Founder interviews

Podcast

Charlie Munger's mental models, latticework thinking, and lifelong learning

Founders September 22, 2019

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Founder interviews 10

Deep work & focus 8

Long-term planning 7

• Why a latticework of mental models beats deep expertise in one field
• Bet heavily on a handful of insights — diversification is often fake security
• Lifelong learning is a moral duty, not a career strategy

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Fundraising & VC

YouTube

How modern startup financing works: from Series A to SAFE

Y Combinator September 20, 2019

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Fundraising & VC 9

Equity & cap tables 6

• The SAFE replaced debt-based convertible notes as the default first-round instrument.
• Valuation is the only term you need to negotiate in a SAFE.
• Flexible SAFE rounds make dilution easy to lose track of — until the priced round hits.

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MVP & prototyping

YouTube

Hard tech and biotech startups: why they're easier than you think

Y Combinator September 20, 2019

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MVP & prototyping 9

Fundraising & VC 8

Pitching investors 6

• Hard tech recruiting, press, and fundraising are easier than for ordinary apps
• Staged micro-raises beat a single big ask every time
• Non-binding letters of intent reveal real demand before you build anything

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Business operating systems

YouTube

How customers, soul, and stakeholder balance drive scaling up

Bill Gallagher September 19, 2019

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Business operating systems 9

Culture building 7

Vision & mission 6

• Customers disrupt markets by fixing activities that drive them crazy
• Organizational soul dies as you scale — purpose, connection, and employee voice must be actively restored
• Balancing customers, employees, and stakeholders outperforms shareholder-first firms by 7–10x

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SEO

YouTube

Four YouTube keyword research tools that actually drive views

Ahrefs September 18, 2019

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SEO 9

AI tools & automation 5

• TubeBuddy's search volume numbers are wildly inaccurate — ignore them
• vidIQ's trending tab reveals competitor topics still growing months later
• Content Explorer finds YouTube videos that also rank in Google search

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Business operating systems

YouTube

Scaling Up coach panel: customers, culture, and company soul

Bill Gallagher September 18, 2019

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Business operating systems 9

Culture building 8

Customer experience 7

• Customers — not technology — are the real source of market disruption.
• Purpose is the one attribute present in every exponentially growing company.
• Balancing employees, customers, and shareholders outperforms single-stakeholder focus by 7–9x.

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Case studies

YouTube

COO Alliance vivid vision: what the network looks like in 2022

Cameron Herold September 18, 2019

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Case studies 8

Management 6

• Writing the future in detail forces clarity before execution
• COOs get a peer network built exclusively for second-in-commands
• Members guaranteed 10x ROI in savings or new revenue

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