Founders

How to Lead as a VP of Engineering or CTO: Practical Insights for Startup Founders and Leaders Starting and growing a startup demands a distinctive leadership approach. After years in…

Title: Rethinking Founding Roles: Why “CTO” Isn’t the Right Fit for Early-Stage MVPs Across conversations with over 30 founders using YC’s cofounder matching platform, a common pattern emerged: many teams…

10 Lessons I Learned From Business Books (And Why They Don’t Always Deliver) The experience of reading business books can be hit or miss. Even titles with high ratings and…

How We Raised a $16M Series A with a16z: Pitch and Data Decks You Can Use Last year, after a year of building and validating our startup, we reached a…

Title: Serial Entrepreneurship: A Practical Framework for Generating and Validating Business Ideas Introduction A longtime founder and former teacher shares a hands-on, battle-tested approach to generating, researching, and validating startup…

Design can be a deal maker for startups — persuade me otherwise Summary: A provocative take on how visual identity influences business growth, illustrated with a real-world example. The post…

Reasonable CEO Salary for a Startup That Raised $2–3 Million Seeking guidance on appropriate compensation, with context from past discussions about CEO pay following fundraising. Question: Based on a startup…

Title: How Startups Can Automate Business Processes Like Big Corporations—Without the Big-Cost Barrier A recent discussion from a Y Combinator alum highlights practical, affordable paths for startups to automate their…

What I Ask Founders Before Joining an Early-Stage Startup Joining an early-stage startup as the first employee, the go-to person, and the primary driver of progress is thrilling. It’s a…

How to Name Your Startup (or Product) and Find a Great Domain Brand naming is foundational to growth. Research shows that a strong brand makes a meaningful impact, while a…