Blog > Building your startup

How to Plan & Negotiate Your Startup Exit

I sold my startup for $780M. Here are the insights I wish I had known, read, heard while I was still building.

Posted by Zain Jaffer | February 23, 2025

How to find startup ideas

Where do startup ideas come from? Is there a process? How does one even conceive of a startup idea? More importantly, how do you assess it?

Posted by Shaun Gold | February 2, 2025

How to build a standout brand for your startup

A strong brand silently attracts leads and builds trust, acting as your silent salesperson. It's your best asset as an early-stage startup. here's how you can build a standout brand from scratch.

Posted by Max Fleitmann | January 21, 2025

How to validate your startup idea - 7 methods explained

Market validation is the process of determining if there’s a need for your product in your target market. In this post, we break down 6 methodologies that will help you validate your startup idea and the market you want to address.

Posted by Shaun Gold | January 8, 2025

How to create a start-up community in your city?

Creating a community is one of the most rewarding experiences for founders. This post is a starting guide for anyone who wants to start a community locally. If you like gathering a group of people with shared interests, hosting events, and interacting with people from diverse backgrounds, this post is for you.

Posted by Vandit Jain | December 10, 2024

Sweat equity for beginners

"Sweat equity" designates a stake in a company acquired by an employee, a contractor, or an advisor in lieu of cash. So when you hear about "ESOP" or "advisory shares", they are all a type of sweat equity.

Posted by Shaun Gold | November 7, 2024

Why Founder-Led Sales is so powerful for startups

Founder-led companies outperform the rest. From Dropbox to Slack and Tesla, here's how founder-led sales give innovative companies a competitive edge.

Posted by Daniel Trujillo | November 1, 2024

Advisory Shares: A Guide for Startup Founders

In the tech startup sphere, advisory shares are a double-edged sword. Let's venture into the realm of startup advisory shares, addressing the whys, whos, and how muchs.

Posted by Shaun Gold | October 27, 2024

How Much Should Startup Founders Pay Themselves [2024]

Founder compensation is a tricky topic. How much are you supposed to pay yourself? What will your investors think? And are you even allowed to compensate yourself when your team is subsisting on cold pizza and borrowing the Wi-Fi from the nearest office? This article breaks down the many dimensions of the "tech founder salary".

Posted by Shaun Gold | October 22, 2024