Ben Armstrong

@realAkashAnand Research

At YC we have an internal platform called Bookface, which has better startup advice than anything you'll find on Google. But (a) only YC founders have access, and (b) it doesn't cover every topic. Plenty of times I've searched and it come up empty. Turns out Claude Fable 5 is really good at multi-step research. So I built a skill that helps anyone learn about a topic or figure out how to implement something at work. It finds essays and articles with immediate action points, written only by top-tier operators, founders, and experts who've actually done the thing and can tell you exactly what they did in the situation you're in. Fluffy SEO blogs are strictly rejected. And it does a MUCH better job than Google AI mode, Perplexity, or even Claude deep research. I’ve been using this every day, with great results. Here are some things I’ve researched this week: - How to define top-level KPIs and metrics for my startup - How to run a company all-hands with my employees - How to prompt Claude to pick the right fonts for video - How to measure the success of features (small, medium, and large) It’s useful for everything from sales, to marketing, to engineering, to product, to design, to general advice. If you want this skill, comment "RESEARCH" and I'll send it over. (You'll have to follow me so I can DM you.)

@AnnieLiao_2000 You always will be extraordinary but the alien 👾 thing is news to me

Alien of extraordinary ability (@O1Visa 🇺🇸✌️)! thank you @davefontenot, @lighthousehq_, @julianweisser! time to build

@bigyahu Maybe innovation can change it? Cheaper building structures/ less bespoke labour and more prefab? If the cost to replace is cheaper than the cost to buy perhaps that is the pin.

Australia is trapped in its relationship to home ownership the same way the US is trapped in its relationship to gun ownership. It’s dysfunctional and should change but you can’t change it and hope to win the next election.

@darcydouglas_ Probably cheaper CAC than online/email alternatives. Smart and tasty?

redacted Australian startup posted me this after clicking sign up interest rates are still too low

@superzac You should see Rayn's ebook numbers 🚀

pretty happy with the steady growth of my newsletter subscriptions so far. note: I haven't written a newsletter yet. mental note: I should probably write the newsletter.

@stefanvonimhof So you know they haven't fumbled the pass and not done anything. I'd prefer to know that I didn't need to worry anymore but that's probably just me.

"Thanks Stefan! (moving you to BCC to spare your inbox!)" ugh, you've already ruined my inbox by replying-all. just take me off the thread

Check out my latest article: How to avoid death by drowning (in venture capital cash) linkedin.com/pulse/how-avoi… via @LinkedIn

@thedanvass One of the challenges I see is how to educate teams on what is possible with AI - ie some concrete examples of tasks they can solve and easy steps to integrate AI into their daily workflow.

I’m speaking to more and more managers who are conscious they NEED to equip their team with AI for both the company and the individual’s success. Powerful combination when you elevate your team with their own personal AI Workforce.

@chiefaioffice Yes please.

Here's my startup fundraising dashboard. A model scans X and aggregates the stories into one view. Want the link? Reply and I'll send it to you

@thisistomellis Congrats! Great news.

Glad to be able to announce this A great fit for the two companies as part of a Merger. afr.com/technology/mel…

Trying out Gemini Business for GoogleWorkspace today - feels like they have a long way to go before it meets my expectations of what an AI productivity tool should do. ...a long way behind MS Co Pilot / Chat GPT Advanced Data Analystics.

Anyone ever heard of this happening in early stage investing/VC? They want to raise the sophisticated investor test to $5m so not to " ... expos[e] mum and dad investors to the risk of having to sell the family home to cover an investment loss...”

If you don’t choose how to use your time, others will choose for you. If you don’t choose what is important, others will choose for you. If you don’t choose what to think or believe, others will choose for you.

@bigyahu There are a few out there already if you know where to look. Whose on your list so far?

Is there room in Australia for someone to setup as a 'front-end-less back-end-as-a-service'? Has somebody already done it that I don't know of?

Someone was telling me about their new fund plan today and it crossed my mind whether to ask if they'd be interested in us providing their back-end for them. Then I remembered having had the very same conversation with other more advanced fund managers when our fund was just an idea...

@batkomichael The Mindset Health brothers IRL; vigorously communicating 💪

Melbourne Cremorne and Sydney Surry Hills are the two places to walk around and bump into startups Where else? And who recognises these two in their natural habitat?

@KateClarkTweets Positive news for venture but guessing it's for the latter stage deals.

Scoop: Coatue raises $1.4 billion to capitalize on declining valuations for promising startups. The fund has already made an investment in @canva. More details, including Coatue's decision to waive management fees for certain investors, here: theinformation.com/articles/coatu… w/@erinkwoo

@yoheinakajima Very hard to represent at the earliest stages. Absolute revenue from funding date is probably the best but agree the data looks messy (just like startups). And of course sometimes just looking at revenue undervalues success in other areas or a late bloomer.

It's so hard to showcase the progress of an early VC portfolio well 🤔 Had this idea to visually display entry and current revenue of top performers, but it doesn't look nice - and feels kinda off (seems sparse, but adding more revenue data points makes it hard to read... only showing top performers always feels misleading - but bottom performers don't add to the chart...) Going to keep mulling on this... would be curious if anyone else has found an approach they like.

Would be interested in the stats about entrepreneurship in families (not just fathers to sons). Lots of these things look too hereditary.

What fields do fathers pass on the most advantage to their sons?

Hopefully some useful advice for aspiring angels. More experienced heads might get a laugh.