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Meg Whitman's next big bite; Powerpoint Parties; A Survival Checklist for B2B Software Startups & More

Your weekly Newsletter on Women in Tech and Venture Capital

Sarah Nöckel

Apr 12, 2020

Good morning and welcome to issue No. 130. Hoppy Easter Sunday to everyone celebrating! I hope you could slow down a little bit and take into account all aspects of your being.

Join us for a Q&A with Leah Solivan April 16th, 11am PDT/7pm BST on Zoom

Mark your calendars for our next expert session in collaboration with Jane VC, featuring Leah Solivan (GP at Fuel Capital, founder of TaskRabbit). She launched TaskRabbit in 2008 and will discuss the challenges and opportunities in starting a company in a downturn. Register here.

Insights

Quibi - short for “Quick Bites” (I am sure you know that by now) - launched last Monday, offering a new mobile-only video streaming platform with 4-10min original show episodes. Our friends at Morningbrew talked to its CEO Meg Whitman, who’s also the former eBay CEO (!!!) and HP CEO (!!!). But here is why Quibi may fail: “Mediocre off-brand cable content, No screenshots = no virality, Sluggish pacing, Uninteractive, Zero social features”…And why it may become a multi-billion dollar company.
Speaking of streaming…here’s more on Beyoncé's streaming strategy. And more cash for mom-focused content and commerce. Shipping software company Shippo raises a $30M Series C. Tried a PowerPoint Party? The smartest covid-19 support strategy we have seen. Former GM of TikTok launched a virtual ecosystem for beauty lovers. Travel brand Away furloughed half its employees and laid off 10%. Ana Andjelic says: “When a crisis hits, GMO brands are the first to go: they're heavily focused on overblowing demand through aggressive direct marketing, PR & once this demand dries up, they have nothing to amortize the losses. crisis accelerates this path.”

From the Investor

Considerations for SaaS leaders in the era of COVID-19.
— Cassie Young / Primary VC

A survival checklist for B2B Software startups.
— Joyce Liu

On what it takes to operate in this market.
— Elizabeth Yin / Hustle Fund

If it’s not glaringly obvious your company has product-market fit yet, with customers pulling the product from you, it very likely doesn’t.

More here on Product-Market-Fit.
— Sarah Guo / Greylock

In a volatile market, SaaS businesses should focus on efficiency, before growth.

Here is a playbook for efficient growth.
— Kristina Shen and Kimberly Tan / A16z

A very detailed Corona curriculum for your kids.
— Rebecca Lynn / Canvas Ventures

As investors, we need to be both right and contrarian to make a return for our LPs.

Why you shouldn’t be afraid to be wrong.
— Shripriya Mahesh / Spero Ventures

We all know that consumer startups are taking a big hit. Here’s how Forerunner Ventures’ Kirsten Green is advising founders in her portfolio.

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From the Founder & Operator

On leading with vulnerability.

Shine a light on your own struggles, be kinder than necessary and talk positively and concretely about the future. More here.
— Alison Eastaway / Sqreen

Vulnerability is about being real, not perfect.
— Rebecca Minkoff

On why coding is not everything to Success: A systems view of start-up development.
— Rachel Aliana / Adjacent

Some thoughts on VC firms as brands during COVID-19.
— Natalie Sportelli / Lerer Hippeau

From creating new cultural rituals, to increased communication cadence and planning for opportunity. Here’s how you keep things moving even if the “normal” just got 10x harder.
— Holly Liu / Kabam

Upcoming (Virtual) Events

🗓️April 15
AMA on cash management with Elizabeth Yin

🗓️April 15
MSP Digital Q&A - Comp Planning For All Levels Of Your Sales Team

🗓️April 15
Vestpod's online workshop on investing for beginners

🗓️April 16
Alternative financing in the time of COVID-19

🗓️April 16
Femstreet & Jane VC: Building a Tech Startup in a Downturn | Video AMA with Leah Solivan

🗓️April 22
Startup Investor Panel (Angel Round to IPO)

And in case you missed it:

How to navigate fundraising in uncertain times - for everyone
Remote management strategies - for everyone
Tips on hiring, people operations & GTM strategy - for everyone
Tips for founder personal brand building - for members only
How to build and scale a remarkable startup without compromising on people or culture - for everyone

Thank you for being part of Femstreet this Sunday. We’ll see you back here next week. 💙

If you are a female investor, founder or startup operator, we'd love to feature your content. Are you currently fundraising? Share the details with us here.

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👋Comments, questions, tips? Know a founder of a B2B company I should meet? Send me a note!

Curated in London by Sarah Nöckel, Founder/Editor in Chief & B2B SaaS Investor at Dawn Capital