#StartupIdea
There is a $1B+ opportunity for whoever solves the personal CRM. It’s a white space at the moment. There’s countless B2B solutions but nothing made for “me and you”.
Reminders to touch base with friends:
- Core group, not needed but good to visualize
- Extended crew, to make sure you don’t lose touch
- Life-long friends - you can pick up where you left off no matter how long it’s been, but wishing happy bday or send a hello every X months👌
Group messages sent individually:
So often I want to send my ten basketball fan friends an update on “breaking trade news”, without it being a group. Or ask five random startup friends for advice on an idea.
Yes, WhatsApp does this.
Easier meetup planning:
- Think Doodle X Calendly, but for friends, mobile-first.
“Hey let’s hang soon”
“Sent some options”
“Done, added to cal using X”
Contact cards with way more:
- Not just Twitter, IG, LinkedIn, but all the things that connect you, like BeReal, Spotify lists, or Co–star profile
- Spouse/sibling connection
- How you met, and when
This may not be interesting to all, but for sure to those who travel a lot or lived in many places:
A visualization of where friends live, where you met, and last hung out. Two friends live in the same city now? Make that intro.
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You’re not just building a startup. The startup is also building you.
Here are 7️⃣ pieces of advice you won’t hear often but will realize as you grow.
Slow down. Being first didn’t help any startup. Uber came after Lyft. Facebook after Fiver, and many more examples. Be deliberate about your next steps, articulate about your grand vision, and make something great.
Don’t just chase more customers. Figure out deeply why your small/current cohort of customers choose you, and build off that. 100 high-paying loyal customers, is better than 1000 once-off transactions.
Rising Stars is a pre-seed fund investing in underrepresented founders of color in the U.S.
Our goal is to replace the 'family and friends round' that not everyone has access to...
@risingstars@Techstars We'll invest $100,000 at the earliest stages - even earlier than the accelerator. So, we'll likely be the first check, sometimes only check.
So proud to be part of this initiative alongside @nealsales, and learning from one of the greatest, @davidcohen.
@risingstars@Techstars@nealsales@davidcohen Super stoked to receive key support from @twitter & @amazon, additional corporate investors, Techstars alumni, founders, and friends. The one I am most proud of is first-time LPs: so, not only are we diversifying who gets investment, we broaden who gets returns as well.
What are some overlooked or underrated startup books? I’ve probably read 100+ and certainly already know the big five - but who can hit me with a less known one?
For those who asked, in my opinion the big five are:
- Lean Startup
- Zero to One
- Hard Thing About Hard Things
- Founders Dilemma
- Start With Why
My recommendations:
- Venture Deals for venture
- Never Split The Difference for negotiation
- E-Myth for fundamentals
- Hacking Growth for marketing
- Delivering Happiness for culture
- The Blue Sweater for inspiration
- Super Founders for data
- Lean In because it’s 2021
It doesn't just matter what you say, but how you say it. The goal is to avoid leading the witness to say things you want to hear.
The most common mistake I see in customer discovery is that founders may be asking the right question, but they're asking the wrong people. Know your customer. Know your ideal customer profile, or persona.