Technical founders: How do you interview candidates? I'm nearing MVP, launch and the product is quite built out so far. I've interviewed about 10 candidates so far, and it has given me a lot of signal for skill. Especially for those without substantial side projects. In my experience, those who do worse on the interview, also do worse on the job. Don't trust experience, always interview. I brought on one guy for a bit, who interned at 2 small startups before. He had interesting github projects and was friendly. But he was too slow. He wasn't... 1 5 replies
Startup Idea - How much room to leave to find the right tech cofounder? Is my idea of tech stack leaving little from to find the right partner? Hi All, I’m a long time lurker in this sub and finally found the time and place to go down the startup route. Right now I have the idea and have been working in the market I think there’s opportunities to be had in for more than a decade. I can see that something with a C++ foundation could lead to beneficial gains down the line in terms of the “bells and whistles and product evolution”. I’m a scripter and lover of process automation with code and love it... 1 8 replies
Founders, what's your biggest problems in sales and marketing? I'll share a few that I've heard aour over the years: 1. Lack of visibility and authority. Nobody fucking knows who you are or what you do. 2. Limited resources. You're short on resources, leading to minimum marketing and sales spend. 3. Problems with scalability. It's difficult to go from a founder-led sales or marketing to then set up an engine that works on autopilot. 4. Lack of clear value proposition. You lack articulation about what makes their product or service unique. "They're just like any other product or... 1 10 replies
Help managing leads/connections Hey, Looking for some help. We have a small team and most things ourselves, we are really struggling with leads which comes via linkedin, email, WhatsApp, outbound/inbound etc.. the issue being that because we juggle so many plates we drop the ball on stuff. We tried spreadsheets and it failed badly. Any tips? Solution? Other than be more organised? Thanks 5 6 replies
Freelance platform for MVP? Is this a consideration for a non-technical founder? Would you or do you use any sort of platform, freelance or otherwise, to have an MVP built? I see comments from people looking on LinkedIn for technical founders to build the MVP, or sites like YC etc, but what about when you don't want to bring anyone onboard yet, you just want the MVP built. Are you considering platforms like Upwork? Or what? 5 2 replies
Suggestions for idea space Looking to start a startup with couple of friends. One i know from graduation and one from post graduation. 2 of us including me are in the software dev industry for last 11 years with 6+ years in ML/AI. And the other one is into business development and skilled at bringing in clients from india, Middle East etc for B2B domain. We all have worked across a variety of domains and industries. Have been watching YC school playlist and one of the things mentioned in how to get a... 4 1 replies
Company Equity/Stock Question Scenario: - Company stock received every month after 1 year anniversary - 25/25/25/25 schedule that kicks off at 12 months after joining (vested monthly after that) Question: Company is acquired/IPO’s before 1 year anniversary. Do I get anything? Am I guaranteed my stock at the price in my offer letter if I remain with the company? 2 0 replies
How do I grow/get traffic for a Startup Directory? Hey founders 👋 hope everything is going fine. I had a question. How can I make my startup directory grow? I recently made a startup directory and wanted some listings there and enough traffic so I can monetize it. What's your suggestion? How can I grow it? I am focusing on small and micro startups and saas tools to list on my directory. Thanks for your time. Your suggestion will help a lot 🙂. Also If you wanna list your startup just share your startup link in the comments... 2 2 replies
Here is how I got my first sale with the landing page Hi everyone, here are the steps that I followed to get my first sale for my new AI tool idea: 1. Got a random idea which could solve my problem 2. Researched about necessary APIs and cost of those APIs 3. Designed a landing page using Bolt 4. Bought a low-cost domain 5. Integrated a payment link Now I need to get some visitors to my site so that I can validate if the idea is worth building. So I have added the landing page URL to the header... 2 2 replies
Looking for beta testers to try out a free AI chat agent for your website or WhatsApp! I'm building a saas with multiple integrations and actions. I need few early beta testers. Perfect for businesses wanting to try AI agents now or plan for the future! Need to validate and evaluate the product idea, Building no-code multi agent system that automates 30% of business operations. I DO NOT sell neither YOU DONT HAVE TO BUY IT. STILL MVP. BUT need to validate. 5 1 replies
Legal costs for set up - $8-10k? We're an Australian startup that is looking to establish a Delaware C-Corp as we look to launch in US market this year. This entity would be at the top of our global structure, and would acquire the shares in our Australian company via a non-taxable stock for stock reorganization. There are only three shareholders (all founders). Pretty straight forward, and common from what I'm told. We're getting quoted about $8-$10k USD by two different law firms to set up the entity and reorganization. Does this sound about right? Just... 5 0 replies
Bringing another technical founder in I'm launching a app in a week or two and my nearest competitor, the only one... want to have a conversation to see if we should work together instead. I'm thinking, two devs makes the development and implementation faster. Can only be a good thing if we work well together, right? I have a sales guy on board as well. 4 2 replies
Anyone need help bringing a project to life? I'm a senior web developer with 4 years of experience bringing ideas to life using JavaScript and TypeScript. Lately, I've been diving into the world of MVPs, focusing on how to turn great ideas into functional and efficient projects. Besides loving what I do, I'm also raising some cash by helping startups and projects get off the ground. I'm looking for opportunities, so if you need someone to build a fast and straightforward MVP or improve/maintain an existing platform, let me know! 4 4 replies
How do you market a small business offering custom prototypes and creative solutions? I run a small business in Colorado Springs where I design and build custom prototypes, interactive exhibits, and other creative solutions for startups and innovators. While I’ve had some success with word-of-mouth referrals, I’m looking to grow and reach a wider audience. I’m curious, how have other startup founders or small business owners effectively marketed niche services like this? Have you found success with social media, partnerships, content marketing, or something else? Additionally, do you think focusing on a specific client type (e.g., startups in tech or education) makes... 3 2 replies
Founders How to Learn to Sell? Founders of startups: How do you Sell better? I have sold a little but struggled to make it a process. a. I cannot handle the endless follow ups, b. I tend to not do the essential wining and dining cultivating necessary to chase a big deal (I simply don't have the time or funds given the startup), c. I don't take 10 rejections a day very well - it spoils my day. It annoys and demotivates me that Sales only becomes more as a Founder. But I have to... 1 3 replies
What’s the most important thing when giving a pitch? I’ve been wondering what’s the most important thing when preparing a pitch or presentation for your customer or investors? I tend overprepare (not a bad thing defiantly..), trying to cover everything, but I rarely have enough time to go through it all. Then there’s the nerves, balancing a good story, clear delivery, and a polished deck feels overwhelming.... so how do you prioritize when preparing for a pitch? and do you think the pitch deck is important? I always struggle between making it visually impressive and keep it simple...... 5 20 replies
Should I Take Equity Instead of Payment for Marketing an Early-Stage AI Product? I'm a marketer, and I’ve been approached by someone who built an AI agent (a ChatGPT/Claude wrapper). It’s only 3 months old but already has an MVP, 10 paying customers, and over 100 free users. He wants me to handle the marketing but doesn’t have the budget to pay me, so he’s offering equity instead. The catch? He doesn’t want to discuss the percentage yet, and the company isn’t registered yet. I’m tempted to take the risk since I believe in the product and have ideas to scale it.... 1 19 replies
Initial email going straight to junk - recommendations I am launching a new product in the coming weeks and I want to email those that have subscribed via the website. When we've run tests, our emails always end up in junk, likewise, when an automatic email is sent out via Zapier, they also end up in junk. Is there anything out there I can do to prevent this from happening? Thank you! 5 6 replies
Help me build an email list I have created a customer profile (company level & person level) for my B2B SaaS. Now i want to find the exact customer profile. How can I find these people on LinkedIn or any other tool? The Customer Profile has multiple traits like: At company level: Company Size Industry Type Characteristics Problems Faced At person level: Persona Traits Pain Points Goals Decision Triggers etc. So how I can make sure i get these exact or most of these traits in the person or company? Or (as I dread) is... 2 3 replies
Question on bringing in a strategic company before pre-seed funding. I’m seeking advice on a big decision for my startup. I’ve built a marketplace platform (MVP complete, pre-revenue) that connects local government officials with GovTech companies to streamline technology adoption. A potential strategic partner has offered $15,000 in exchange for 25% equity. Here’s what they bring to the table: **Extensive network:** They lead an association and have deep connections with local government officials. This would be a free sign up for officials. **Value Add:** Their involvement could drive government officials to the platform, making it more attractive to paying... 1 4 replies
