Scott Weinert’s Post

Build More Than Just Code: Unlocking the True Value of Relationships in Tech Startups In the fast-paced world of technology, hard work and long hours are often seen as the primary drivers of success. However, the real key might lie in the foundational relationships cultivated along the way. From Airbnb's Brian Chesky, who emphasized the need for relentless dedication to relationship-building, to Greg Hong, whose partnerships were integral to his company's achievements, it's clear that early relationships can significantly influence a startup's trajectory. Whether it's early users who champion your product like Dropbox's adopters, or the talent that propels your vision forward, these connections can become the most influential ambassadors and pivotal elements of your business ecosystem. 🤝 As we continue to innovate and grow, let’s remember: the relationships we foster in the early days of our journey are as crucial as the technology we develop. Let's build and leverage our network to uncover the infinite value and the lasting impact it can bring. Subscribe to FounderMail today to read more! https://lnkd.in/gMSBkegD #TechStartups #BusinessGrowth #Networking #StartupSuccess #RelationshipBuilding

This week Sarah van Hellenberg Hubar-Fisher and myself chat with Jason Foster.  Jason is currently the CEO of Oribiotech and was one of the founding team at Indivior. This is a master class in hyper scaling to IPO while keeping the culture. Growing from 5 people to 400 people in 4 years on the way to a $1b in revenue business. Highlights 05:32 The Driving Force to IPO 08:48 Culture is what happens between team building sessions 18:05 Angel investing and getting back in the hot seat 19:49 How come I haven’t heard about a cure for cancer? 20:52 The 10m seed round 21:14 I really wasn’t looking for a job 22:03 5000 health tech opportunities 25:19 Building the company you always wanted to work for 27:03 You can’t let talent dilute 28:31 Taking money off the table 31:10 You’re taking their money they get a say 32:24 Why you don’t want value add investors 38:15 Firing like Moneyball 40:38 Not a question I have been asked before 42:27 Apple wrapping a ecosystem around hardware 45:44 Are Apple’s best days behind it? 48:07 Jason the athlete! 51:52 Can big companies innovate? Listen here on  Youtube https://lnkd.in/epc_bwUh  Spotify https://lnkd.in/eqdJru5h

Founders (and advisors!) - great resource alert 🔔 Expectation alignment is key to a great advisor/founder relationship - this sets out a strong framework. 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

Great conversation with Nate Bek of Ascend (btw, stoked for Founder's Bash this week too) ☔🔥☔ Advisors can truly make a difference for founders navigating the complexities of growth and scaling, but only if they're founder focused.

Talk to any startup expert about building the next Silicon Valley, and they’ll often point to one key element: a strong pipeline of seasoned advisors. For those in big tech or engineering roles outside the startup ecosystem, breaking into advisory roles can be challenging — there can be broad gaps between the networks of people who’ve spent their careers in companies that have already scaled, and those of serial entrepreneurs and startup founders. They might have questions about how to meet founders, best ways to pitch themselves, or even how much money to ask for. We’ve created a FAQ for big tech professionals interested in upholding the region’s robust mentor network. We gathered insights from both seasoned and emerging advisors. We’ll start with the equity question, the rest is linked in comments. Thank you for the help Taylor Black, Jim Alkove, Aseem Datar, David Pitman, and many others.

Today is someone very special's birthday. The one and only JaaS, "Skippah", Zen CEO, and so much more --- Jason Kraus. Me being me, I sent him work stuff this morning until I checked the Slack and realized the error of my ways. Are you perhaps wondering how you can wish Jason a very happy birthday? Of course you are 😉 I have several suggestions: 1.) Support the great work he does at Prepare 4 VC, where our mission is to prepare and empower ventures as they catalyze their ideas, breakthrough their problems, and venture forth towards the success they seek. 2.) Support the great work he does at Boston New Technology, helping the crew deal with my shenanigans but also effectively running things like he always has: with organizing finesse and one of the friendliest leadership styles around. His jokes are, by and far, the whole enchilada compared to my...not so whole enchilada? We can taco 'bout that reference. 3.) Techstars Startup Weekend Boston -- where Jason is part of the organizing team and is all set to keep things fun, balanced, and memorable. Buy your tickets today to see Jason in person on April 26th-28th, connecting all the dots and making spirits bright. ...4? Yes, 4. For once, I'd like to be serious. I met Jason many years ago, and made one of the best decisions of my life by talking to him. I've done a lot of things in the startup world, made a lot of mistakes but also had the best of times. Jason is a great boss, a great colleague, and one of my dearest friends. Thanks for everything Cap. P.S: I was so excited to write this I've pretty much had to edit the whole thing multiple times. Everything except the meme....I got that right the first time.

One for the future founders --> Attracting VCs by going into Stealth Mode 👻 When I started out in VC, I thought founders who quit their jobs and went into stealth mode were either buying themselves time to build or were avoiding broadcasting their product, overstating the risk of being copied. Or maybe, they knew it was one of the most effective ways to attract VCs pre-launch. In VC it's often a race to reach interesting founders. Sometimes, you can be too late even before the founders have officially launched anything—no name, website, or product...nothing. It feels like more and more, I am seeing founders come out of stealth at the same time they are announcing their pre-seed round. Since this has become the trend, you're pretty much not doing your job as a VC if you aren't reaching out to founders in stealth. Thus, VCs have figured it out by setting up monitoring to track founders. The logic could look something like: "If the person was previously working at Spotify, Klarna, Facebook, or Google and is currently in Stealth Mode, send me a notification." Probably the easiest way to get VCs knocking on your door.

Do you have “work” people you can be totally, 100% honest with? I’m lucky that I do: it’s my Kindred Capital VC Founders’ Forum, and it’s hard to explain the power of it to someone that hasn’t been part of something similar. Every six weeks, we get together to share what’s going on in our work life, our family life and inside ourselves. We are totally honest and have absolute faith in each others’ confidentiality. Then we focus on just one person’s biggest problem and on helping them solve it. The problems can be anything from difficult colleagues to wrestling with your own sense of identity. We’re not the most diverse bunch, I’m sorry to say. (though, sadly, we probably do reflect the demography of startup founders funded in ~2016). But what we do bring is years of knowing each others’ stories and a shared commitment to help. Some of us (me included) no longer lead the startups we founded. But the group is stronger than ever. I recently set up something similar with a small group of fellow senior leaders in TfL. Because a problem shared can, literally, be a problem halved.

It’s wild to think that 4.5 years ago I was struggling in tech sales Burnt out working for sell-at-all-costs startups... I struggled to stay motivated within toxic cultures. With leadership willing to sacrifice employees for unicorn status Led by bosses who cared only about their bank account (and their image within the company) And constantly chasing more money or a better title before I’d let myself feel fulfilled & happy. → Now I’m out of corporate → Figuring it out as I go → Growing a business → Doing what I love Creating a new type of freedom. And working with amazing, inspiring men. I dropped what others expected of me and the expectations I put on myself. I stopped trying to check all the boxes society says to check I stopped trying to do things “the right way” And started trusting my gut. This is the power of the inner game. And the power that comes from facing your fears head-on. You begin to live in alignment. To live with more confidence. To live from a place of calm. To have more clarity. But we gotta do the inner work. This resonate or no? 🖤 PS My next cohort is starting in the next 3 weeks. DM me “ascend” to learn more about working together. (pic capturing 1 of 8 rainbows I saw Monday at Hanalei Bay)

Shout out to my mate Neil Wittensleger here who changed the future of two Tech companies this week by leading them through Hiring Two Mission critical roles in Engineering and Product. Both these companies are on the cusp of their next big move but the only way they're going to get there is with the Talent to contribute to their products. These hires Neil makes directly impact the future of companies at this size and scale. I watch Neil bite off these seemingly impossible tasks, expertly guide these founders through how they're going to get the best of the best and then he delivers all the way through to their Day 1 and beyond. Big week for Neil, but not out of the ordinary for him either. Startups talk about competitive edge - product features don't make up for having the best and brightest talent in the team. For Neil's clients - he is their competitive edge because he builds winning teams.