Welcome to Startups Weekly. A nuanced take on his news and trends in this week’s startup from Senior Reporter and Equity co-host. Natasha Mascarenhas. Subscribe to receive this in your inbox here.
Due to the nature of startup games, we sometimes over-index the “new stuff”. Businesses want to build for problems you never dreamed of disrupting. VCs want to invest in emerging trends before they become household names. And those entering technology are told to take it seriously because you never know who will answer your cold emails. It should be one of your biggest features.
After all, you only get to be “it” once.
But one question I’ve found myself asking myself over the past year, especially as long-tenured people talk about past recessions and cyclical lessons learned, is the latecomer advantage? am. It’s partially clear. If you’ve done all of this entrepreneurship before, you’ll know what mistakes to avoid and you’ll seamlessly know which investors to avoid.
But it’s partly not an easy story.There’s a difference between being new and being inexperienced. Likewise, there is a difference between being experienced and being late. Where are you in that whole timeline, especially when you feel like the story is going to the extreme?
In this week’s Equity, we interviewed T2 co-founder Sarah Oh, who is building a Twitter rival after working as a human rights advisor at Twitter. Immediately, I asked her how she felt about making imitations of her previous employers, she didn’t seem to care and I immediately said rice field.
But the better answer Oh gave me was about the latecomer advantage she has, building a company in a world she knows very well. By comparison, we believe that joining the wave of today’s consumer society allows our co-founders to take into account more nuances.
“Whether it’s the datasets we need, the models we need to build, or the specific standards that need to exist for the models, there’s a lot we know about the trust and safety gap in the industry. I wish I had something that wasn’t there in my previous role, but now I’m in a place where I can have those kinds of conversations,” Oh said. She added that when some of the first social media platforms were created, there was no “historical case her study or precedent” for many of the controversies that now exist. Mine, not hers: T2 has helpful examples on how to deal with tensions around virality, doxxing, and more.
Combined with startup agility, it got me thinking about that larger understanding. Perhaps it’s the amazing balance of being both old and new that helps startups launch. We don’t know how new and old attempts at Twitter will play out in this case, but we know this time is more important than ever.
In the rest of this newsletter, we talk about the Chief Inspiration Officer, a growing startup accelerator, and the rare stories we hear about a technology company and its public market hopes.As always you can follow me twitter Or Instagram.
Goodbye, Chief Inspiration Officer
Also in this week’s Equity, the crew talked about how venture capitalists pay attention to how portfolio founders are spending their capital, especially hiring trends. Becca’s latest TC+ — his 50% discount on your annual fee using the code EQUITY — explains why pitch deck hiring slides are no longer a throwaway part of your presentation.
Looking forward to further scrutiny.
Here’s why this is important: We know companies are cutting headcount to cut costs, but hiring companies may need to take a more conservative approach, both in terms of role types and salary levels. not. Needless to say, you definitely have a chance of finding talent if you hire them.but it’s not easy all Employers, in particular, are looking to hire cheap talent who don’t have ambitious staffing goals, so they lay off talent to find their next gig.
Image credit: micro stock hub (opens in new window) / Getty Images
goldilocks moonshot
NextView Ventures has launched its fourth accelerator program. It aims to support approximately six founders with $400,000 in funding and mentorship opportunities. And at least he offers one spot on a team built by former colleagues who were laid off in past recessions.
Here’s why this is important: Accelerator partners are open to helping founders, even if they have half-baked ideas or just areas they want to explore. Even in a more disciplined market, there are some companies that feel less hesitant to seed an idea than a serious business idea. Rob Go, founding partner of his portfolio company NextView Ventures, said of the cohort:
Image credit: Taraji (opens in new window) / Getty Images
follow up
Stripe is finally aiming for an exit. The payments giant has set a 12-month deadline by listing directly or pursuing private-market deals such as funding events and tender offers, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Here’s why this is important: I mean, do I have to state the obvious? The public market of tech companies has been inserting old, unwelcoming, boring adjectives here. If Stripe starts trending, next year will be an exciting year. However, some people are suspicious on the timeline. After all, it’s easier said than done, literally.
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etc
Saw it on TechCrunch
What we thought was happening with investing in robots is definitely happening
New analysis reveals app downloads stagnated in Q4
Let’s call it “robot”
Strava Acquires Fatmap, 3D Mapping Platform for Wilderness
LastPass owner GoTo says hackers stole customer backups
Seen on TechCrunch+
Current lawsuits against generative AI are just the beginning
VC Views on Deep Tech Funding in Q1 2023
As activist investors target Salesforce, what will the CRM giant do next?
Fired from your crypto job?Here’s what founders are looking for in new talent
Startups should expect scrutiny from VCs on hiring plans
I’ll end with an evergreen reminder that I love going to startup happy hours and VC dinners in San Francisco. tell me if you’re throwingAnd if you’re still working on your social engine like I am, I also like to have one-on-one coffee chats and dumpling lunches.
To the rest of you, thank you for reading. 2023 is already leaping forward, isn’t it?
speak soon,
N.
