Foundational Resources for Founders

Building a startup is easy… said no-one ever. (Well, actually I did say it – but there's more to it). Every part of it is difficult, coming up with an idea, fine-tuning the idea, vetting tools and people - the hiring, the firing - making money, raising money, and validating that you are solving a problem the market has.

This is why I’ve put together this little quick-start guide for founders. You won’t need all these on day one, but if things are going well - you should be able to save yourself some time by referring to these curated resources.

Please note that all the sites I’m sharing typically have many more tools and options than what I am suggesting - so be careful not to get into a rabbit hole by trying to read all their content and trying all the features and losing focus on working in the business as much as working on the business.

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All content presented herein is for informational purposes only. Nothing should be construed as legal advice. Transmission and receipt of this information is not intended to create, and does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Do not act upon any information presented without seeking professional counsel.

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Lean Canvas - Business Plan

This template helps you deconstruct your idea into its key assumptions. It is adapted from Alex Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas and optimized for Lean Startups. It replaces elaborate business plans with a single page business model. leanstack.com/leancanvas

• Should take you about 20-minutes to complete once, you should revisit it every few months.

ClearPage - One-Pager Creator

A great resource to help you create your one-pager. No more guessing games of what to add, attaching files and sending outdated versions. ClearPage lets you create and update your one-pager instantly, and share it with investors to get you that first meeting. Go secure your branded URL today. useclearly.com/onepager

• Should take you less than 10-minutes to make at first, and then update in seconds daily.

Pitch-Deck - Template Guide

After reviewing thousands of real startup pitch-decks, and researching hundreds of pitch-deck templates from the likes of Sequoia, First Round Capital and others, and learning from the best investors at Techstars, here is what I think is the ultimate pitch-deck guide for early-stage startups should include. sabakarim.com/pitchdeck

Crunchbase - Company Insights Platform

If your startup is not on Crunchbase, it doesn’t really exist. Unless if it’s in stealth, in which case at least you know that opportunities will not come knocking on your door. So for everyone else, it's fundamental to create a profile. Not only will this allow your startup to get discovered, you can also browse millions investors. And yes, it's worth the $350 per year to pay for pro. crunchbase.com

• 5-minutes if you go minimalistic (not recommended) or 30-45 minutes if you take the time to add in every single detail you can. 

FounderSuite – Investor CRM

Manage your investor funnel, get pipeline visibility, and fundraise more efficiently with FounderSuite. It’s going to be tempting to just try and manage it all in email or Google Sheets, but if you go for this - you're going to love the visualization of your interactions seeing how your potential investors are going from contacted to committed, to wired money. foundersuite.com

• Like any CRM, it only works as good as you use it often.

Last but not least...

Paperstreet - Investor Updates

The fastest and easiest way to share your startup's progress with anyone. Company updates are critical to maintain key relationships. It allows you to keep investors in the loop, get asks answered, and build trust and accountability. Upgrade (or start) your investor updates now. paperstreet.vc

• Setting up your profile is effortless - less than 2-minutes. Founders usually spend about 2-hours writing their first one. With Paperstreet, it has become materially easier.

Other resources I’ll go into more detail on with a future blog:

• Techstars investor pipeline workshop. toolkit.techstars.com/build-your-investor-pipeline 
• Venture Deals, the best book to learn about everything venture capital. venturedeals.com
• SAFE, one of the most common convertible securities. upcounsel.com/safe-notes
• FAST, standard agreement for founders bringing on advisors. fi.co/fast
• Carta, equity management software. carta.com

Let me know what was and wasn't useful and what else you would like to see in the future.

Cheers!