early stage 2020
Use ‘productive paranoia’ to build cybersecurity culture at your startup
As any startup grows, getting new products out the door and securing that next round of funding are always top priorities. But security, all too often, falls by the wayside. After all, why would you i
How to establish a startup and draw up your first contract
Founders are encouraged, incentivized and pressured to begin transacting with customers as quickly as possible to drive growth and revenue. But making legal mistakes early in the game can create costl
Red Antler’s Emily Heyward explains how to get people obsessed with your brand
If you’re currently building a startup, you know what product you want to build. But do you know if people are actually going to notice you? That’s the question I asked of Red Antler co-founder Em
Figma CEO Dylan Field discusses fundraising, hiring and marketing in stealth mode
You’d be hard pressed to hang out with a designer and not hear the name Figma. The company behind the largely browser-based design tool has made a huge splash in the past few years, building a m
Founders can raise funding before launching a product
It’s possible to raise VC funding even if you haven’t built a real product, according to Charles Hudson, founder and managing partner at seed-stage firm Precursor Ventures. It’s just very, very
Facebook’s former PR chief explains why no one is paying attention to your startup
At TechCrunch Early Stage, I spoke with Coatue Management GP Caryn Marooney about startup branding and how founders can get people to pay attention to what they’re building. Marooney recently ma
Three growth marketing experts share their best tools and strategies for 2020
At last month’s Early Stage virtual event, channel growth experts joined TechCrunch reporters and editors for a series of conversations covering the best tools and strategies for building startu
Six things venture capitalists are looking for in your pitch
Founders pitch venture capitalists at every available chance, which is why most of them quickly develop the skills required to identify whether someone is offering them an opportunity or wasting their
Lo Toney’s product manager playbook for pitch deck success
The cold email worked — you’ve landed a meeting with your dream investor. Hell, you even set aside $40,000 for a pitch deck consultant to make sure your presentation looks suave. One thing to
When choosing a tech stack, look before you leap
When it comes to choosing a tech stack, the decisions you make today could have a cascading impact for years.
Ann Miura-Ko’s framework for building a startup
As an early-stage investor, Floodgate’s Ann Miura-Ko looks for two breakthroughs in order to invest in a startup: The first happens in the value-seeking stage of a startup’s journey and th