Founder Weekly (Issue 413 - December 4 2019)

Founder Weekly - Issue 413

December 04, 2019

Founder Weekly

Welcome to issue 413 of Founder Weekly. Let's get straight to the links this week.

General

Uncertainty can be seen everywhere in the startup process: in the people, in the technology, in the product, and in the market. This analysis shows something more interesting though: uncertainty is not just a nuisance startup founders can’t avoid, it is an integral part of what allows startups to be successful. Startups that aim to create value can’t have a moat when they begin, uncertainty is what protects them from competition until a proper moat can be built. Uncertainty becomes their moat.

Everyone knows that to do great work you need both natural ability and determination. But there's a third ingredient that's not as well understood: an obsessive interest in a particular topic.

Cloud apps like Google Docs and Trello are popular because they enable real-time collaboration with colleagues, and they make it easy for us to access our work from all of our devices. However, by centralizing data storage on servers,cloud apps also take away ownership and agency from users.If a service shutsdown,the software stops functioning, and data created with that software is lost. In this article we propose local-first software, a set of principles for software that enables both collaboration and ownership for users. Local-first ideals include the ability to work offline and collaborate across multiple devices, while also improving the security, privacy, long-term preservation, and user control of data.

You may be afraid someone will steal your idea. But sharing your work in public is a way to reflect, get feedback, and increase your creativity.

From low rents and close access to universities, to good transport links and government support, there are a number of key reasons why certain cities are the best incubators for tech talent.

Scientists use big data to understand what separates winners from losers.

Marketing, Sales and PR

A practical framework to build your unique selling proposition

Customer acquisition is a challenge that every startup is facing. Without customers you obviously can not have a business. Even the best companies that build products that early customers want need to carefully think through how to acquire more customers. Just throwing money at marketing is not the solve. Before you spend a lot of money on acquiring customers you need to understand who will be buying your product and why. More broadly, you need to come up with a plan, or really, a machine, that will help you acquire customers.

Build your authority and sales funnel with guest posting. Content marketer Aaron Orendorff busts three myths that may be standing in your way of becoming a successful guest blogger.

Conversion rate optimization and A/B testing might be wasting your time and resources. Find out why CRO is not the best solution for your early stage product and 3 other alternatives that can make a much better impact on your growth.

Money and Finance

A useful post for startup founders, early-stage VCs and other interested stakeholders who are keen to learn from others mistakes

Yes, there’s just four. No, they’re not easy to achieve. But here they are.

This post gives you a playbook for raising capital and starting on the path of building your business outside of Silicon Valley.

Startups of the Week

Starting with Sally, the world’s first fresh food robot, we’re building a new path to fresh food. Sally uses groundbreaking robotics to assemble delicious meals at the touch of a button. It’s innovative technology that enables fresh food for more people in more places. Think of Sally as your new 24/7 fresh food ambassador.

Athena recruits your Philippines-based Executive Assistant and trains you to delegate 10x more.

Foodvisor is a nutrition coach that will help you eat healthier and reach your goal. Just snap a picture of your meal and you will receive its nutrition facts! Regain control over your diet and learn to make better food choices.

Gerry is the first expert concierge for senior living. Our team of licensed social workers help families find the right assisted living homes for their loved ones, for free.

Tips, Tools and Services

Practical advice on giving effective feedback using analogies from software design, development and maintenance best practices.

A guide to different value propositions and how nailing this will make your life as a startup founder a lot easier.

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