FounderMail 13th Edition: The Power of a Startup's Unique Worldview
👋 Hey there! I’m Ilan. This is FounderMail, your monthly dose of startup insights that helps founders hire top talent, raise capital, and stay informed. Normal Views? Not here, and not in your startup. Ready? Let’s go!
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Unstacked Startups is building a community of tech founders, early employees, leaders, and VCs uncovering the 'secret sauce' to startup growth. We want to share the insights with you through real conversations on our podcast (subscribe on YouTube or Spotify) live events, and our newsletter FounderMail.
In This Edition:
Shower Thoughts: Unique Worldview into Startup Superpower
What’s Got Our Attention
Unstacked Podcast: Andre Charoo, Founder and GP at Maple Ventures
The MVP Play with Srikrishnan Ganesan, Founder & CEO of Rocketlane
Shower Thoughts
Soak up insights from our network’s top investors, founders and tech influencers.
“Of all the things you could be doing, why this?” - how many times have you heard this? Like a superhero’s origin story, your answer should be your startup’s secret sauce—the quirky worldview that makes you, well, you. (Cape and tights are optional).
Think Airbnb crashing the hotel party or Clubhouse making social media sound like an exclusive backstage pass. When you own your unique vision, you’re not just building a company; you’re rallying a movement, attracting top talent and loyal users. Wield your power well!
TL;DR: A unique worldview doesn’t just set you apart; it turns customers, employees, and investors into true believers and champions of your vision.
What’s Got Our Attention
The latest startup news and research you can’t afford to miss.
Unstacked Startups Podcast Recap
Check out our favorite insights from a recent episode of the Unstacked Startups Podcast. Every episode, Unstacked host, Ilan Saks, chats with startup founders, early employees, leaders, and VCs to uncover the 'secret sauce' of startup growth.
Andre Charoo
In this episode of the Unstacked Startups podcast, Andre Charoo, Founder and General Partner of Maple Ventures, shares his journey from being one of the first employees at Uber to founding Maple.
In both entrepreneurship and venture capital, the qualities of ambition, insight, and innovation have a large impact on future successes.
Ambition → It is the fuel that propels entrepreneurs forward, especially in the face of challenges and uncertainties.
Insight → The ability to perceive opportunities and challenges in ways that others cannot. This unique view of the world is what sets successful entrepreneurs apart from the rest.
Innovation → The mechanism through which ambition and insight manifest in tangible outcomes.
So while each individually are important, it’s how they interact with each other that makes for a truly successful outcome.
The MVP Play
Unlocking the playbooks of startup MVPs, one question at a time.
Checking into the game? For this edition, we chatted with the CEO & Co-Founder of Rocketlane, Srikrishnan Ganesan.
MOTIVATION
Why are you building Rocketlane and what’s the driving force behind your willingness to endure the challenges of founding a startup?
Rocketlane is my second venture as a founder (with the same two co-founders). Our previous venture was acquired by Freshworks (FRSH), and we scaled rapidly in our 4.5yrs there. We want to experience a high momentum journey again and bring a new set of people along to build a world class team, product, and business.
Building a company for the second time feels less stressful and more joyful, especially when playing the long game.
VENTURE
What advice do you have for founders to ensure a good fit between them and potential VC partners?
The best partnerships come when there is mutual respect, shared beliefs, and alignment.
Shared beliefs are challenging but possible when everyone has access to the same research and inputs; share your sources or use clear written memos to align. In areas where there are diverging ideas or views, make your decision framework clear.
PEOPLE
How do you identify truly bar-raising talent?
Start by asking folks about the best colleagues they’ve worked with and why. "Always be recruiting", so you have a good pool of people who want to work with you when you need to hire.
I also look for candidates that:
1) Can teach me something in the interview.
3) Are constantly learning and evolving into a better version of themselves.
4) Have done something to try and be world class in their function.
The PLAY
Unstacked’s cheat code for early stage founders.
The best founders think about their future team, and are always recruiting.
Build relationships early, and sell your unique worldview, to create a pipeline of top talent ready when you need them.
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