Founder Weekly (Issue 680 April 9 2025)

Welcome to issue 680 of Founder Weekly. Let's get straight to the links this week.

General

Building a Deep Tech Company? Most Startup Advice Doesn’t Apply — Read This Instead

Learn from Loyal founder Celine Halioua’s rigorous approach to milestone-based planning, fundraising and multi-product strategy for deep tech companies.

AI 2027

AI-2027 is a predictive scenario that attempts to forecast the impact of superhuman AI over the next decade, presenting both a "slowdown" and a "race" ending. It is informed by trend extrapolations, wargames, expert feedback, experience at OpenAI, and previous forecasting successes and encourages debate to spark conversation.

Four years of running a SaaS in a competitive market

This article reflects on four years of running a SaaS business, OnlineOrNot, in a competitive market, emphasizing sustainable growth over maximizing shareholder value. Key lessons include solving customer pain, shipping small, prioritizing documentation, and focusing on current traffic conversion rather than solely chasing more traffic.

The Evolution of Marketplaces

A Primer on the Past, Present, and Future of the Marketplace Business Model.

Marketing, Sales and PR

Sometimes never compete on price

The difference between “low prices” as a race to the bottom or as a success story (like Amazon, Costco, IKEA, Vanguard) is in leveraging intentional weaknesses.

Maturity Frameworks: A Hidden Gem in Your GTM Strategy

Move beyond features. Benchmark progress. Elevate conversations.

Money and Finance

Turning $5M Into $100M

In 2015, Collaborative Fund invested $5 million—20% of a $25 million fund—into a single startup, which returned over $100 million within five years. This strategic decision highlights the balance between risk and conviction in venture capital portfolio construction.

What do Tariffs Mean for Startupland?

New tariffs primarily threaten startup revenue through market uncertainty rather than direct costs. The drive for efficiency in response to tariffs may accelerate AI adoption, aligning with optimistic long-term growth forecasts for the tech sector.