Venture Cooperative’s Post

Tech founders journey for Pack to the Future™ Investor's on my list so far: 38 No's from investors: 3 Warm referrals: 2 Interested investors: 2 100% the whole “show the build in public” has got traction. I’ve had two amazing and warm referrals over the weekend as well as another investor show genuine interest (Craig, I won’t tag you just yet but I am looking forward to catching up and answering your questions). When people say that the fundraising journey is a full time job, they aren’t exaggerating. I’m so damn lucky to have Sara Knight, Marcelo Alcantara and the team behind me while I spend every waking hour networking. For those wondering, I’ll be actively looking for term sheets started May 15th. Until then, I’m happily networking and building referrals. 9:30pm Friday night I got a brilliant email from 🏔️ Meg Williams letting me know I’ve been shortlisted to pitch on stage at Blackbird’s Sunrise conference. Thanks for pulling long hours for the current Giant’s cohort Meg and thanks for giving me the chance to get some mentoring from Gaby Howard 🙌🏼 That news was further affirmation that I’m on the right track and a bloody big step towards unfu*king the planet! On top of the Blackbird Giants program we are currently in, I also snuck in an application to Y Combinator on the cut off day for their next intake. Thats the bloody holy grail of startup world to get in Y Combinator and it would mean I’d be heading to San Francisco for a few months if we got in. In a platform update, we’ve all but finished the API connections to all our partners and we are on hopefully the last scrum to get the MVP live and in a working test environment. We’ve now been shipping out the physical packaging to stores daily and we’ll go all in on ramping up that offering when I get back from a week in Sydney for Sunrise. I can’t help but smile as even though I’m working 7am-11pm daily, I’m doing something I’m so damn passionate about that it’s not even work 🫶🏼

Many early-stage Founders make the mistake of rushing to fundraise to show their worth. It's not their fault—they've been told that funding is the #1 marker for success. Find out in the video below what Founders need to focus on early in their startup's career that will unlock greater funding opportunities down the line. ____ A partner like Midstage Institute can help Tech CEOs bootstrap longer so they stay in control of their company longer. https://lnkd.in/gn34DARd

The 24' Start-Up Founders Playbook for Building an MVP: - Build a strong business case - Raise a friends and family round - Sell the idea on paper to your ICP's and get LOI's - Build a community (discord works great) 👆 Take the above and... - Get accepted into a tech venture studio - Get your product built and invested in at the same time - Get the MVP in front of your community - Get your ICPs to use the MVP 👆 Use this traction and ... - Generate real customer and community feedback - Raise a seed round (should be a lot easier with traction) - Build your roadmap further - Continue scaling your product and offerings Several more topics could be squeezed above, what would you add? -------------------------------------- ***At Hyper Lychee Labs we run a Tech Venture Studio, where we build and invest in founders building great products. If you know any founders who could benefit from this, please tag them here :)

Side projects are one of the most underrated ways to unlock new opportunities. You never know what they might grow into—maybe a startup, a new career path, or just something you’re deeply proud of. If you have an idea you’ve been sitting on, look for grants to fund it. Small amount of capital + lots of community support can go a long way! Check out Merge Club's Grant Guide. Info in the comments.

Little side thing - I'm excited to be joining the First Believers Fellowship, an early stage venture capital learning community, run by the excellent people at Startmate 🚀 by Blackbird. Back in 2017, Startmate and Centre for Australian Progress were briefly co-located, and I borrowed so many ideas to develop and refine Progress Labs from 🐘 Nick Crocker. Turned out there was a lot in common between accelerating tech companies and social movements -- and it's always better to replicate rather than re-invent. Now, I'm keen to dive more into the world of commercial VC as we need to massively scale the level of investment in climate solutions. Eventually I'm interested is the way investors are thinking about social license/demand and regulation for disruptive products and processes in their portfolios, including how they listen to/ally with nonprofits/philanthropy to shape the future.  But first things first, I thought I should learn some things, and connect with lots of start-ups close to home. Meanwhile: I'm so thankful for all the "first believers" who've put their money+mouth behind the things I've done over the years. It's a lonely thing being a founder or co-founder, and there is just so much joy and relief that comes from someone saying (after the other knock-backs or vague promises...), "This is worthwhile and I'll help".

🚀 Catch Neil Wittensleger and Alex Pavlou chat all about early-stage hiring for PM's and Eng roles in 2024! From startups building momentum by raising capital to a founder's expectations for hiring, ⬇ check out this snippet to learn more. 📺 Tune in to Bamboo Crowd's YouTube channel to catch the full scoop: https://lnkd.in/d-SxaQ5P #StartupHiring #TechTrends #techroles #NYCjobmarket

Firsts are always special 🤗 Starting at LetsVenture in September was like being handed a front-row ticket to the founder ecosystem—and I couldn’t wait to dive in. My initiation? Hosting #foundersfirst, our flagship founder conclave, within weeks of joining. Talk about hitting the ground running! This event wasn’t just about logistics or planning—it was about discovering the incredible stories of founders across industries and stages. Every product discussed, every idea shared, and every handshake exchanged reminded me of the hidden powerhouse of talent around us. It’s humbling to see how much passion and grit goes into building the businesses that shape our world. Sure, it was a challenge. But challenges are where growth happens. Thanks to Sabah Mehkeri for keeping me sane! We pulled off an event that connected, inspired, and left everyone asking, “When’s the next one?” At LetsVenture, we’re all about creating opportunities for founders and investors to connect, collaborate, and scale. If you’re curious to be part of this growing ecosystem, click here https://lnkd.in/gWpns-ei to join our community. Here’s to growth— yours, mine and ours 🧑✈️ Shanti Mohan

🚀 #Founders – One of the biggest startup risks is operating on untested assumptions. I’ve seen too many founders fail because they built an entire business model around what they *thought* was true—only to find out later it wasn’t. 😬 Here’s how to identify and validate your most critical assumptions: 1️⃣List every assumption you’re making about your product, market, and customers. Example: "Our target customers want X feature." 2️⃣ Prioritize assumptions by risk. Which would cause your business to fail if they were wrong? 3️⃣ Test them. This could be through customer interviews, a landing page test, or even a pre-launch offer. Here’s why it works: By validating key assumptions, you avoid building a product nobody wants and increase your chances of success. When assumptions are tested early, you can pivot fast—before investing too much time or money. Take action: This week, pick one assumption and test it with real customer data. It’ll save you months of guessing! What’s an assumption you’ve tested recently, and how did it go? Drop your insights below. 👇 ♻️ Repost this to share with your network👍 #EarlyStage #StartupLife #Founders #LeanStartup #TheFoundersForge

#CofounderSearch #StartupStruggles #TechFounders Hey everyone! 👋 I've been on quite the journey trying to find a technical co-founder. It's been 6 months of searching through YC's platform, and to be honest, it hasn't gone as smoothly as I'd hoped. I’ve had a chance to chat with 15+ potential matches, but here’s the kicker: I just can't find someone who has the right technical skills (think backend and machine learning) and is also ready to commit seriously to a startup. Here are a few pain points I've noticed along the way: Misaligned Goals: Many candidates seem more interested in their own projects rather than teaming up, which makes it challenging to build something together. 🔍 Equity Discussions: Some prospects propose equity splits that are far from reasonable. It’s frustrating trying to find a balance that feels fair for both parties. 💰 Lack of Commitment: Finding someone who shares your vision and is willing to invest time and energy into the project can feel like searching... Struggling to Find a Technical Co-Founder? What Are Better Options? Answers: https://lnkd.in/gnMuUvAE

#CofounderSearch #StartupStruggles #TechFounders Hey everyone! 👋 I've been on quite the journey trying to find a technical co-founder. It's been 6 months of searching through YC's platform, and to be honest, it hasn't gone as smoothly as I'd hoped. I’ve had a chance to chat with 15+ potential matches, but here’s the kicker: I just can't find someone who has the right technical skills (think backend and machine learning) and is also ready to commit seriously to a startup. Here are a few pain points I've noticed along the way: Misaligned Goals: Many candidates seem more interested in their own projects rather than teaming up, which makes it challenging to build something together. 🔍 Equity Discussions: Some prospects propose equity splits that are far from reasonable. It’s frustrating trying to find a balance that feels fair for both parties. 💰 Lack of Commitment: Finding someone who shares your vision and is willing to invest time and energy into the project can feel like searching... Struggling to Find a Technical Co-Founder? What Are Better Options? Answers: https://lnkd.in/gdqhZr8J