Why successful founders don't speak at events

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁–𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟮–𝟭𝟴 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆? Here’s the truth: the founders who find PMF fast aren’t just great builders—they’re disciplined operators who know exactly where to spend their time, money, and focus. Join us for a candid conversation with:  Rajeev Behera, CEO & Co-Founder of Every and 2x founder (Reflektive, acquired 2021) Alexandra Burbey, Investor at Sound Ventures Wiley Jones, CEO & Co-Founder at @Doss (backed by Theory Ventures) Moderated by John Gannon, Founder of Venture5 Together, they’ll unpack the operational decisions that separate companies that find traction early from those that spend years searching for it. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:  • The operational fingerprints of fast-to-PMF companies—patterns a VC sees across winners versus those who struggle  • The “founder tax”: which back-office tasks quietly steal 10+ hours of your week, and what to delegate or automate immediately  • What capital efficiency means before you have revenue—and how VCs evaluate it during diligence  • The early decisions that compound over time, and the ones that don’t matter yet  • Real trade-offs: when “doing things that don’t scale” drives growth versus when it derails momentum If you’re building, investing, or advising early-stage companies, this conversation will give you a clear lens into what operational excellence looks like before product–market fit—and how to get there faster. Register here: https://lnkd.in/dqrmPtMF #EveryFounder #Startup #Webinar

A few months ago, I had to ask myself some questions. Was Overnight Success going to stay a newsletter, or should it be more than that? Could it help solve some of the problems I see and hear about every day? Could it help the ANZ startup ecosystem become less fractured? The answer I came to is... Yes, why the fuck not? This is why I'm super excited to introduce a series of products and partnerships that will do precisely that, and here's a killer video explaining the vision. DealsOS: Australia's first dedicated deal data platform for startups, scale-ups and VC funds already helping investors discover opportunities and founders raise capital. InvestOS: Democratising investment in Australia's best startups through education and a syndicate. PeopleOS: Lowering the friction for talent to enter high-growth companies. This wouldn't be possible without my awesome partners in MatchBox and Aussie Angels. Kudos to Dale Brander and the team at Stacked Content for the video and for explaining the vision better than I could. Get access here: 🤝 DealsOS https://lnkd.in/gR5eyEwM 👯 PeopleOS https://lnkd.in/gxDeMvY6 📈 InvestOS https://lnkd.in/gaehVd8P 

Building the right startup team is one of the hardest and most important parts of founding a venture. In one of our recent blogs, Rym Baouendi (Director of Alumni Engagement) and Peter Gladstone (Senior Advisor for B2C Startups) share practical advice on: - Dating before you “marry” a cofounder - Deciding between a hire vs. a cofounder - Aligning equity with effort and risk - Establishing culture Read the full summary here: https://bit.ly/3V7Q3Td

We've raised £3M to launch Nume🚀 Nearly 50 million startups and SMEs globally are running their businesses without financial leadership. We're changing that. Shaped by 40 CFOs and 500+ companies, Nume delivers CFO-level insights through the tools founders already use like Email, Slack, and more. Backed by Main Set, CircleRock Capital, North Ventures, Crowberry Capital, Inveready , Seed X Liechtenstein AG, and former Google UK MD Dan Cobley. 👉 Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/e3kahyKf

📃 Founders, stop guessing your way to Product-Market Fit Raising your first round without knowing if you have PMF? Here's the playbook! First Round Capital open-sourced their complete Product-Market Fit Method  based on 20+ years investing in 500+ pre-PMF startups like Uber, Notion, and Square. They're breaking PMF into 4 clear stages with the metrics that matter at each. You’ll learn:  ▪️ The 4 levels of PMF: Nascent → Developing → Strong → Extreme  ▪️ The 3 dimensions that define progress: Satisfaction, Demand, Efficiency  ▪️ Benchmarks founders can actually measure (ARR, NRR, payback, churn)  ▪️ How to use the 4Ps (Persona, Problem, Promise, Product) to move up a level If you're an early-stage founder, this is the roadmap you'll wish you had when you started out! Thanks to the First Round team for putting real numbers behind what PMF means ----- 🎙️ Interested in the intersection of media x investing? I sit down with European founders and VCs to discuss the changes in the Venture Model and the European startup ecosystem. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/edZUVAXC

WHY YOU? WHY NOW? Two questions every start-up must be ready to answer when speaking with investors. Ján Búza, Partner at ZAKA VC, dove deep into this topic during a second lecture with the start-ups accelerated at AceON Accelerator: 🔍 We kicked things off with data-driven insights on what matters in a founding team - from the importance of having a tech co-founder, to the value of prior collaboration between founders, and whether the right tech background and education can actually increase your chances of securing investment. 🔍 Ján explained the Team-Market Fit 🔍 We also explored how market changes shape a start-up’s competitive edge. What is clear is that investors are looking for unicorn founders. 🦄 While you can build a successful business without becoming a unicorn (and most start-ups never do) what matters is your "unicorn" ambition, motivation and skills. Thank you, Ján Búza, for sharing your expertise and to our founders for their curiosity. 💪 #aceon #aceonaccelerator #startupaccelerator #investor #zakavc #zaka #startupteam #autumnaccelerator2025

At London Stock Exchange’s event from female founders last month, Debbie Wosskow, OBE reminded us of how little capital (<2%) makes its way to female founders. I was at the House of Lords yesterday for the launch of Bae HQ’s State of Asian Funding report where I learned that if you’re an Asian female, that statistic is just 0.2%. While venture capital doesn’t suit most businesses and in my opinion, shouldn’t put women off starting a business as there are other sources of capital available, it’s great that the venture ecosystem gets it and is addressing the problem through initiatives like the one below. Good work Shwetabh Sameer, CFA, FRM, CIPM and Molten Ventures. Connect with Lauren Crawley-Moore, Florence Keelson-Anfu and Luke Robert Black MBE in the U.K. Primary Markets team at the London Stock Exchange to get on our guest lists too.

🎯 Attracting Great Deal Flow in Venture Tidal Ventures's Fee Barry shared how their team approaches sourcing standout founders: blending structure, creativity, and relationships. Their approach spans inbound and outbound activity, along with strong referral networks. Consistent content and visibility on LinkedIn play a key role in attracting new founders, while direct outreach through tools like Sales Navigator helps identify promising opportunities early 🤔 Referrals remain a major driver, built through close collaboration with pre-seed investors and angels who have early insight into emerging companies showing strong performance. It’s a reminder that deal flow comes from staying active, connected, and genuinely engaged in the ecosystem 🔗 ✅ Aussie Angels : Follow experienced investors & get access to exclusive startup funding rounds. https://lnkd.in/gQjghG-F

A great pitch goes beyond explaining an idea… it captures attention, builds belief, and shows the impact a venture can make. Through Infinity G, founders work with our mentors to develop the skills to deliver pitches that resonate with investors, partners, and the startup community. Opening up opportunities and preparing them for the wider startup ecosystem.

Nearly 4 in 10 startups raise their first funding round from friends and family. As when VCs and angels aren’t ready to back you, your first believers are often the ones who know you best. That trust can fuel your MVP or launch your go to market. But it’s also a double-edged sword. Because if things go wrong, it can put a serious strain on your relationships. So here’s the question: Would you ever mix business with friends and family, or is that asking for trouble?