Evening update - 27 Marc 23

#TodayI

Posted about how if your process doesn't match your beliefs, your outcomes will match your process.
Had pilates with Maria Jose Freeman (Fernandez) of Pilates Core Club.
Was pitched by Chris Miller and Charlie Pothecary of Becon: The Smart Safety App.
Had a call with two founders who wish to remain anonymous.
Chatted with Anthony Paine of Stashbee.
Was pitched by Nick Greenhalgh and Vasileios Nikolaou of Luca.
Had a lovely chat with James Roycroft-Davis of Vulnerable Podcast about all the things.

#NowI

Have to get home to watch my son in a table tennis tournament.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

If your process doesn't match your beliefs, your outcome will match your process

Founders, when you're hiring do you know precisely what skills and values you are looking for? Have you designed your hiring process so it precisely matches that?

If your process doesn't match your beliefs, your outcome will match your process.

The same is true of investing.

Every VC says they believe founders are the most important thing. Every VC has a process that spends way more time analysing the business.

They will have outcomes that match their process.

That's why my process starts with asking you for a video pitch and pitch decks are unimportant to me. I want to hear it from you because I need to know how good you are as much as I need to know about the business.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update - 24 Mar 23

#YesterdayI

Performed in an improv showcase (pic below).
Didn't sleep well because adrenaline.

#TodayI

Ran to the office.
Posted about gun-to-the-head mentality.
Had a call with an investor who wishes to remain anonymous.
Caught up with Euan Cameron of Willo®.
Chatted with Chris Smith of Playfair Capital about the venture capital industry.
Discussed how to explain marketing with 360-degree marketing expert Nicky Dibben.
Got through the day on adrenaline.

#NowI

Am having a nap before dinner with my wife.

Have a great weekend everyone!

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginginpublic #investinginpublic

Good is the enemy of great

Good is the enemy of great. A famous quote that's never been truer.

When things are going well your motivation to improve is not so strong. If your back is to the wall, you have no choice but the figure it out or die.

Founders, if you can, figure out what you would change in your business if it wasn't working. Find a way to generate that gun-to-the-head mentality even when the gun's not there.

Great entrepreneurs have this. They go at the same pace and intensity even when things are going well.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update - 23 Mar 23

#TodayI

Shared the first three recipients of unbundled vc's operations founder support scheme.
Dropped my bikes off to be serviced.
Had breakfast with a friend.
Had my Important not Urgent day and cleared a chunk of my backlog.
Arranged operations support for one of my founders.
Gave feedback on a draft pitch deck.
Made restaurant bookings for my 50th birthday weekend.
Practised some improv ahead of this evening's showcase.

#LaterI

Am performing in the showcase. Wish me luck!

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Founder support scheme - operations - the first three

I'm delighted to announce the first three beneficiaries of Part II of unbundled vc's founder support scheme - operations - are:

Aldwyn Boscawen of Morale App,
Jimi Sotimehin of Nomadic Fun Casino Hire,
and a founder who wishes to remain anonymous.

Each of them will receive a free session with Samuel Cohen, a founder & COO turned independent Operations Consultant who has over 10 years experience scaling startups across multiple industries, and will get actionable feedback.

This support is also available to all founders unbundled vc invests in.

The feedback you receive is for your eyes only - I will never see it. It's there to help you, it's not DD.

We now have go to market support and operations support. There is more to come. Watch this space.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update - 22 Mar 23

#TodayI

Shared an investment decision hack.
Was pitched by Hugh Chichester and Holly Simmons of Niya.
Was pitched by Caroline Cadwell of Unpluq.
Reviewed and gave feedback on some legal docs.
Was pitched by Mattia Pastore of Unify.
Gave CV feedback.

#NowI

Have to buy strawberries and squirty cream for one of my sons who has finished his homework backlog.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Would I break my own rules to invest in this?

A mental hack I use when deciding whether to invest in a business is, "Would I break my own rules to invest in this?"

I have a list of things I like to see before I invest. If I want to invest despite some of those being missing, that shows how much I like the opportunity.

Typically those investments have gone very well for me.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update - 21 Mar 23

#TodayI

Ran to the office.
Had my hair cut by James Bransford.
Asked founders what matters when they decide who to raise from.
Was pitched by Devin Chawda of ARMD Limited.
Had a call with Samuel Cohen about the unbundled vc founder support scheme.
Watched my two youngest perform in Italian at Eisteddfod.
Was pitched by a founder who wishes to remain anonymous.

#LaterI

Have a parents' evening to attend.

What matters to founders

Founders, what matters when you are deciding who to raise from?

Check size? Reputation? Brand? Speed and clarity of process?

Tell me in the comments, please. It will help me be a better potential investor for you.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update - 20 Mar 23

#TodayI

Shared my first day of spring mental health advice - you can't build if you break.
Ran to pilates.
Had pilates with Maria Jose Freeman (Fernandez) of Pilates Core Club.
Had coffee and a late breakfast with Simon Livesey.
Was pitched by a founder who wishes to remain anonymous.
Was pitched by another founder who wishes to remain anonymous.
Was pitched by a third founder who wishes to remain anonymous.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

You can’t build if you break

Founders, it's the first day of Spring and sometimes you need to spring clean your mind.

It's been a tough time recently for some and if you need a break you should take one.

While I want my founders to work hard I both care about their mental health and would be stupid not to. You can't build if you break. Please look after yourself however you need to and know you have my full support in doing that.

Inspired by Gale Wilkinson's tweet.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update - 17 Mar 23

#TodayI

Shared Part II of the unbundled vc Founder Support Scheme - Samuel Cohen on scaling operations.
Had a call with a founder who wishes to remain anonymous.
Had coffee with Marc Winn.
Blocked out time to get a lot done and didn't get as much done as I'd hoped.
Had a great chat with marketing expert Nicky Dibben who was at Cambridge at the same time as me.
Did a site visit for our new house.
Had another call.

#NowI

Am going for Chinese food with some friends.

Have a great weekend everyone!

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Scaling operations - founder support scheme

Founders, as your startup grows the processes you used when you were small do not scale. You are often so incredibly busy growing your business that you have no time to manage this and it is too early and expensive to hire a COO.

It's a hard problem among many hard problems

To help you solve this, I am excited to announce Part II of unbundled vc's Founder Support Scheme.

Samuel Cohen is a founder & COO turned independent Operations Consultant who has over 10 years experience scaling startups across multiple industries.

Together, we are offering you a free one-hour consultation with actionable feedback for any founders I invest in. Today I can extend that offer to three more founders, handpicked by Sam and myself. If you're interested, either contact me directly or comment on this post.

Don't worry, the feedback you receive is for your eyes only - I will never see it. It's there to help you, it's not DD.

There is more to come. Watch this space.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update -16 Mar 23

#TodayI

Shared some ChatGPT-4 experiments. Use the link in the comments and I will ask it anything for you.
Had my Important not Urgent day.
Built my investment framework doc and am using it to frame my investment decisions and founder feedback.
Saw my son and his class perform Roald Dahl's The Porcupine.
Cleared a chunk of my backlog.
Improvised my joy back with Sarah Hansmann Rouxel. Guernsey people, get your tickets for our improv showcase next Thursday here - https://lnkd.in/e7HbEVB9

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

ChatGPT-4 exploration day

🎉 ChatGPT-4 Exploration Day! 🎉

I'm excited to announce that I have a subscription to the incredible ChatGPT-4 by OpenAI! To make this an interactive experience, I invite you all to suggest questions you'd like me to ask the AI in the comments below. I'll share the most interesting responses! 🧠

If you're not feeling inspired, no worries! I'll share some questions of my own. Let's do it! 💡

P.S. Check out the comments for a quirky poem generated by ChatGPT-4 about an unfortunate squirrel. It's really impressive! 😄

(Post rewritten by ChatGPT-4)

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update - 15 Mar 23

#TodayI

Shared the first beneficiaries of the unbundled vc founder support scheme.
Had pilates with Maria Jose Freeman (Fernandez) of Pilates Core Club and very nearly touched my toes for the first time in a long time.
Listened to Eileen Burbidge on Riding Unicorns podcast.
Listened to Jon Coker on EUVC | The European VC podcast.
Was pitched by Emre Cubukcu and Nilsu Derici of Wiser Media.
Chatted with Hena Husain of The Content Architects about how to use her product.
Spoke with Iain Jordan about how he uses improv to support anxiety.
Was pitched by Sally Page and Sophie Bailey of WorkTripp.
Spoke with a founder who is closing his round.
Collected one son from football club.
Took another son to football training.

#NowI

Have to hit my backlog.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Founder support scheme - the first three

🌟 Navigating the Shift from Founder-Led Sales: A Common Startup Challenge 🌟

As a part of unbundled vc, I understand the critical challenge many startups face when transitioning from founder-led sales. To tackle this issue, I'm proud to announce the launch of our Founder Support Program, in collaboration with the talented Matthew Codd.

I'm thrilled to introduce the first three founders who will benefit from this initiative:

🌟 Catherine Ann Reid (She/Her) of Doqit
🌟 Fred Warren of Wonder 14
🌟 And a founder who prefers to remain anonymous

These individuals will have the opportunity to work closely with Matthew, receiving valuable insights and actionable feedback. It's important to note that this support comes with no strings attached - I won't receive anything in return. My goal is to create an open, candid environment for founders to maximize their learning experience.

Keep an eye out for an exciting announcement regarding the second stage of our Founder Support Program, coming your way tomorrow or Friday! 🚀

(This is the rewrite by ChatGPT-4. Original in the comments.)

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

ChatGPT-4 experiment

ChatGPT-4 experiment - write me a five verse haiku about a one legged squirrel who keeps dropping her nuts

Lone squirrel hobbles,
One-legged dance through the trees,
Nuts tumble like tears.

Perseverance shines,
Despite her struggles, she leaps,
Grace in imbalance.

Chestnut gifts descend,
Scattered dreams upon the ground,
Autumn leaves surround.

Nature's harmony,
Embracing imperfections,
In the squirrel's quest.

Gathered strength within,
One leg, a heart that persists,
Life's sweet nut prevails.

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic

Evening update - 14 Mar 23

#TodayI

Shared The Wall Street Journal's outrageous article about Silicon Valley Bank - " I’m not saying 12 white men would have avoided this mess, but..."
Had a site meeting for our new house with Infinity Construction and DLM Architects Ltd.
Tried to figure out why the jeans I ordered have import duty to pay.
Updated my investment process page and standard email to founders after a founder fed back that it was misleading (they were right).
Was pitched by Clinton Ajayi of Sportas.
Was pitched by Vasily Alekseenko of Foogin.
Was pitched by a founder who wishes to remain anonymous.
Was pitched by Tracey Carr of eco-shaper.

#LaterI

Am going to watch the GPT-4 Developer Demo Livestream - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=outcGtbnMuQ

#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic