CoFounder Weekly is a newsletter about startup life. Sections: Thought Starters, Crossword Puzzle, Trends, Founder Stuff, Investor Stuff, Asks & Offers, Weekly Thought. This is not your average newsletter (could be better or worse).
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THOUGHT STARTERS
CAPTION CONTEST
Describe this scene in only SIX WORDS. Best caption wins a prize and gets printed in next week’s edition.
FOUNDER STUFF
NFX published a comprehensive guide to network effects, including links and summaries of 31 articles/studies/reports about network effects. Network effects occur when the the value of service becomes more valuable as more users join. Think Uber, Google, or Facebook. According to NFX, companies built on top of network effects have become the dominant players in the digital world, having created 70% of the value in tech over the past two decades. You can find it here.
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By: Greg Kubin
INVESTOR STUFF
Warning: VC may not be right for you. Founder Collective’s Eric Paley explains when you shouldn’t take VC in this fun infographic (LINK). Ironically, people often want what have can’t have.
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How to Choose a Startup to Work For by Thinking Like An Investor by Harj Taggar at Triplebyte (LINK).
Evaluate growth rate over absolute revenue numbers.
The kind of experience that looks good on a resume can be a negative signal for being suited to founding a company. Rising up the ranks at Google might mean you can only thrive in a well-structured environment working on a product with millions of users. However, it may also signal an outlying level of competence and competitiveness.
Do the founders get along (a top cause of startup death is cofounder disputes). Bad sign if it isn’t clear who the CEO is.
Unearth red flags from early hires
Judge the quality of the product but don't always look for a perfect product.
Identify if the startup is in a new market that is growing or a known and large market with existing incumbents. Being first mover in a growing market has advantages since the market pulls the team and product forward. Operating in a large and known market requires stronger team execution, access to capital, and differentiation.
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Notice how our newsletter features lots of articles from VCs? That’s cause they’re all ramping up content marketing to capture founder mindshare. M-A-R-K-E-T-I-N-G.
Here’s a nice thread by Elizabeth Yin about VC marketing. One benefit? It helps them scout opportunities outside of the market they are based in.
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OVERHEARD/FUNNIES
Hit reply and send us your favorite overheards or funnies and we’ll include them in next week’s newsletter!
ASKS & OFFERS
Check out interesting opportunities for founders and future founders here: https://cofounder.threadbase.io/
By: Wisam Abdulla
Weekly Thought
Surprise! We’re sending this week’s newsletter on a FRIDAY.
Why?
1) YOLO
2) We’re curious if open rates are higher during the week since the data suggests so.
3) We’re curious if sending this on a weekday leads to more conversation n’ stuff.
Will it lead to any of these outcomes? Aconf!
What’s aconf?
Aconf is a play on the Argentinian way of saying “a confirmar”, which means to be confirmed — basically, tbd for people who like fun.
Aconf…
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Hugs,
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