I've been chatting to a family friend who has started a business. Doing everything right, IMO He's already at break-even, but has "so many things going on, how do I prioritise??" Clearly stressed. This is what I told him 🧵

Things you absolutely don’t need to launch: - a favicon - unit tests - a logo - an LLC - tax compliance - VAT handling - a merchant of record - terms and conditions - a privacy policy - a copyright notice - a trademark - commit messages - code reviews - code comments - a

Founders do not use fundraising agents to raise your round. #1 role of the CEO is fundraising. Show your outbound sales skills. Do not outsource this. They create a chasm between VC <> Founder. They charge crazy fees. They are unnecessary with the transparency in VC.

My favorite startup strategy: - Talk to customers - Talk to customers - Talk to customers - Talk to customers - Talk to customers

Many of today's billion-dollar companies started as side projects. Here are 11 that will surprise you:

who are the female founders to watch in 2023? will compile answers into a cute website and share here + linkedin + on the z list

What the @#*($&# is product market fit? I've been trying to study PM fit for the last decade. First with my own startup (that never reached PM fit) and then with my < 300 companies I've invested in and the tens of thousands I've reviewed. Here are my thoughts on PM fit:

Speaking of good people doing important things: congratulations @KateKendall and @wealybin on what you’ve achieved this year. Atto’s female founder programs are 99% goodness (may include traces of nuts).

We’ve spent some time reflecting on what Atto has developed throughout 2022. Over on the blog we’ve shared a snapshot of what the team @katekendall & @wealybin have achieved. We're now signing off for 2022! See you in 2023 for a new year & new programs! https://t.co/0euZVvQWoT

We recently wrapped up our forth Atto Accelerator program! In 2022, we had #founders solving problems through technology in relation to health, fashion & sustainability, community, as well as education. Meet the 10 #startups & #femalefounders here: https://t.co/0jJ9cSGVGM

Such a privilege to support these ambitious @attovc #founders to build #startups on their own terms. 🚀 The juggle is real + these women were so dedicated during the #Accelerator. 🌟 Amazing to see founders reach their goals in just a few months! 📈 https://t.co/Zg3XXtiNIa

Just need a landing page to launch a startup, no clue what's stopping you.

A huge thanks to our judges for all your support 🚀 🚜 @knowledgebird - @tractorventures 🏃🏽‍♀️ @fasttrackjudy - @euphemia_invest 🦊 @rneumann6826 - @flyingfoxvc 📢 @SianSimpson - @publicrally_ Meet the 10 Atto Accelerator 2022 #startups: https://t.co/0jJ9cSHtwk

Wrapping up our Atto Accelerator 2022 batch this week. 🚀 We’re so proud of the teams and how far they’ve come. 👏💙 Thanks to our judges for their great questions as usual.

Before you build a startup write down… 1. The customer 2. Their problems 3. Current solutions 4. Your solution 5. Why now 6. Why you The last two are most important. Market timing and founder fit.

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The main reason startups fail is they build something no one wants which can be avoided by just shipping fast and improving with customer feedback.

"Highly recommend these events by Atto. They're intimate online events with fascinating women speakers. Real talk." – Kat from @CopySmiths Join us Wed 2 Nov for Office Hours with Sarah Agboola from @mtimeservices on the realities of building a startup: https://t.co/fKamsChaag

Most of startup advice is horseshit. Here’s a list of foundational articles about building a company:

Startup meme from the archives #37