Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="7f8dc05578df0836ddfb8bbec6bfec25bf0062d360dbdbe5bf3bfa2bd67b" Subject: =?UTF-8?q?=F0=9F=A7=A0_Community_Wisdom:_How_to_encourage_engineers_to_us?= =?UTF-8?q?e_AI_more,_best_sales_CRMs_for_early-stage_startups,_knowing_?= =?UTF-8?q?=E2=80=A6?= From: Lenny's Newsletter To: Hidden Recipient Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2025 16:01:30 +0000 X-Hiring: We are hiring, reach out at header-hacker@emailshot.io X-EmailShot-Signature: A-iv_5QPf0MdevQJrSjUXCTyduGlGXS1hTHqBedfINvk9_vUC2Y05WGYMa0mAdm6XfWFgg0S8xGlyMS6gbj8ww== --7f8dc05578df0836ddfb8bbec6bfec25bf0062d360dbdbe5bf3bfa2bd67b Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable View this post on the web at https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/community-w= isdom-how-to-encourage =F0=9F=91=8B Hello and welcome to this week=E2=80=99s edition of =E2=9C=A8 = Community Wisdom =E2=9C=A8 a subscriber-only email, delivered every Saturda= y, highlighting the most helpful conversations in our members-only Slack co= mmunity [ https://substack.com/redirect/a5534ffd-33dc-4f06-8e5d-014b4c95f83= 8?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]. A big thank-you to this month=E2=80=99s community sponsor, Merge [ https://= substack.com/redirect/dd2af339-b2ae-4d7d-9274-666054f02ea6?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dm= eXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]! Merge makes integrat= ing with your customers=E2=80=99 software vendors easy. Add hundreds of int= egrations to your B2B SaaS products, with unified APIs for file storage, ti= cketing, CRM, ATS, HRIS, and accounting. AI companies love Merge because it= delivers instant, secure access to clean customer data that powers their s= olutions. Stop wasting countless engineering hours staying ahead of breakin= g API changes and digging through a backlog of integration support tickets.= Merge [ https://substack.com/redirect/dd2af339-b2ae-4d7d-9274-666054f02ea6= ?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] hand= les the full integration lifecycle so you can focus on what matters most: b= uilding your core product! =E2=9C=A8 Upcoming community meetups =E2=9C=A8 Upcoming community-organized meetups=E2=80=94click the city name to RSVP: Madrid [ https://substack.com/redirect/fd6abc1d-ea0f-4dd3-9dcb-004a868f1720= ?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]. Apr= il 29th. Thanks to @Giulia Camargo [ https://substack.com/redirect/00ee1ea6= -009e-4913-822c-20ff6a23fd87?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN= 48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]! Sacramento [ https://substack.com/redirect/53aeabad-28f8-479b-a948-7a7e5d79= abaf?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ].= April 30th. Thanks to @Michelle C [ https://substack.com/redirect/f3cc8237= -36a8-44d3-afe0-f19ded29b161?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN= 48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]! Amsterdam (Product Led Summit) [ https://substack.com/redirect/2e03af6a-736= 2-4c55-9087-b96e68d353de?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_j= CfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]. May 13th. Thanks to @Adriana Mosnoi [ https://substack= =2Ecom/redirect/70d98feb-f012-47f2-968= a-9e90ded5f0d5?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.= xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ], @Catherine Tang [ https://su= bstack.com/redirect/09c6f77b-d4d0-416d-b222-f8899e646b30?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeX= ZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ], @Niek van der Zwaag [ = https://substack.com/redirect/fe5501ce-fe52-47a4-a0e7-a6c7d4e9b1e5?j=3DeyJ1= IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ], @Ruslan Doro= nichev [ https://substack.com/redirect/d5a449dd-4f8f-4fd5-a672-e872f796592c= ?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ], and= Laura! Connecticut [ https://substack.com/redirect/4033902e-c38a-477f-a27a-87e1f0e= d2a60?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]= =2E May 15th. Thanks to @Amrita Jha [ h= ttps://substack.com/redirect/688415dd-= 03fc-4a86-8322-84624fe6ea8c?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN4= 8_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] ! Lisbon [ https://substack.com/redirect/586831ec-eed3-4ae6-bc42-37cca48cbfcc= ?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]. May= 7th. Thanks to @Gabriela Naumnik [ https://substack.com/redirect/bcd7fd01-= 2dbe-48f4-8301-8d17775ef505?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN4= 8_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]! San Diego (Finovate Spring) [ https://substack.com/redirect/507e2ac0-0c53-4= 42a-88bb-f91f5a1cdcb3?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfg= M3m0rbAsF0l24U ]. May 9th. Santa Cruz [ https://substack.com/redirect/f04fbfb4-8814-4ce6-a8c3-b66bdb8e= 31f6?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ].= May 14th. Thanks to @Patrick Mottram [ https://substack.com/redirect/d49e4= f6e-32e7-4ca4-b126-3adecac14161?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-= jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]! Sydney [ https://substack.com/redirect/b918c6ec-c3c2-4d58-9f13-6bfcecd0f784= ?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]. May= 8th. Thanks to @Katie Jolly [ https://substack.com/redirect/30dc15b3-96f8-= 4b32-a057-05f1b2bb86aa?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCf= gM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]! Tokyo [ https://substack.com/redirect/ce73cef3-c692-4dc5-ae0b-e039af9a2d8b?= j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]. May = 14th. Thanks to @Tomo [ https://substack.com/redirect/a5ad9d73-ffb6-4049-b7= c1-7b43ff77d222?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rb= AsF0l24U ]! Toronto [ https://substack.com/redirect/b68dedd4-e9f6-4b2d-b9bc-8c72cdd227a= d?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]. Ma= y 14th. Thanks to @Raf V. [ https://substack.com/redirect/bcbd2d3e-9133-4ee= 3-9f6c-8ae4b2d13868?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3= m0rbAsF0l24U ]! Can=E2=80=99t find your city and want to host one? Just DM @Riya in our Sla= ck. It takes 10 minutes (i.e. pick a date and location), and you get to mee= t awesome people from our community. Learn more here [ https://substack.com= /redirect/957e6dc3-10a0-447d-9f89-d0dc9757b3c2?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76= uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]. =F0=9F=8E=99=EF=B8=8F New podcast episodes this week Building a magical AI code editor used by over 1 million developers in four= months: The untold story of Windsurf | Varun Mohan (co-founder and CEO): Y= ouTube [ https://substack.com/redirect/2b130ff2-87c2-499f-805c-9ba0d0876d6b= ?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] // A= pple [ https://substack.com/redirect/0c42d425-8fb9-4d80-bd0f-a756a3f23ce0?j= =3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] // Spo= tify [ https://substack.com/redirect/95c2c3d8-269b-40cb-8c0e-8706dae717ec?j= =3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] Gumroad CEO=E2=80=99s playbook to 40x his team=E2=80=99s productivity with = v0, Cursor, and Devin | Sahil Lavingia: YouTube [ https://substack.com/redi= rect/4a3944ee-6772-4f57-b8a0-5c85861bcb60?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObq= ArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] // Spotify [ https://substack.com/redi= rect/7f6eda99-cad9-4a5a-bb0a-d4d0230d97ca?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObq= ArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] // Apple [ https://substack.com/redire= ct/04a0a6c2-2034-4d1f-b4c6-b8d1c3fbb37b?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqAr= DfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] =F0=9F=92=A5 Top threads this week 1. Encouraging engineers to use AI more=20 Q: Has anyone had success getting engineers onboard with Cursor etc. when t= here is hesitancy? =E2=86=97=EF=B8=8F [ https://substack.com/redirect/17692= f53-5902-4d9d-89fc-58d763aa9dcf?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-= jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] =E2=80=94Noah Tutak Steve W: We faced this in our organization. We ultimately signed up for tea= m accounts on both Cursor and Windsurf and said, this isn=E2=80=99t optiona= l, choose which one you would like. The ones who were hesitant with Cursor = actually adopted and love Windsurf. It=E2=80=99s kinda a pain managing two = separate tools, but my team really likes the options. Rachel Hechter: We had a little bit of this in our org, where the engineers= felt pressured to adopt these tools, but since the =E2=80=9Cmandate=E2=80= =9D wasn=E2=80=99t coming from them, it didn=E2=80=99t go very well. Why ar= e they hesitant? Noah Tutak: I think that is part of it, some is just resistance to change. Steve W: Yeah, I agree with @Rachel Hechter. We have an awesome team lead, = but he was one of the ones dragging his feet on Cursor. These are some of t= he things that got us over the hill: I built a fully functional application as a non-developer 100% using prompt= s. I showed it to him and explained that if I can do something like this as= a non-dev, imagine what he could do. I tasked him with building a new integration on a product he=E2=80=99s neve= r worked on (totally unfamiliar codebase). I suggested that AI would be hel= pful since he doesn=E2=80=99t know this codebase. Have someone who is already using it do a demo to show how useful it is. Those things were enough to get him to use it. Now he is on board and pushi= ng it for the rest of our team. Rachel Hechter: One thing we did that led to some good outcomes was to host= an =E2=80=9CAI exploration session=E2=80=9D between product and dev, where= each person was asked to share something AI-related for 10-15 minutes as a= =E2=80=9Cshow and tell.=E2=80=9D It could be something fun or something th= at might actually apply to their work. This was actually what ended up spur= ring the devs to adopt Cursor across the team. It was also just really fun.= There=E2=80=99s so much out there that it was cool for everyone just to se= e some different tools and play around a little with no real =E2=80=9Coutco= me=E2=80=9D other than exploration. Nicolay Gerold: As a quick prelude: I run an AI agency, I have worked on LL= Ms since 2019, and was among the first 1,000 devs using Cursor. I think mak= ing Cursor the default editor for engineers isn=E2=80=99t the right choice.= Usually an engineer uses a single editor and he is really sensitive to it.= Most good engineers optimize the shit out of it. Now that Windsurf, Copilo= t, Cursor are converging to feature parity, I am not sure whether I would p= ush any of those. With the money moving into the space, nearly every code e= ditor will have plugins or native AI integrations. Also, we have to think a= bout the different types of tasks. Only a minority of my day is writing cod= e. A lot of it is reviewing code, even more deciding how to solve a problem= or figuring out how to integrate a new solution into the existing tech sta= ck. All of these are tasks where AI does not excel. AI sucks at anything th= at crosses the boundaries in terms of tech stack. Then you have to consider= your company codebase. Cursor and Windsurf often create more friction than= value when you work with large, monolithic codebases, legacy systems, or n= ewer libraries. I use Neovim and Cursor as my daily drivers, but I am incre= asingly unhappy with the =E2=80=9Cagent mode=E2=80=9D that is being pushed.= It is not considering best practices, it introduces a lot of bugs/uses the= wrong libraries, it is taking much longer because it always takes at least= 5 steps, and, down the road, I will need longer to debug issues, because I= do not know the code as well as if I had written it from scratch. So at th= e moment I am mostly using Claude Code/Codex and Neovim. And I get way more= done than in Cursor. Writing code has never been the bottleneck; the real = challenge is understanding what to solve, how to solve it, and how to integ= rate the solution. I am not sure whether Cursor will do that for every engi= neer. If you have an engineer who is productive in Emacs, let him be in Ema= cs. You should encourage them to use the new tools, but in a way that allow= s them the muscle memory and experience they have built up in their coding = environment. Adam Rice: As a very senior software engineer with a quarter century of exp= erience, my honest opinion is these tools aren=E2=80=99t ready and produce = trash code. If you=E2=80=99re only building a throwaway project/prototype, = they=E2=80=99re probably very good. On something you hope to exist for many= years, you should seriously consider the potential that you=E2=80=99re gai= ning results now at the expense of being completely blocked by tech debt in= the future. In one case, I thought I=E2=80=99d see if Cursor could help me= fix a small edge case in a 10-line method. It turned it into a 170-line me= thod. Sure, the code worked (after maybe 6 revisions), but there was no way= we could maintain that code into the future. If you are getting pushback f= rom senior staff, I suspect it=E2=80=99s because they know that this tradeo= ff leads to future disaster and they don=E2=80=99t want to have to clean up= the mess of short-term thinking. I use GitHub Copilot, but only for code c= ompletion. It now has similar features to Cursor and Windsurf, but it can= =E2=80=99t fix the underlying models. Just code completion is a huge produc= tivity win, and there is a free version now. Adam Rice: I run a meetup, and tonight someone was telling us about how the= y love Windsurf. In the same discussion, however, they also told a story of= someone losing all their Docker containers by trusting the code. They demo= ed Windsurf and never managed to get the code to work; it was a maze of err= ors. If you want to get developers to use AI, you need to understand the re= sistance. If we just accidentally delete a production environment, that can= be an all-nighter at best and a fireable offence at worst. If you=E2=80=99= re not considering those implications, they=E2=80=99ll never follow you. 2. Best sales CRMs for early-stage startups=20 Q: Anybody have recommendations for a sales CRM for a very early-stage star= tup? =E2=86=97=EF=B8=8F [ https://substack.com/redirect/4389e437-f973-4afd-= 8e47-4f6476c1e692?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0= rbAsF0l24U ] =E2=80=94Kaustubh Vongole Evan Goldin: I=E2=80=99ve liked Front quite a lot. Great blended email and = SMS support. Works seamlessly with Google Workspace. Pretty affordable, and= I think they have special startup deals. Kaustubh Vongole: Thanks, Evan! Have you tried HubSpot at all? I=E2=80=99ve= had experience with it at previous roles but am now finding it to be ... e= xpensive. LX Cast: I keep hearing people say they like Clay, but I never got into it.= You could, at this point, probably roll your own with Airtable, a template= , and a few prompts Kaustubh Vongole: From what I=E2=80=99ve read, it seems like Clay is really= meant to just hook up to your existing CRM? In terms of Airtable + templat= es, I probably can, but we=E2=80=99ve got so many things going on, I=E2=80= =99d rather spend as little time as possible maintaining a CRM. Evan Goldin: @Kaustubh Vongole [ https://substack.com/redirect/ea870205-1ff= 1-463e-a301-d540ad5bc477?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_j= CfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ], are you trying to set up a sales CRM? Or support CRM? = Very different needs, so would be good to clarify. Krishna AG: Started with Zoho=E2=80=94still with Zoho after 10 years. Kaustubh Vongole: @Evan Goldin [ https://substack.com/redirect/3e3db0d1-e2a= c-4ceb-851e-f570d4f9fe10?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_j= CfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ], sales! Evan Goldin: Ah, sorry, I was thinking support. HubSpot is a great early sa= les CRM. Sophia O=E2=80=99Neal: Hi Kaustubh, I just did some research on this! Here=E2=80=99s the spreadsheet (CRMs for Small SaaS Startups [ https://subs= tack.com/redirect/8071de5e-3aa1-4fb5-b434-8c30f1ad45ba?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZt= In0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]) I have with the programs= I found, ranked (I=E2=80=99m not a huge HubSpot fan, since it=E2=80=99s so= expensive) My methodology [ https://substack.com/redirect/35cf741a-269a-4b8a-b8f1-d976= 7973a17e?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24= U ] for choosing one And the TLDR on how to set it up so you don=E2=80=99t hate it (if you=E2=80= =99re not a sales peep): super-clear fields a schedule for when you=E2=80=99ll check it and act on the reminders (if yo= u=E2=80=99re wearing multiple hats, it=E2=80=99s super-easy to forget) mapping your migration in advance so it=E2=80=99s super-smooth Let me know if you have any questions! I=E2=80=99ve set up quite a few for = very early-stage startups. Carla: I can recommend HubSpot. Changing CRMs is a big job, so it=E2=80=99s= best to start with the tool you can grow with. They also have very good se= rvice. They are happy to help you with anything and they have special start= -up discounts. Tsvetan: Sheets haha. James Lewis: Nobody=E2=80=99s mentioned Attio [ https://substack.com/redire= ct/9236b8d5-4d11-4340-a29a-0994dc3502a0?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqAr= DfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] yet. We use it=E2=80=94simple to get sta= rted but can be flexible and powerful! 3. Knowing your company=E2=80=99s exit strategy=20 Q: How does a rank-and-file IC figure out if their 13-year-old company has = a solid exit strategy or not? So far, I=E2=80=99ve only seen the CEO=E2=80= =99s directive to =E2=80=9Cincrease revenue so we meet board targets=E2=80= =9D and a hint towards 2027 as the year =E2=80=9Csomething happens.=E2=80= =9D For those in leadership roles, what are some examples you=E2=80=99ve se= en of a decent exit strategy? Is that shared more transparently with the re= st of the company? =E2=86=97=EF=B8=8F [ https://substack.com/redirect/9c5c3= 4c0-cdc2-404c-bac7-62d247b9a0be?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-= jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] Daniel Bartholomae [ https://substack.com/redirect/0b492348-37bd-40bc-8e08-= 0d400ad2ca66?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF= 0l24U ]: I don=E2=80=99t think that it is possible to get a good grasp on t= his without the information access that only management has. The best you c= an do is look at core financials: revenues, profit, and growth of these met= rics. For a SaaS company, the rule of 40 is a good rule of thumb=E2=80=94bu= t by far not enough information to get a good grasp on overall chances of a= n exit. Miroslav Pavelek: Moves like this often aren=E2=80=99t shared transparently= =E2=80=94even within management=E2=80=94especially in uncertain environment= s. Krishna AG: Sharing it also is a very dangerous thing, since it can go eith= er way ... the only scenario where they can share it is if they are plannin= g on going public, and with that, too, only a timeframe. Surely no one can = say, I will sell my startup to someone in 2-3 years=E2=80=94because the mom= ent you try to =E2=80=9Csell,=E2=80=9D the value drops. Core metrics are cr= ucial=E2=80=94like Daniel mentioned, if you have an independent path withou= t any exit, that multiplies the chances of a good exit. David Jorjani [ https://substack.com/redirect/b2c5b6cd-fac7-4082-bc2b-14a72= 8abef41?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U= ]: Why do you need to know? The only common reason I have seen over the ye= ars is if the IC wants to leave and decide on options. Beyond that, it=E2= =80=99s not worth the mental energy to find answers. If that=E2=80=99s not = your case, don=E2=80=99t expect or seek to know. If it is, you=E2=80=99ll n= eed to make a bet with what you know. Joshua Herzig-Marx: Your CEO is signaling pretty hard that they don=E2=80= =99t want to share! If there is some way to ask the question anonymously at= an all-hands, you might consider that. Or you could ask your CEO directly = in a non-confrontational (or private) way. You can, and should, also ask yo= ur manager. In terms of what I=E2=80=99ve seen: my experience is mostly ver= y early-stage companies, and I=E2=80=99ve generally seen CEOs share their b= oard decks (and have encouraged that). I=E2=80=99m very much on team transp= arency. Derrek: I recommend focusing on a different set of questions. What is the c= ompany=E2=80=99s strategy for growth? How ambitious are the goals? Does the= strategy resonate with you as being a good strategy that will win and work= ? Is it clear how you can contribute? If these things are fuzzy to you and = your colleagues even after you made a concerted effort to understand them a= nd have conversations with leadership, then the hard truth might be that th= e company does not have a strategy. If they don=E2=80=99t, then the exit pl= ans do not matter all that much. If they do have a clear strategy for growt= h, then focus on that and trust that in the future you=E2=80=99ll have an o= pportunity to benefit from it. Akos Tolnai [ https://substack.com/redirect/f8db4e7e-3b8a-435b-b5b5-2fa850e= 2a944?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ]= : It=E2=80=99s always on a need-to-know basis. You can have an idea about t= he goals and metrics they would like to reach, but rarely the timeline if t= hey do their job right. 4. Finding your first investors Q: How do you get in front of the 50-100 investors, or whatever large numbe= r you need, for pre-seed funding rounds to get out of the gate? A friend and colleague with a medtech startup younger than my climate-tech = one did a massive round of pitches (and did well!). Left me wondering how o= ne lines up so many of these? Is it just the ol=E2=80=99 research, emails, = networks, outreach, and info decks? Any other strategies? =E2=86=97=EF=B8= =8F [ https://substack.com/redirect/e9b86080-5da1-4b15-8016-1f4f80fdf4f3?j= =3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] =E2=80=94Allie Shenkin [ https://substack.com/redirect/e2c2fca2-0011-4e94-9= 70c-0ecf8afb004e?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0r= bAsF0l24U ] Krishna AG: The networking, relationship building starts much earlier, with= at least 3-5 reputed investors that are your first choice. The more the be= tter; this needs one of two things=E2=80=94someone with a high reputation w= ho can make intros (we had an industry expert as an advisor who VCs consult= ed with. Don=E2=80=99t entertain people who=E2=80=99ll make intros only; no= t as useful) or networking through startup events, friends in your circle w= ho they=E2=80=99ve funded (this is very powerful), etc. Then, when you=E2= =80=99re ready to pull the trigger, the groundwork that=E2=80=99s done befo= re helps line up a lot of meetings in a relatively short time. Verdi: This is the key ^. If you start talking to investors when you want t= he money, you are already too late, from how the game is played. Ideally, c= onnect early and build thin relationships ahead of time, so when you are in= active fundraise 3-6 months later: You=E2=80=99re not a net-new company they need to evaluate from scratch whe= n you send an email You have a lot of investor meetings condensed together, which puts FOMO and= pressure on the cohort to act quickly, therefore driving up your =E2=80=9C= investor demand=E2=80=9D Krishna AG: As @Verdi [ https://substack.com/redirect/1dcbe7a8-c779-4d2e-b9= 7c-2aaba368cc7f?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rb= AsF0l24U ] touched upon, the adage goes: Ask for money, they give you advic= e. You ask for advice, they give you money. Gleb Curly: Investors are like seagulls. It is an all-pass or all-in game. = If you=E2=80=99ve offered something interesting, you will be attacked from = all sides. And they have their own network, so you just need to find the fi= rst who are serious. =F0=9F=A4=93 Top finds AI Horseless Carriages | koomen.dev [ https://substack.com/redirect/b11ab57= 5-1124-483a-a7bb-4a8fe7599dd6?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jn= N48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] via Rishi Practical AI for Product People [ https://substack.com/redirect/f3025139-8a= b8-4c40-8cbe-f50264535e0a?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_= jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] via Ruby Anaya Leading from the Front [ https://substack.com/redirect/4421bd90-f8ff-475d-8= 95c-92bb7bdc4885?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0r= bAsF0l24U ] via Kevin Holland Epic Systems (MyChart) | Acquired Podcast [ https://substack.com/redirect/f= 70c76d2-51a2-4348-b40c-bd0e4a88980d?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP8= 22j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] via Kevin Holland Why you probably have a low-leverage career (and how to create more leverag= e)=E2=80=94The Way of Work [ https://substack.com/redirect/cfe9a131-8aa8-4e= 47-ae2d-352044f132f7?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM= 3m0rbAsF0l24U ] via Barun Most Consumer Software Doesn=E2=80=99t Fail on Product. It Fails on Monetiz= ation. [ https://substack.com/redirect/200bb4f6-0d42-4169-a1be-f4fc1da5e112= ?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] via = Joshua Herzig-Marx =F0=9F=98=82 Meme of the week Have a fulfilling and productive week =F0=9F=99=8F If anyone in your life would benefit from this newsletter or community, con= sider giving them a=E2=80=8B =E2=80=8Bg=E2=80=8Bi=E2=80=8Bf=E2=80=8Bt subsc= ription =F0=9F=92=9E There are group discounts [ https://substack.com/redir= ect/58b6cbe2-b0cf-433e-b6d7-d88d5a3e0eca?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqA= rDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ], gift options [ https://substack.com/re= direct/d5bc41dc-362d-4f47-b22d-a0f6bb5b9336?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFO= bqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ], and referral bonuses [ https://subs= tack.com/redirect/626f89a2-e014-4341-93b1-93d52b4736d1?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZt= In0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U ] available. Sincerely, Kiyani =F0=9F=91=8B Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVubnl= zbmV3c2xldHRlci5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSW= pveU1Ea3dNVGMwTWpZc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTJNakV5T0RVNU9Dd2lhV0YwSWpveE56UTFOa= md6TnpNMkxDSmxlSEFpT2pFM056Y3lNVGszTXpZc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHhNRGcwTlNJc0lu= TjFZaUk2SW1ScGMyRmliR1ZmWlcxaGFXd2lmUS5JOWpqYVlRZXNFaEVqYzNDeUtXbzdEbDZlczh= FU0dIc21HNGtqVkdfcGFBIiwicCI6MTYyMTI4NTk4LCJzIjoxMDg0NSwiZiI6ZmFsc2UsInUiOj= IwOTAxNzQyNiwiaWF0IjoxNzQ1NjgzNzM2LCJleHAiOjE3NDgyNzU3MzYsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0wI= iwic3ViIjoibGluay1yZWRpcmVjdCJ9.K9YA1aW2ccuBGWlA_eznmNOBMrUrl4mkF1bOLFfc6hY= ? --7f8dc05578df0836ddfb8bbec6bfec25bf0062d360dbdbe5bf3bfa2bd67b Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable 🧠 Community Wisdom: How t= o encourage engineers to use AI more, best sales CRMs for early-stage start= ups, knowing your company's exit strategy, finding your first investors, an= d more
Community Wisdom 230
<= div class=3D"preview" style=3D"display:none;font-size:1px;color:#333333;lin= e-height:1px;max-height:0px;max-width:0px;opacity:0;overflow:hidden;">͏= ;     ­͏     ­͏     &#= 173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &= #8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏=     ­͏     ­͏     = 73;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &#= 8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ =     ­͏     ­͏     = 3;͏     ­͏     ­͏   = 199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &= nbsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ;͏     ­͏     ­͏   Q= 99; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &n= bsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ͏     ­͏     ­͏   ̳= 9; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &nb= sp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­&= #847;     ­͏     ­͏    = ; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &nbs= p;   ­͏     ­͏     ­&#= 847;     ­͏     ­͏    = ­͏     ­͏     ­͏  = ;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= 47;     ­͏     ­͏     = ­͏     ­͏     ­͏  =   ­͏     ­͏     ­T= 7;     ­͏     ­͏     &= #173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   =   ­͏     ­͏     ­͏= ;     ­͏     ­͏     &#= 173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &= #8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏=     ­͏     ­͏     = 73;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &#= 8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ =     ­͏     ­͏     = 3;͏     ­͏     ­͏   = 199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &= nbsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ;͏     ­͏     ­͏   Q= 99; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &n= bsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ͏     ­͏     ­͏   ̳= 9; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &nb= sp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­&= #847;     ­͏     ­͏    = ; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &nbs= p;   ­͏     ­͏     ­&#= 847;     ­͏     ­͏    = ­͏     ­͏     ­͏  = ;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= 47;     ­͏     ­͏     = ­͏     ­͏     ­͏  =   ­͏     ­͏     ­T= 7;     ­͏     ­͏     &= #173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   =   ­͏     ­͏     ­͏= ;     ­͏     ­͏     &#= 173;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &= #8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏=     ­͏     ­͏     = 73;͏     ­͏     ­͏   &#= 8199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ =     ­͏     ­͏     = 3;͏     ­͏     ­͏   = 199; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &= nbsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ;͏     ­͏     ­͏   Q= 99; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &n= bsp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­= ͏     ­͏     ­͏   ̳= 9; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &nb= sp;   ­͏     ­͏     ­&= #847;     ­͏     ­͏    = ; ­͏     ­͏     ­͏ &nbs= p;   ­͏     ­<= td class=3D"content" align=3D"left" width=3D"408" style=3D"text-align: cent= er;">3D""
Kiyani
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👋 Hello an= d welcome to this week’s edition of ✨ Community= Wisdom ✨ a subscriber-only email, delivered every Sa= turday, highlighting the most helpful conversations in our members-only Slac= k community.

<= figure style=3D"width: 100%;margin: 0 auto;">
3D""

A big thank-you to this mont= h’s community sponsor, Merge! Merge makes int= egrating with your customers’ software vendors easy. Add hundreds of = integrations to your B2B SaaS products, with unified APIs for file storage,= ticketing, CRM, ATS, HRIS, and accounting. AI companies love Merge because= it delivers instant, secure access to clean customer data that powers thei= r solutions. Stop wasting countless engineering hours staying ahead of brea= king API changes and digging through a backlog of integration support ticke= ts. Merge handles the full integration lifecycle so= you can focus on what matters most: building your core product!

Ϫ= 4; Upcoming community meetups ✨

Upcoming community-= organized meetups—click the city name to RSVP:

  • Amsterdam (Product Led Summit). May 13th. Tha= nks to @Adriana Mosnoi, @Catherine Tang, @Niek van der Zwaag, @Ruslan Doronichev, and Laura!

    =

  • Connecticut. May 15th. Thanks to @Amrita Jha !

  • Lisbon. May 7th.= Thanks to @Gabriela Naumnik!

  • San Diego (Finovate Spring). Ma= y 9th.

  • Santa= Cruz. May 14th. Thanks to @Patrick Mottram!

  • <= p style=3D"color: rgb(54,55,55);line-height: 26px;margin-bottom: 0;box-sizi= ng: border-box;padding-left: 4px;font-size: 16px;margin: 0;">Sydney. May 8th. Thanks to @Katie Jolly!

  • Tokyo. May 14th= =2E Thanks to @Tomo!

  • Toronto. May 14th. Thanks to @Raf V.!

    • Can’t find your city and = want to host one? Just DM @Riya in our Slack. It takes 10 minutes (i.e. pic= k a date and location), and you get to meet awesome people from our communi= ty. Learn more here.

    🎙️ New podcast episodes this week=

    Building a magical AI code editor used by over 1 = million developers in four months: The untold story of Windsurf | Varun Moh= an (co-founder and CEO): YouTube // Apple // Spoti= fy

    Gumroad CEO&= #8217;s playbook to 40x his team’s productivity with v0, Cursor, and = Devin | Sahil Lavingia: YouTube // Spotify // = App= le

    💥 Top threads this week

    1. Enco= uraging engineers to use AI more

    <= strong>Q: Has anyone had success getting engineers onboard with Curso= r etc. when there is hesitancy? ↗️

    —Noah Tutak

    Steve W: We faced this in our organization. We= ultimately signed up for team accounts on both Cursor and Windsurf and sai= d, this isn’t optional, choose which one you would like. The ones who= were hesitant with Cursor actually adopted and love Windsurf. It’s k= inda a pain managing two separate tools, but my team really likes the optio= ns.

    Rachel Hechter: We had a = little bit of this in our org, where the engineers felt pressured to adopt = these tools, but since the “mandate” wasn’t coming from t= hem, it didn’t go very well. Why are they hesitant?

    Noah Tutak: I think that is part of it, some i= s just resistance to change.

    Steve W: Yeah, I agree with @Rachel Hechter. We have an awesome team lead, = but he was one of the ones dragging his feet on Cursor. These are some of t= he things that got us over the hill:

    • =

      I built a ful= ly functional application as a non-developer 100% using prompts. I showed i= t to him and explained that if I can do something like this as a non-dev, i= magine what he could do.

    • I tasked him with building a new integration on a product he’= s never worked on (totally unfamiliar codebase). I suggested that AI would = be helpful since he doesn’t know this codebase.

    • Have someone who is already using it d= o a demo to show how useful it is.

    Those things w= ere enough to get him to use it. Now he is on board and pushing it for the = rest of our team.

    Rachel Hechter: On= e thing we did that led to some good outcomes was to host an “AI expl= oration session” between product and dev, where each person was asked= to share something AI-related for 10-15 minutes as a “show and tell.= ” It could be something fun or something that might actually apply to= their work. This was actually what ended up spurring the devs to adopt Cur= sor across the team. It was also just really fun. There’s so much out= there that it was cool for everyone just to see some different tools and p= lay around a little with no real “outcome” other than explorati= on.

    Nicolay Gerold: As a quic= k prelude: I run an AI agency, I have worked on LLMs since 2019, and was am= ong the first 1,000 devs using Cursor. I think making Cursor the default ed= itor for engineers isn’t the right choice. Usually an engineer uses a= single editor and he is really sensitive to it. Most good engineers optimi= ze the shit out of it. Now that Windsurf, Copilot, Cursor are converging to= feature parity, I am not sure whether I would push any of those. With the = money moving into the space, nearly every code editor will have plugins or = native AI integrations. Also, we have to think about the different types of= tasks. Only a minority of my day is writing code. A lot of it is reviewing= code, even more deciding how to solve a problem or figuring out how to int= egrate a new solution into the existing tech stack. All of these are tasks = where AI does not excel. AI sucks at anything that crosses the boundaries i= n terms of tech stack. Then you have to consider your company codebase. Cur= sor and Windsurf often create more friction than value when you work with l= arge, monolithic codebases, legacy systems, or newer libraries. I use Neovi= m and Cursor as my daily drivers, but I am increasingly unhappy with the &#= 8220;agent mode” that is being pushed. It is not considering best pra= ctices, it introduces a lot of bugs/uses the wrong libraries, it is taking = much longer because it always takes at least 5 steps, and, down the road, I= will need longer to debug issues, because I do not know the code as well a= s if I had written it from scratch. So at the moment I am mostly using Clau= de Code/Codex and Neovim. And I get way more done than in Cursor. Writing c= ode has never been the bottleneck; the real challenge is understanding what= to solve, how to solve it, and how to integrate the solution. I am not sur= e whether Cursor will do that for every engineer. If you have an engineer w= ho is productive in Emacs, let him be in Emacs. You should encourage them t= o use the new tools, but in a way that allows them the muscle memory and ex= perience they have built up in their coding environment.

    Adam Rice: As a very senior software engineer w= ith a quarter century of experience, my honest opinion is these tools aren&= #8217;t ready and produce trash code. If you’re only building a throw= away project/prototype, they’re probably very good. On something you = hope to exist for many years, you should seriously consider the potential t= hat you’re gaining results now at the expense of being completely blo= cked by tech debt in the future. In one case, I thought I’d see if Cu= rsor could help me fix a small edge case in a 10-line method. It turned it = into a 170-line method. Sure, the code worked (after maybe 6 revisions), bu= t there was no way we could maintain that code into the future. If you are = getting pushback from senior staff, I suspect it’s because they know = that this tradeoff leads to future disaster and they don’t want to ha= ve to clean up the mess of short-term thinking. I use GitHub Copilot, but o= nly for code completion. It now has similar features to Cursor and Windsurf= , but it can’t fix the underlying models. Just code completion is a h= uge productivity win, and there is a free version now.

    Adam Rice: I run a meetup, and tonight someone = was telling us about how they love Windsurf. In the same discussion, howeve= r, they also told a story of someone losing all their Docker containers by = trusting the code. They demoed Windsurf and never managed to get the code t= o work; it was a maze of errors. If you want to get developers to use AI, y= ou need to understand the resistance. If we just accidentally delete a prod= uction environment, that can be an all-nighter at best and a fireable offen= ce at worst. If you’re not considering those implications, they’= ;ll never follow you.

    2. Best sales CRMs for early-stage startup= s

    Q: Anybody have re= commendations for a sales CRM for a very early-stage startup? ↗️= ;

    —Kaustubh Vo= ngole

    Evan Goldin: I’ve liked Front quite a lot. Great blended email and SMS suppor= t. Works seamlessly with Google Workspace. Pretty affordable, and I think t= hey have special startup deals.

    Kaustubh Von= gole: Thanks, Evan! Have you tried HubSpot at all? I’v= e had experience with it at previous roles but am now finding it to be ... = expensive.

    LX Cast: I keep he= aring people say they like Clay, but I never got into it. You could, at thi= s point, probably roll your own with Airtable, a template, and a few prompt= s

    Kaustubh Vongole: From what= I’ve read, it seems like Clay is really meant to just hook up to you= r existing CRM? In terms of Airtable + templates, I probably can= , but we’ve got so many things going on, I’d rather = spend as little time as possible maintaining a CRM.

    = Evan Goldin: @Kaustubh Vongole, are you trying to set up a= sales CRM? Or support CRM? Very different needs, so would be good to clari= fy.

    Krishna AG: Started with = Zoho—still with Zoho after 10 years.

    K= austubh Vongole: @Evan Goldin, sales!

    Evan Goldin: Ah, sorry, I was thinking support. HubSpot i= s a great early sales CRM.

    Sophia O’Ne= al: Hi Kaustubh, I just did some research on this!

    • Here’s the spreadsheet (CRMs for Small SaaS Startu= ps) I have with the programs I found, ranked (I’m not a hug= e HubSpot fan, since it’s so expensive)

    • My methodology for choosing one<= /p>

    • And the = TLDR on how to set it up so you don’t hate it (if you’re not a = sales peep):

      • super-clear fields

      • a schedule for when you’ll check it = and act on the reminders (if you’re wearing multiple hats, it’s= super-easy to forget)

      • mapping your migration in advance so it’s super-smooth

        • =

    Let me know if you have any questions! I’= ve set up quite a few for very early-stage startups.

    Carla: I can recommend HubSpot. Changing CRMs is a big job= , so it’s best to start with the tool you can grow with. They also ha= ve very good service. They are happy to help you with anything and they hav= e special start-up discounts.

    Tsvetan: Sheets haha.

    James Lewis:= Nobody’s mentioned Attio yet. We use it—simple to= get started but can be flexible and powerful!

    3. Knowing your = company’s exit strategy

    Q: How does a rank-and-file IC figure out if their 13-year-old co= mpany has a solid exit strategy or not? So far, I’ve only seen the CE= O’s directive to “increase revenue so we meet board targetsR= 21; and a hint towards 2027 as the year “something happens.” Fo= r those in leadership roles, what are some examples you’ve seen of a = decent exit strategy? Is that shared more transparently with the rest of th= e company? ↗️

    <= a href=3D"https://substack.com/redirect/0b492348-37bd-40bc-8e08-0d400ad2ca6= 6?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U" rel= =3D"" style=3D"color: rgb(54,55,55);text-decoration: underline;">Daniel Bar= tholomae: I don’t think that it is po= ssible to get a good grasp on this without the information access that only= management has. The best you can do is look at core financials: revenues, = profit, and growth of these metrics. For a SaaS company, the rule of 40 is = a good rule of thumb—but by far not enough information to get a good = grasp on overall chances of an exit.

    Mirosla= v Pavelek: Moves like this often aren’t shared transpa= rently—even within management—especially in uncertain environme= nts.

    Krishna AG: Sharing it a= lso is a very dangerous thing, since it can go either way ... the only scen= ario where they can share it is if they are planning on going public, and w= ith that, too, only a timeframe. Surely no one can say, I will sell my star= tup to someone in 2-3 years—because the moment you try to “sell= ,” the value drops. Core metrics are crucial—like Daniel mentio= ned, if you have an independent path without any exit, that multiplies the = chances of a good exit.

    David Jorjani: Why do you need to know? The only common reason I have see= n over the years is if the IC wants to leave and decide on options. Beyond = that, it’s not worth the mental energy to find answers. If that’= ;s not your case, don’t expect or seek to know. If it is, you’l= l need to make a bet with what you know.

    Jos= hua Herzig-Marx: Your CEO is signaling pretty hard that they= don’t want to share! If there is some way to ask the question anonym= ously at an all-hands, you might consider that. Or you could ask your CEO d= irectly in a non-confrontational (or private) way. You can, and should, als= o ask your manager. In terms of what I’ve seen: my experience is most= ly very early-stage companies, and I’ve generally seen CEOs share the= ir board decks (and have encouraged that). I’m very much on team tran= sparency.

    Derrek: I recommend= focusing on a different set of questions. What is the company’s stra= tegy for growth? How ambitious are the goals? Does the strategy resonate wi= th you as being a good strategy that will win and work? Is it clear how you= can contribute? If these things are fuzzy to you and your colleagues even = after you made a concerted effort to understand them and have conversations= with leadership, then the hard truth might be that the company does not ha= ve a strategy. If they don’t, then the exit plans do not matter all t= hat much. If they do have a clear strategy for growth, then focus on that a= nd trust that in the future you’ll have an opportunity to benefit fro= m it.

    Akos Tolnai: It&= #8217;s always on a need-to-know basis. You can have an idea about the goal= s and metrics they would like to reach, but rarely the timeline if they do = their job right.

    4. Finding your first investors

    Q: How do you get in front of the 50-100 i= nvestors, or whatever large number you need, for pre-seed funding rounds to= get out of the gate?

    A friend and colleague with a medtech startup younger than my climate-t= ech one did a massive round of pitches (and did well!). Left me wondering h= ow one lines up so many of these? Is it just the ol’ research, emails= , networks, outreach, and info decks? Any other strategies? ↗️

    —<= a href=3D"https://substack.com/redirect/e2c2fca2-0011-4e94-970c-0ecf8afb004= e?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U" rel= =3D"" style=3D"color: rgb(54,55,55);text-decoration: underline;">Allie Shen= kin

    Krishna AG:<= span> The networking, relationship building starts much earlier, with at le= ast 3-5 reputed investors that are your first choice. The more the better; = this needs one of two things—someone with a high reputation who can m= ake intros (we had an industry expert as an advisor who VCs consulted with.= Don’t entertain people who’ll make intros only; not as useful)= or networking through startup events, friends in your circle who they̵= 7;ve funded (this is very powerful), etc. Then, when you’re ready to = pull the trigger, the groundwork that’s done before helps line up a l= ot of meetings in a relatively short time.

    V= erdi: This is the key ^. If you start talking to investors w= hen you want the money, you are already too late, from how the game is play= ed. Ideally, connect early and build thin relationships ahead of time, so w= hen you are in active fundraise 3-6 months later:

    • = You’re not a net-new company they need to evaluate from scratch when = you send an email

    • You have a lot of investor meetings condensed together, which puts FOMO an= d pressure on the cohort to act quickly, therefore driving up your “i= nvestor demand”

    Krishna AG: As @Verdi touched upon, the adage goes: Ask for money, they = give you advice. You ask for advice, they give you money.

    Gleb Curly: Investors are like seagulls. It is= an all-pass or all-in game. If you’ve offered something interesting,= you will be attacked from all sides. And they have their own network, so y= ou just need to find the first who are serious.

    🤓 Top finds<= /h1>

    1. = AI Horsele= ss Carriages | koomen.dev via Rishi

    2. Practical AI for Product People via Ruby Anaya

    3. Leading from the Front= via Kevin Holland

    4. <= a href=3D"https://substack.com/redirect/f70c76d2-51a2-4348-b40c-bd0e4a88980= d?j=3DeyJ1IjoiM2dmeXZtIn0.xu76uFObqArDfP822j-jnN48_jCfgM3m0rbAsF0l24U" rel= =3D"" style=3D"color: rgb(54,55,55);text-decoration: underline;">Epic Syste= ms (MyChart) | Acquired Podcast via Kevin Holland=

    5. Why you probably have a low-leverage career (= and how to create more leverage)—The Way of Work via Barun<= /span>

    6. Most Consumer Software Doesn&#= 8217;t Fail on Product. It Fails on Monetization. via Joshua Herz= ig-Marx

    😂 Meme of the week

    Via Gary Yau Chan: To product managers, reminder sometimes: Stay off LinkedIn.

    Have a fulfilling and productive= week 🙏

    <= hr style=3D"margin: 32px 0;padding: 0;height: 1px;background: #e6e6e6;borde= r: none;">

    If anyone in your life would ben= efit from this newsletter or community, consider giving them a​ ̴= 3;g​i​f​t subscription 💞 There are group discounts, gift options, and referral bonuses available.

    = Sincerely,

    Kiyani 👋

    Invite your friends and earn rewards

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