I started posting on X 3 days ago
since then:
- added 50 new follows
- learned that tweeting alone isn't enough
- built a daily Twitter activity routine
but who am I?
my name is Mariya
fractional CFO and founder of FounderFirst
I've spent 13 years inside startups helping founders own the financial logic
I've lasted:
- 2 hypergrowth journeys, 4 pivots
- 3 near-bankruptcies, 1 exit
- 70+ founders in the portfolio since
I write about building, founder journey, cash, growth, the messy middle, and the conversations founders avoid until they're too expensive to ignore
My goal is to sprint to 10k by end of year
if you're building and posting about it on X
you're welcome to connect.
On x, I do around 5-6 post6s daily and atleast 80+ replies a day mentioning about my product, experiences, small wins, etc...
One reddit, I do around 2-3 posts daily in relevant communities where my product's target audience lives... But, yeah, promotional posts don't work on reddit, so I post about my learnings...
As an Aussie living in SF, the reaction to '26 Budget doesn’t surprise me.
Startup ecosystems are built on risk-taking, equity, & upside.
Silicon Valley understands one thing deeply:
You don’t punish people for building successful companies.
Talent is mobile, founders will leave
If you spend $30k+/mo on Claude, there are 2 ways to cut costs:
- Ask Anthropic nicely for a discount
- Route usage through AWS Bedrock + Provisioned throughput and save 15–35%
Most teams don’t realize #2 is possible.
DMs open if you want the breakdown.
The fastest way to build a product people love? Let your customers build it with you.
One of the most important things you can do when scaling a company is to take customer feedback seriously. Not just collect it. Actually build it.
At Pump, this has shaped some of the most impactful parts of our product.
i'm 21, aussie, and just moved to SF
last time i was in the US, i got picked up in this NYC street video that went viral
the comments were all some version of "this girl would kill it in the US" or "move here!!!"
reader, that's exactly what i did.
i'm here with all the other displaced Aussies building @superpower, a new health system focused on longevity.
a few things about me:
- i like electric guitar, ballet, vintage clothing, architecture, and the great outdoors
- i have an accent that adds +30 credibility to everything i say
- i tend to smile at strangers in the street (which is controversial here, allegedly)
if you're in SF and want to grab a coffee or show me your favorite spot, say hiii
went on a date with a tech bro recently.
he showed me his mac mini in his wardrobe linked to an android phone auto-swiping dating apps. even had pause time built in so it looked human.
this is what open claw has done to us.
in 3 months, @foundherhouse was:
- featured on the The New York Times, USA TODAY, Apple
- raised $7M in pre-seed and seed funding across all women in the house
- hosted VC panels with partners from Accel, NFX, Entrepreneurs First, with hundreds of attendees. All hosted at our house.
- have a combined social media reach of almost 1B. Yes 1 billion views.
- had an oversubscribed Demo Day with 500+ sign ups
apps close tonight at PM PST. Make the best choice of your life and be sure to apply at foundherhouse.org :)
BTW: If you're a VC and interesting in sponsoring / donating to support the house, send me a msg!