Kayode Odeleye’s Post

🚀 Startups are all about bold moves and hard lessons. Discover how top founders are mastering risk-taking, managing cash flow, and learning from failure to build resilient businesses. From Latin America's fintech revival to Marc Lore's secret to hiring superstars, this week’s insights are unmissable. 👉 Read the full stories in our community: https://lnkd.in/gezQGV26

It's the hope that kills you... Founders think they are just one step away from investment ☑ Build an MVP OR ☑ Create a fancier pitch deck OR ☑ A more detailed financial model OR ☑ Pitch to more opportunities In reality being funded by VCs and even winning grants etc depends entirely on a startup fitting the investors' narratives If you're pitching to VCs, do you really, really understand how they operate and how they make decisions?

Equity Simplified! The secret to incentivizing your startup's core team. I frequently speak with both Founders, and candidates, who have no idea what the various equity schemes really mean, never mind articulate them in a coherent way. 🤯 Hopefully this will cover the basics. Happy to share the video and original article below, just ask. Thanks to Anthony Rose

What feedback can VCs give to very early stage founders? From time to time, I get a request for feedback from a founder that is just starting their company, doesn't have sales, and didn't raise yet. They often phrase it like "I am not raising yet, but would love to hear your feedback on what I'm building". Unfortunately, in vast majority of cases, asking VCs for feedback at this stage is a waste of time. What information can VCs help you with: - Are you in the right market, and is the market big enough - Are there many other companies that are doing the same thing - Share success and failure stories in this sector - Is your company investable right now What the VCs can't help you with: - Will this idea work - How to find customers - Will it scale - How much money you will need Instead of wasting your time asking VCs for feedback, ask your potential customers for feedback. And come to VCs for money, not for feedback.

I have HUGE respect for bootstrapped founders. 🌟 Why? Because staying bootstrapped usually means founders can prioritize what truly matters - honing their product and connecting with customers. 💬🔨 Instead of losing themselves in the endless chase for funds - drafting emails, hopping from one investor meeting to another, and navigating through countless acceleration programs - they keep their eyes on the prize. 🚀 Staying grounded and focused pays off! 🎯

Is your start up truly mission-aligned? At GOODsoil VC, we see many ambitious startups. Yet, those that stand out don’t just chase growth, they prioritise scaling sustainably, with clear alignment to their mission. For founders keen to impress, here are our essentials: 1) Mission Driven Metrics: Balance financial KPIs with impact indicators to show us your growth is purposeful. 2) Strong Governance: Build accountability with diverse, values-aligned voices at the table. 3)Data for Alignment: Use data to track mission integrity as you grow because responsiveness builds trust.

🦄 My 10 favorite VC firms Last week a friend asked me, “Who are your favorite investors?” Surprisingly, no one had ever asked me that before! Here's my top 10 list, in no particular order. I have no inside info on their returns, I just like their style! Thrive Capital - generalist, lifecycle capital (OpenAI), minimalist website Founders Fund - opinionated, definite optimism, libertarian Bedrock - narrative violations, quadruple down on winners (OpenAI) Terrain - "call your shot", website has a photo from The Sandlot ⚾ Benchmark - equal partnership, consistent $425m fund sizes Sequoia Capital - the Lebron James of VC, Stripe secondary tx Goodwater - mission and values, data driven, recycles profits Trust Fund - monetizing an audience with VC, ironic "old money" branding Atomic - my favorite incubator (Sauron, Exowatt) Forecast Labs - a CVC with a unique edge (TV ads) for consumer companies Who’s on your list? Shout out to Trae Stephens, Eric Stromberg, Chi-Hua Chien, Jack Abraham, and Arjun Kapur for showing folks how it's done! /DALL-E: "create an image of cool looking VCs" 🤣

There's a new generation of founders emerging. And they aren’t chasing VC capital and getting handcuffed to investors. Instead, they’re taking matters into their own hands by building profitable service businesses. They’re growing these businesses rapidly by borrowing strategies straight from the tech playbook. I built my career working inside venture-backed startups, so I get the allure. But over time, the luster fades: - You start answering to the money - The vision gets blurred - Your ownership dwindles Most founders I know are sick of the VC circus. They want to get back to building great businesses on expertise and hustle. Not PowerPoint decks. 

Founders are starting to say no to VCs and yes to Venture Studios - Why? Because they know for the business - getting the right people on board is the real capital. You can go to John from ABC VC who has never built anything to ask for 1m Or you can go to E11evate who will put you directly with the guy who built multi million+ dollar companies who is open to coming onto your company to build with you - and bring in money if its needed ( most of the time its not ) It's Who you know that makes the difference. #buildingcompanieswithpeople

Last week I ended up at a start-up and VC Meetup. I met a mate of mine for a beer, it was on close by, so we rocked up just as flies on the wall. It’s an interesting world. What fascinated me was the discussion about how VCs decide to make investments. It’s not JUST the business model but the people that operate the business model. Words you might not associate with the investing world: - Chemistry between founding and investment teams - Transparency with investors - Self-awareness on strengths and weaknesses - Treating employees like cofounders - Resilience and long-term view of founding teams Of course, there were discussions about the numbers. The business models. The ARR and CAC. But the right people, attitudes and relationships are also fundamental. And that’s from people seeing the thousands and thousands of business proposals every year. You might not have a VC investing in you but you have your founder investing in your development. If not your founder, a senior manager. If not a senior manager, a manager. If not a manager, a client. Your people skills, your chemistry, your self-awareness. It’s always going to be a factor. VC or not. Work on it.