Richard Velasquez

In 2020, I built my first startup. In 2023, I've earned 50K customers, 530K followers and $3M in funding. But 70% of startups fail in the first 5 years. Here's how any founder can build a successful startup with my 4 simple steps: 🧵

@Tam3ron @alexisohanian @sevensevensix Thanks @Tam3ron. Just applied. Seems really cool. cc @alexisohanian

@alexisohanian @sevensevensix Hey @moochfounder!

Before I built Cerebro, @sevensevensix in-house operating software, I went to each billion dollar CEO I'd seeded and asked them one simple question: "What's the most valuable thing I did for you as an early stage investor?" Then, I sorted their answers by: 1. Frequency of mention 2. Ease of productization The #1 thing that emerged? My network. The most powerful and useful thing I had provided all these CEOs was my community. Strong introductions to the right people, at the right time. So, what's any network but a database waiting to be built? I collected all my personal contacts (~30K!) and my LinkedIn connections (~20K), and compiled them into a database with a search function and a request button. Any founder could utilize to find and request intros, plus draft a template email, in seconds. Boom. That was the beginning of something big. It was learning how to find the sweet spot where user feedback, impact, and automation align. It's the philosophy we're continuing to build with at @sevensevensix — and each subsequent new partner adds their network...

How to know if people will pay for your products? By getting them to pay. When I started Mooch in 2020, I would - Meet people on Zoom - Ask if I could hold their funds on Venmo for their budget And shockingly, they said yes. That’s how I knew my market would pay for my stuff

Startup tip: Don't wait too long to perfect your product Just launch it. Get feedback from users. And improve it based on feedback. This way, you will - Test the market - See if there's demand - Not build unnecessary features

Y combinator has launched startups worth over $600 billion. They've helped Airbnb and PayPal reach over $100 billion valuation. But you must pay $125,000 to join Y combinator's startup program. Or you can steal their expensive startup program here in 2 minutes🧵🧵

90% of startups fail. But you can avoid costly mistakes by learning from the best founders. Here are 10 golden threads to 10x your startup progress🧵

Every startup needs key drivers of growth. For example? In 2010, Dropbox gained 3,9M users in 15 months from a referral program. In 2014, Slack gained 60K users 10 weeks after its launch because people must invite their friends to use Slack. See? That's what happens when you find your growth driver.

My startup has got - $3M in funding - 50k customers - 530k social media followers So I'm here to share my best learnings for fellow founders. Follow @moochfounder for a front-row seat to success.

10) How I Built This This podcast contains success stories from a range of entrepreneurs and innovators. As you learn how the best in business built their success, you’ll discover new strategies you can apply in your business journey. podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/how…

There are 3,200,000 podcasts in the world. But 99% of them are trash. Here are 10 popular podcasts that'll teach you everything about business and entrepreneurship in 2024 🧵(No clickbait)🧵

@pxue Is this in the context of partners for a business ? paul

The best partners are the people who make you care more.

@cjaythecreator Oh my...hahahah

Is bootstrapping just a fancy word for doing everything yourself because you're broke? 😅