Paul Naphtali’s Post

Bootstrapped startups have one huge advantage: they can afford to go after opportunities that big companies can't be bothered to really focus on. A life-changing shift in wealth for a group of 20 people is a drop in the bucket for a big public company.

I've wondered if there's a (natural?) B2B product lifecycle that happens here because this is very true. Small company recognises an underserved niche. Usually a space where the opportunity is too small for the large incumbents. Solving this problem gives them a leg into the market. It's also often gives them leverage to compete even in a crowded market. They grow. Eventually larger deals begin to roll in. The pot of gold is in view! Their strategy inevitably becomes to "shift up market"... after all who wants $2k a year deals when you can land $2 million accounts!? Their focus shifts to serving SMEs and enterprises. Eventually they stop serving their original niche they started in. But I don't see this as all bad. It creates a gap in the market for a new player to come in. And the cycle repeats. Perhaps it's the cycle of B2B software...

Hear from our dedicated team about the unique opportunities and freedom they experience at Startup Captain! From connecting with startups and investors to growing professionally, our culture empowers each employee to thrive at their own pace. #EmployeeStory #StartupCaptain #ProfessionalGrowth #EmpoweringWorkplace #StartupCulture #TeamStories #WorkWithUs #GrowthMindset #WorkplaceFlexibility #StartupsAndInnovation #investmentopportunity

The Startup Quiz: 33 What does the term "Option Pool" refer to in startup equity allocation? a) A designated area within the startup office reserved for stock option discussions b) A financial reserve for purchasing options contracts in the stock market to hedge against market volatility c) A recreational area within the startup office featuring a pool table for employees' leisure time d) A pool of shares set aside for future issuance to employees as part of their compensation packages #StartupTN #TN4Startups #Startup_quiz Sivarajah Ramanathan | Sivakumar Palanisamy | Dinesh Sundaravelu | Sai Ranganathan | Rajan BL | Nikunj Panchal | Stalin Jacob J | Ponni Velmurugan | SIVA SANKARAN RAJENDRAN

The 2024 Startup Muster Report is here, full of insights into the startup environment today. We know it's a tough funding landscape, and the stats will tell you, even more so for female founders. Investing in women isn’t just the right thing to do - it’s the smart thing to do. This report highlights the resilience of founders, especially women in deep tech, tackling huge real-world problems. Shout out to our own Olympia Yarger, plus Camille Goldstone-Henry, Allys Todd, Heba Khamis, Adeline Chu, Katherine McConnell, Mona Chiha, Olivia Orchowski, Abby Bloom, Alicia Nagle, Anne-Marie Elias, Christie Whitehill, Emily Bobis, Grace Brown, Gretchen Scott, Natalie Ho, Nikki Tugano, MAPPCP, ShanShan Wang, T Guthrie and Vicki Stirling all exceptional female and non-binary founders recognised in this report. Report linked below. #Womeninleadership #TechFunding #Startups

🚀 The 2024 Startup Muster Report is out, providing an insightful snapshot into the lives of Aussie founders and the broader startup ecosystem. We're thrilled to see our portfolio members Olympia Yarger of GOTERRA and Camille Goldstone-Henry of Xylo Systems gain well-deserved recognition for their exceptional contributions.    Challenges: Founders face ongoing and new challenges like customer acquisition, marketing, and understanding VC expectations amid tough economic conditions. Many are gearing up to hire for these roles soon. Funding remains tough with high interest rates and low VC investment, while R&D tax incentives and grants are crucial but complicated.     Good news: Deep tech is on the rise, with 22% of respondents identifying as such. Speaking to impact, deep tech startups are focusing on climate and biodiversity, buoyed by renewed focus on ESG regulations and stakeholder interest.     Overall, the latest Startup Muster report reflects the challenges of this year, but also underscores the resilience and adaptability looking ahead, the report outlines the resilience of founders. ✨   If you’re looking for help to build your startup, whether that be capital raising, grants and R&D, getting your ESG house in order or more, reach out to us today via the link in the comments.   Find the full report at the link below – kudos to Murray Hurps & the Startup Muster team. 👏 https://lnkd.in/gxQYuhSi #Startups #DeepTech #Innovation

Great #startup advice from Anand Sanwal, founder of CB Insights. Early-stage startups face similar problems, dressed up a bit differently. His guidance falls into 1 of 5 areas: • Narrow the focus, increase the quality • Optimize for speed  • Don’t hire until it hurts • Talk to customers. A lot!  • If unsure about a teammate, move on • Be creative when it comes to gathering resources, e.g. lease before you buy, better yet, try a partnership with another org (that one's from me 😀 ) Check out his latest newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/e55VYsvD

More From the Local Business Times: Why startup exits are starting to rebound in the Bay Area A report by Deloitte and Pitchbook shows that the value of startup exits in the first half of 2024 has already surpassed the full year of 2023.

Tips for Fast-Growing Startups: 1)Regardless of the size of a startup, founders should expect to spend about 50% of their time on people-related matters 2) Learn to value performance over loyalty. As the company grows, it’s natural to bring in new people with different skills and most of the original early team members will leave 3)At the start, it’s best not to hire too many executives, who can be expensive and difficult to recruit. 4) In the early days, avoid the temptation to lavish inexperienced team members with inflated titles. Down the road, they may end up working for more senior leaders who will need those titles.

How can Detroit keep growing its startup ecosystem? Here are 4 takeaways from Detroit Homecoming. Read in Crain's Detroit Business: