James Kirchhoff

You might disagree with me but: Having your partner as a co-founder is great. I talked to Vivien Bresson about this a while back on my podcast. Vivien and her husband have co-founded multiple companies. They love building startups together. I got some mixed reactions on this topic after releasing the podcast. Some people said they couldn’t imagine working with their partners. Mixing personal and business seems like a no-go to them. But in my personal experience, working with your partner is great. When I met my wife in Toronto, she was a beauty technician at a Korean Beauty Salon. Her clients loved her and always had ideas on improving the business, but the owner always objected. She was frustrated. I hated seeing her initiatives constantly being shot down and wanted her to be free to implement her vision. So we did our own thing. She quit her job and we set up her own beauty salon. We thought out the entire game plan on a month-long trip to Ko Pha Ngan island in Thailand. It was pretty simple: • She keeps doing what she does best: Making clients happy. • I run some digital marketing and operations in the background. We came back to Canada and got to work - and it was a mega success. She grew it from a small salon with three staff to having two locations and 12 full-time employees. • Top rated on Google. • Clients were raving about it. • Both salons were constantly packed. This isn’t supposed to be a brag about how good we are at building beauty salons. (even though we are.) It’s a reminder that building a business with your partner can be extremely fulfilling, while it might be a relationship test at times. 2 weeks ago, we visited Ko Pha Ngan island again to reminisce about the time we planned out the business together. There’s something about that island that gets us thinking about business and let’s just say - there might be something else in the works. Stay tuned…

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One very annoying thing as an angel investor is when VC outreach happens to your portfolio companies. Very often unexperienced founders get kind of excited, inform shareholder and at the very end founders sometimes don't believe that VC outreach is 99,99% irrelevant. #fckbessemer, #fckinsightventures, #fckbatteryventures

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How many people do you need for your #startup? Probably fewer than you think. Wil Schroter at Startups.com wrote that the new mark of a standout Founder is no longer how big they can make their staff — it's how small they can keep it. At High Mobility, we have found that we can punch way above our weight with about 20 talented people. As Wil writes - we're entering the Age of Efficiency, where we are rewarded not for a bloated headcount but a tiny headcount that can produce even greater output. If you are starting out now, think about it - what can new technologies and smart knowledge management do for your dream? https://lnkd.in/eKJs_mWB #startups #sana #highmobility

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How to Successfully Launch Products in Crowded Categories Discover the secrets of successful product launches in competitive markets from Emma Grede, co-founder of Safely and Good American. 💡✨ 🔍 Key Takeaways for Founders: 1️⃣ Identifying Market Gaps: Look for significant gaps in the market that your product can fill. Genuine innovation is key; create something better and different. Ensure your product stands out and offers added benefits to consumers. 2️⃣ Real Innovation for Success: Consumer habits are hard to break; demonstrate a real upside to attract them. Build a best-in-class product with a unique approach. Prove the value of your innovation through a product that works exceptionally well. 3️⃣ Insights Behind Safely: Safely was born from insights about natural ingredients and avoiding compromises. Challenge the norms in product categories; in Safely's case, rethink cleaning products. Stand out on the shelf with a visually appealing product that breaks away from conventions. 4️⃣ Fragrance as a Unique Identifier: Create a product with a distinctive and identifiable fragrance. Differentiate your brand by offering a scent that sets your product apart. Break away from the familiar and redefine consumer expectations. #ProductLaunch #Entrepreneurship #MarketStrategy

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We're back with more Jaap Vriesendorp - one of my favorite episodes to record on Superclusters, not just with the amount of notes I took, but just that Even better, my man Jaap, just put another great Medium article that covers why entry windows and exit windows matter. Something I'd highly recommend checking out: https://lnkd.in/gvxCWwuj A lot of which harkens back to our episode together where most LPs think about time diversification only from a entry point perspective, but not enough think about diversifying exit windows. As such there is immense value in allocating to different asset classes with different time horizons. And also, the podcast is back online (had a few technical difficulties over the last few weeks)

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That damn product-market-fit - and what we do about it at KRING 👊 Building a startup is hard. Period. And the reasons for that are not sensational. We all know that getting product-market fit, go-to-market and the team right requires a lot of work. The top 4 reasons for startup failure are: 🧩 Poor Product-Market Fit (34%): This figure highlights the significant impact of misalignment between a startup's offering and the needs of its target audience. Without a deep understanding of your market and a product that resonates with customers, success becomes elusive.    🚀 Wrong Go-To-Market Strategy (22%): Even if you have a great product, how you bring it to market matters. A misstep in your go-to-market strategy can lead to missed opportunities, wasted resources, and ultimately, failure to capture market share effectively. 🦸🏽‍♀️Team Issues (18%): Building a successful startup requires a cohesive and talented team. Team dynamics, leadership challenges, and skill gaps can all hinder progress and contribute to startup failure.    💸 Fundraising and Cash Flow Problems (16%): Running out of funds is a common reason startups fail. Whether due to inadequate fundraising efforts, mismanagement of cash flow, or unforeseen financial challenges, a lack of capital can quickly derail even the most promising ventures. These typical reasons for startup failure is exactly why we have built our venture studio model and value proposition around: ✅ To navigate the product–market fit, we have developed our structured Speedbooting methodology with pretotyping (and created the company pree.to) to enable a proper validation of the market fit     ✅ To get the go-to-market right, we also use our Speedbooting methodology (https://lnkd.in/egm6im2s) to validate the strategy and benefit from our network of corporates and advisors to test the business model from different angles ✅ To address team issues we offer specialised recruitment support from a pool of talented individuals ✅ To take focus away from fundraising, we provide multi-round financing and can also support building external fundraising strategy if needed and connect with relevant investors Are you curious and what to learn more about building a venture with KRING? Reach out to our Head of Talent, Agnes Agada 👈 Do you have any reflections to share on how to mitigate the typical reasons for startup failure? We would love to hear from you! #venturestudio #startupstudio #productmarketfit Source: Exploding topics, Startup Failure Statistics 2023. Marina Miteva, Jacob Madsen, Jesper Kring, Thomas Krogh Jensen, Tommy Ahlers, Christoph Brandin, Thomas Hofman-Bang, Ulla Sommerfelt, Jacob Dahl, Kurt Bligaard Pedersen, Peter Mægbæk, Martin Bøge Mikkelsen, Betina Nygaard, Ole Herstal, Søren Thorsen, Jakob Bjerre Kistorp, Anders Colding Friis, Flemming Breinholt, Claus Rehfeld, Peter Midtgaard, Lars Thomassen, Lars Monrad-Gylling, Claus Omann Jensen, Erik Holm, Joergen Raguse, David Heinemeier Hansson

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Co-founders vs. sole founders A founding team that doesn't work is one of the top 10 reasons why startups fail. Nevertheless, I would not want to build hypt without Roger Ellenberger and Tobias Wegmüller. Here is why: 1. Building a startup can be tough, so it is important to be able to share the challenges and pressure with others. 2. Everyone has their strengths. Having complementary skills in the founding team increases the value of your startup immensely. 3. I know I'm not always right. That is why it is important to have people around you with whom you can discuss ideas. 4. And the most important thing: While you are working hard and long, it is important to have fun. And let me tell you, we have a lot of fun at hypt, as you can see on the picture. What is your opinion? Co-founders or sole founders? #startup #team #founder

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How to actually build a Unicorn startup?  1 - Purpose Growing a company exponentially is about changing the CONTEXT (Vision and mission) more than changing the CONTENT (Product) The Purpose is the Why – Why does the company exist? To build a BIG company you need to create a BIG, industry-changing context that can make a venture-scale company (a company that can reach at least $100mil annual revenue and preferably be profitable). A North Star Mission that is big and far away – if it can be achieved in the next 10 years, it’s not big enough. Find a bigger Purpose for your company by considering the infrastructure gap missing in an industry or neglected consumer groups (GenZ who currently control trillions of global spending power and growing, the elderly, feminists...), for example: "A computer on every desk and in every home." Microsoft - said this about ~50 years ago, which was at the time a very bold statement "Transportation as reliable as running water, everywhere for everyone” Uber - said this 15 years ago when no one could fully rely on any form of taxi “To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.” Tesla - said this because there wasn't the infrastructure or pop-culture motivation for sustainable energy until Elon Mush a great stageman appeared Purpose is the #1 tool to align the company, and attract investment, talent and customers. --- After 10 years of taking multiple post-revenue and growth-stage startups to market leader status and becoming the TARGET for investments and acquisitions, I’m happy to share the playbook with you to put your startup on The Unicorn Trajectory and not the burnt-out trajectory: Part 1 - Game plan https://lnkd.in/dMTc_evQ Part 2 - Purpose https://lnkd.in/dEaKD-vf Part 3 - Potential & Profit-ability https://lnkd.in/dMFA6gyH Part 4 - Product https://lnkd.in/d6bDxkid Part 5 - Positioning https://lnkd.in/djKYuqzi  Part 6 - People https://lnkd.in/dCHenWGc Part 7 - Principles https://lnkd.in/dAHKX9_K Part 8 - Process https://lnkd.in/dpbNQAvN Part 9 - Performance https://lnkd.in/dysshRMr Part 10 - How to build a Unicorn startup? Putting it all together https://lnkd.in/dfE-qGQP Skye Nguyen #TheUnicornTrajectory --- Visit https://lnkd.in/d88Cz68k for your Unicorn Roadmap Sustainable and hyper-growth: Startup, you can HAVE IT ALL

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What are founders reading? Issue #9 These are our 6 recommended readings for today on Product Development, Storytelling and A/B tests -> https://lnkd.in/e5ktDpfi Stop reading this and start doing something about it. By Hemal Shah Minimum desirable product. By Andrew Chen The seven deadly sins of startup storytelling. By Andy Smith 5 reasons why I stopped following A/B testing case studies. By Yaniv Navot How to build a Minimum Loveable Product. By Laurence McCahill Why Instagram worked. By Mike Krieger At Foundcy we follow hundreds of founders, product designers, growth hackers, marketers, and VCs to hand-pick the best articles they´ve read and shared on X/Twitter.

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Finding Product Market Fit is for suckers. Nothing has burned more time or money than founders searching for product market fit with VC money. I learned this the hard way. Instead: Spend no money. Find a bunch of people with a big problem. And then try to sell them something that solves it. Stop running yourself in circles to start a business.

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Securing investment for your business idea is a challenging journey. Here are five common reasons why investors might decide to pass: 1️⃣ Lack of #Clarity: Your pitch doesn't clearly communicate your business idea, value proposition, and the problem it solves. Good example: When Airbnb first pitched their idea, they clearly communicated how they would transform the travel industry by connecting travelers with local hosts, offering unique lodging experiences. 2️⃣ Weak #Market Research: Insufficient or unclear market research makes your pitch less convincing. Good example: Before launching, Uber conducted extensive market research to understand transportation issues in urban areas, which helped them effectively pitch their disruptive rideshare solution. 3️⃣ Unclear #Business Model: Investors may question the sustainability of your business if your business model is not well-defined. Good example: Netflix initially pitched its clear business model of DVD rentals by mail and later evolved to streaming, demonstrating a sustainable and scalable revenue model. 4️⃣ Inadequate #Team: Highlight the strengths, passion, and experience of your team to gain investor confidence. Good example: The founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, leveraged their strong technical background and innovative vision, which helped secure early investment from notable investors like Andy Bechtolsheim. 5️⃣ Lack of #Passion: Show your enthusiasm and commitment to your idea; tell your story, as passion is contagious and a story well-told is convincing. Good example: Steve Jobs' passion and storytelling ability were legendary, captivating investors and the public alike, which played a crucial role in Apple's success. 🔔 Follow me for more insights on leadership, business growth, and communication strategies. And don’t forget to ring the bell to stay updated with my latest posts! #Entrepreneurship #StartupTips #InvestorPitch #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #LeadriseCoaching

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I often remind my clients regarding linear growth 🪜and exponential growth.🪂 How the funding requirement goes with the growth pattern. "If a company experiences consistent, month-to-month growth in a predictable, linear way, its founders can generally manage this steady expansion without much difficulty. Often, they might not even require venture capital funding. On the other hand, true exponential growth can rapidly outpace a company's resources. Large injections of capital are necessary to sustain this level of rapid expansion—commonly known as 'hockey stick growth'🏌️ This is where venture capitalists seek companies that must relinquish substantial ownership stakes for the sizable capital needed to support exponential growth. A company with exponential growth is more desperate and has less leverage to negotiate, so investors can get more of the company." What I want to teach them regarding VC and its relationship with the company's growth and the corresponding investment is that - "Investors want exponential growth, because it deflates a company’s revenue early when VCs are trying to buy, and it inflates projected revenue later when VCs are trying to sell." It is important to view fundraising from the VC's or Investor's perspectives. #growth #startupgrowth #lineargrowth #exponentialgrowth #funding

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🚀 New Episode Alert! 🎥 Dive into the top 10 reasons startups fai. From insufficient market need to co-founder conflicts, get the insights you need to navigate the tricky waters of entrepreneurship. Don't miss out on these essential tips! Watch now and take your startup to the next level! 🌟 https://ftb.bz/106B #Startups #Entrepreneurship #FeelTheBoot

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Should founders be likeable to get funding? Over the past week, this question came up in two different conversations that I’ve had with investors. One of them saw it as vital, while the other didn’t put as much value on it. While it's tempting to dismiss likeability as a subjective trait, it can impact investor decisions. Here's why: 🤝 Building trust: Investors often invest in people as much as they invest in ideas. Especially in the early stages. Likeable founders can be perceived as trustworthy, reliable, and capable of building strong relationships, crucial for long-term partnerships. 📣 Communication skills: Likeable founders often excel in communication, conveying their vision, passion, and expertise effectively. Clear and compelling communication enhances investor confidence in the founder's ability to execute the business plan. 🥷 Team dynamics: Likeable founders can attract top talent and foster a positive work culture. Investors recognize the importance of hiring the right people with the needed mindset for a startup journey. A likeable founder is of course not enough to create success. The startup's solution, business model and so much more also has to work. But likeability can play a role in getting funding. What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you believe founder-likeability plays a role in fundraising success? 🤔 #founder #funding #investor #likeability

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I get a lot of DMs from founders asking to "pick my brain." So they can better understand how to leverage their founder's story as a tool for business growth and development. Ask, and you shall receive. At Fintech Is Femme, we believe that behind every thriving fintech founder lies an unforgettable narrative. ​It’s not just about having a stellar product anymore; it’s about wielding the power of your founder story to: -  Captivate audiences,  - Secure funding, - And build a legacy. That's why we're hosting the Fintech Is Femme Founders Summit on June 3 for your chance to master the art of founder-led storytelling and convert that skill into millions of dollars in funding, users attracted to your product, and partners eager to collaborate with your startup. GRAB YOUR TICKET here: https://lu.ma/gl5g0hno ​ The half-day conference is led by me, alongside a powerhouse lineup of 20+ female speakers, including entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators. ​🔥 Discover the secrets to fundraising success in exclusive fireside chats and panel discussions. ​🎤 Hone your storytelling prowess with a performance coaching workshop led by Anton Briones, whose techniques have helped founders secure millions in funding. ​🚀 Gain invaluable insights from leading operators, equipping you with the tactics to build effective teams and secure enterprise partnerships that propel your startup to success. ​Mark your calendars for June 3rd and secure your spot at the Fintech Is Femme Founders Summit—Building A Resilient Future. ​Class is in session. 🤓 **** P.S. This event is part of #NYTechWeek and is going to be huge! Join our event for founders and funders here: https://lu.ma/gl5g0hno and view the full calendar at tech-week.com #NYTechWeek TECH WEEK by a16z - thank you for hosting and bringing together the ecosystem! Katia Ameri 👏 *** The Fintech Is Femme is also looking for sponsors to help bring this event to life. DM me or email: collab@fintechisfemme.co to make a splash at #NYTechWeek. *** Kaitlin Domangue Anton Briones Keltoum Mazid Rise, created by Barclays

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