founder advice

If I’m being honest, I didn’t have what it takes to be a founder

If I map myself against the standards of fundraising today, none of those startups would’ve had a gnat’s shadow’s chance of raising money.

How to raise a Series A in today’s market

Three investors shared their perspectives on what’s changed, what’s working today, and what advice they’re giving founders at this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt.

What’s the best way to run a startup in a world full of advice?

There exist a myriad of answers to the question, "How do you found your first startup?" But which of those answers apply to you and your situation?

IP for startups: It starts with strategy

If your IP is stopping a big company from doing what it wants, that could, in itself, be a good enough reason for acquiring you.

How to get warm introductions to investors

A vanishingly small number of investors will look at any pitch. For most investors, though, you'll need to get your foot in the door to be heard.

How to find the right investors for your startup

This first part of a three-part series explores understanding the investment thesis you fit into and identifying the right investors for your startup.

Plant-based foods investor says her focus is more on teams than taste

Lisa Feria remains bullish on the plant-based foods sector despite headwinds. Here's what she’s telling her portfolio companies in these uncertain times.

Redefining ‘founder-friendly’ capital in the post-FTX era

For many startup founders, a "founder-friendly" investor is one who stays relatively hands off. But in today's climate, we need the opposite.

Climate tech is not doomed, despite climate doom

Climate tech investor Dan Goldman details what he thinks about today’s market and what he’s telling his portfolio companies about how to prepare for next year.

Startups, here’s everything you need to know to raise VC funding

The crew here at TechCrunch has done a lot of writing about fundraising, and how to make an awesome pitch deck over the years. I figured it was time that I put together a collection of all of it in on

Giving discounts will bite ya — use them with caution

I’ve run a startup or two in my time, and I’ve run companies that have struggled to meet payroll from time to time. More than once, running a limited-time sale with a discount saved the co

Founders should use predictive modeling to fundraise smarter

Even with the rampant enthusiasm for pouring bigger equity checks into startups, founders are now in a unique place in time where they can think differently about how to capitalize their companies.

6 career options for ex-founders seeking their next adventure

As someone with "founder" on your resume, you face a greater challenge when trying to get a salaried job. You’ve already shown that you really want to lead a company and not just rise up the ladder.

Let’s talk about gaslighting and fundraising

“Most of the startups I give advice to about how to raise venture capital shouldn’t be raising venture capital,” an investor recently told me. While the idea that every startup isn’t venture-b

The plague of rationalization

Failure doesn’t usually happen “to” startups. It happens when founders rationalize problems until it’s too late. Attack problems early and the startup will advance. Rationalize that the proble

Founders, don’t trust your venture capitalists… or should you?

When should you trust a venture capitalist, and when should you prepare for battle?

How to communicate with your board in tough times

For startup CEOs, tough economic periods are like stressful stretches in a marriage: They test your mettle while making ugly truths impossible to hide. These days, amid industry-wide belt-tightening,

11 reasons we didn’t invest in your company

Like most VCs, we see dozens of deals each week. We've developed a funnel that enables us to quickly eliminate those that don't fit our general investment criteria. The deals that survive this initial

Lessons Learned From My First Startups

I was born an engineer and an introvert. The rest is pretty predictable. When I was three I obsessed over jigsaw puzzles. At five, LEGO. I showed whatever I built to my mom, and she gave me a stream o