Muhammad Saad Zaheer’s Post

A new way of investing in the mutual success of our Seed Stage clients! #startupgrind #startupinnovation #startupinvesting #softwaredevelopment #nearshoredevelopment

Diana Hu is one of the most down-to-earth, humble, and earnest individuals I've ever met. Story time: At the end of an office hours session that felt like an eternity, where my co-founder and I were vehemently disagreeing about what to do next, Diana asked us a simple question: "Are you proud of what you've built?" That single question changed our startup's trajectory for good. YC's motto is "build something people want" and at the time we had built a product that had a high retention rate, but was a product that we weren't proud of. Diana could have steered us with common startup wisdom about growth, iteration, PMF, etc. but she didn't. She met us where we were, as a fellow builder, and isolated the problem at hand. We weren't happy, and we didn't know it. We were so focused on scaling a thing we didn't believe in, that we struggled to even agree on next steps. Two weeks later we launched a new product, and it was an immediate hit. YC isn't a community of operators, managers, or consultants. YC is a community of builders. Welcome home Diana.

Mark Zuckerberg: “You can’t 80/20 everything” Mark offers the following advice to the YC Startup School audience: “In the projects you work on, you will have a lot of similar questions. There’s the famous 80/20 rule where you get 80% of the benefit by doing 20% of the work, but you can’t just 80/20 everything. There have to be certain things that you are just the best at and that you go way further than anyone else on to establish this quality bar and have your product be the best thing that’s out there.”

First-time startup founders face a range of challenges—from product development mistakes to funding missteps. Without the right advice or experience, the risks are high—and the costs, both financial and operational, can derail their journey. Have you faced any of these challenges? #startupadvice #founderchallenges #productstrategy #fundraisingtips

We’re returning to the age of the leaner seed startup. The average company raises a seed round with 5 people on payroll – the same as in 2019. That's ~2 fewer people than in 2021, according to Carta. At Kyber Knight Capital, we’ve noticed this trend when meeting with founding teams. One contributing factor is undoubtedly GenAI-assisted software development. It’s easier to do more with less. We’re seeing teams use AI companions to accelerate time to market, sprint velocity and overall productivity. Within these smaller teams, I’m also encouraged to see more focus on GTM. I’ve previously written about how distribution is paramount and that as many as 4 in 5 employees should be GTM-focused at the early stages. Seed-stage companies are increasingly prioritizing roles that help drive revenue and forge partnerships. No matter the size of your team, harnessing the power of AI and distribution is key. #VC #venturecapital #SiliconValley #fundraising

Do not trade your labor for equity in a startup. Always get cash. If you want equity, make sure that the founder is of stable mind. And additionally, you can use the cash that you were paid to just buy equity. You’ll probably get more that way.

70 questions to help early founders work on their startups👇

Sharing some thoughts from the original thesis for AngelStat, and why I created this platform for angel investors. AngelStat provides investors with aggregate valuation analytics, portfolio performance, document storage and much more. All for $9/month or $90/year.

Check out this blog post from founder Nick C., on why AngelStat was born. In 2019, I began my journey of learning about early-stage investing as a way to enable the next generation of startups. I began investing with a thesis of learning only – investing in early stage companies with great traction, solid business models, capable founding teams, and the right timing. My goal was to invest in a broad set of industries with small investments and learn as much as possible... https://lnkd.in/gnr5Q8UZ

We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Ramp, a financial operations platform helping 25,000+ businesses save time and money. 💳 Managing finances is one of the toughest challenges for startups—but it doesn’t have to be. With Ramp, you can simplify expense management, automate bookkeeping, and streamline bill payments—all while identifying ways to save (on average, startups save 5% annually!). At Partunity, we’re committed to being your all-in-one startup solution. Now, with Ramp by our side, we’re empowering founders with the tools they need to scale smarter and faster. Check it out and see how it can benefit your startup today: https://lnkd.in/eAm4ZHhZ