Nick Fusco’s Post

How can investors learn how to spot a tech unicorn like Ring? And how can you tell the difference between what's truly good and what's too good to be true? M13 Co-founder and Partner Carter Reum spoke with Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi about finding success in calculated investments, spotting liars in business, AI in the labor force, being a thoughtful investor, and more. Here are some of our favorite takeaways: What is Carter’s equation for how to make a company work? You need a vision, you need to recruit a world class team, and you need to execute. For founders – “Having the ability to wake up and innovate is not a right, it’s a privilege.” “Our philosophy at M13 is that for every investor, we have three times as many full time operators to help our founders. Because we’re former operators, I can talk to a founder and quickly distill down how to accelerate their business, or remove a roadblock.” “You don't need to be an expert in everything, you just need to know an expert in everything.” The technology of AI is amazing, but we need to be thinking more about the implications of it. At M13, we view AI as a horizontal technology – we invest in the future of work, commerce, health, and money – including companies like Pietra and Carenostics. “Building companies is hard so the biggest rule at M13 is to be a good human being…If it’s not a hell yeah, it’s a hell no.” Tune in to the full episode at https://lnkd.in/eXns5ete cc: John Tejada, Rachael Lewis-Krisky, Alex Frangeskides

2005: Sam Altman founded Loopt at the age of 19, and was acquired for $43 million by Green Dot. 2014: He became the president of Y Combinator to train founders.  2015: He founded Open AI, which may become the world's 1st private company with a $1tn valuation. I've spent 50+ hours researching his blog and interviews and here are 5 things he believes makes really great founders special: #1: “I always figure it out” and “I never give up” Everyone thinks that what really matters is how smart they are, or their domain expertise, or their network. But it really is this kind of personality trait. The spirit is the most important factor, Altman thinks, in successful founders. #2 Focus, self-belief, personal connections If you are a startup founder, you have to ask yourself these questions : - Do I have a relentless focus? - Do I actually believe that this is possible?  - Am I able to recruit and retain a world-class team?  - Will I be able to raise money? The ability to form these personal connections is super important. #3 Clear vision, thought, and communication The best startup founders are able to very concisely and clearly communicate what they are doing in ~25 words. For example, we built the Timepass app to have 100+ one touch and addictive games in one platform so that our users can blow off some quick steam.   This is important because you should be able to communicate your brand’s message to users, investors and your audience. #4 Ability to attract people to work on the company Your company is nothing without its people. You need an exciting vision and you need to be good at communication and personal relationships. #5 Ability to get a huge amount of work done themselves The best founders just get a huge amount of work done themselves. So in the early days especially, you kind of have to do everything and there’s a lot to do. And so having focus and maniacal productivity is really important. Hope this helps you out 😊

Want to know a trick for evaluating startup talent? In a recent conversation with Mo Al Adham, Founder and CEO at Frec I asked him how he identifies great people. He states: “I look for people that are outstanding in their field and can add value in another domain. Think of a designer who can double as a front-end engineer, an engineer who’s a great content writer, or a marketer who can do great branding design.” In the era of AI, this multidisciplinary approach is more possible and valuable than ever before. All founders should consider hiring talent that not just fulfills a job description, but does much more. Feel free to check out more insights from Mo in our recent edition of FounderMail below and subscribe for free! https://lnkd.in/gq-p7EuV

I was speaking to an ex-colleague from Joe Hukum a few days ago, and she was worried about starting up. She felt this isn’t the time to launch a startup because of the funding winter. To be honest, I believe these are the best times to create a startup. This is a period when investors are seeking sustainable growth and solid fundamentals instead of just chasing numbers. Moreover, when resources are scarce, it often leads to more thoughtful planning, emphasizing sustainable business models and unique ideas. The last year has, of course, been quite tight in terms of funding, and many startups, including ours, have significantly reduced spending. However, this also presented us with the opportunity to work on innovative products—one of them being InterviewPro. We launched it recently without hiring a new team for the AI product. Our existing team stepped up to the challenge, and we didn't spend a fortune promoting it. Already, we have started seeing organic growth for InterviewPro. So if you are worried about the current scenario, I encourage you to adopt an optimistic outlook instead of a pessimistic one. Take advantage of the situation and create something that you truly believe in. These challenges may very well be the catalysts that drive you toward success. #ai #funding

2021 was about 🚀, 2022 was crying CEOs, and 2023 was AI. So what's the defining LinkedIn post format of 2023? 😢 I think 2024 is the year of the "RIP" post. More startups that were able to cut burn and survive until now are hitting the end of the road as capital remains scarce. ✍️ Ever since I've opened up LinkedIn for this year, I've seen a significant number of founders sharing the news that they have closed their companies. ❓My question is what those founders will do next (after a very well-deserved break!). Found again? Become operators? Go into corporates? What I am sure of is that their experiences will make European tech even stronger. From my column in our daily flagship today / Sign up here for more EUropean tech news: https://lnkd.in/ezKJ-4H7

Tell the story only you can tell. That's how you cut through the noise and stand out. It will feel scary at first because there will be plenty of no's. That's because the story only you can tell is meant to be a filter and a magnet. Push away those people who aren't right for your journey. Attract the people who see what you see. I've never been more excited as Potential AI is here to make this possible. Every founder has their story. Now we can craft them and release them out into the world. Think of how special the startup world becomes when every founder knows their story and shares it with the world. Unleashing the artist inside the founder. When this happens people will feel your words and be moved by them. Some Monday morning inspiration for you from this clip. #storytelling #capitalraising #venturecapital #growthcapital

Karl Chan is the founder of Sourcy, an AI-powered sourcing platform that helps businesses discover and source products at the lowest price, in the shortest time, with the least hassle. Sourcy is backed by Black Kite Capital, Foxmont Capital Partners, Kaya Founders, and Seedstars. Oh, and they were also recently featured in Forbes Asia 100 to Watch! 👋🏼 How would you explain your job to someone outside tech? I am just like a basketball coach managing a team of talented players with three main responsibilities:  - establishing a game plan and communicating that to everyone - elevating the team members to perform at their best - getting all the logistics in order to ensure the players can focus on their performance on the court 🏆 What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far? Being a solo founder is a lonely journey, and it makes each pat on the back all the more cherished. It was a recognition of all the hard work and late nights that the team has put in! 🔍 What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year? Generative AI—it has the potential to transform all industries and create trillions of dollars of value! 💼 What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry?  I'd encourage all entrepreneurs to have a bias for action and remember perfect is the enemy of great. 🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show?  Oppenheimer. 🍨 What's your go-to ice cream flavor? Double chocolate. We've edited this interview for length and clarity. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g7iZXzAj This is Ice Breakers, where we feature amazing founders, execs, operators, and VCs from our community. 🍨 📰 Want the latest news in SEA tech? Subscribe for free at: www.BackScoop.com.

Walk the Talk with Spiking CEO - Dr. Clemen Chiang (PhD, MBA)! #WalkTheTalk with founders - to uncover insights and spark impactful actions. Yesterday, I had a great session with Clemen, founder of Spiking. I was incredibly pleased to see “Trade GPT”, a new feature added to the Spiking Platform is gaining great traction, smashing a 6-figure contract in less than a quarter. When I reflected further on our walk, there were three key points that particularly resonated with me: 1. Harnessing Collective Wisdom: Using data to uncover the "knowledge file" of customers – insights behind all investment themes, it reflects their needs to tap into the collective experiences and insights an organization has gained. In Spiking’s context, this could involve analyzing data from customer interactions, feedback, and behaviours to enhance decision-making processes. 2. Role and Potential of GenAI: The question about what generative AI solves is pivotal in the tech startup landscape. Spiking, like many other startups, uses it in data-driven investment strategies, to uncover hidden patterns or predictive insights in financial markets. 3. Collaboration through Product Partnership: The idea of collaborating through product partnerships aligns with his entrepreneurial journey and the growth trajectory of Spiking. It suggests a strategy where collaboration isn't just about sharing resources or knowledge but actually co-creating products that benefit the end users. This approach also enables him to partner with us (Huawei Spark) and gain the resources, networking and strategies for success. #WalkTheTalk #Founder #Mentorship #Coaching

Robbie Crabtree, deep tech storytelling is an art as much as it is a science. It's about painting a picture so vivid, investors can't help but see themselves in it. Remember, investors are wary of another Theranos debacle, where promises outpaced reality. The key? Make your story as tangible as the technology itself. A survey by Silicon Valley Bank found that clarity and vision in storytelling were critical for 40% of investors when deciding on early-stage investments. Your deep tech might be about quantum computing or AI, but your story should be about solving real-world problems, one believable step at a time. Think of it as building a bridge between the world as it is and the world as it could be, with your technology as the foundation. Let's not just talk tech; let's talk transformation. #DeepTechStorytelling #InvestInVision #TechWithPurpose

Going from 0 views to 1,151 profile views in 7 months 🎉. Good enough for me. Sharing the growth I’ve experienced on LinkedIn since I embarked on my startup founder journey with Afforai. 🌟 As you can see from the graph, my profile views have been steadily increasing since April, coinciding with the official founding of Afforai. However, there are two significant peaks that I want to highlight: 1️⃣ July 12: This was a monumental day for Afforai as we launched on Product Hunt. The support and engagement we received from the Product Hunt community were truly overwhelming. It was a humbling experience to see our vision resonate with so many people. 🙏 2️⃣ August 24: On this day, I proudly announced that Afforai welcomed our first institutional investor, Sputnik ATX VC. We are excited to have them on board as we continue to grow and make a positive impact in the world of AI. 🌍 I’ve learned some valuable lessons that I’d like to share with you: 🔹Consistency is key: By consistently posting and sharing about my startup founder journey, I was able to increase my visibility and attract a wider audience. 🔹Leverage your network: Building meaningful connections and engaging with others in your industry can have a significant impact on your profile views. 🔹Celebrate milestones and reflect on your losses: Sharing your milestones and especially what you learned from your failures allow you to express gratitude but also helps to build credibility and excitement around your journey. If you have any questions about my journey or would like to connect, feel free to reach out! I’m always here to support and learn from fellow entrepreneurs. Let’s grow together!