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Who better to get #founder-focused advice from, than a founder themself? To kick off our mini founder-to-founder series, we asked L-SPARK alumni Dr Lindy Ledohowski 🇺🇦🇨🇦 to share her best advice for founders looking to scale their startups. 📈 "You can’t just fall in love with your product, you also have to fall in love with business. You must learn to love business models and go to market strategies and interesting ways of acquiring customers. Developing the best product in the world in your niche is really only the first step to climbing a really big mountain, so you better learn to love all the other steps, otherwise climbing that mountain is going to be painful." 🏔 Growing your #startup is hard, but with L-SPARK, we work to make it easier, faster, and better for our founders to fall in love with the nitty-gritty parts of scaling, and grow their business to new heights. 🚀 Apply by August 19th to be a part of our 11th cohort! ➡ https://lnkd.in/d37XryJM ⬅ #LSA11 #saas

I met a founder who raised $11M off a deck—but only spent a third of it. Here's how he built a startup that grew 4x to 8-figures+ in ARR this year: Poojan Kumar raised $60M for his first startup and sold it. He raised $11M for his current startup off some PowerPoint slides. It sounds like it’s been easy— but founders know it never is. During his first startup, key execs wouldn’t meet with him. He couldn’t afford big booths at conferences. So instead he would hover beside competitors’ booths to see who showed up. One time he noticed someone asking deep questions. Like any good founder, he followed him and pitched his startup. That person became his first paying customer— he signed a $15,000 deal. He even joined the company as the first systems engineer. It sounds like Poojan got lucky. But really, it was the one move (of many) that happened to work. “You don't have the budget to put up a big booth… You don't even have a product… So you have to go and do this stuff behind the scenes to get access. It’s just hard work.” This year, Clumio took off. They grew 4x to $15M+ in ARR. Two months ago, Clumio closed a $75M Series D. I’ve noticed that the best founders put so much energy into the world, they’re bound to get something back. They take shot, after shot, after shot. They turn 0%-probability events into 10%-probability events. Most efforts fail— so often this work feels like a waste of time. But it’s not. It’s how magic happens. /// Listen to the full episode with Poojan Kumar the founder and CEO of Clumio on The Product Market Fit Show #startups #venturecapital #founders

As a solopreneur, the most critical first move you could possibly make, it’s how to get initial access to your first ideal customer with little or no capital.

One of the ice-breakers for a startup is to find the first Customer. Most customers will want to see your track record, testimonials, and case studies before they commit to a contract. You do not even have a starting point unless you break into your first customer. This was a conundrum when I did my startup 24 years ago. Things seem to have changed in recent years, as ample capital is available now compared to 24-25 years ago, and most investors bring business opportunities in addition to financial backing. #startupsthen #startupstoday #startupconundrum #gettingfirstcustomer #trackrecord #testimonials #financialinvestment #plusbusiness

❗ LAST FEW DAYS TO APPLY FOR V4SUF! ❗ Connect with potential clients and investors from the V4 countries, and position yourself as the next regional unicorn! 🙌🏻 Alongside gaining valuable knowledge, connections, sales and networking opportunities, you'll also receive fresh, external feedback on your business. Don't miss out and apply by September 9th! 👀 👉 https://lnkd.in/dyuB4xf #V4 #V4SUF #startupforce #startups

How do you know if a VC is interested in investing in your startup? It's always hard to tell BUT here are a couple of signs to look out for straight away 👇🏻 👉 QUICKLY scheduling meetings with you after your initial pitch. By quickly, I mean in a day or two. 👉 Introductions to other investors, potential partners, or industry experts. Particularly if they're high value contacts for them. (E.g. They invest in enterprise SaaS, and introduce you to a CIO.) #venturecapital investors will only invest in 1 of every 100 (or less!) #startups they find. So your chances aren't great from the jump. But if those 2 signs appear, you know you're at least a bit further down their funnel.

📣 Attention SaaS Founders 📣 If you’re looking for high-level networking, then you won’t want to miss SaaStock 2024, May 13-15 in Austin, TX.  Over 75% of the attendees are C-level, Founders or VPs, so whether you’re looking for new customers, new deals, or new investors, they’ll be no shortage of opportunities. And speaking of investors, Novel’s VP of Growth Brock Edwards will be making an appearance at SaaStock, along with our Partnerships Lead Ivan H. So, if you’re a SaaS Founder hoping to secure non-dilutive funding, they’re the ones you should be talking to! And if you’re an investor, curious about partnering with Novel, you can also catch the duo at Investock on May 13, SaaStock’s exclusive investor-only day featuring curated roundtables and topic-led sessions for the industry’s top capital providers. Want to chat? Reach out to either Brock or Ivan via DM and we’ll get you on their calendar. #SaaStock2024 #SaaS #B2B #TechFounders #alternativefunding #startups #nondilutivecapital #VC #venturecapital #revenuebasedfinancing #entreprenurship 

🚀 Scaling a business is a journey, not a destination. Recently, we faced a challenge at Pump.co (YC S22). 🧩 How do we catch prospects at the top of the funnel before they sign up? Enter Warmly, maximus greenwald (sales founder), and Keegan Otter (Software Cowboy)🤠. 🌟 This tool reveals individuals and companies visiting your site. Sounds simple, right? But the impact was profound. We started emailing these visitors in a warm fashion. 💌 Not with a sales pitch, but with a genuine interest in their needs and how we could help. The result? Our demos set this week increased by 27%. 📈 #businessgrowth #startups #lessonslearned #ycombinator

Imagine a startup where it's not about: → Endless planning → Fancy presentations → Long meetings → Big budgets Instead, it's all about: → A working MVP → Quick feedback → Early traction → Real user insights That's what sticks. That's what matters. An MVP attracts attention. It shows you mean business. Get your MVP out before the new year with CodeConductor. → Free Discovery call with me. → Have a working product to show investors fast. → Secure Early-Bird Pricing: Enjoy up to $5K off. → Refer a friend and gain even more free perks. → Only 30 spots are available. The cohort begins on October 15th. Sign up now: https://lnkd.in/gEp-K5bZ #LaunchYourStartup #NoCode #MVP #FounderLife #TechStartups #AIAgentBuilder

Angels & Demons: A Quick Foray Into Startup Funding Securing the right funding is crucial for any startup's success. Understanding the different stages of financing can be the difference between thriving and just surviving. Key Takeaways from Startup Financing Stages: 1) Gestation Phase: Focus on MVP design and testing with seed funding. 2) Commercialization: Ramp up sales efforts and refine your product. 3) Growth: Expand market reach and enhance brand visibility. 4) Trade Sale or IPO: Position your startup for exit opportunities. PS. check out 🔔 for a winning pitch deck the template created by Silicon Valley legend, Peter Thiel https://lnkd.in/ejp-Bhnu