EC TechCrunch Early Stage

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

“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."

Sequoia’s Jess Lee explains how VCs think about their deals

Jess Lee, a partner at Sequoia Capital, shared insights to help startup founders achieve more success when they pitch investors.

GV’s Frederique Dame on product-market fit: ‘You have one chance at a good experience’

"Understanding the user journey of your customers, and what you're doing with your product is really, really important,” said Frederique Dame. “Be obsessive and talk to customers as much as you ca

How to get into Y Combinator, according to YC’s Dalton Caldwell

At TechCrunch Early Stage, Y Combinator's Dalton Caldwell shared insights on the application process — what works on an application, what doesn't, and the right ways to stand out.

Raising a Series A in a market of mixed messages

For startups graduating past the seed stage and thinking about landing that coveted Series A, what’s the best way to navigate a market of mixed messages?

Sapphire Ventures’ Cathy Gao on how VCs can help early-stage startups weather volatility

If uncertainty is the only true certainty in this global economy, how does an early-stage startup gird itself?

How to know when it’s time for your startup to stop DIY-ing legal work

There’s a lot of work that needs to be done when building a startup, legally and professionally. And startup lawyers specializing in niche documents and processes can be useful resources.

Sequoia’s Mike Vernal outlines how to design feedback loops in the search for product-market fit

"Finding product-market fit is not a deterministic process. Most of the time, it requires iteration. It requires constant adaptation."

SOSV partners explain how deep tech startups can fundraise successfully

'In deep tech, it's essential to think about founder-investor fit. And what we mean by this is understanding why an investor is even in VC in the first place.'

Susan Su on how to approach growth as your startup raises each round

'At each layer of your growth model, you don't want to just be relying on ads or just be relying on SEO or just be relying on email marketing … you really want to have your eggs in multiple baskets.

Cowboy Ventures’ Ted Wang: CEO coaching is ‘about having a second set of eyes’

'I think you want insight from people who understand how human beings listen and learn and grow.'

Greylock’s Mike Duboe explains how to define growth and build your team

'I think successful growth folks tend to be voracious learners; they're resourceful and have that sort of get-shit-done mindset; they're ultimately simplifiers and actually generalists.'

Silicon Valley comms expert Caryn Marooney shares how to nail the narrative

"You may think that the message is boring because you've said it once. But repetition never spoils the prayer."

The head of Citi Ventures on how, and why, to leverage corporate venture arms like his

We have not had to wait for a second close or we've not had to request the company to do a second close. We've been able to close along with the rest of the the syndicate."

How to pivot your startup, save cash and maintain trust with investors and customers

"We would go all in on a product and we'd build it and put blood, sweat and tears into it, and then I would kill it, and we'd move on to the next thing."

Alexa von Tobel outlines how founders should manage personal finances

Von Tobel outlines steps to stay out of debt, build credit and accumulate wealth to ensure financial peace of mind as you take on the most stressful venture of your life: Starting a company.

Founder and investor Melissa Bradley outlines how to nail your virtual pitch meeting

Ureeka founder Melissa Bradley explains how to prepare for a virtual pitch, allocate time, how to close meetings with a clear list of action items, and what to avoid.

Building the right team for a billion-dollar startup

Bain Capital Ventures managing director Sarah Smith talks about how to ensure the critical early hires are the right ones to grow a business.

So you want to raise a Series A

Bucky Moore, a partner at Kleiner Perkins, gives founders tactical advice on the process of raising a Series A round.

Bootstrapping, managing product-led growth and knowing when to fundraise

Calendly CEO Tope Awotona and Blake Bartlett, partner at OpenView, talk about expanding internationally, when to bootstrap and when to fundraise, and how VCs approach a profitable company.
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