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Pre-Money vs. Post-Money Valuations, Why It Matters Pre-money and post-money valuations sound simple, but they can have very different outcomes for investors and founders. 💰 Post-money SAFEs give investors more certainty on ownership. ⚖️ Pre-money SAFEs can be more founder-friendly by limiting dilution. 🔍 The difference between the two can impact future funding rounds. These terms play a big role in structuring early-stage deals. Watch the full episode to see how they fit into startup investing. This discussion is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.

Valuation Caps: What They Mean for Startup Investors A startup’s valuation cap can shape how early investments convert into equity, but what happens when a company raises at a higher or lower valuation? We’re covering: 📊 How ValCaps work in SAFE and convertible note rounds 💡 What investors should know about dilution and future fundraising ⚖️ The difference between a valuation cap and a discount Understanding these mechanics can help investors and founders align expectations. Watch the full episode for a deep dive. This is general information and should not be considered financial advice.

Are Kiwi founders just built different? Kat Zealand, CEO of Skip, shares why Kiwi expats in Silicon Valley stand out; grounded, global-minded, and ready to tackle real-world problems (not just another SaaS tool, pls 🙏). Unlike the "narrowly-focused" Silicon Valley stereotype, Kat loves how the Kiwi & Aussie diaspora brings diverse thinking and creative solutions. And yep, that's exactly what we're highlighting here at Diaspora NZ. 🌏✨ Catch the full episode!

Side Letters: What’s in Them & Why It Matters Not all investors in a round are signing the same terms. Side letters can change key details behind the scenes. Some investors negotiate additional rights, ratchets, or clauses that aren’t always visible to others in the round. What does that mean for founders and fellow investors? We unpack how side letters work, when they come into play, and why transparency matters. 🚀 Watch the full episode to understand the details behind startup investment agreements. This is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.

Today's guest on In The Blink of AI is Marty Burgess, CEO and co-founder of Lightning Forge Games (LFG), the AI-powered gaming studio bringing cutting-edge tech to interactive worlds. 🎮⚡ Ever had your Wi-Fi drop mid-match (cheers, NBN)? LFG is building AI agents trained to play exactly like you, stepping in seamlessly so teammates won't even notice you've vanished. Could this finally be the end of rage-inducing AFK penalties and endless lobby waits? In this episode, we covered: 🔥 AI-powered agents, will they replace players or enhance the experience? 🎮 Dynamic worlds - what happens when AI makes games feel alive? 📉 Why most multiplayer games lose 80% of new players after one bad match 🧠 The psychology of great game design & why AI is changing the rules ⚔️ Gladiator Mayhem - LFG’s first AI-driven game (and how you can play it first!) Plus, Marty shares why passion beats expertise in game design, and what he really thinks of AI-powered Pokémon players. 📍 If you're in San Francisco, you can play LFG’s flagship game before anyone else at Buzzworks, March 17, DM Marty for a VIP ticket! Watch & listen now on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. 🎧👇

Today's guest on Diaspora.nz is Kathryn Zealand, founder & CEO of Skip, creators of MoGo, a lightweight robotic exoskeleton that's like an e-bike for walking. 🚀 Inspired by her grandmother's struggle with mobility, Kat left Google X, the famed moonshot factory, to tackle the shockingly outdated world of mobility tech. Now, Skip's MoGo helps people remain active, hiking mountains, climbing stairs, and living life to the fullest, even as they age. In our conversation, we covered: 🤖 How MoGo is reinventing mobility (think: powered pants!) 🦿 The tech challenges of designing a robotic exoskeleton that knows exactly what you want to do 🏔️ Hiking mountains with Arc'teryx—turning aspirations into reality 🧠 Why loss of mobility can trigger mental health struggles (and how tech can change that) 🔬 Life inside Google X (and what makes a perfect "moonshot") 🚀 Navigating FDA approvals, consumer hardware funding, and scaling from 50 prototypes to thousands 🌏 Why Kiwi founders are uniquely grounded in reality (vs. the Silicon Valley bubble) Plus, Kat shares what it's really like to spin a startup out of Google's legendary moonshot factory. Catch the full episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts! 🎧👇

The 3 Skills You Actually Need for AI 🤯 Forget coding. Forget prompt engineering. The best AI users? They master three things: 💡 Asking really good questions 🧠 Thinking creatively about possibilities 🗣️ Communicating clearly That’s it. If you can do these, you’re already ahead in using AI effectively. 🚀 What’s the best AI-powered question you’ve asked lately? Drop it below! 👇

SAFE Notes, Convertible Notes & Priced Rounds: What You Should Know The way early-stage investments are structured can impact both investors and founders in different ways. In this episode, we break down: 📜 The differences between SAFEs, convertible notes, and priced rounds ⚖️ How investment terms can vary and why that matters 💡 Common clauses, investor rights, and founder-friendly vs. investor-friendly terms 🚀 Why different structures may be used at different stages of fundraising If you’re exploring startup investing or just want to understand these terms better, this episode provides useful insights. This is general information and should not be considered financial advice. First Cheque Podcast is grateful to be sponsored by: 🦙 Vanta – Automate up to 90% of compliance, get audit-ready fast, and save up to 85% on costs. Join 7,000+ companies like Atlassian & Dovetail. Get 10% off → https://lnkd.in/geT2xmsb 🐴 Rocking Horse Group - R&D Advance Funding – Unlock up to $3M in R&D funding, fast and hassle-free. Fuel your startup’s growth today! → https://lnkd.in/g6NF86CC 🔐 Galah Cyber – Security advice & training for founder-led and SaaS businesses. Book a free consultation → dayone.fm/galah

School calendars are chaos, pages of events, scattered notes, and constant "Did I miss something?" anxiety. 😵💫 So I copy-pasted the entire list into Gemini and asked it to add everything to my Gmail calendar. 🪄 It didn't work at first, but after tweaking my approach, BOOM, every event, perfectly organised. 🔑 Lesson? Don’t give up if AI doesn’t get it right the first time! Play around, refine your inputs, and let it work for you. Would you try this? 👇

Stop Hoarding AI Prompts! Got 10 tabs open with "Top 10 Best ChatGPT Prompts" that you haven’t touched in months? 😅 Instead of stressing about finding the perfect prompt, let AI do the work for you! 🔥 Pro tip from Gareth: Ask the model to generate prompts for itself. Tell it what you need help with, and let it suggest the best ways to get started. 🧠 AI isn’t just about answering questions, it’s about asking better ones!