Harry Stebbings’ Post

This is so true! You still need to build a startup company and no one does that better than the founder/founders. It takes a super special breed of human. Visionary Leadership: Founders drive the startup's vision and mission, ensuring alignment with long-term goals and fostering innovation. Deep Understanding: Founders possess industry expertise and market insights crucial for strategic decision-making and staying competitive. Commitment and Resilience: Founders do not quit. They may pivot 3 times, but always demonstrate unwavering dedication and perseverance, essential for navigating challenges and achieving success. Culture and Team Morale: You think the most talented people on earth are going to work for you at 20%/30% market rates? right. Founders shape company culture and foster a positive work environment, influencing employee engagement and retention. Investor Confidence: The right financial partner is all a startup needs. A startup does not need 100 financial partners, it needs one believer. No one can do this better than the founder. Then with the right capital, the founder can build her VP team and execute. Good luck doing all that without the right, motivated founders!

70-20-10 rule. 70% are 3.  Dumb & think they are smart: Hurt a business 20% are 1. Dumb and they know it: Don't hurt or help 10% are 2. Brilliant & helpful: Help the business The best thing VCs can do is try to be realistic about what they can truly contribute, that at least you won't fall into the 70% which hurt the businesses they're supposed to help.

Feeling stuck lately...? Focus on sales. Revenue solves most start-up problems, including funding. #founder #funding #business #VC #pitchdeck #investing #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup

There are three steps to learning to be a great pre-seed investor: 1. It’s all about the founder but market and traction matter. (Year 1-3) 2. Actually, market matters a lot if not more. (Year 3-6) 3. Nothing else matters but the founder. If they are amazing. Write the check and say thank you. (Year 6-9) #Founder #funding #business #investing #vc #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup

When you run a fund, remember to be a human. The 1-minute deck scan looking for keywords (Stanford, B2B SaaS, ex-Uber) should just be handled by AI at this point, at least it won’t miss stuff. I was so sick of not checking these boxes. But then last year, Gerald Duran gave me brilliant advice: focus on the business, tell your story on LinkedIn, and let investors come to you. You have what real values-aligned investors are looking for, you solve their problem - not the other way around. This strategy is brilliant because it bypasses the checkbox VC approach entirely. When I’ve stuck to this strategy, it’s worked. When I’ve strayed, it’s been a waste of time. People back our mission because they believe in what we stand for, see the problem we’re solving, and want the platform we’re building to happen for their loved ones, and for culture at large. My brilliant friend Sebastian Harris taught me that most people want to invest and shop with their values. Not just watered-down, fake values (like JUUL claiming to end smoking). Real values you’re willing to die for. Values you won’t give up when it hits the fan, and take a big check from Big Tobacco when you “believed” they were the enemy. Don’t be like the checkbox VC. Be like Harry Stebbings. Get to know the founder. Spend less time on checkboxes. Invest with your gut and your values. Invest in people who will use your capital to make the world a better place. — Like this? Follow Nick Rotola on his mission to transition the billion people actively trying to quit social media to a platform that treats them as humans, not users.

The most important trait I look for in founders I invest in: Unwavering obsession. Beyond everything else. This is all they can think about. This is their life's work. There is no second act. Very rare for true obsession and dedication to not lead to real value creation. #founder #funding #business #investing #vc #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup

To become a successful entrepreneur, one must be resilient, coachable, visionary, and more. But what makes a good investor? It's often overlooked how much learning and practice is required to become a successful investor. Those who understand the points made by Harry Stebbings in his three-step programme are on the right track. As a former VC, I can testify that pre-seed investment is the most people-centric business you can experience in any industry. If you have the right founding team with spot-on chemistry, you win - simple as that. I created ETA Technologies to help investors quantify and measure the people element, allowing them to benchmark teams as smoothly as they do EBITDA or ARR. #venturecapital #fundraising #startups

I find it amazing how many people invest in commoditised businesses which do not have pricing power and it is a race to the bottom on margin. Great businesses are built on pricing power and sustainable moats that expand over time. #founder #funding #business #investing #vc #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup

Founders are the most important element in any investment decision. As an investor, the quicker you understand this, the more successful you will be. Harry Stebbings' points are a perfect description of this reality, and ETA Technologies couldn't agree more. We exist to help analyze and benchmark the founder element with psychometric assessment powered by AI, enabling investors to identify the highest potential founding teams to invest in. #venturecapital #founderjourney #ai #innovation

Investing in startups is like making a perfect smoothie: 🥤 👩💼 Founder credentials 🌍 Market potential 🛡️ Defensibility of the business model Get the mix right, and you've got a winner! 🏆 #EarlyStageInvestment #Startups #VentureCapital #FounderFocus #MarketPotential #InvestmentStrategy #Innovation #baoconsulting