The VC Corner

Founder

Itnig - Startup Ecosystem

• €15 M pre‑seed & seed VC fund deploying €100 K–250 K checks; lead rounds & co‑invest alongside Tier‑1 investors

• Founded by entrepreneurs; co‑founded/exited startups like SaaS unicorn Factorial and runs Spain’s top entrepreneurship podcast

• Hands‑on support in hiring, fundraising & go‑to‑market strategies

• Leverages experience raising €300 M+ to help startups scale internationally

VC Investor

Mundi Ventures

• Global Venture Capital firm that invests in early and growth stage technology ventures
• Founded in 2015, Mundi has backed 60+ companies, with the long-term goal of helping individuals, businesses, and society manage an increasingly risky world through technology
• Focused on insurtech/insurance-adjacent technology, fintech and retail tech
• Invested in 6 unicorns, including Wefox (Berlin), Bolttech (Singapore), Betterfly (Santiago), or Shift Technology (Paris)
• $500M AUM

Ladorian

• Software development startup (Series A) 
• Data analysis with Business Central & PowerBI. Database management
• Performed in-house reports for investors
• Help to improve and automatise processes with new tools like Document Capture
• Follow up of agreements with vendors and resellers in coordination with the operations team

Finance Data Analyst

Endesa

• Analyzed consumer data in order to improve the economic return of the company decisions
• Used Python for Big Data applications

Energy Consultant

Repsol

• Development of forecasting models with machine learning applied to naphta's trading
• Basics of futures technical analysis

Naphta's Algorithmic Trading

Real Federación de Fútbol de Madrid

• Soccer referee in football base categories. 
• Selected in 2016 to join the “Referee Young Promises” program

Soccer Referee

Venture Capital Investor at Mundi Ventures

I’m an Industrial Engineer turned VC investor with 3+ years of experience backing startups. 

Beyond investing, I’ve built a 230k+ LinkedIn audience of founders and VCs and run two leading newsletters:

▪️The VC Corner (110k+ LinkedIn, 80k+ Substack) – Quick, insightful VC updates and resources

▪️The Founders Corner (30k+ Substack, co-written with Chris Tottman) – Tips & techniques from top founders

Tech didn’t kill the seven deadly sins.

It made them a subscription model:

▫️ Lust → Tinder
▫️ Gluttony → Uber Eats
▫️ Greed → Amazon
▫️ Sloth → Netflix
▫️ Wrath → X
▫️ Envy → Instagram
▫️ Pride → LinkedIn

Silicon Valley didn’t invent human flaws.
It just scaled them, with 99.9% uptime and global distribution.

Tech is no longer just a tool. It’s habit architecture.
Designed to seduce, reward, and repeat.

Build what people love, but know why they love it.

Join 85,000+ founders and VCs who read my newsletter, where I share resources and insights: https://lnkd.in/dScY_5k3

📸credit: Eduardo Ordax

Rubén Domínguez Ibar

Agents are the most valuable skill in AI and product right now. So why not build one?
Here’s how to go from zero to running agent, fast:

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟏: 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁
Set the agent’s role, logic, and constraints.

🧠 Free guides:
• GPT-4.1 Prompting Guide: https://lnkd.in/dt8FxriE
• Anthropic Prompt Engineering: https://lnkd.in/dc-kucif
• Prompting by Google: https://lnkd.in/dEU2Y_9v
• 11 AI Agent Prompting Principles: https://lnkd.in/d8nGFFEC

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟐: 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗟𝗟𝗠
If your framework doesn’t iterate for you (like n8n), use a reasoning-optimized model (e.g. o1-mini).

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟑: 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀
What does your agent need to act? Add:
• Calculators
• APIs & functions
• Integrations
• External data
• MCP servers

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟒: 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆
Let your agent think over time:
• Short-term (last turns, variables)
• Long-term (vector, SQL, graph memory)

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟓: 𝗢𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰
Even agents need a conductor.
• Design reusable flows
• Route coordination across agents (static or dynamic)

🧩 Bonus: AI Agent Architectures with n8n: https://lnkd.in/dnmQ_kP8

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟔: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲
If it's user-facing, you can skip code entirely.
Use tools like Lovable, Bolt, or Firebase.

🔧 How to Create SaaS Without Coding: https://lnkd.in/dDMmF53K

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟕: 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁
Forget generic metrics. Focus on:
• Real-world task accuracy
• Error analysis
• Emergent patterns

📊 Mastering AI Evals (for PMs): https://lnkd.in/dHUFrkVs
🔍 Deep Dive on Error Analysis: https://lnkd.in/d9tZcvVT

Bottom line: Stop theorizing. Start building.

🎁 Bonus resources below: 

• 50 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 for 2025: https://lnkd.in/dy9E-MCn

• 118 𝗔𝗜 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀: Transform Your Business Today: https://lnkd.in/dr9cM5BT

• 2,500+ 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 & 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗦 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀: https://lnkd.in/djjN-TD2

• The 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: How AI Agents Will Reshape Software, Startups, and Work: https://lnkd.in/dadFm25a

• 𝗔𝗜 𝗖𝗼-𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 & 𝗩𝗖 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 in Their Toolbox: https://lnkd.in/dSX3ss2q

Huge shoutout to Paweł Huryn for the great infographic, guides, and resources shared on The Product Compass Newsletter on Substack!

Most startup founders struggle for years to learn what Paul Graham explained in 10 essays.

Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox, Reddit... all shaped by his thinking.

His essays haves defined startups trends for decades.

Still, I keep meeting founders who’ve never read them.

So here’s your shortcut:
The 10 Paul Graham essays every founder should read, curated by Yurii Rebryk 👇

1. Do Things That Don’t Scale
Your first 10 users should feel like clients, not clicks.
https://lnkd.in/dcKYH9M5

2. Startup = Growth
If it’s not growing, it’s not a startup.
https://lnkd.in/djQBDN_8

3. Startup in 13 Sentences
The closest thing to a YC cheat sheet.
https://lnkd.in/dT5JKfzC

4. Founder Mode
What it actually feels like to be a startup founder.
https://lnkd.in/dXmPTcus

5. Be Good
No growth hack beats a product people love.
https://lnkd.in/dB3xThCG

6. Billionaires Build
Talk less, ship more.
https://lnkd.in/dUW4w3RZ

7. The Hardest Lessons for Startups to Learn
The distractions that quietly kill great companies.
https://lnkd.in/d26g2uAf

8. 18 Mistakes That Kill Startups
Avoid these and you're ahead of 90% of teams.
https://lnkd.in/d38XQE4M

9. How to Convince Investors
What to say before you ever send a deck.
https://lnkd.in/dQZkxjjW

10. Ideas for Startups
Curiosity is the seed of every great company.
https://lnkd.in/dSi6QhwV

More resources here: https://lnkd.in/d_NvAM_9

If you’re building, fundraising, or scaling, this is gold.

Save it and share it with any founder that can find it helpful!

Which one changed your thinking the most? 
Which one would you add to the list?

How do VCs decide what your startup is worth? 💰
Here’s the exact Excel model they use, and I’m giving it away: 

This template shows how investors apply the VC Method to value your company, from Seed to Series A and beyond.

▫️ Model every round up to exit
▫️ Adjust revenue, valuation, dilution, returns
▫️ See how ownership shifts across time
▫️ Simulate exit outcomes and IRR

It’s plug-and-play, just drop in your numbers and see how the math plays out.

If you're raising, prepping for it, or just want to think like a VC…

📊 Find it here: https://lnkd.in/dKi2xfnV

🗂 More resources: https://lnkd.in/d_NvAM_9

🚨 Figma’s IPO is official — and the numbers are ridiculous 🤯

Just 2 years ago, Adobe tried to buy them for $20B.

Now Figma’s going public on its own terms, and it's looking stronger than ever.

Here’s what they just revealed:
▫️ $821M in revenue, growing 46% YoY
▫️ $1.5B+ cash, zero debt
▫️ 18% operating margin — yes, profitable
▫️ 91% gross margins
▫️ 132% net dollar retention
▫️ Used by 78% of the Forbes 2000
▫️ 76% of users adopt multiple products

From massive losses to elite SaaS metrics in under 3 years.

Can Figma become the next $50B public company? Would you bet on $FIG?

Join 80,000+ founders and VCs who receive these insights in my weekly newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dScY_5k3

Most founders waste time pitching the wrong investors. VCs generally move slow. 
But family offices? Different game:

They move fast, think long-term, and don’t need a full partnership meeting to say yes.

I’m sharing a curated list of 144 family offices that actually invest in pre-seed startups—real decision-makers, no guesswork.

Who’s in it?
▪️ Investor names & titles – No more pitching analysts who can’t write checks
▪️ Direct LinkedIn profiles – Get straight to their inbox
▪️ Investment focus & industry tags – Find the right fit
▪️ Websites & locations – Skip the middlemen

If you’re fundraising, this could save you weeks of searching 

I've just enabled a trial option so that you can access for free.

Check it out here:
https://lnkd.in/dKCjpW78

By taking the trial or premium subscribtion, you will get also access to all the resources listed here: https://lnkd.in/d_NvAM_9

Most people still think AI agents are just chatbots. They’re not. And learning how they work might be the best move you make this year 👇 

So, what actually is an AI agent?

Take Anthropic’s definition:

“Agents (...) are systems where LLMs dynamically direct their own processes and tool usage, maintaining control over how they accomplish tasks.”

In other words:
▫️ They can think, plan, act, and adapt
▫️ They use tools (code, data, APIs, even other agents)
▫️ They have memory—short and long term
▫️ They learn from previous steps
▫️ And they do most of this autonomously

Some now argue only “Agentic AI” is truly autonomous.
That debate misses the point.

What matters is behavior. And AI agents are already writing code, doing research, debugging pipelines, and building apps—without human micromanagement.

The real unlock?
Multi-agent systems where agents collaborate, reason, and delegate like a small startup team.

Want to build your own?

Here’s your starter kit (zero fluff, just signal):

𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀

• Build Effective Agents (Anthropic) - https://lnkd.in/dtnwnuqb
• Agents Whitepaper (Google) - https://lnkd.in/d7T_mfCT
• GPT-4.1 Prompting Guide - https://lnkd.in/dt8FxriE
• Prompt Engineering (Anthropic) - https://lnkd.in/dc-kucif
• Prompt Engineering (Google) - https://lnkd.in/dEU2Y_9v
• How to Build an Agent (Step-by-Step) - https://lnkd.in/d6Q6nduV

𝗡𝗼-𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀
• RAG Chatbot (Tutorial) - https://lnkd.in/dew--RqD
• AI Voice Agent - https://lnkd.in/dSW6_KiT
• Agent Architectures (n8n) - https://lnkd.in/dnmQ_kP8

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀
• 50 AI Agent Startup Ideas for 2025 - https://lnkd.in/dy9E-MCn
• AI Co-Pilots for Startups & VCs -  https://lnkd.in/dSX3ss2q
• The Agentic Revolution - https://lnkd.in/dadFm25a
• 118 AI Communication Agent Use Cases - https://lnkd.in/dr9cM5BT
• 2,500+ Angel Investors Backing AI Startups - https://lnkd.in/djjN-TD2
• The Ultimate Guide to AI Agents for PMs - https://lnkd.in/dkUrHKP2

If you’re a PM or builder, this is your moment.
Learn to ship with AI agents, or get replaced by someone who can.

Thanks to Paweł Huryn for the amazing visual and inspiration for the post. A must follow!

Curious: are you experimenting with agents already? What’s the biggest blocker you’re seeing?

When Lisa Su took over AMD, they had 20 days of cash left.
Today it’s worth $240 billion.

This might be the most impressive turnaround in tech—ever.

In 2014, AMD was on life support:
◾️ $2B in debt
◾️ 2% server chip market share
◾️ Years behind Intel
◾️ Market cap: $3B

Lisa Su changed everything by focusing on three principles:
◾️ Build great products
◾️ Earn customer trust
◾️ Simplify the company

She bet it all on Zen.
◾️ By 2020, AMD chips were the fastest on the market
◾️ Signed major deals with Amazon, Google, Sony
◾️ Acquired Xilinx for nearly $50B
◾️ And entered the AI chip race against her cousin, Jensen Huang

If you care about building under pressure, this is a masterclass.

Join 80,000+ founders and VCs who receive these insights in my weekly newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dScY_5k3

🔥 The Ultimate List of Startup Investors (10,000+ names) is live:

Founders waste weeks chasing the wrong investors.
I’ve done the work for you.

After months of research, I’ve compiled the most complete investor database available anywhere:

▫️ 10,000+ VCs, angels, family offices, CVCs & accelerators
▫️ Categorized by stage, geography & sector
▫️ Includes “no warm intro” funds
▫️ Updated, vetted, and instantly usable

If you’re raising in 2025, this is your shortcut to investors.

Want the list?
Find it here: https://lnkd.in/dQWhxhu6

What do you do after building one of Europe’s biggest SaaS startups and selling it for €700M?

If you’re Chris Tottman, you reinvent venture capital.

Before SaaS was even cool, Chris scaled a company to €150M ARR and led one of Europe’s largest tech exits. Then he co-founded Notion Capital, the first VC fund in Europe 100% focused on B2B SaaS. Today, Notion has $1B+ under management and has backed giants like GoCardless, Paddle, Unbabel, and Mews.

But Chris doesn’t just fund startups, he helps shape them. He’s one of the most generous people when it comes to sharing advice and frameworks for founders.

So I put together a collection of some of the best resources he’s shared:

▫️ The Only 10 Slides You Need in Your Pitch
https://lnkd.in/daDV_Cus

▫️ The One-Minute Pitch
https://lnkd.in/dm2fpUfr

▫️ The Perfect Pitch Deck (Sequoia Storyline)
https://lnkd.in/dJ3crAZT

▫️ What Should Be Derisked at Each Funding Stage
https://lnkd.in/ddYgkH-4

▫️ The Anatomy of a Perfect Pitch Deck
https://lnkd.in/d5TrZUQz

If you’re building and fundraising, save these.

🎁 Bonus: Chris and I co-created The Founders Corner newsletter, now read by over 30,000 founders: https://lnkd.in/di846KHb

We’re just getting started :)

“The thing you want from your VC is power.”
– Marc Andreessen. Here's why:

Most founders think they want capital.
But what they really need is power.

▫️ Power to get in the room with top customers
▫️ Power to recruit world-class talent
▫️ Power to be taken seriously when you're still nobody
▫️ Power to raise downstream capital
▫️ Power to survive regulators, media, and geopolitical fights

Marc calls it “a brand bridge loan.” Until your startup builds its own brand, you borrow your VC’s.

That’s what the best firms offer:
Not just term sheets, but access, leverage, reputation, scale.

Pick your investors carefully. 

You're choosing what kind of power backs you.

What's your take on Marc's message?

Looking for investors for your company? Find a guide + 10k investors below 👇
https://lnkd.in/dQWhxhu6

The Mafia you didn’t see coming.

🚀 35+ companies (15+ in stealth)
💰 $750M+ raised
👥 13.1% founder rate (2024)

Meet the Revolut Mafia.

Ex-Revolut operators are building borderless payments, AI-driven fintech, web3 infrastructure, and next-gen financial tools. A few standout founders:

🔹 Robert Sargsian – Due | Multi-currency accounts for global payments
🔹 Pablo Viguera – Belvo | Open finance platform for LATAM
🔹 Harjas SINGH – Shares | Investing & financial advisory tools
🔹 Álvaro Correa Gallardo & Zach Garman – DolarApp | Banking in USD for LATAM
🔹 Mario Eguiluz Alebicto – Deblock | Merging crypto wallets & bank accounts
🔹 Bogdan Uzbekov – Apron | SMB payments automation
🔹 Alex Nikityuk – Maroo | Invoicing & freelancer payments
🔹 Sasha Orloff – Puzzle | AI-powered accounting
🔹 Lasse Kalkar – LiveFlow | Real-time financial analysis
🔹 Ayelen Denovitzer – Qubit | Web3 gaming wallet

Fintech, AI, crypto, and insurtech—all shaped by Revolut alumni. 

Know other companies that should be here? Tag them below. 👇

Thanks to John Kim for sharing this!

Join 80,000+ founders and VCs who receive these insights in my weekly newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dScY_5k3

🔥16 Must-Read 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 (From the Big Leagues)
If you're leading AI strategy or figuring out how to scale it across your org, these are gold  👇

Inside:
▫️ How Microsoft, Google, McKinsey, and others align AI with business outcomes
▫️ What metrics actually move the needle
▫️ How top firms build fast in a shifting landscape

Practical. Insightful. Actionable.

✅ Full list with direct links:

1) Accenture – The Art of AI Maturity
➜ https://lnkd.in/g4kyWCNd

2) Amazon – AI/ML/GenAI Cloud Framework
➜ https://lnkd.in/gbmUAgQT

3) Bain – Transforming CX with AI
➜ https://lnkd.in/gqq-66ST

4) Bain – Winning with AI
➜ https://lnkd.in/gWk84MjS

5) Booz Allen – Securing AI
➜ https://lnkd.in/gceVreFG

6) BCG – Transforming with AI
➜ https://lnkd.in/gWtqJFuB

7) Deloitte – AI Transformation
➜ https://lnkd.in/gGNURxzq

8) Google – AI Adoption Framework
➜ https://lnkd.in/gCj2S6uF

9) IBM – CEO's Guide to GenAI
➜ https://lnkd.in/gqDam-yS

10) McKinsey – The Executive's AI Playbook
➜ https://lnkd.in/gFRqm2MW

11) Microsoft – CIO's GenAI Playbook
➜ https://lnkd.in/gbJ4vwVE

12) PMI – DS/AI Project Playbook
➜ https://lnkd.in/g7_wQbRs

13) PwC – Agentic AI Playbook
➜ https://lnkd.in/gSicWfeV

14) PwC & Microsoft – Deploying AI at Scale
➜ https://lnkd.in/gwg-CBBb

15) Scaled Agile – AI-Augmented Workforce
➜ https://lnkd.in/gunGGgWJ

16) World Economic Forum – AI C‑Suite Toolkit
➜ https://lnkd.in/gh-FQT72

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀
• 50 AI Agent Startup Ideas for 2025 - https://lnkd.in/dy9E-MCn
• AI Co-Pilots for Startups & VCs - https://lnkd.in/dSX3ss2q
• The Agentic Revolution - https://lnkd.in/dadFm25a
• 118 AI Communication Agent Use Cases - https://lnkd.in/dr9cM5BT
• 2,500+ Angel Investors Backing AI Startups - https://lnkd.in/djjN-TD2
• The Ultimate Guide to AI Agents for PMs - https://lnkd.in/dkUrHKP2

I hope you find them helpful! 

Which one is your favourite? What other resource should we check out?

Founders often get more value from angels than VCs, especially early on.
That’s why I put this together: A curated list of 𝟮,𝟱𝟬𝟬+ 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 actively backing 𝗔𝗜 and 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗦 startups

These are the ones who invest when it’s just a vision and a pitch, not 12 months of traction.

✅ What’s inside:
▫️ 2,500+ verified angels
▫️ Filtered by sector, interest, and geography
▫️ Global coverage: US, Europe, LatAm, Asia
▫️ Ideal for raising $100K to $5M

 👉 https://lnkd.in/djjN-TD2

The 𝗩𝗖 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱 Early Stage Investors Still Use in 2025 📊

Before raising $5M for his startup Stan, John Hu worked at a top VC firm.
He shared the exact rubric they used to decide which startups to back.

It’s simple. And it still works.

If you're raising in 2025, here's what matters most:

• Team — Do you have founder-market fit?
• Market Size — Is this a $1B+ opportunity?
• Competition — Can you win in a crowded space?
• Differentiation — What makes you defensible?
• Metrics — Is early traction strong and sticky?
• Exit Potential — Are there clear acquirers or IPO potential?

This is the lens many VCs still use behind closed doors.
Score high on 4+ categories and you're in the game.

Thanks to Ivelina Dineva for sharing it!

Join 80,000+ founders and VCs who receive these insights in my weekly newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dScY_5k3

Sam Altman isn’t just building OpenAI. He’s one of the most active investors in Silicon Valley. Here are his latest 13 startup investments  👇

Below: company name, what they do, funding raised, and latest round — powered by Harmonic, the startup discovery engine I use.

▫️ Exowatt – Modular solar energy for data centers • $90M (Series A)

▫️ APEX – Security platform for generative AI usage • $7M (M&A)

▫️ Beacon AI – AI copilot for commercial aviation • $24.6M (Series A)

▫️ Campus – Accredited online degrees with top professors • $98M (Series B)

▫️ Context – NFT discovery and minting made simple • $19.5M (Out of Business)

▫️ TeachMe To – Personalized beginner sports lessons • $9.5M (Seed)

▫️ Tiptop – Trade-in platform for electronics with instant offers • $23M (Series A)

▫️ Magrathea – Clean magnesium production from seawater • $12M (Seed)

▫️ Valuebase – Real estate valuation powered by ML • $9.3M (Seed)

▫️ Induced – Browser automation agents for workflows • $8.3M (Corporate Round)

▫️ Meanwhile – Bitcoin-denominated life insurance • $64M (Series A)

▫️ Software Inc. – Personalized computing with LLMs • $6.5M (Seed)

Which one surprised you the most?

Velocity Wins 🏃‍♂️

Mark Zuckerberg nails it:

“Product strategy is about learning and iterating as fast as possible… If we can learn faster than everyone else, we’ll win.”

In today’s game, speed isn’t optional. It’s the strategy.

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📕 YC’s Guide to Seed Fundraising — for founders raising their first round

Written by Geoff Ralston (President of YC), this is one of the best startup funding playbooks ever made.

It’s packed with lessons from the people who defined early-stage investing: 
▫️ Paul Graham (Co-founder, Y Combinator)
▫️ Fred Wilson (Union Square Ventures)
▫️ Babak Nivi (AngelList, Venture Hacks)
▫️ Sal Khan (Khan Academy)
▫️ Carolynn Levy (inventor of SAFE notes)

If you’re raising a seed round, this will help you: 
✅ Know when to raise
✅ Decide how much to raise
✅ Choose the right type of investor
✅ Avoid common valuation traps
✅ Negotiate and close confidently
✅ Prepare all the right docs

It’s like a mini-MBA in early-stage financing, without the fluff or the tuition :)

Bookmark this and share it with someone raising soon ✌️

Join 80,000+ founders and VCs who receive these insights in my weekly newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dScY_5k3

YC Guide to Seed Fundraising

Most founders waste weeks tweaking their pitch deck.
But what do top VCs actually expect to see?

This chart compares what Sequoia, 500 Startups, Airbnb, and more recommend — slide by slide.

It’s everything you need (and nothing you don’t) to raise money confidently. 💡

Learn more in The VC Corner newsletter on Substack, read by 1M+ founders & investors every month: https://lnkd.in/dScY_5k3

The VC Corner & Angel Investing

Everyone says: “If you want to win in the US, you have to move to the US.” Adyen proved them wrong:

They built a $50B+ fintech giant from Amsterdam, without relocating the founders, without listing in New York, and without copying Silicon Valley playbooks.

Their strategy?
▫️ Keep the core in Europe
▫️ Expand to the US with purpose, not panic
▫️ Build culture as a moat
▫️ Let the product (not hype) lead

Here’s what their 9-year journey to IPO looked like:

📈 $0 → $240M ARR
🧠 3 → 1,000 employees
🇺🇸 US revenue: 0% → 27%
🌍 Still a single global P&L (no silos)
💼 Every hire vetted by a board member
📍 IPO in Amsterdam, not New York—and still attracted 50%+ US investors

They followed what Index Ventures calls the Anchor archetype:
Start strong in Europe, grow globally, enter the US when it actually makes sense.

Adyen didn’t chase trends.
They built deep tech, solved real customer problems, and scaled with precision.

This chart shows how they did it👇

📚 From Winning in the US: The Founder’s Guide to Building a Global Company from Europe by Index Ventures
(One of the best case studies I’ve read in a long time)

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