The π GTM; Ringing in the new era of female entrepreneurship; Seed to Harvest
Where women in tech lead, shape and fund the future.
Hi - thank you for opening. Happy Memorial Day Weekend to those who celebrate. IβmΒ Sarah and this is the 183rd edition of Femstreet, a weekly newsletter featuring must-read content by female CEOs, operators, and investors. This issue is full of goodies to bookmark, inspiration, and opportunities. If you enjoy the content, please like it above and share it with friends. You da best!
Insights
This week we are celebrating not one but two female-led companies going public: Vimeo led by the Indian-American Anjali Sud had its stock market debut. AND Direct-to-consumer medical apparel company FIGS, founded by Heather Hasson and Trina SpearΒ raised nearly $581 million in its IPO. It is the first-ever company taken public by female co-founders. Collab Capital closes $50M debut fund to back Black founders. How to build a great team from scratch. The value of being uncomfortable. Accolade Partners raised a $200M fund to invest in funds started by underrepresented groups. VC firm Lerer Hippeau names four (!) new women partners. Reframing the female founder narrative. Because everyone has a right to get into the game:Β Paige Finn Doherty launches Seed to Harvest to demystify venture for adults and kids. Why $1k angel cheks matter. Letβs stop romanticizing the entrepreneur dream.
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What founders, startup operators, and investors are talking aboutβ¦
What product leaders should do when sh*t hits the fan
According to Tatyana Mamut, three frameworks led to her success: Staying focused on customers, prioritizing the big rocks and not getting distracted, and the right North Star metrics to stay accountable to the long-term vision. Bonus: She also shares how to your first product leaderβ¦Read more.
βThe Hamburger Model combines the best of two separate methods, and can help provide a path toward a goal of achieving $1B+ in revenue over time. Like a hamburger, the meat (your product), is the most important element β but it doesnβt work without the buns (bottom-up and top-down sales strategies). This is no keto diet!β
The π GTM
The best Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies for startups are like hamburgers: The bottom bun:Β Bottom-up GTM; The burger: Your Product; The top bun:Β Enterprise Sales. In the Hamburger GTM Model, your product is the meat. ΒCaryn Marooney of Coatue on how to best implement the model successfully at your company.β¦Read more.
New frontiers for NFTs
After being non-existent in 2019, NFT Art trading hitΒ $115MΒ in 2020 and has alreadyΒ 7xβdΒ in the first 5 months of 2021. We are currently shifting from creating NFTs to using NFTs. They are keys to exclusive content and opportunities and rather than passively consuming content, fans now create content. Maria Shen of Electric Capital on interesting emerging ways ofΒ usingΒ NFTsβ¦Read more.
The trillion-dollar paradox
βYouβre crazy if you donβt start on cloud.β is the dominant narrative...But Sarah Wang of a16z shows it hurts the share price of public companies on the order of hundreds of billions and why you might just be crazy to stay on it at scale. The impact to market cap (to the tune of hundreds of billions) changes the calculusβ¦Read more.
Should consumer social founders raise funding off a TestFlight?
Running a TestFlight has become THE strategy for new social apps. It's not uncommon to see startups raising a seed or Series A pre-public launch. But being in TestFlight can skew your metrics, making it tough for you (& investors!) to know if you've found product-market fit. Justine and Olivia Moore of CRV on why a private beta can skew your metrics β and how to respond to investorsβ questions about itβ¦Read more.
How this first-time solo female founder raised an $11M seed
There are fewer examples of female solo foundersβββor even female CEOsβββwho have successfully raised large amounts from venture capitalists, and especially in Biotech. Celine Halioua of Cellular Longevity just did it and recommends you to not try to learn all the patterns/social etiquette on your own, to acknowledge the risks, and to not be tempted to minimize timelines, $ to milestone, etc to satisfy the VCβ¦Read more.
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πΒ UX/UI Design Consultant @Diem (NYC/Remote)
Diem is the home for the womxn-centric communities we naturally seek and create. Femstreet member Emma Bates is seeking a UX/UI design consultant for this summer. You will be given the creative freedom to design an experience from the ground up harnessing our core functionality (video, audio, messaging, feeds)β¦Apply here
πΒ Summer Fellowship @Paperwork Studio (Remote)
Paperwork Studio is a B2B media platform creating niche business publications. As their Summer Fellow, your main role will be to work closely with the Head of Business Development to uncover hyper-targeted areas where they can launch new publication. Research geeks Apply here
π Marketing Lead @Ascend (Remote)
Ascend is an online leadership program for women. Founder and Femstreet member Shivani Berry is looking for an experienced marketing genius to own the majority of the marketing and program operationsβ¦Apply here
Check out all of the open roles or post your ownΒ here.
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And In Case You Missed It
How to set up aΒ modern GTM motion for a SaaS startup.Β -Β for everyone
Are sports cards theΒ future of retail investing?Β -Β for everyone
Community-led product growthΒ -Β for everyone
How to hack media messaging andΒ effectively bootstrap PRΒ -Β for members only
8 things to think of when firstΒ angel investing-Β for members only
5 trends inΒ data-Β for everyone
5 internal processes to increaseΒ customer retention-Β for everyone
Tips for founderΒ personal brand buildingΒ -Β for members only
How to build andΒ scale a remarkable startup without compromising on people or cultureΒ -Β for members only
Effects of hype and exclusivity onΒ launch strategies- for everyone
The Athlete CEO-Β for everyone
βTil next time π
Comments, questions, tips or raising your Seed round?Β Send me a note
Written by Sarah NΓΆckel, Seed Investor atΒ Northzone. Born in Germany. Based in London. You can find me elsewhere onΒ TwitterΒ andΒ Instagram.