What’s Saba Says, again? A Sunday bulletin to get tips on building a startup, and my takes on tech and VC. Subscribe on sabakarim.com to read the full edition and get it delivered direct to your inbox on Sundays.
📅 || UPCOMING EVENTS
Interested to learn about how to build traction and get investors excited about what you’re building? Join Isaac Kato and I on Twitter Spaces next Wednesday. Isaac was previously the President of Mighty AI - acquired by Uber, and Investment Principal at General Catalyst.
📈 || STARTUP OF THE WEEK
Forecastr is financial modeling software. If you’ve ever been asked by an investor to show your projections (everyone…) then this is for you. If you’re not familiar, you may be too early to need it. That’s okay. When you do, I can’t recommend Forecastr enough. Sign up today and take control of your financial models.
🏦 || FEATURED INVESTORS
This weeks featured investors are Elizabeth Yin and Saalim Chowdhury. Elizabeth, the queen of Twitter threads, is with Hustle Fund - one of my favorite pre-seed VC firms that invest in ‘hilariously early startups’. I’ve been raving about them for years and now they’re even helping people become angel investors.
Saalim is the king of karaoke. I only know this because we flew to Colorado last week for our annual Techstars staff conference. Sharing nothing about his professional work that you can find on his LinkedIn, Saalim is the essence of what I think a VC should be like: smart, honest, and fun. If I ever started a startup again, he would be my first call.
What do you look for? Check out Startup Investor-Fit to evaluate your priorities.
🧠 || PITCH PRACTICE
Mentioning features is OK, but benefits are better.
Mentioning benefits is good, but outcomes is best.
Example:
Orai is an AI-powered app that uses Watson
Orai is a speaking coach in your pocket
Orai helps you deliver better pitches and close deals
✨ || TALKING TECHSTARS
It’s official. Rising Stars is now public! Check out my thread, read the TechCrunch coverage and the write-up in AfroTech. Our goal is to invest in the most incredible founders. Simple. Learn more here about how you can apply, and please give us a follow on Twitter.
🎮 || BOOK RECOMMENDATION
Simon Sinek has done it again. Ten years after writing the essential Start With Why, Simon is back with The Infinite Game. If understanding new mindsets is your thing, then you’re going to love this framework. It’s going to help you become a better leader, have stronger relationships, and ‘win more’.
💸 || TWEETS OF THE WEEK
SOMETHING TO PONDER:
In response to Elon Musk purchasing Twitter, I wrote this tweet as a clap-back for founders who kept getting told they can’t focus on more than one thing…
SOMETHING TO ENGAGE WITH:
Name a startup CEO and/or founder you look up to. And why.
This tweet did way better than I anticipated. Some people that kept getting mentioned:
Startups own CEO’s - so epic to see this love.
Andrew Gazdecki - CEO of MicroAcquire
Rebekah Bastian - CEO of OwnTrail
Zeb Evans - Founder and CEO of ClickUp
Go nominate someone now!