Welcome to Femstree't’s life online. I’m Sarah and this is the 254th edition of Femstreet. If you enjoy this issue, please share it with your friends and like it above.
As a founder, how do you get from drawing board to funded startup? Sometimes, a warm intro to the right person can make all the difference.
During each round of Mercury Raise Seed, we put 50 startups in front of 800+ top-tier pre-seed and seed investors across industries. If an investor is interested, we make a personal introduction. Selected applicants also have the chance to receive 1:1 mentorship and access to exclusive events — all for free.
Submit your Mercury Raise Seed application by February 9 to be considered. For questions, email raise@mercury.com.
From builders and investors in our universe…
How to compete against an incumbent
BeReal introduced a new atomic unit, not with the front/back facing camera, but by having your photo act like a token to unlock your friends’ content. If you’re trying to go after an incumbent with an atomic unit that smells too similar, it is tough. The gravitational pull of both products’ existing network effect is just too strong. Neither TikTok nor ChatGPT look like Google. Benchmark’s Sarah Tavel on how to find an incumbent’s white space and the power of new atomic units…Read more.
How mentors can change your trajectory
Mentorship is important because it shows you the potential for who you can become. Not only does it open doors, but it provides learning and growth opportunities for both parties and allows them to mutually benefit. Deb Liu on things to think about as you are looking for a mentor in the new year…Read more.
When to pivot or cut your losses
The value of grit is a major predictor of success across fields, and it’s important to stick with things, especially when they get difficult. But we largely neglect the important flip side of grit: knowing when it’s time to quit. Most of us don’t like the idea of quitting, so we delay this decision until it’s beyond obvious. Justine & Olivia Moore of Accelerated shares a framework on knowing when to quit, holding yourself accountable and navigating your next steps…Read more.
Communicating with investors as you scale
With each round of financing, founders typically bring on new investors. Eventually, the time a founder needs to spend updating individual investors will become unmanageable. Jax of Airtree Ventures shares what founders can do to create an open and transparent way of sharing information that builds trust, but doesn’t require an unmanageable time investment…Read more.
A framework to building a bold brand
Brands are memorable when they make us feel something. Apple taught us that good brands create moats. As founders and CFOs we have to balance our desire to trace every dollar with a belief that an emotional connection with the brand matters. But most CEOs don't know that a strong brand also lowers CAC. Former Gusto marketer Jaleh Rezaei shares a 2x2 matrix, and the important things to write down when codifying your brand…Read more.
GTM hacks for consumer companies in the 0 to 1 stage
Early GTM channels are often not scalable but how a company gets its first 1,000 users often isn’t what will get them its next 10k or 100k users. Don’t give up too early or fixated on a single acquisition channel. A16z’s Anne Lee Skates shares the experimental mindset needed to find traction pre PMF…Read more.
New year, new opportunities and talent!
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