Haider Sabri

Ever wondered where the perfect balance between tranquility and innovation lies? For me, it’s Seattle. Unlike the Bay, Seattle has a more serene environment that’s perfect for focusing on building products and businesses. The city’s vibe encourages deep work and creative thinking, free from the overwhelming hustle. But let’s be honest, Seattle’s founder and investor communities aren’t as vibrant as those in SF. Yet, this city holds a special place in my heart – a blend of my love for startups and the charm of Seattle. I believe in Seattle’s potential and I’m on a mission to help ignite its startup community. From connecting with fellow founders to engaging investors, let’s come together to build something extraordinary here. Seattle has all the ingredients to be a startup hub – talent, innovation, and a supportive ecosystem. What it needs is a spark. Let’s be that spark.

1

🧑‍🍳 Work with Cathy Guo (and me!) on Iterative We're hiring a Senior Associate to help evaluate the startups that apply to Iterative. We receive 1K+ applications roughly every 3 months and invest in roughly 1.8% of those applications. Maybe somewhat counter-intuitively, we want to increase that % and take more risk. The trick is figuring out what areas (founder, market, country, etc.) that we should be taking more risk in. You'll be an active participant in how we evaluate companies. See the job description for the typical stuff but here's 2 things we DON'T do as part of our investment process. 🤔 Invest Based on Who Else Is Investing We don't care who else is in the round. Most of the time, we make our decision before everyone else does. That means you'll have to do the work of building your own conviction. 🤓 Invest on School, Previous Work Experience, etc. We don't have any filters around what school a founder went to, what company they used to work at, etc. We evaluate all founders based on our interactions with them. Why settle for a proxy of whether someone is good (that's what all of these are) when you can talk to them directly? If you can't tell whether a founder is good by talking to them.. well.. Instead.. you'll have to think for yourself and argue from first principles. Mostly with me :). If that's how you want to invest or want to learn how we do that, you should apply. For more details about the role, look for the 📌 in the comments.

172

8 Comments

If you're running a data or AI-focused startup, connect with Stephan Goupille and his team! When three of the industry's brightest data minds join forces to back your venture, you get more than just funding – you gain invaluable operator expertise. They understand the challenges and opportunities you face because they've been there themselves.

6

The newest issue of The Pragmatic Engineer found a surprise uptick in eng hiring in the typically slow summer season - I'm curious to see how the macro environment impacts this uptick as we head into the fall, but I remain hopeful. I asked Gemini to give me the tldr of the article to share with my team (sorry, Gergely Orosz) and found it missed one of the most interesting pieces of the article. Gemini's highlights - Unexpected surge: Tech recruitment has seen an unusual spike in June and July, contrary to typical trends. Increased demand: Startups, especially AI-focused ones, are driving the hiring uptick. Global phenomenon: This trend isn't just limited to the US; Europe is also experiencing increased recruitment activity. Reasons for hiring: Companies are backfilling positions, investing in growth due to improved financials, and responding to increased VC funding. Challenges remain: While the job market is improving, finding qualified candidates and offering competitive compensation remains difficult for many companies. What I found most interesting - The nature of the backfills: the article finds that a lot of new headcount are actually backfills of folks that were "over-slashed" during rounds of layoffs. Not entirely surprising with the "trim the fat" and "rebuild lean" mentality, but interesting nonetheless. Either way, the uptick is encouraging (and don't always rely on Gemini's tldrs). #hiring #startups #VCbacked #softwareengineering

11

1 Comment

👩‍🚀 Fellow Tech People, we're exploring moving away from our custom API/websocket LLM interfacing at LEAGUES in favor of ELL. 🤔 The potential for streamlined API interactions, simplified prompt management, and reusable functions is really appealing. That said, I’m reaching out to the community: has anyone implemented ELL in production yet? I'm curious if ELL is the way to go for long-term scalability and maintenance reduction when interacting with LLMs. And what about Langchain—why choose one over the other? I'd love to hear your experiences and thoughts! #LEAGUES #ELL #Langchain #AI #TechInnovation

7

5 Comments

Kids Care Finder is now a #semifinalist for this year’s Pepperdine Most Fundable Companies List! There are less than 100 companies that have moved into the semifinals in the entire country! So glad to see #childcare is getting noticed by investors. Now let’s get to the finals!! #startups #fundraising #womenintech #angelinvesting #childcare #parenttech #famtech #femalefounders #investing

55

17 Comments

The Stoke Space team in Seattle has built a rocket company faster than many people can build software. Morgan Beller breaks down how this is helping them capture a huge opportunity: https://lnkd.in/gc5jv2-c 

28

2 Comments

If your CEO isn't technical and your board lacks tech expertise, you're not really a technology company; you're just selling software. As Mark Zuckerberg pointed out: “I observed as soon as I came out to the valley, that all these companies that called themselves technology companies were not really set up that way. The companies I was talking about, it's like, the CEO wasn't technical, the board of directors had no one technical on it, they had one dude on the management team who was the head of engineering who was technical, and everyone else wasn't. It's like, all right, if that's your team, then you're not a technology company.” From Acquired: The Mark Zuckerberg Interview, 18 Sep 2024 https://lnkd.in/eyV3HKWe

34

Big news, Friends! 🎉🎉 I’m thrilled to announce the launch of Chapter Two Consulting, along with my longtime friends and partners Ray Zambroski, Phillip Grove, and Don Fleming.  These guys are Seattle tech veterans, with long track records of helping numerous Seattle startups and fast scalers build business-critical software and great engineering teams. Chapter Two Consulting is a culmination of decades of building trusted relationships, hard-won experience (and a few hard lessons), and great admiration for those who get up every morning and enter the arena. I’ve worked with some of you for many, many years.  Some measured in decades!  It’s been my absolute pleasure and honor; I look forward to many more. Ready to write the next chapter in your story?  Don’t go it alone; we’re here to help! Dan Sr. Partner and Co-founder, Chapter Two Consulting https://chapter2team.com ------------------- Announcing the Launch of Chapter Two Consulting: Your Engineering Powerhouse. At Chapter Two, we believe engineers are the architects of innovation—building the products, technologies, and infrastructures that shape our future. With roots in the Pacific Northwest’s hub of creativity, and deep technical prowess, we’re here to connect bold thinkers with the resources, talent, and strategy they need to make a lasting impact. Seattle’s engineering community is our home. From early-stage startups to scaling enterprises, we recognize the challenges engineering leaders face when assembling teams, launching breakthrough technologies, and scaling with purpose. We’ve built Chapter Two to empower innovators with a tailored recruitment and consulting service designed specifically to address these kinds of problems. Our team brings deep expertise across technical disciplines and industries, enabling us to align your organization’s vision with the right talent and strategies. Whether you’re solving critical technical challenges, refining your product roadmap or scaling an R&D team, we’re your partner every step of the way. We work flexibly and collaboratively to support your growth, offering: - Consulting engagements that tackle immediate challenges while building frameworks for long-term success. - - Engineering recruitment to match you with exceptional talent across software, hardware, and interdisciplinary domains - - Long term partnership for emerging technical leaders navigating complex and changing team growth requirements. At Chapter Two, we’re not just recruiters or consultants—we’re a part of your team. We’re inspired by the builders and innovators who call Seattle home, and we’re dedicated to helping you engineer your vision into reality. Let’s connect and explore how we can drive your success together.

49

22 Comments

Looking for a contract project (10 hours/week) where I'd love to help you go from 0 to 1 with an LLM-powered product or feature quickly. A bit about me: - Launched https://jakeai.org/ and went from idea to first revenue in 2 weeks. - Built two bootstrapped startups that generated a total of $200K in revenue. The first one was an AI analyst for business angels. The second one was a hilarious chatbot psychologist, Josef Freudman. - ex LLM-product builder at Reface🇺🇦, a16z-backed gen AI company. What I can help with: - Taking LLM-powered products from 0 to 1 fast - literally taking an idea and validating/iterating it. - Validating and implementing an LLM-powered feature in your product. Who I can help the most: - Startups that want to launch and get their first customers. - Startups and companies exploring the launch of a new product or feature. If this sounds like something that could help you out, feel free to message me here on LinkedIn or by email: merry.romanr@gmail.com

31

⌛ The deadline for YC’s S24 batch is April 22! I get a ton of requests for application feedback, so I’ve consolidated my advice here: 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 > 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 + 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 Your idea will change; that’s what it means to be pre-product-market fit. A bet on an early-stage company is a bet on the team to iterate rapidly and figure it out; think of your idea and your progress as useful evidence. Don’t be discouraged if you feel like you haven’t made enough progress, because the amount of progress you’ve made is not nearly as important as how fast you made it. In other words: “slope, not intercept”. 𝐁𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞. 𝐁𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭. Explain your idea clearly in 1-2 sentences: who are your users and what problem do you solve? Avoid jargon, marketing-speak, technical intricacies, or an exhaustive list of features. Tacking on “...with AI” or “...with blockchain” is not any more helpful than “...with computers”. Bad: “We are transforming the global software development industry with a revolutionary AI platform that streamlines the SDLC for tremendous efficiency gains using cutting-edge LLMs.” Better: “We’re a developer tool that automatically reviews code and fixes bugs.” 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬 You should feel like an expert on your users, and have some unique/contrarian insights about them. You’ve hopefully identified a “hair-on-fire” pain they have, and you’re building a product to fix their problem. It’s hard to spend too much time talking to your users. Interviewing 50-100 people seems like a good place to start. If you’ve talked to less than, say, 10-20, it might be hard to know you’re solving a real problem. 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 What’s your path to $1B in revenue? Keep it simple. You don’t need a 5-tier pricing strategy and a multi-year product roadmap, you need to know roughly how many potential customers you have and how much they’re likely to pay (bottom-up analysis), and how big the overall market is (top-down). Reasonable estimates are OK. Remember, the VC model is based on a power law of startup returns, where one huge exit makes up for all other investments going to zero. This makes a tiny chance at becoming a $10B company quite valuable, and a high chance at becoming a $50M company surprisingly useless. 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲? Emphatic yes! YC was an awesome experience for us and every YC alumnus I’ve asked so far - it changed the trajectory of our startup. Even if you don’t get in, we found the application process itself was valuable and forced us to think deeply. If you’d like some eyes on your application, send me a message - I’m happy to help!

78

14 Comments

I've run over 1,000 SWE interviews, first at Airbnb, now at Graphite. Here’s what I’ve learned: Recruiting - especially at scale - is fundamentally about discovering truth and reducing risk. We’re trying to figure out if someone can solve our problems, fit our culture, and thrive long-term. A strong interview loop isn’t about showing off the “correct” method or adopting the hottest new assessment trend. It’s about generating clear signals with minimal noise. 1. The specific format of your interviews matters less than the clarity of the signal you get. 2. Customize your process to the actual need of the role, not some arbitrary “hiring bar.” A "bullseye" is a better mental image than a "bar." 3. Reference checks can be a superpower if you use them intentionally, especially blind references. 4. Don’t be shy about having a “tough” loop - just make sure you execute your end flawlessly. Bottom line: Aim for interviews that generate strong, reliable signals - then combine them with thoughtful reference checks. https://lnkd.in/ewTrWFGc

49

3 Comments

Had an incredible time moderating the "AI: Friend or Foe in the Product-Led Revolution" panel at the Product-Led Alliance this last week! Huge shout-out to my fellow panelists—Dominique Powis, Joel Delmaire and Nida Sahra —your insights were the real highlight! 🙌 We dove into what intelligence truly means and how it manifests in our products. Discussed weaving AI into product management—not just as a shiny new tool, but as a way to genuinely understand and meet customer needs with empathy. 🛠️❤️ Our conventional views on creativity where challenged by what AI brings to the table. We also tackled big topics like bias, ethics, and human rights and had a lively chat about roles and responsibilities of individuals, companies, and governments in this AI-driven world. 🌍🏛️ My big takeaway? Instead of worrying about AI making us redundant, it's a call to action! Time to engage, use our intuition and ingenuity and navigate the AI journey ahead together. 🚀🌟 Thanks to everyone who joined the conversation, and a massive thank you to the Product-Led Alliance for hosting the event and to Ruth Rose for inviting us! Can't wait for the next one - or, I might just have my AI agent present to your AI agents! 🤖

73

2 Comments

Old school and probably not popular but I still believe products should be customer-satisfaction focused/led rather than technology-led. Use cases for AI should be byproducts of the product improvement process primarily. The thing though is that founders need to fundraise so they're likely to sprinkle some AI on their decks to even look serious. Not sure that's how the most enduring companies have been built. Of course, if sources of capital become AI-biased, founders have little choice. Happy to keep an open mind and dive in when a use-case that can 10x customer experience for Good Tenants customers and users shows up.

5

Is this the end of embeddings? Hear from Josh and Tashrish on the pros and cons of using embeddings-based RAG for document data extraction and our experiments with switching to completions-only RAG.

5

Just published a new post on my Fireside PM substack. This one summarizes top 10 takeaways from my hour long podcast interview with Ziad Ismail, former CPO of unicorn startup and former founder and current COO & CPO at Xembly. Read here: https://lnkd.in/gbNRznST #productmanagement #startups #leadership #strategy

5

So excited for Jiaona Zhang (JZ) to join us on Sauce's next AI for Product. "The best product leaders are chameleons. They lean into different functions to build the best product. They are able to wear different hats & act as a glue. They spot what needs work & go fill that hole." We'll unpack the spiciest 'AI for Product' Qs and what it's like to scale impactful products as CPO Linktree, SVP Product at Webflow and Head of Product at Airbnb. Got questions for JZ?

41

5 Comments

We try and not take ourselves too seriously, laughter is the best medicine while building a tech company. 🙂 A couple of years ago we were talking to a bay area VC who said "you guys are just whale hunting", we laughed, he got annoyed. Fast forward to today and we have a rapidly growing list of Fortune 500 and 1000 customers. Our strategy is paying off. To all professional enterprise sales executives out there: Big pat on the back to those who are hustling every day to land new enterprise B2B accounts and helping them succeed! The lesson here? Don't be afraid to aim big and go after those enterprise customers. Your product's value isn't diminished by the size of the customer - if anything, it's amplified. #EnterpriseSales #B2BSales #StartupGrowth #SalesStrategy #TechStartup #BusinessDevelopment #SalesSuccess #Fortune500 

14

1 Comment