Robert Glazer

Although female founders are typically in the minority compared to male founders, we do our best to include them for MELT in NY! Allow me to introduce some remarkable and innovative female founders 🙋‍♀️ ☞ Co-Founder & CEO @ Blanka Stage: Seed Blanka is a platform that automates the process of launching a branded beauty line. With high-quality products manufactured in North America and with no minimums or upfront costs, our technology unifies the process of launching a brand - from product selection through order fulfillment. ☞ Founder & CEO @ FemiSpace Co. Stage: Pre-seed AI doctors for women’s health. ☞ CEO / Founder @ Parrot Finance Stage: Seed Copy trading platform. ☞ Founder and CEO @ InstantReplay Stage: Pre-seed The in-store “cookies” for retail. ☞ Founding Product Manager @ Stealth Stage: Seed Payment management with AI. ☞ Founder @ Copy trading consumer investing platform Stage: Seed Copy trading consumer investing platform. ☞ CEO/Founder @ Bonde Stage: Seed Member-only platform to support the advancement of professional women. ☞ Co-founder @ usebeams com Stage: Seed The next-gen productivity and automation platform for meaningful insights and seamless workflows. ☞ CEO/Founder @ LinSha Techworks Stage: Pre-seed We are improving the speed and safety of flanged pipeline maintenance by bolting/unbolting flanges autonomously. ☞ Co-founder @ Poldit Stage: Pre-seed Poldit is a community for sharing knowledge through interactive livestreams and Q&A, aimed at fostering human connections and reducing misinformation. ☞ CEO @ NaviGuide Stage: Pre-seed Equitable AI guidance counselor. ☞ CEO & Founder @ Transformers Academy Stage: Pre-seed AI-Driven LMS that transforms BORING manuals into ready-to-study employee or client courses in minutes. ☞ Co-founder @ Index Network Stage: Pre-seed Index allows you to create truly personalized and autonomous discovery experiences across the web. ☞ Founder and CEO @ TAMMIRA, INC. Stage: Pre-seed An evidence-based livestreamed health, wellness & beauty programming for kids & young women. ☞ Founder and CEO @ Bridgit Health Stage: Pre-seed Centralized AI-enabled social worker platform for hospitals to reduce delay of discharge. ☞ Chief of Staff (Founding Team) @ Mattermore Stage: Pre-seed Mattermore empowers managers with AI, automating 1:1 call data to boost performance, save time, and reduce stress, productivity loss, and turnover. 【💎 VIP Sponsored by】 ​Bradley Kam ​・Founded 2 companies Unstoppable Domains & Talkable ・Raised over $70M ・Unstoppable Domains recently raised $65M in a Series A round led by Pantera Capital, reaching a $1B valuation. Aquibur Rahman ​Founder of Mailmodo, has received funding from Sequoia and is an alum of Y Combinator S21 ​Nathan Stevenson ​CEO and Founder of ForwardLane Inc. has been featured by Forbes, the World Economic Forum, and American Banker Event link 👉 https://lu.ma/ldbfgkez

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Love these high-level takeaways from my due diligence discussion with Cherub today! So many actionable insights for both founders and investors.

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🎉 I am so proud and pumped to be speaking at Demo Day for Cohort 11 of the Conscious Venture Lab on June 25th, 2024, at 6 p.m.! This is not just an event—it's a movement towards a more just, joyous, equitable, and prosperous society, led by some of the most visionary founders around. When Jeff Cherry and I first connected back in 2015, his vision was clear: talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. This resonated deeply with me. Jeff and his incredible team have worked tirelessly to bridge this gap, fostering mission-driven entrepreneurs right here in Baltimore. As a General Partner in Conscious Venture Partners, I’ve had the privilege to witness firsthand the transformative power of business as a force for good. Jeff’s unwavering conviction and relentless pursuit of this vision have been nothing short of inspirational. The theme of this event ties perfectly with my upcoming book, "Who Says." It's all about challenging the status quo and proving that just because someone says you shouldn’t, doesn’t make them right. It’s about believing in the impossible and making it happen. Join us, in collaboration with UpSurge Baltimore's Equitech Tuesday, to celebrate these extraordinary founders and the future of conscious capitalism. With a keynote talk by yours truly, this is an event you won’t want to miss! #ConsciousCapitalism #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #Baltimore #DemoDay #WhoSays

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Wanna see what behind scenes at Pisgah Peaks Ventures ? I see more & more folks going out on there own & wanted to share more about our growth and some lessons. Inspired by Nick Lafferty and his public build. Backstory: I founded PPV after leaving Franny's Farmacy in early 2020 right at beg of COVID lockdowns My wife thought I was nuts I started it with few grand & a laptop. I found one client on Upwork & did some cheap work for a friend who had started a SaaS product. I got testimonials Used those to get a paying client Then another Etc I made literally no money for first 18 ish months. Few hundred bucks here & there My wife had a job with benefits and we made some $ selling a house in a hot market so was able to afford it. I could not have done it without this. Pure facts. Lessons: 1) Don’t niche down right away. You’ll narrow focus too soon & miss out on opportunities IMHO. Learn what you can deliver & how you can make $ doing it 2) Network every day. I used to take ANY (and I mean any lol) networkint call. I spent hundreds and hundreds of hours on random calls. It increases your surface area for luck early on. Take a lot of shots. Most will miss. 3) Don’t over invest in fancy website / logo / CRM / mar tech etc early on. If you’re selling B2B services; people buy YOU not a site. I’ve seen folks close 5-6 fig deals with a google doc. I haven’t updated my site in years 4) Open a biz checking account quickly and expenses everything you can to claim a loss while you can. I see folks co mingling their personal & biz expenses. That’s messy and will cause issues later. 5) Have a cash runway. If you are expecting to replace your income from your old job in first few quarters you’ll most likely be disappointed. You now are paying FICA tax (14.5%) and all other taxes (state & fed). You’re getting no benefits or retirement either. Just assume 50 - 60 cents for every dollar you earn will be not end up in your pocket 6) Grind every day but not all day. Don’t expect to take 2-3 week vacations and maintain momentum. It’s not like the gurus make it seem in their ads or posts. You won’t be posted up on a beach 🏖️ but also remember to give yourself grace and don’t burn yourself out too quickly. 7) Keep notes & build systems once you know your path. I didn’t do this early & am working backwards now. 8) Don’t measure weekly trends or monthly trends. Focus on quarters. You’ll get discouraged if you over analyze. It likely won’t go as fast as you want it to. I’m going on 5 years and last month I netted more than I netted my entire 2nd year doing this biz. We’re on a 7 fig run rate currently 🚀🤯 Keep at it. HMU if you need help

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Do You Have Elderly Parents? If so, you might want to tune into my interview with Nancy Erickson tomorrow at Noon CST. We'll discuss how to care for aging family members, whether it be helping them age in place, seeking senior care, or navigating our increasingly digital world. Let me know what you think. #MastersOfInfluence #SeniorCare #ElderCare

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"I’m a big believer in balance to ensure long-term sustainability. When I created my goals for the year, I made sure to plan within four categories: money (business), fun, personal wellness, and relationships. My high-level goal is to be intentional about each of these categories. This allows me to stay balanced and make sure I’m prioritizing all the critical building blocks of my happiness and health." Read my full interview with Grace N. on the challenges of building a business from scratch, my advice for other women founders, and more! https://lnkd.in/ghmpWMMH

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Entrepreneurs are inherently distinct—they set higher standards for themselves and are driven by the conviction that they can achieve extraordinary feats. This isn't about masochism; it’s about a profound desire for challenge, a passion for building meaningful ventures, and a relentless drive that propels them forward. As Alex Berg, founder of Cratos Equipment, often says, “Sure, you could choose an easier path, but where's the fun in that?” Dubbed "The Tesla of Construction" for its innovative approach, Cratos Equipment is a testament to what modern entrepreneurship can achieve. Interested in gaining deeper insights from Alex Berg himself? Join us for our upcoming podcast where we dive into the world of disruptive entrepreneurship and uncover the drive behind today's innovators. Stay tuned! #EntrepreneurialSpirit #InnovationInConstruction #TechEntrepreneurship #StartupCulture #ChallengeDriven #FutureOfConstruction #DisruptiveInnovation #PodcastAlert #MeetTheFounder #IndustryLeaders

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3 years of pricing lessons at Equals condensed into one blog post. Since starting the company, we've tinkered a lot with pricing and packaging. It's one of the single most impactful levers early stage companies can pull. I think folks *don't* experiment with pricing enough, or take big enough bets when they do. We've tried free. We've tried completely sales led. We've tried not listing pricing on the site. Matt Hodges details all the plans we've had, why, and what we've learned in our latest installment on Wrap Text. https://lnkd.in/ecckEDba

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Your brand is not your logo. 🎨 It's your reputation. 🌟 In today's noisy markets, having a compelling brand narrative is just as critical as having an innovative product. It's what sets you apart, earns trust, and drives growth. Warby Parker built a brand around making high-quality eyewear affordable for everyone. By anchoring their story in this authentic purpose, they've created a mission-driven, customer-centric brand. Craft your brand narrative around: 1️⃣ A clear, authentic purpose 2️⃣ A relatable protagonist (your customer) 3️⃣ A transformative journey 4️⃣ Your unique value prop 5️⃣ An inspiring vision for the future Tell a story that turns customers into fans and advocates. Build an asset that appreciates over time, even as your products change. #branding #startups #marketing

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FOUNDER TIP from Amanda-Jane Thomas, Co-founder of Sip & Sonder What are you asking for this week? Listen to more from Amanda-Jane and the Sip & Sonder Story: https://lnkd.in/eMBT_ZHu  

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New York Tech Week is next week, Let's Connect! My goal: I'm looking to meet founders, VCs, and Angel Investors. Why? I host events bringing together founders so that they can connect with like-minded individuals, talk about growing their companies, and connect each other with great people in their network. - If you're going to any events let me know which ones are a must go. - If you have any dead time during the week and want to do a coffee chat let's connect! - If you're hosting an event let me know which ones. - If you're pitching at any event I'd love to show up and support.

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Are you an entrepreneur, investor, or practitioner interested in the emerging psychedelic space... who wishes to connect with heart-centered community in an inspiring set & setting? And maybe even microdose while attending? 😉 We will host our next two events in the Psychedelic Horizons series, one in Mill Valley and one in Malibu, on June 5 and June 10. Both will be intimate evenings of discussion, connection, and co-creation as we explore the convergence of psychedelics, global systems, and entrepreneurship. Throughout this event series, we're exploring three key themes: ​​1. Going Beyond Resilience: What is the role of going beyond resilience into true transformation by committing to a project, mission, or purpose that benefits others? ​​2. Inspired Living: How can we apply intentional psychedelic work to our everyday lives and live with more inspiration, freedom, creativity, and self-expression? ​​3. Systems Change: What new paradigms of business, health, and medicine do we wish to create at a systemic level? How can conscious entrepreneurship drive these shifts?   You can find tickets for both evenings here: SF: https://lu.ma/lywazaj9 LA: https://lu.ma/562dw7zi If you know of someone who may want to attend, please tag them below.

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Reflecting on Jay Steinfeld's wisdom, I realized most success stories miss these key points: 👉 Customer Obsession 👉 Authentic Leadership 👉 Perseverance in Adversity In a world of flash-in-the-pan successes, Jay's journey is a testament to building with purpose and passion. #StartupSuccess #LeadershipInsights #BlindsDotCom

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Do you understand your ICPs? Had some insightful conversations with early stage founders this week, many of which are piloting products with "freemium" models. These programs are inherently valuable as they create opportunities where they are needed, and where cost may prohibit, and provide data for the company. But, they do not provide: 💵 revenue, because freemium... 📈 adoption, because these users may not commit without skin in the game 🎯 understanding of use cases in paid industries We further discussed their need to understand differing customer personas, and identify their ICP (Ideal Customer Profile). Honing in on who can best benefit from your product and provide benefit back to you the vendor is a lesson in value exchange, and is one which can drive towards the holy grails - ^ARR and 100+ NRR. So, to my founders/leaders/company champions out there, do you know your ICP?? ------- 👋🏽 I’m Parul Bhandari 📊 Customer Success advisor, consultant and CS coach. I help startups and CX teams reduce churn, retain more customers, and drive more value. 🔗 connect with me at in a DM or through my company CustomerXSuccess

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What works for one... ...may or may not work for another. Had dinner with one of my agency partners last night to celebrate a few exciting recent account wins. We talked about the wins... We talked about a few losses... We talked about a few open opps... Something that won them a big exciting account...also lost them another opportunity. TBD how it pans out on a current opp. Being an agency is really really really hard. You do something, and it works. "Holy sh*t, it worked! Let's keep doing that!" you think. So, you do that same thing, again, for a different client/prospect...and it's met with an entirely different reaction. "Holy sh*t, this sucks, lets never do that again!" Damned if you do and damned if you don't. At the end of the day, being a great agency is an exercise in psychology. It's about knowing your audience. It's about figuring out how to resonate with the person/people, you're attempting to win over. You eventually have to do great work, but you've gotta win first, to get to the work. Winning is significantly less about the work, than it is about earning trust and making your prospect comfy. Comfy they can trust you. Comfy they can give you large sums of $$. Comfy you will do what's right. Comfy they can be in the trenches with you. Comfy you'll make them look good. Comfy you'll do a good job. If you're an agency struggling to win new biz lately, stop talking about the work, and start figuring out what makes your prospect tick.

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What separates the founders who successfully activate their network from those who don't? Charles Hudson, Founder and Managing Partner at Precursor Ventures, shared his thoughts this week on the podcast. The key: Being specific and strategic about the help you request. Founders who are easiest to help are the ones who: → Clearly articulate where they need assistance → Focus on high-leverage asks that are crucial to the business For example, if you're trying to build a complex backend system for the first time... — Asking for intros to 2-3 experts who've done it before is a specific, high-impact request On the flip side, if you're just looking for an iOS engineer... — That's something Charles expects a founder to be able to handle on their own. Before reaching out to your network, ask yourself: — Is this an area where their help could provide significant leverage? — Will it help solve a big, meaty problem for the business? If the answer is yes, then it's a worthwhile ask. But if it's something you could easily tackle yourself, think twice before hitting send. By being thoughtful about what you ask for (and why), you make it easy for your network to provide meaningful support. — What's the most impactful help you've received from your startup network? Reply with your answer! For more of Charles' wisdom on leveraging your network, tune into this week's episode of Minimum Viable Podcast, now live at minimumviablepodcast.com

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Pretty darn cool when you see a customer's creator/affiliate partners posting about how clean their Superfiliate landing page is! Brands too often forget about curating the experience a creator has when working with their brand. All these people work with multiple brands - be the one they like working with the most! Why is a partner going to go above and beyond for your brand if you're not going above and beyond for them? You're already spending the money on the partnership, so you might as well get the most out of it! Get to know them Send them a Birthday gift. Make them a landing page (we'll do that for you). Have your founder talk to the creator group. Explain why the company exists and why they should care about partnering with you. Doing the little things can go a long way! At the end of the day, all of this is just people/relationship management.

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Minimalism beautifully promotes intentional living, prioritizing experiences and quality goods over excessive consumerism. But how does that change with kids? 👶 In this video I talk about FOUR ways to live a minimalist lifestyle with kids. Find Part 2 for three more, or watch the full video for all EIGHT ways we do this.

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The Well-Connected #Investor Can Fill Your Gaps One of the crucial lessons I've learned in fundraising is understanding that it’s okay to have gaps in your team during early funding stages. And more importantly, being transparent with investors about these gaps can actually be a strategic advantage. It tells them that part of your funding will be invested in talent that can drive your company's growth. That being said, you don't have to have the perfect person waiting in the wings. Most start-ups flounder when it comes to picking the perfect fill-in-the-blank. Your investors can be instrumental in more than just financial backing—they can also help fill those crucial roles, like a VP of Sales. They know experienced people you may not. And, they have the best interest of the company at heart (it's their money!) There's incredible value in a well-connected investor who believes in your vision and can contribute to your team’s expansion. Lean on them to help you grow. #TeamBuilding #StartupFunding

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