Usually, startups are dealing with solving an endless set of problems in what, even at the best of times, looks like a beautiful disaster… kind of like learning to do watercolor painting. But in the rare cases where the product finds the market, the funding comes through, and the team is off to the races–things don’t magically resolve. This week, we have a couple posts that reveal how challenging it can be to navigate the creation of new companies in the best of times. We would love to see more posts from investors and founders sharing the gritty details of operating from a place of strength.
The startup blogging pace is moving at an impressive clip as we head into the holidays and we were thrilled by the editorial process to get down to this set, each of which is incredible. Brew a pot of coffee and enjoy this week’s Buried Reads.
Now that we need scale, you’re not the right person
Steve Blank of Stanford University shares hard-won lessons from the experience of being hired over. Early startup employees should read How to Keep Your Job As Your Company Grows.
What happens when a founder is fully vested
Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures discusses one of the most emotionally charged issues to come between founders and their boards in What Happens When A Founder Is Fully Vested?.
From the Operators
Rahul Vohra of Superhuman tells the story of How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product/Market Fit and introduces several management techniques that other entrepreneurs can use to get fit themselves.
In The Signal Network Michael Lopp of Slack develops a framework for measuring conversations along the lines of criticality and freshness. It reminds me of Stephen Covey’s framework for measuing tasks not just by urgency but also importance. Covey’s approach has been incredibly useful, and it feels like Lopp is onto something just as important with communication.
Jeff Gothelf of Sense & Respond Press asks What does an agile product roadmap look like?. If you ever felt like your roadmap is trying to predict features you don’t even know will help, this could be a better way to communicate future deliverables.
Matt Angle of Paradromics is creating a Brain Computer Interface (BCI) product. I’ve been curious about where neurbiology meets computing for quite a while, and this was fascinating. Listen at LoupVentures Neurotech Podcast.
From the Investors
Joe Floyd, Jake Saper, Kara Sweeney, and Carlotta Siniscalco of Emergence Capital were all promoted this week, and the firm shares the awesome praise each received from their portfolio in The Next Generation of Emergence Capital.
Rob Go of NextView explains how the current funding environment has lead many investors to value IRR over ROI in Chasing Markups
Jared Sleeper of Matrix Partners points out that customer experience aren’t happening at a smooth rate for most startups in A framework for modeling product development.
Sammy Abdullah of Blossom Street Ventures shares stats that are usually closely held like revenue, valuation, and round size for 179 startups in The Series A Valuation Report.
Parul Singh of Founder Collective shares the harsh realities founders seeking institutional funding can expect in Mastering Growth Economics: What $100M Startups Do Differently.
From the Columnists
Ryan Avent of The Economist asks Why Do We Work So Hard?. When my friends say “put your work aways for a bit” I often have the voice in my head, “Okay, but I really like this!” Avent does a good job capturing some of what might behind this.
Products We Love
The Theory of the Leisure Class by Thorstein Veblen This is a difficult read with significant payoffs to those who want to understand the disparity between those who are most respected in society and those who are most productive. Written nearly 100 years ago, Veblen explores the economic theory behind why our culture does not honor those who build the most, work the hardest, and prosper through trade nearly as highly as those who destroy (war heroes), work the least (nobility) and rule through fiat (royalty, emperors and dictators). As you read, ask yourself what has changed over the past 100 years and more importantly: what hasn’t? Readers familiar with the concept of “Veblen goods” introduced in this book will find the fact that it is just $0.60 to download for Amazon Kindle deeply ironic.
Last year, the California wildfires filled our 56th floor apartment in San Francisco with acrid smoke and we purchased our first Molekule Air Purifier. Since moving to Denver, we’ve added 2 more to battle the regular poor air quality. It’s a beautiful highly functional product. Use our link to get $75 off your order.