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Walter Thompson

Walter Thompson

Managing Editor, Contributions, TC+

Senior Editor Walter Thompson edits staff and guest articles for TechCrunch+ and manages TechCrunch’s guest contributor program.

Previously, he worked at a number of startups in various roles and as City Editor of Hoodline. He is the host of The Golden City, a podcast about San Francisco.

The Latest from Walter Thompson

TechCrunch+ roundup: Rethinking PLG, AI-enabled SaaS pricing, traveling with a green card

Walter Thompson
When no one worried about IT spending, startups leaned into the bottom-up sales approach and driving PLG. But that was then, and this is now.

TechCrunch+ roundup: South Korea investor survey, 1-hour board meetings, venture leasing basics

Walter Thompson
To run 60-minute startup board meetings that create value, replace your 80-slide deck with a simple three-page memo.

TechCrunch+ roundup: Make your CRO fly, cut cloud costs correctly, how to write a cold email

Walter Thompson
Landing pages are one of the best places to run experiments, but if you aren't constantly iterating, you’re leaving money on the table.

TechCrunch+ roundup: Venture debt VC survey, PLG boosting tactics, bootstrapping to $40M ARR

Walter Thompson
ARR has always been a key metric, but with valuations down across the board and new money too tight to mention, it’s now a lodestar.

TechCrunch+ roundup: Psychedelics VC survey, how to run an AI pilot, Europe’s robotics renaissance

Walter Thompson
Psychedelic startups want to make psilocybin, ketamine and other substances more mainstream, but how are investors approaching this space?

TechCrunch+ roundup: Minimizing M&A mayhem, cybersecurity PM checklist, open source AI

Walter Thompson
Can open-source foundation AI models level the playing field while addressing concerns about privacy and bias?

TechCrunch+ roundup: Unicorn origins, red flags for investors, generative AI meets copyright law

Walter Thompson
Every startup isn’t ready to hire a full-time marketer, but that’s no excuse to toss money out the window on paid acquisition.

NFX’s James Currier: Where unicorn ideas come from and why founders ‘have to keep pivoting’

Walter Thompson
“This is really only talking about world-changing, big-ass businesses with a lot of impact that could be a billion dollars or more in value."

TechCrunch+ roundup: AI ethics investor survey, B2B SaaS KPIs, don’t frown on down rounds

Walter Thompson
Because AI requires human input, it is inherently susceptible to bias. What are investors doing to hold founders accountable?

TechCrunch+ roundup: Build a better board deck, multipath onboarding tips, selling to CISOs

Walter Thompson
Instead of playing the hero during startup board meetings, CEOs should allow team leaders to speak for themselves.

TechCrunch+ roundup: Customer personas, content that resonates, efficiency metrics VCs love

Walter Thompson
Reducing CAC Payback and following the Rule of 40 is proof that a founding team knows how to move directionally. Investors love that.

TC+ roundup: Pitch coaching from 5 VCs, Black founder funding options, 3 fintech flubs

Walter Thompson
If you’ve added "AI" to your pitch deck to make it more appealing, I have some bad news: FOMO is passé, and due diligence is the new black.

How to pitch me: 5 investors discuss what they’re looking for in April 2023

Walter Thompson
I’m going to save you some time: many, if not most, of you are probably not yet ready to pitch an investor.

TechCrunch+ roundup: Deep tech tips for SaaS VCs, toxic fundraising, student visa startup options

Walter Thompson
If someone said "startup" while we were playing a word association game, I’d respond with "fundraising." (I bet you would, too.)

TechCrunch+ roundup: SaaS benchmarks, TikTok strategy, milestone-based fundraising

Walter Thompson
SaaS companies are like leaky rowboats: if retention rates don't overcome customer churn, you will take on water and sink to the bottom.

TechCrunch+ roundup: VC robotics survey, Visa Bulletin update, SaaS engagement metrics

Walter Thompson
Autonomous tractors, semi trucks and warehouse restocking bots have gone from concept to reality. Is robotics mainstream now?

TechCrunch+ roundup: 5-year business models, RevOps tactics, how much to pay founders?

Walter Thompson
When a fighter has no reasonable chance of winning the match, throwing in the towel is the smart move. This also applies to startup founders.

TechCrunch+ roundup: YC Demo Day faves, thrift shop VCs, cybersecurity product challenges

Walter Thompson
Starting up in San Francisco still has benefits: moderate weather, great food, and sure, the world’s largest concentration of venture capital.

TechCrunch+ roundup: #OpenToWork reality check, deck-free pitching, ARR growth lessons

Walter Thompson
ARR is hard to budge, as it’s a direct reflection of how well you’re doing in terms of reaching product-market fit.

TechCrunch+ roundup: 3 key hiring metrics, building SDR teams, insurtech investor survey

Walter Thompson
Marketing teams get a lot of credit for landing new customers, but in reality, sales development representatives do most of the actual work.
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