Ashar Samdani

Why do 99% of YC founders fail post-demo day? Ever notice how startups in Y Combinator operate? They work backward over 3 months, go full throttle, and by the end, many land major funding.  But what happens after the big launch? This initial momentum tends to wear off, and most companies get trapped in a slump, almost like quicksand - slowly and steadily but not realizing you're unable to get out. At Oliv, we fell into the same trap—a massive build-up, then a dip in energy, followed by another scramble to get things going again. It wasn’t sustainable. That’s when we decided to convert YC training into a process. We decided to do a launch every 8 weeks. Why 8 weeks? And why not the standard 3 to 6 months? For a start-up at our stage, we need to ideate fast and execute even faster. This sweet spot gives us just the right amount of time to plan, ideate, and execute—all with a laser focus on our next big goal. No more long lulls or lost momentum. Here’s our approach: - OKRs: After each launch, the team sets clear OKRs for the next launch. It’s all about aligning with the big picture while keeping it actionable. - Tailored sprints: Marketing thrives on weekly sprints for agility, while engineering goes bi-weekly to dive deep into complex tasks. And this is why it works,  - Complete visibility: We see everything in motion at a glance—team objectives, progress, and any bottlenecks. Decisions get made faster, and issues get resolved quicker. - Velocity, not speed: While we want to execute faster, launches help us tweak and realign in the direction the market needs us. - Accountability becomes habit: With structured sprints, everyone stays aligned, transparent, and accountable. No one’s coasting—ownership is built into the process. Switching to 8-week sprints wasn’t easy, but it’s been a game-changer for us at Oliv.  We’re no longer just launching products—we’re consistently delivering results, staying energized, and reaching the potential we knew was there.

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I disagree, one such example that comes to my mind after reading this is Byju's where they built distribution and never focused on product. While on the other hand PW had an amazing product and distribution got solved over a period of time. As a founder I am not deeply in love with the product but with the problem we are solving and to solve we need to focus on just one metric - Customer Delight. #product #startups

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MVT before MVP: Founders should do Minimum Viable Testing before building any Minimum Viable Product, whenever possible. Someone said his biggest regret was to build an app right out of the gate, while he could have tested some of the key product concepts easily using existing software tools. Alex Kwon is the master of MVT. He pushes out quick experiments on Warpcast (which allows building small apps, such as short text prompts with buttons, on their feed) and applies the findings and learnings to his product. This works because human psychology works the same in any app. You like what you like, you choose what you prefer, whether it’s a button on a Warpcast post or a button on a mobile app that was developed by three senior software developers. So it’s a good idea to do MVTs before (or even during the process of) building the MVP. (Hat tip to Pete Cashmore for inspiration for this post)

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This hard reset is required for all AI founders from India building global B2B products: Product Innovation > GTM muscle Product innovation is happening at a rapid pace in each of your categories, valley competitors are building thought through features that can help them win customers mid-long term, GTM muscle alone without product differentiation wont help you win in the first half of this AI decade. We are doing this hard reset within BoldCap on what we are looking for in AI founders. Ping us if you are tinkering in global AI B2B products. Shiv Tayal Pratham Chadha Aditi Gera

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been rethinking how to model startup success and conjured the vector sum framework. startups are dynamic vector sums. each component — team, product, market, traction, capital efficiency, moat, etc. — has a magnitude (impact) and direction (alignment) across multiple dimensions. the vector sum model deconstructs and reconstructs a startup by dynamically modeling success and accountability down to the atomic unit of value drivers. it can be implemented at t=0, no matter the stage. more to follow…

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Testing Business Ideas: The Ultimate Validation Experiments Library 📌 Here's your ultimate validation experiments library: 1. Validation Experiments ↳ Test assumptions before you build ↳ Save time, money, and heartache 2. Market Engagement ↳ Get real feedback from real people ↳ Understand your audience before launch 3. Minimal Products ↳ Build just enough to test your concept ↳ Iterate based on user feedback 4. Feasibility Prototypes ↳ Prove it can be done ↳ Technical validation is crucial 5. User Prototypes ↳ Put it in front of potential customers ↳ Watch how they interact with your idea 6. Experiments in Production ↳ Test in the real world ↳ Gather data from actual usage 7. Recommended Tools ↳ Leverage the right tech for testing ↳ Work smarter, not harder Remember: Ideas are cheap. Execution is everything. But smart execution starts with validation. 💡 Don't waste months building something nobody wants. Test, learn, adapt. Rinse and repeat. That's how you build a business that lasts. Credit: Paweł Huryn , Founder @ The Product Compass (https://buff.ly/4cPChef) Totally Follow Him 🌟 #BrainDumps | BrainDump #90

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Why Great Operators Often Make Terrible Founders Last week, while recording the Skip Podcast with Shreyas Doshi (https://lnkd.in/gja2PeuZ), I shared an insight that explains why some of the most successful operators struggle as founders, while others with seemingly less impressive track records thrive. It all comes down to two pens on your desk: black and red. 🖊️ The Red Pen Operator: - Excels at refining existing ideas - Masters the art of strategic improvement - Thrives in scaling environments - Commands high compensation - Builds on existing momentum 🖋️ The Black Pen Creator: - Faces the blank whiteboard fearlessly - Embraces the vulnerability of first drafts - Generates original hypotheses - Builds without existing tailwinds - Creates their own momentum Here's the career-defining insight: Your success as an operator might actually be inversely correlated with your potential as a founder. Why? Because large companies pay a premium for red pen skills. The higher you climb, the more you're rewarded for your ability to spot flaws, refine strategies, and optimize existing systems. You become masterful at surfing waves – but founding requires you to create the wave itself. A personal example: I've watched a brilliant CPO struggle mightily as a founder, while a "less polished" product manager built a $100M business. The difference? The CPO had mastered the red pen but feared the blank whiteboard. The PM embraced the messy first draft. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵: If you find yourself frustrated in large organizations because you prefer creating from scratch rather than refining others' work – you might have the founder gene. 🔑 Key Takeaway: Your success as a founder doesn't depend on your ability to perfect existing systems. It depends on your comfort with imperfect creation. Want to dive deeper into this framework? Join Shreyas and me as we unpack the complete matrix for operator-to-founder transitions. Full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gAdgtm3x 💡 Follow me for more insights on the intersection of product leadership and founding success.

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I recently came across an article on founder coaching that really struck a chord with me. As a Venture Partner at Seedcamp, I spend a lot of time working closely with founders, helping them build out the right teams, fine-tune their products, craft their go-to-market strategies, and figure out how to operationalize and scale their businesses. These are all critical areas of focus, and they often involve making big, external changes. But one thing that doesn’t always change as quickly is the founder’s mindset. It’s not uncommon for founders to keep approaching problems the way they always have—after all, it worked in the past, right? But the reality of startups is that things are constantly shifting, and what worked two months ago may not be the right move now. Running a 20-person team the same way you ran a 6-person team, for example, often leads to issues. Sometimes it’s because founders feel tied to a vision they’ve sold to investors, employees, or customers, and they don’t want to backtrack, even when the evidence is telling them otherwise. Other times, they’ve been inspired by another founder’s success story or advice, and they try to replicate it—even when it’s clear the same approach isn’t working for them. In many cases, founders focus so much on fixing external problems—hiring the right designer, bringing in an operations person, or improving their sales team—that they miss the opportunity to look inward and consider how they might need to evolve alongside their business. As startups grow, the challenges start to shift from solving specific problems to scaling yourself as a leader. Founder mode might feel heroic, but it’s also a fast track to burnout for both the founder and their team. That’s why it’s essential to not only work on your product, processes, and culture but also on yourself. Sometimes, the roadblocks are coming from within. That’s why I’m such a strong advocate of founders investing in coaching. It can be a game-changer when it comes to navigating these challenges.

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I recently reviewed a term sheet with a portfolio founder for a priced seed round from a new investor. We’d led their pre-seed round and there was a specific provision in the seed term sheet that the founder was adamant about pushing back on - founder revesting. and my advice surprised him. I pointed out that not only was this term not harmful, in fact it was beneficial and meant to protect him in the long run. Often times, included in early stage term sheets is a provision requiring founders to revest their shares - typically another 4 years. The purpose of this is to mitigate the potential for "dead equity" on a cap table. When a departed founder owns a meaningful stake but is no longer actively working on the business it can be demotivating for the remaining founding team and also make raising additional capital very challenging. The initial reaction for most founders is to push back on this term - and logically it makes sense - they've already vested a fair amount of equity and don't see why they should start over. The longer you sit in a VC chair you tend to see every iteration of founder dynamics play out. Founder departures are fairly common- they happen for all different reasons/circumstances, but in nearly all cases founders should want the lions share of the equity to be in the hands of the individual founders that are still meaningfully contributing to the success of the business as it scales. Sheel Mohnot at Better Tomorrow Ventures recently wrote a great piece related to this topic, focused on initial founder vesting schedules. He recommend founders set an 8 year vesting schedule at inception, which I think is an interesting direction seasoned founders could head in.

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Rubén D. has put together a great list of some powerful startup resources. Check it out and see which one of them would be most helpful to you and your startup.

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Breakdown of startup funding across sectors in 2024: 1. #Fintech: - 18.3% of seed stage funding - 17.1% of growth stage funding - 23.8% of late stage funding - Total funding: $2.5 Bn (17% decline from 2023) 2. #EnterpriseTech: - Raised $1.8 Bn - 167 deals 3. #ConsumerServices: - Raised $1.8 Bn - 48 deals - Boosted by Zepto's $1.3 Bn funding 4. #Ecommerce: - Raised $1.5 Bn (42.3% decline from 2023) - 203 deals (highest number of deals) 5. #Cleantech: - $829 Mn - 75 deals 6. #Healthtech: - $716 Mn - 78 deals 7. #Deeptech: - $460 Mn - 78 deals #Source: [1] After rough ride in 2024, Indian startups look for a promising new year https://lnkd.in/dVjxwUGC [2] Over 1 lakh 40 thousand recognized Start Ups in the country, over ... - PIB https://lnkd.in/dU9UQCN9 [3] After rough ride in 2024, Indian startups look for a promising new year https://lnkd.in/dkmzBN4q [4] Startup Funding Recap: November 2024 - PrivateCircle Blog https://lnkd.in/dP4MUx3Y [5] Unveiling the Indian Startup Funding Landscape in 2024 - LinkedIn https://lnkd.in/dcUTBRYB

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Launching a SaaS product is a marathon, not a sprint. Here's a breakdown of the process: 1. Prototype (2-3 Months) Goal: Validate the core idea. Steps: - Build a basic prototype. - Test with a small group to gather initial feedback. 2. Beta (3-4 Months) Goal: Refine with real users. Steps: - Onboard beta users. - Collect and implement usability feedback. 3. MVP (2-3 Months) Goal: Launch the minimal viable product. Steps: - Release essential features to the public. - Establish customer support. 4. Launch (3-6 Months) Goal: Enter the market aggressively. Steps: - Invest in marketing and sales channels. - Monitor user growth and adapt. 5. Growth (6-12 Months) Goal: Scale user acquisition. Steps: - Expand marketing efforts. - Automate key processes. - Optimize based on data. 6. Scale (12+ Months) Goal: Become a market leader. Steps: - Invest in robust infrastructure. - Explore new markets and revenue streams. - Build a strong team. Essential Lessons: - Don't Skip Steps: Each phase is crucial. - Embrace Feedback: User input drives success. - Continuous Iteration: Keep refining your product. Launching a SaaS product is challenging, but following this roadmap can lead you to success. What do you think? #BrainDumps | BrainDump #104

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Why did Notion and Figma move from Product-Led to Product-Led with sales assist for their current GTM? To accelerate sales conversions 🚀 Lenny Rachitsky shares a great list of 28 B2B SaaS startups. 14 have already transitioned from PL to PL with Sales Assist. GitHub Shopify Datadog Figma Notion PagerDuty Plaid Slack Stripe Twilio Coda Retool Airtable Dropbox Why? ✅ To target large accounts and cater to the unique needs of high-value clients, offering tailored solutions and dedicated support. ✅ Support conversions with sales teams engaging with leads, understand their pain points, and guide them through the process. ✅ Custom solutions for large organizations with complex workflows, integrations, and requirements. ✅ Expansion and retention with customers as they grow and evolve and identify opportunities for upselling and cross-selling. For example... Notion's account managers offer personalized support, custom templates, and integrations to tailor the platform to each team's specific needs and workflows. Figma's enterprise specialists help organizations scale their design systems, assist with workflow integrations, and configure enterprise-grade security features and permissions. What's your GTM strategy? Comment below 👇 1️⃣ if you're still PL only 2️⃣ if you're switching from PL to PL with Sales Assist. I've helped over 300+ founders seize opportunities. Click 'Follow' for powerful marketing and pitching advice 🚀 #Startups #Sales #Strategy #Business #Growth #Success 

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YC Startup Playbook by Sam Altman. 🔑 Key Takeaways: User Love: Focus on creating a product that your users love. Early adopters who are passionate about your product will be your biggest advocates. Great Team: Building a formidable team is crucial. Look for co-founders who complement your skills and share your vision. Execution: Consistent and intense effort over a long period is essential. There are no shortcuts to success. Adaptability: Be ready to evolve based on user feedback. Flexibility can be a game-changer. Persistence: The journey is tough, but resilience is key. Never give up too quickly. 📈 Top Advice: Communicate Clearly: Your idea should be clear and exciting from the get-go. Start Small: It’s better to have a small group of users who love your product than a large group who just like it. Stay Frugal: Be generous with equity but frugal with everything else. Compensate great people with ownership in the company. Ignore Competitors: Focus on your internal growth and product quality rather than what others are doing. 🔥 Pro Tip: "Do things that don't scale" in the early days. Offer exceptional customer service and gather insights to continuously improve your product. #StartupSuccess #YCombinator #Entrepreneurship #GrowthMindset #Innovation 🔔 Follow me for insightful and entertaining posts about #Startups #VentureCapital #Entrepreneurship. ------ 🎁 Get investor lists, free resources, and services for your fundraising:  https://lnkd.in/g4ygxG6i ------ 🤝 Find your co-founder: https://lnkd.in/e9DyVmkE 

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"Every company needs my product" is NOT a good thing for a startup's go-to-market strategy. A founder in my portfolio built a product that is standard in most marketing tech stacks after the business has reached sufficient scale. These engineers expected marketing to be "easy" because "every company needs this". They soon discovered why this is a challenge: - There are 100s of competitors (at least) - People are already using another solution - Customers do not have a reason to switch This makes it incredibly difficult to get early adopters. Which makes it hard to get feedback on the product, or to get the flywheel going on marketing. 👉 So, what can be done? You have 2 main go-to-market options to win in crowded categories: 1️⃣ Go head-to-head with category leaders For this you need a product *better* than theirs. And, you need a long-term brand building play. The market has to trust and like you before they are ready to buy. This requires an investment of time, and money. ⇢ We've seen successful startups create *new* categories as they displaced the status quo. E.g. Slack with Microsoft Teams, or HubSpot with Intuit Mailchimp. ⇢ Sometimes they end up displacing the entire category. E.g. Netflix with Blockbuster (remember that? 🪦) ⇢ Very rarely do we see startups that displace a category leader at its own game. E.g. Figma with Photoshop. 2️⃣ Go after a specific segment For this you need deep knowledge of the market and even deeper understanding of the customer segment you select. Your product needs to fulfill their unique job-to-be-done. Then, a targeted go-to-market motion designed specifically for them. This also requires an investment of time. We have seen successful startups creating *new sub-categories*. Email marketing is a category filled with new sub-categories. ⇢ New sub-category for a specific ideal customer profile (ICP). E.g. Kit (formerly ConvertKit) and beehiiv are email tools for creators. ⇢ New sub-category for a specific use case. E.g. Instantly.ai and Outreach are email tools for cold outreach. No matter what, category disruption is a long-term play. 👉 In these situations I recommend the same thing as always: develop a hypothesis for your go-to-market fundamentals and start running micro-tests to (in)validate if you are directionally correct. The north star will still be the same: Happy Paying Customers ™. Big dreams need big bets. But, everyone begins with that first replicable Happy Paying Customer. Go get 'em ✨ What's your favorite category disruptor? How'd they get to the top? Any plays I missed in these 5? --- Hi, I am Sweta. I am a champion for underestimated founders (like myself) on the journey to their first $1M. I help these smart, ambitious founders get their first 100 Happy Paying Customers ™ in the Founder-Led Marketing Club. It is the highest value membership for new founders. DM me to snag 1 of the final spots before the holidays!

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Equity Fundraising Basics for Founders: Understanding equity fundraising is crucial for early-stage startups. Here's a breakdown of the key concepts: 1) Convertible Notes: These are short-term debts that convert to equity during future financing rounds, allowing you to defer the valuation decision until later. 2) Valuation Cap: Protects early investors by setting a maximum price for conversion, ensuring they get a better deal if the company’s value skyrockets. 3) Liquidation Preference: Investors typically have a 1x liquidation preference, meaning they get their investment back first in the event of a sale or liquidation. 4) Equity Rounds: Seed rounds often involve giving up 10-25% of the company. Plan to raise enough funds to cover 12-18 months of operations. PS. check out 🔔 for a winning pitch deck the template created by Silicon Valley legend, Peter Thiel https://lnkd.in/ejp-Bhnu

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Every founders dilemma, PLG Vs MLG, Which one should you build on 🤔 Understanding the nuances of Product-Led Growth (PLG) and Marketing-Led Growth (MLG) can significantly impact the success of a company's go-to-market (GTM) strategy. Product-Led Growth (PLG) PLG is a strategy where the product itself drives acquisition, conversion, and expansion. Key elements include: Product as the Primary Driver : The product offers a compelling user experience that encourages organic growth through word-of-mouth and network effects. Freemium Model : Offering a free tier or trial to attract users, who may later convert to paid plans. Viral Loops : Features that encourage users to invite others, like referral programs or collaborative tools. Focus on User Experience : Investing heavily in a seamless and valuable user experience to ensure satisfaction and retention. Data-Driven : Using data from product usage to inform decisions and optimize the user journey.. Examples : Slack, Dropbox, Zoom. Marketing-Led Growth (MLG) MLG relies heavily on marketing activities to drive customer acquisition and growth. Key elements include: Brand Awareness : Building a strong brand presence through various marketing channels (social media, content marketing, advertising). Lead Generation : Employing tactics like SEO, PPC, and content marketing to generate leads. Nurturing Campaigns : Using email marketing, webinars, and other content to nurture leads through the sales funnel. Sales and Marketing Alignment : Close collaboration between sales and marketing teams to convert leads into customers. Campaign-Based : Running specific marketing campaigns to drive interest and conversion. Examples: HubSpot, Salesforce, Oracle. Primary Driver : In PLG, the product drives growth, whereas in MLG, marketing efforts are the primary driver. User Experience vs. Brand Awareness : PLG focuses on delivering a stellar user experience that sells itself, while MLG focuses on building brand awareness and generating leads. Cost Structure : PLG often relies on lower customer acquisition costs due to organic growth, whereas MLG can involve significant marketing spend. Time to Market PLG might require longer initial development to ensure the product can drive growth independently, while MLG can often go to market faster through aggressive marketing campaigns. Many successful companies blend elements of both strategies, leveraging a strong product to drive organic growth while also investing in marketing to accelerate reach and scale. #McKinsey reports that companies blending PLG and MLG can achieve up to 25% faster revenue growth compared to those relying solely on one approach. A hybrid approach can often provide the best of both worlds, driving sustainable growth through both exceptional products and effective marketing. What's your take on building a winning GTM strategy 🤔 ? Pls share 👏 On a #mission to #disrupting global #commerce #GTM #PLG #MLG #SaaS #D2C #Retail

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While the IPO window still feels like it’s nailed shut, and some verticals (AI) are faring better than others (SaaS), the overall startup outlook (at least on the layoff front) has improved. When startup fundraising plummeted in the summer of 2022, the key measure of success shifted from rapid growth to a clear path to profitability. Tech layoffs overall are now at a two-year low, despite recent downsizing at Miro and Dropbox, suggesting a potential stabilization across the industry. It will be interesting to see how these numbers look in H1 2025 as innovation in AI continues. #startupoutlook #startuptrends

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