Startup Wisdom

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Fundraising

Every resource in the archive tagged with fundraising.

12 resources

Billionaires BuildEssay

Billionaires Build

Paul Graham

Dec 2020 · 15 min read

Becoming a billionaire requires building something people genuinely want, not exploiting them.

The Hardest Lessons for Startups to LearnEssay

The Hardest Lessons for Startups to Learn

Paul Graham

Apr 2006 · 21 min read

The counterintuitive lessons startups repeatedly fail to learn: release early, keep improving, make users happy, and fear the right threats.

Tobi Lutke explains what the VCs who passed on Shopify got wrongVideo

Tobi Lutke explains what the VCs who passed on Shopify got wrong

Tobi Lütke

Mar 2026 · 1 min read

Friction between demand and supply hides the true size of markets, and software is uniquely equipped to reduce it.

The Case for the Fat StartupEssay

The Case for the Fat Startup

Ben Horowitz

Mar 2010 · 13 min read

Running lean is a tactic, not an end; sometimes heavy investment in R&D and product wins the market despite cash constraints.

Upside RiskEssay

Upside Risk

Sam Altman

2 min read

Power law returns mean angel investors should focus on upside risk—missing great deals—not downside protection.

How To Invest In StartupsEssay

How To Invest In Startups

Sam Altman

9 min read

How to succeed as a startup investor by accessing deals, picking great founders, and getting them to choose you.

Startup PlaybookEssay

Startup Playbook

Sam Altman

34 min read

A founder's guide to the core elements of starting a successful startup: idea, team, product, and execution.

Guide to Startups, Part 6: How much funding is too little? Too much?Essay

Guide to Startups, Part 6: How much funding is too little? Too much?

Marc Andreessen

Jul 2007 · 9 min read

How much funding a startup should raise: enough to reach product/market fit or full exploitation, with a buffer for setbacks.

Black Swan FarmingEssay

Black Swan Farming

Paul Graham

Sep 2012 · 9 min read

Startup investing concentrates returns in a few massive winners, which look like bad ideas until they succeed.

How to Start a StartupEssay

How to Start a Startup

Paul Graham

Mar 2005 · 43 min read

Three things determine whether a startup succeeds: good people, a product customers want, and spending little money.

Guide to Startups, Part 3: 'But I don't know any VCs!'Essay

Guide to Startups, Part 3: 'But I don't know any VCs!'

Marc Andreessen

Jun 2007 · 10 min read

Andreessen's prescription for outsiders trying to break into the VC network.

Guide to Startups, Part 2: When the VCs say noEssay

Guide to Startups, Part 2: When the VCs say no

Marc Andreessen

Jun 2007 · 11 min read

How to reduce layers of risk in your startup plan after VCs say no.