and aspirations.
  2. Hatch redefines job searching with its AI-driven platform for Gen Z professionals, saving time for both job seekers and employers.
  3. Gen Z professionals seek fulfilling roles, leading to a transformation in company cultures and employment nature. Companies like Hatch are adapting to meet the demands of this new workforce.
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❄️ 🍅 Une Française va diriger une boîte du Nasdaq

Snowball • 668 implied HN points • 10 Sep 23
💼 Business Startups Stock Market Economy Tech Retail
  1. A French woman will lead a company on the Nasdaq, reflecting increasing diversity in leadership roles.
  2. The potential impacts of a $100 per barrel oil price include considerations on the US strategic oil reserve.
  3. The microlearning market aims to revamp traditional education models, offering opportunities for individuals to benefit and innovate.

The Trough of Feedback

Investing 101 • 106 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
💼 Business Investing Venture Capital Feedback Startups Relationships
  1. Understanding the dynamics of healthy relationships is crucial in the world of tech and startups, especially regarding venture capitalists.
  2. Venture capitalists often become overly concerned with seeking validation and can struggle with providing valuable feedback due to various insecurities.
  3. The feedback process in venture capital, known as The Trough of Feedback, can be challenging due to the balance between honesty, long-term relationship building, and reputation management.

$650 Million for Casetext & $1.3 Billion for MosaicML + Massive New AI Funding Rounds Mean Great Week for Generative AI

Newcomer • 963 implied HN points • 30 Jun 23
💼 Business AI Startups Acquisitions Funding Rounds Investors
  1. Significant AI startup acquisitions and funding rounds indicate a strong interest in generative AI technology.
  2. Acquisitions like Thomson Reuter's $650 million purchase of Casetext show genuine value placed on generative AI by established companies.
  3. MosaicML, with a $1.3 billion acquisition by Databricks, is contributing to the hype around AI startups, despite some skepticism over valuation.

Great Products Have Great Premises

Working Theorys • 86 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
💼 Business Products User Behavior Startups Entrepreneurship Monetization
  1. A great premise gives context and comfort for users to engage in actions they might otherwise find challenging
  2. Great premises are the foundation of successful products and brands, normalizing behaviors or beliefs that were previously not accepted or considered mainstream
  3. Powerful premises lead to strong identities for products and businesses, shaping brand decisions and marketing strategies

Morgan Stanley-Backed TomoCredit Isn't Paying Its Bills, Faces Mounting Legal Challenges

Fintech Business Weekly • 89 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
💰 Finance Fintech Credit Legal Challenges Startups Banking
  1. TomoCredit, a startup backed by Morgan Stanley, is facing financial troubles and legal challenges despite its initial success claims.
  2. Mission Lane, a subprime card startup linked to LendUp, has raised $50 million and replaced its CEO in an effort to reposition itself.
  3. A study by the Federal Reserve reveals differences in how financially stable versus fragile households utilize buy now, pay later services, impacting the types and frequency of purchases made.

Former Facebook Research Scientists Raise $20 Million Seed Round for Enterprise Foundation Model Startup

Newcomer • 982 implied HN points • 07 Jun 23
💼 Business Technology Startups Venture Capital Competition Enterprise
  1. Former Facebook research scientists raise $20 million for a foundation model startup called Contextual AI
  2. Contextual AI's foundation model for enterprises aims to address existing model challenges like hallucination and data privacy
  3. Competition in the foundation model space is intense, with companies like Cohere and Vectara already in the game

Delusion

Venture Prose • 698 implied HN points • 30 Jul 23
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Investing Self-awareness Startups Leadership
  1. Self-awareness is crucial to avoid delusion. Recognize your failures, flaws, and biases to make better decisions.
  2. Surround yourself with the right people who can provide constructive criticism. Be open to inner and outer conflicts to improve.
  3. Ask for clear feedback and address concerns about your business. Work towards understanding and extracting value from others' perspectives.

Letter #154: Josh Kushner and Kareem Zaki (2023)

A Letter a Day • 98 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
💼 Business Venture Capital Investing Startups Technology Entrepreneurship
  1. When starting a venture capital firm, consider going against conventional wisdom and focus on a unique approach. Josh Kushner and Kareem Zaki emphasize the importance of building a firm that is hands-on and sector-agnostic, going beyond traditional boundaries in investment strategies.
  2. In consumer investments, look at trends like the rise of creators and the power of brands. Thrive Capital highlights the significance of coupling an extraordinary product with strong brand presence across different industries, not just limited to direct-to-consumer businesses.
  3. Consider major life decisions beyond a specific industry. The intersection of software and hardware, growth in healthcare technology, and trends like brain-machine interfaces offer promising investment opportunities. Keeping a flexible mindset and being able to adapt to fast-paced changes is crucial in today's evolving landscape.

Predicting SaaS waves 🌊

The SaaS Baton • 137 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
💼 Business Startups Market Trends Product-Market Fit Entrepreneurship Marketing
  1. Market timing is critical for SaaS success; observe new technologies, shifts in build vs buy mindset, new classes of workers, and distribution channels to catch the right market wave.
  2. Product-Market Fit (PMF) is gradual and multi-step; look for early signals like interest in identified problems, prototype feedback, and product usage.
  3. To build a viral social media presence for SaaS, focus on entertaining content, avoid vanity metrics, design shareable paths, trust creators, and don't obsess over tracking social metrics.

The Business of Venture Capital

Insight Axis • 296 implied HN points • 05 Nov 23
💼 Business Venture Capital Investment Startups Entrepreneurship Risk management
  1. Venture capital began from the dot-com bubble era, where tech entrepreneurs set up investment firms to fund new, high-growth technology companies.
  2. VCs specifically invest in early stage companies with potential for rapid growth and huge profits, aiming to 10x their investment in 5 years.
  3. Venture capital faces challenges like misaligned incentives, high-risk investments, and the need to balance finding unicorns without funding too many duds.

The Family

Venture Prose • 1058 implied HN points • 12 Mar 23
💼 Business Startups Entrepreneurship Venture Capital Management Leadership
  1. The Family organization had a lot of ambitious individuals and a strong sense of community, but struggled to find a sustainable business model.
  2. Despite the energy and enthusiasm within The Family, they faced challenges with loose processes, lack of focus, and poor accountability.
  3. Individuals within The Family, like Oussama, played significant roles in both the success and failure of the organization, showcasing the importance of leadership and responsibility.

Long Take: The craft of scaling fintechs beyond their niche -- analyzing Twitter, Bunq, and Goldman Sachs

The Fintech Blueprint • 589 implied HN points • 02 Aug 23
💰 Finance Fintech Startups Market Analysis Business Growth Investments
  1. The craft of scaling fintechs involves understanding successful growth drivers and failures
  2. Successful business building requires targeting disruptive technologies to the right market with demand
  3. Goldman Sachs' exit from consumer business contrasts with neobanks like Bunq's profitability and growth in their niche

YC

Venture Prose • 519 implied HN points • 21 Aug 23
💼 Business Venture Capital Startups Investing Entrepreneurship Market Trends
  1. YC-backed companies' valuations have significantly increased over the past years due to market conditions and increased capital availability.
  2. When investing in startups, it's crucial to have access to top founders, win deals, and diversify your portfolio with at least 20 deals to maximize returns.
  3. High valuations and early-stage startup frenzy can sometimes lead entrepreneurs to lose sight of the core values and essence of their journey.

January 2024

Product Composition • 117 implied HN points • 21 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Apps AI Social media Startups Tech news
  1. Alex Vilinskyy is looking for specific roles to fill in his ventures like Payment Integrationist, Email Expert, and Head of Design.
  2. He's also seeking partners interested in addressing issues in the Future of Work, Communication, Computing, Entrepreneurship, and Media.
  3. The post shares info about the authenticity of Instagram, upcoming plans for new products, and recommends cool apps like PhotoStudio and Factorio.