Marissa Fetter Hochster

This news is definitely disturbing. Time to figure out why and what we can do to better level the playing field for entrepreneurs and founders. Is this mostly due to the "anti-DEI" environment? Something else that is being overlooked? Eager to hear reactions and solutions. Thanks to Crunchbase for highlighting this. #dei #investing #impact #fairness #bias #equity #gapclosing

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A recruiting agency made $82k in their first month of recruiting on Paraform - that's $1M in equivalent annual billing! John Keenan and his brilliant team at Continuity Partners (shoutout Brianda Reyes Castro and Lona H.) are making a placement every week on Paraform at some of the most exciting companies. John was one of the early recruiters at Palantir Technologies, and joined Continuity Partners in 2007 - he claims (and hiring managers on Paraform seem to agree) working with him will be the most fun you can have talking to a recruiter. How was his team so successful? He broke it down for us: “Recruiters make money by doing the same search over and over. Not by placing one-offs. The best way to grow your business is to find a lot of people, find a lot of jobs, and build a pipeline...and Paraform makes that much easier, it's awesome.” Want to read the full story on how he does it? Check out John's article in comments ?? Congrats John and team — we’re looking forward to seeing your continued success!

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A few weeks ago, I had breakfast with Nakul Mandan, Partner at Audacious Ventures. He shared his framework for early-stage fundraising. Recap below: ? PROCESS Intentional Process: Be intentional about the entire process. Treat it like an enterprise sales process. Be meticulous about your pipeline, introductions, and scheduling. Early Preparation: Plan your fundraising efforts well in advance. Start months before you seek investment, build a pipeline of potential investors, and keep them updated. Leveraging Your Network: Ask for introductions and referrals. Be specific in your requests and make it easy for your contacts to help you. Show appreciation for any help received and maintain these relationships. Pipeline Management: Treat fundraising like a sales process. Keep a detailed spreadsheet with potential investors' names, contact info, and notes. Regularly update and review this pipeline. Scheduling: Schedule all initial meetings within a tight timeframe (e.g., 5-7 days) to create urgency and momentum. Prepare for back-to-back meetings and stay consistent in your pitch. ?? MEETING TIPS Investor Meetings: Focus on building a personal connection. Investors invest in people as much as ideas. Be ready to answer tough questions and show a deep understanding of your market and business model. Creating Urgency: Be clear about your fundraising timeline and goals. Communicate deadlines and encourage quick action. The first term sheet often spurs interest from other investors. ?? PITCH Storytelling: Develop a clear narrative about your market opportunity, solution, and uniqueness. Adapt it for different audiences. Refine your pitch with trusted advisors and peers. Emotional Excitement: Your job in the first meeting is to get the VC emotionally excited about you and your startup. It’s not enough to get them rationally excited. VCs meet multiple founders daily; stand out by creating emotional excitement. Sell the Vision: Be ready to sell a larger-than-life vision. Show the passion behind your vision and mission statement. Let your ambition shine. They're betting on you! "Why Me?" or "Why Now?": Two key drivers of investor excitement in early-stage fundraises. ?? MANAGING EMOTIONS Psychological Management: Be ready to manage your psyche through the process. The No's come before the Yeses. Use the No's as input and fuel for your drive. Resilience: Fundraising is hard. Company building is harder. Remind yourself: "If not you, then who?" ?? PARTNERSHIP Quality of Partner: Don't underestimate the importance of the quality of the partner. Do backchannel references and ask pointed questions. Thanks to SHACK15 and Samantha Price for cohosting with Ground Support, our non-profit community for female founders and operators!

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If the primary value of technology is to increase efficiency then the user shouldn't feel boxed in to a one size fits all solution. If you only want one slice then why feel beholden to buy the whole pizza?? Although I am beyond proud of the work and continued advancements our team at Model Match continues to make to the tech by LISTENING to the user, I (and the industry) should no longer be surprised. This is what we do. We're never finished. In the overall process of developing business...new business or increasing market share with those you already have connections with, ask yourself -- what do you need? What do you need to create efficiency in identifying, engaging, nurturing, and converting those relationships. ?? What buys you time to ensure you are identifying the proper relationships? The ones that are a "Model Match". ?? What gives you the intelligence to go into conversations prepared. The intelligence that turns the term "cold call" on it's head. These are just a few examples. And THIS ?? is just another example of how committed we are to adding the most value, customized for the unique needs of the user.

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In case you haven't seen it yet, Michigan Founders Fund is launching a Pre-Accelerator and it's going to be *AWESOME*! ?? ?? ?? We're partnering with the experts at gener8tor on a program designed to support underrepresented founders across Michigan, offering personalized coaching, access to mentors, and non-dilutive funding. The goal? Prep more early-stage founders for future accelerators and investment opportunities, and help them build incredible high-growth companies right here in Michigan. We're hiring for someone to help run the program. If you or someone you know are interested, check out the application (link in the comments) and come join the team :) #startups #founders #michigan

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Comp leaders - is your equity program working? How about beyond year 4? Charlie's latest newsletter highlights the hidden factors at play in common equity programs. How do we make it a win-win?

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Love seeing the diversity of PE operator applicants to our Ascend leadership accelerator, across both role: → CEO → CRO → CPO → VP Ops → Head of Corp Dev → PE investor turned COO → More ..and sector: → Edu → SaaS → Franchise → E-commerce → Industrial svcs → Manufacturing → Healthcare svcs → Residential svcs → Managed IT svcs → (More) Makes me think of of something I've learned elsewhere in my career: oftentimes, the most impactful ideas and learnings come from other domains. Reminds me of this story (from the book "Benchmarking for Best Practices") ?? “In 1912, a curious Henry Ford watched men cut meat during a tour of a Chicago slaughterhouse. The carcasses were hanging on hooks mounted on a monorail. After each man performed his job, he would push the carcass to the next station. When the tour was over, the guide said, ‘Well, sir, what do you think?’ Mr. Ford turned to the man and said, ‘Thanks, son, I think you may have given me a real good idea.’ Less than six months later, the world’s first assembly line started producing magnetos in the Ford Highland Park Plant.” * * * Still enrolling for our first 2 cohorts for the Ascend PE leadership accelerator. Learn from other leaders. Check out the link in the comments

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Over 20 years ago, a Silicon Valley guru advised me to avoid business books (‘a sugar rush without real nutrition’) and stick to history and science. And I’ve done that. But there are exceptions! My colleagues Martin Gonzalez and Joshua Yellin just authored this brilliant guide for startup companies on how to handle the No. 1 thing that destroys them - people dynamics. As a workshop facilitator, mentor and coach, I’ve spent time with hundreds of startups around the world over the past decade, and I know first-hand that these tools work. If you are a founder, or work at a startup (or plan to do either) do check it out.

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10 Things we've done for our Open Org Members over the last few weeks... ?? Employee Handbook Build ? Career Site Messaging & Positioning ?? Compensation Philosophy Review ?? How to define the role of a Manager ?? Creation of a Transparency Philosophy ?? Annual Health-Check via our Open Culture Framework ? Internal Workshop Design ?? People Metric Benchmarking via peoplemetrics.fyi ?? Becoming Pay Transparent ?? EVP Discovery & Activation Getting to work with companies & people leaders on things like this, all with the goal of building healthier, more open, transparent places of work is AWESOME ?? #Transparency #OpenOrg #PeopleOps

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If there were 99 things that we were doing 'wrong', this might've been the ONE thing that we did 'right' in the earliest days of my first company. And yet, most rising leaders that I meet (founders or otherwise) aren't doing it. Inform the folks in your network about how your journey is coming along. Whether that means in your career progression, a creative endeavor, or starting a company. We want to know! And the occasional update, sent systematically so that you develop a rhythm, is the easiest way for the "state of your journey" to gain a weeee little bit of a headspace in the minds of your friends, family, classmates, colleagues etc. Trust me. Doing this will pay dividends in some unpredictable way. You never know who's having coffee with whom. And when they do, your adventure might just come to mind in their conversation. For me, Kasey, Jessica, & Nick, it started with a basic email, simply BCC'ing folks we'd been in touch with about our latest wins / challenges / questions. Today, I'm a tad more polished with an actual newsletter (complete with an "unsubscribe" button : ) that also spotlights other amazing entrepreneurs and shares my written articles etc. But at the core is the same premise: I'm lightly providing a little update to the folks I care about, about what I'm doing or thinking, and - occasionally - how they might help Danny & I build Impruve. Do this. And if we're friends, add me to your list, I want to know what's happening and how I (or that person I'm having coffee with 3 Tuesdays from now) can help.

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Who we work with: Nick and Lauren Clark Nick is 38 and a software engineering manager, and Lauren is 36 and is a product marketer. Here’s their situation →High earners - their annual household income is around $500k →They save incredibly well - maxing out their 401k and ESPP, but also wondering what else they should be doing →Great timing, great company - they joined the same company pre-ipo, and by virtue of timing and some luck, together they have about $3M in company stock. → Busy lives - on top of very full careers, they shave 3 little kids (all under 7) Objectively, they are in a great spot by any measure! But they want help for a few reasons: → Their company stock has always felt like monopoly money (their words, not ours). But at $3M (and counting), that’s real money that can be used for real goals! → Nick feels like they are a little loose with their spending and could be doing more, but he isn’t really sure what they could or should do → With two high-powered careers and a young family, they don’t want to do this forever, and would love the ability to slow down or take a step back, but candidly aren’t sure how to make that happen We love working with families like the Clarks, and hit it off with them immediately. They have incredible drive and busy lives, and don’t want to figure out what to do - life is too chaotic right now! They’re a great family and they’re fun to help. — We help people in tech like the Clarks become work optional. Your life is busy enough, and money can be overwhelming. We don't just give you a laundry list of to do items and say good luck - we don’t just give you a bunch of ideas and say figure it out - we work alongside you and with you to help you build your plan, execute it, and adjust it as life happens (as it inevitably does). If you could use the help of a financial planner, I'd love to chat --Joe

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Most of you who are connected or follow me were probably unaware of Whop when I announced it as my Next Play. Interestingly enough, the founders and core team have very little connection to the Techstars network that I helped build (which I see as a bit of a point of pride because it would have been easier to lean into that network for a role). It follows the BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) that I enthusiastically embraced with my work at LinkedIn (build the largest community around universities globally and train them on LinkedIn) and Techstars (help build the largest entrepreneurial network in the world). Whop is trying to become the future of work for the next gen economy. And, just like I saw the opportunity with LinkedIn and Techstars, I can see it here. What does that look like for you? Well, first, similar to grabbing domain names, customized URLs for LinkedIn and handles on Twitter, Threads, TikTok, etc, you'll want to claim your profile and unique handle on Whop before someone else does. Broken down simply, if Whop becomes the predominant digital showcase of your professional life, wouldn't you want your name claimed? It's super simple. Go to whop.com and signup. That's it. While there, you can explore others Whops (store fronts) and see how people are leaning into the future of work.

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Something that's struck me about startup service providers - "We take x% of your business, y% of your funding round, and you pay an upfront fee." Starts to feel like a death of a thousand cuts...but as a founder you're still carrying all the risk. It can feel like a losing battle but you have to back yourself to ask, "why is it all three of these terms?" - If you're paying an upfront fee then the other two should be dropped, if a service provider wants to carry the risk of not charging upfront fee's then sweat equity makes sense. Feel's ripe for disruption. #founders #fundraising #serviceproviders

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Profit participation units #ppu are popular in hollywood, legal and many professional service firms (at the Partner / Director Level). It's a underutilized pay tool in for companies who want to align incentives and share in outcomes, when equity is too complex to administer. See the latest blogpost on CandorIQ by Emma Biskupiak

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Do you understand your ICPs? Had some insightful conversations with early stage founders this week, many of which are piloting products with "freemium" models. These programs are inherently valuable as they create opportunities where they are needed, and where cost may prohibit, and provide data for the company. But, they do not provide: ?? revenue, because freemium... ?? adoption, because these users may not commit without skin in the game ?? understanding of use cases in paid industries We further discussed their need to understand differing customer personas, and identify their ICP (Ideal Customer Profile). Honing in on who can best benefit from your product and provide benefit back to you the vendor is a lesson in value exchange, and is one which can drive towards the holy grails - ^ARR and 100+ NRR. So, to my founders/leaders/company champions out there, do you know your ICP?? ------- ???? I’m Parul Bhandari ?? Customer Success advisor, consultant and CS coach. I help startups and CX teams reduce churn, retain more customers, and drive more value. ?? connect with me at in a DM or through my company CustomerXSuccess

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Great to listen to Sandra Schwarzer at Index Ventures, sharing valuable insights on talent this morning. From Index's equity planning tool (a must for founders!) to their 'Scaling Through Chaos' publication, Sandra covers a wealth of topics, including frameworks for Executive Search firms, AI in talent, and much more. ? A few key takeaways that struck a cord: ? Storytelling: Do you feel confident in your search partner going to market and relaying your story? Who's best suited to sell your vision to the market? ? Honesty: I’ve found that whether we are working with corporate boards or founders, I have to start with “How would you like me to be - honest and less placating, or more challenging?”. The best Founders/Boards want to be challenged; they are constantly learning and open to different ways of working or thinking - as Sandra also says! ? Reference taking - Sandra underlined using it as a tool to understand the people you are hiring better. Don’t underestimate referencing even earlier in a search process - something we both believe in doing. ? And lastly, for me, onboarding. Our job never feels done and ensuring a successful hire means investing time in the onboarding process—something we, and great funds like Index Ventures, are fully committed to. #ExecutiveSearch #ExpertInsights #Founders #Leadership #Hiring #ScalingTalent

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?? Exciting News: I'm Launching on Substack! ?? Over the years, I've shared insights into leadership, innovation, and the future of cleantech through my Leaders in Cleantech podcast, articles, and talks. Now, I’m expanding the conversation on Substack. Join me for deeper dives into: ?? Leadership lessons and discussions from the cleantech sector ?? Entrepreneurial insights for scaling businesses ?? Building company culture and attracting top talent ?? The intersection of business, leadership and cleantech ?? Personal experiences, lessons, and philosophies on leadership ?? Subscribe here for personal reflections, stories, and actionable insights as we navigate the cleantech revolution together. https://lnkd.in/erZqvRxq Let’s continue the conversation beyond the usual platforms, building a community that drives change and innovation. #cleantech #leadership #companyculture #talent #innovation #entrepreneurship

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The Bots Are Coming: Agentforce Announced at Dreamforce Yesterday, I had the pleasure of asking three nonprofit leaders, Kimberly Bradberry, Lori Freeman and Michael Force, what they’re most excited about for the next 12 months. The answer? A resounding consensus: Agentforce. So, what exactly is Agentforce, and why is it generating so much excitement? At its core, Agentforce is powered by Atlas, Salesforce's new AI innovation, which acts as the “brain” behind the platform. With Atlas, nonprofits and universities can tap into advanced AI. But what really makes Agentforce stand out? Let’s dive into three key areas: 1. Agentforce for Marketing With Agentforce Campaign Agent, organizations can leverage AI to create more personalized and effective marketing campaigns. Imagine running campaigns that adapt in real-time, tailoring messages to each supporter or donor. This level of personalization will be a game changer for nonprofits trying to connect on a deeper level with their communities. 2. Agentforce for Service The potential for human service organizations is incredible. For example, we’re working with a nonprofit that provides mental health support, and they’ve implemented simple bots to offer a self-service solution using their knowledge base. Unlike traditional chatbots that rely on predefined scripts, these new autonomous agents are powered by generative AI. They operate 24/7 across self-service portals and messaging channels, handling tasks, making decisions, and delivering natural, conversational responses that feel personalized and aligned with the organization’s brand. This same functionality can transform university one-stop service centers, providing students with seamless support for everything from admissions to financial aid. 3. Agentforce for Commerce By integrating AI-driven commerce solutions, Agentforce offers personalized shopping experiences for events, donations, and merchandise. For advancement teams, this means tailored engagement with donors and alumni—creating more meaningful connections during fundraising campaigns, events, and even post-donation follow-ups. Imagine engaging a donor through a personal assistant-like interaction, where the AI remembers past interactions and preferences, making it easier to drive long-term loyalty and contributions. With the announcement of Agentforce, it’s clear that AI will play a huge role in the future of nonprofit and educational organizations. The possibilities are endless, and I, for one, am incredibly excited to see how this will evolve over the next year. Are you ready for the bots? #Dreamforce #AI #Agentforce #Nonprofits #Salesforce #ImpactTech #Innovation

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"Breaking Up With Swag: Prioritizing Substance Over Stuff" Hands up if you've got a crumpled pile of corporate-branded T-shirts at the back of your closet. What about a junk drawer scattered with pens from companies you've long since forgotten about? If so, you, too, have been swindled by swag. In my latest article, I uncover the true cost of freebies and propose a different perspective on brand engagement that lasts long after the events are over. In line with the EARTHDAY.ORG 2024 theme, planet vs. plastics, let's get rid of unnecessary single-use plastic—a common material for swag. Read the full article below and dare to go bare(handed) at your next event!? https://lnkd.in/gDDYQ6Ds #CorporateSwag #EventIndustry #AuthenticEngagement #EventProfessional #Sustainability #SustainableEvents Kristine Monteiro, MA I know you'll appreciate this one. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I help trailblazing DMOs and business event professionals change the World through the power of regenerative business events. ? Subscribe to my YouTube channel, Look Ahead with Anna, for weekly industry insights and ring my bell ?? to get alerted to my posts.?

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