pollen round retweeted
i thought about building a personal website for paid 1:1 sessions, but realized @calcom description section allows links so just did it this way simple and easy.
been getting enough inbounds to extend my runway quite a bit with 1:1s, @XCreators payout, and MRR from my apps.
build, post, chat.
pollen round retweeted
this, or DM @startupoppa
pollen round retweeted
investors can ~only help with 3 things.
- intros to other investors
- intros to talent
- intros to customers
product sessions, weekly jam, or whatever else it’s called is just not that helpful.
not because they are not smart (most top vcs have also been founders) but because they are not living and breathing what you are building.
context is half the insight, and you are the man for the most of the journey anyway.
for pre pmf consumer social, no VC no founder can show you the ways. none.
if anyone claims they are “consumer social gurus” tell them to go eat ass.
even the instagram founders tried building one from 0 to 1 again (artifact) but folded -they were the only free agents other than myspace tom. naval tried. marc andreessen tried long ago. the list goes on including the young super novas who garnered tens of millions in downloads in matter of weeks, folded.
there is no advisor who can teach you the ways into long term pmf - i don’t mean tactical growth material. the real dna of a new david who can take on the goliaths.
there are likely less than 10 people in the world who might even have any clues, most are still running their companies: jack dorsey, mark zuck, evan spiegel, but even if all of them were to form a company together and try there is higher chance of flopping than not.
you are the best in your world view. just observe the culture out there in the wild and shoot your shots. now is the best time in decades to build in consumer social. so we might as well try.
pollen round retweeted
founder friends!
who are the ~seed investors you love working with? @ them below please.
i’ve helped founders raise $10M+ through early stage warm intros through @pollenround intros.
the mailing list is around ~150 but i’m updating the list.
if you could @ them below, i’d appreciate it.
who are the founders raising pre seed to seed (lower than $15M post) right now?
DM me your blurb 📥
i’ll review and warm intro through @TLDRintros.
- @generalcatalyst @HustleFundVC @unpopularvc @Unusual_VC and others have invested millions through my intros so far.
pollen round retweeted
investor friends!
i’m starting an X-native warm intros to curated circle of investors. gonna be one hell of a deal flow flywheel if it works.
the intro’d founders will all be curated through my personal filter/mutuals.
dm/reply if interested.
founder friends!
who are the ~seed investors you love working with? @ them below please.
i’ve helped founders raise $10M+ through early stage warm intros through @pollenround intros.
the mailing list is around ~150 but i’m updating the list.
if you could @ them below, i’d appreciate it.
pollen round retweeted
i’ve helped founders raise millions through my warm intros using email as the medium.
x focused warm intros through @pollenround could be interesting
i feature one founder per tweet and investors can DM me to meet them.
Day 1 of complimenting people on X.
@ckchangkim
$500m+ exit but stays humble
invested in my previous startup
started a new neo-linkedin company
💬 reply to ask him anything here
pollen round retweeted
as mentioned, i’m building AI native consumer social apps “privately in public.”
one is in collab with @haileeintern
another in collab with ___________
follow to stay tuned.
current state of consumer social:
1. human: human
too saturated, not sure how to even fuck with the big guys like ig tinder and beyond.
2. AI: AI
sounds good in theory, but they are too boring when left amongst themselves. doesnt smell homo sapiens enough for retention.
3. AI: human: human: AI
new category and the one i’m going all in on. stay tuned.
pollen round retweeted
just had a 1:1 session with @pedro_computer for product feedback/pitch jam - he's building something dope in the gamified AI character space.
might do this in public on @XSpaces next time.
pollen round retweeted
re: warm intros
i’ve helped founders raise $10M+ from top funds through @pollenround warm intros,
and i’m surprised how many founders either:
forward me a *vague 2-3 sentence blurb,
OR
send me a one page essay.
unless we are already good friends or you’ve helped me big time before, i then either don’t make any intros, or the intros don’t convert to investor meetings.
when you ask for warm intros through X DMs, you are asking someone who doesn’t know you to put their face on the line for their inner circle. so help them help you by not adding more work to their day.
this was the raw blurb i sent around to my friends when i was raising for @perl_xyz - needless to say, i remember every single founder/investor who helped us close the round, and if they ask me for a favor, i promise i will be at their service asap.
pay it forward is great but in long run, everything is a “give and take.” helping each other is the only way to sustain long term relationships.
*if you are @JeffDean the blurb can be “hey i’m raising” and you will be oversubscribed yesterday, but most people are not him
pollen round retweeted
not the first time.
getting increasingly more builders i respect DM’ing me saying they wanna pay for it.
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
activating @pollenround testflight soon.
day 10
title: self doubts.
now using AI to write the script + AI audio with cloned voice.
using @ElevenLabs but might try @FishAudio for emotional depth
pollen round retweeted
so many early stage founders spend too much time on the decks for their first rounds.
fuck that. the deck is a mere trailer of your story. what to do instead:
1. retardmaxx
clarify the “what if everything works out?” version just eating the world to the point of raw, quixotic delusion
2. aura blast
literally just blast your fucking aura. articulate who the fuck you are, why the fuck you care, and how the fuck you will get there.
the key is to back up the delusion with such formidable aura that the VC goes home and paints the rest of the picture themselves and wire in a hurry.
i’m not saying i’m that good, but i’ve seen some founders really THAT good.
pollen round retweeted
day 10
title: self doubts.
now using AI to write the script + AI audio with cloned voice.
using @ElevenLabs but might try @FishAudio for emotional depth
pollen round retweeted
seed round was coined to mark the “first round.”
now that seed rounds feel like series A,
pre seed is seed.
and @pollenround is before pre seed.
it’s official from a69z
pollen round retweeted
i’ve raised millions in my past 3 ventures, from greylock, sequoia, a16z, spc, and others,
but i’m convinced that times have changed.
bootstrapping to pmf prior to raising the first round is the way (if you even need it). why? the ideal time for raising money is when you don’t need it. then it’s a real business discussion:
- money aside, what is the value add?
- is the delusion big enough to justify venture backing?
prior to pmf, you get rushed. at some points you feel like a snake oil salesman selling the fluffy dream and begging for money. it did feel like that for me at some point. it wastes a lot of time.
fundraising is a pure supply and demand game. it can be a fun game to play but only if you got something solid in your hands.
*exceptions: ventures that absolutely need a lot of capital upfront e.g. hard tech, space tech,