I’m Sarahand this is the 194th edition of Femstreet, a weekly newsletter featuring must-read content by female CEOs, operators, and investors. If you enjoy the content, please like it above and share it with friends.
Insights
Elizabeth Holmes of Teranos and Eva Ho of Fika Ventures.
Fika Ventures co-founded by Eva Ho announced fund III of $160M. 2021 has been a stellar year for women with historic IPOs. But we still have a long way to go to reach parity, with less than 2.3% of VC $$$ in '20 going to female founders. Embedded fintech company Zeal co-founded by Kirti Shenoy secured $13M in Series A funding from Spark Capital. Bumble will give employees collective time off every year. Will Warby Parker’s IPO be a down round? How to fail 10 times and get to $85M on 11th.If you're looking to work with a diverse venture capitalist, check out this Airtable list. Why female founders, especially in science and health care, still live in the shadow of Elizabeth Holmes. The ultimate elevator pitch template.
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What founders, startup operators, and investors are talking about…
10 things to learn from a self-taught product designer
Striving for a career in product design? Nadia Sotnikova just got promoted to Senior Product Designer at Gitlab and shares why it's good to be the least experienced designer in the room early in your career and why you have to see your product fail usability tests…Read more.
The three components of defensible UX
Feeling lost when you try to type with your friend’s Samsung phone as an iPhone user? Consumers of products with true UX moats will experience extended discomfort from switching products, and might even find new user interfaces distasteful. Sara Du of Alloy Automation on why UX moats are a form of customer and brand loyalty that plenty of startups should be tapping into…Read more.
Are you really profitable?
A lot of startups and businesses hide behind the concept of economies of scale. This concept helps them justify short-term losses. In reality, your financials might be more messed up and it’s hard to know what is fixed and variable costs. Hence, the concept of unit economics is helpful to verify the profitability of your business. Femstreet member Leticia Souza of Uploan PH goes deep on unit economics and how to calculate yours. Grab your pen and paper…Read more.
PR success starts way before the pitch
With all the mega-rounds being announced, it has become a lot harder to generate press coverage. Emailing reporters two weeks before you want to go live likely won’t get you very far. PR is an ongoing effort, not a two-week sprint, and securing great press starts long before you ever email a reporter. Kerry Bennet of Upfront VC on how you can ensure that your company is set up for success before you even start pitching a story…Read more.
Is product-led growth even right for you?
PLG is trendy. But is product-led growth even the right strategy for your company? Choosing product-led growth should be based first and foremost on your customer and their problem. Sandhya Hegde of Unusual Ventures on 3 primary PLG modes and their criteria…Read more.
The danger of "TikTok spikes" when launching a new app
You post a TikTok about your new app. It goes viral, getting millions of views and bringing in tens of thousands of users (for free!). Make sure your product is ready for prime time. Olivia Moore of a16z on why the TikTok spike can quickly turn into a nightmare…Read more.
Killer SaaS company building advice
SaaS is a roller-coaster. Your product is as good as your customers succeeding with it and there will be churn. 5 years into her business, Kabandi Saikia of Omnify has some key learnings to share…Read more.
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