Stephane Nasser

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how VCs rarely tell founders the real reason they pass. They will not say “we don’t believe this team can win” or “the market isn’t exciting.” Someone commented: “So what exactly do VCs look for in founding teams?” That is a great question, and I decided to write my answer in full. In my new Substack article, “The Founder Checklist: How VCs Decide,” I share the 10 criteria I have seen investors use when evaluating founders, from motivation and learning velocity to team chemistry and talent magnetism. If you are raising capital or planning to, this framework will help you see how investors think and what signals really matter. Link to piece in comments.

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Big news for founders — the accelerator landscape is changing fast. $500K at a $5M post — plus another $500K when you raise your next round. That’s what Andreessen Horowitz a16z’s new Speedrun program is offering, backed by their full ecosystem of capital, marketing, and portfolio support. This could mark the start of a new era for accelerators. YC set the gold standard, but this move raises the bar across the industry — more competition, more support, and more opportunities for founders to win. #Founders #VentureCapital #Accelerators #Startups #A16Z #Innovation #SeedStage #Entrepreneurship #Seed

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𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 This guide explains how founders should approach investor conversations—what to communicate, how to handle questions, and how to turn meetings into momentum. Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ It’s a dialogue, not a monologue – The best pitches feel like strategic conversations, not rehearsed slide presentations. 2️⃣ Metrics build credibility – Know your numbers cold. Even early traction must connect to a clear growth story. 3️⃣ Investors evaluate you too – Fund size, check size, follow-on strategy, and decision process matter as much as your deck. Bottom line? A great pitch doesn’t sell hype. It builds conviction. PS. check out 🔔 for a winning pitch deck the template created by Silicon Valley legend, Peter Thiel https://lnkd.in/eQFrsUnE

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The Deep Tech Fundraising Cheatsheet 📊 Peter Walker just shared fresh deep tech fundraising benchmarks (valuation, cash raised, dilution) based on 900 US rounds raised in 2025. Important context for EU founders: Cash raised and valuations are typically lower in EU. 𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: - Deep tech fundraising is usually more dilutive at the early stages than software (longer timelines to revenue, technical risk, higher capital needs). - Deep tech doesn’t necessarily require endless capital. Later-stage amounts aren’t wildly out of line with software. - Each round unlocks steep valuation step-ups 3.5× Seed→A || 2.1× A→B || 2.0× B→C. To Peter's word: "It's a fantastic time to build a company based on atoms, not bits". That couldn’t be more true for climate tech. --- 📍 For more climate tech insights, follow me Hugo Rauch, or subscribe to the newsletter: https://lnkd.in/e3jdZYPT

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Just found 5 YC startups with some of the most unique, “no one else would’ve built this” ideas I’ve seen 👇🏼 🚀 These are the kinds of concepts that make you stop and think “wait… that’s actually genius.” 1. Digipals (YC F25) Reinventing social media around real-life coordination instead of infinite scrolling. 2. Hypercubic (YC F25) Using AI to modernize COBOL and mainframes, the invisible backbone of banks, airlines, and governments. 3. Dome (YC F25) One API that connects every prediction market (Polymarket, Kalshi, etc.) into a unified trading layer. 4. Clad Labs (YC F25) A Gen-Z-native coding IDE where the coding loop blends with gaming, scrolling, and ads. 5. Nucleo (YC F25) Automated CT scan analysis for oncologists, already trusted by top hospitals. 👉 YC’s most innovative companies are often the ones that end up defining new categories. - - - - - - - 💬 Which one of these would you invest in purely because the idea is so wild?

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YC’s hidden formula: 100 users × $100/month = $10K MRR The secret to startup success is simple and hiding in plain sight. Y Combinator’s formula is: 100 users paying $100/month. It’s not just about revenue. It’s a powerful framework for validating your idea, proving demand, and setting a path for growth. It shows you’ve built something people can’t live without. 100 users means you’ve found your early adopters. These aren’t just people who like your product, they need it. At this stage, every user counts. You can personally connect with each one, understand their pain points, and improve your product based on their feedback. $100/month proves your product has real value. This isn’t a hobby or a free tool. At this price, users are committed. They’re choosing you over competitors and are willing to pay for the solution you’re providing. $10K MMR is a key milestone. It shows your idea is scalable. You’re no longer guessing, you have users, data, feedback, and a working system. Investors notice this because it proves your business is real, not just a concept. So, what’s the core principle here? Build something people truly want. Solve a real problem, and do it better than anyone else. Retention drives growth. If your first 100 users love your product, they’ll stay, and they’ll tell others. The playbook: 1. Start small and pick a niche. 2. Talk to your users constantly. 3. Iterate based on what they need, not what you think they want. 4. Charge enough to prove value. Free users don’t always mean fans, paying ones do. 5. Focus on retention before growth. 100 loyal users beat 1,000 casual ones. YC's secret isn’t just the numbers, it’s the process. Do the unscalable things first. Obsess over your users. Build something they can’t live without. The world rewards clarity, simplicity, and real value. If you can get 100 users to pay $100/month, you've proven your purpose. From there, the only direction is up.

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Every founder needs to master the art of pitching and get comfortable with rejection. In the early days, it may mean getting 99 no’s for 1 yes. But getting the pulse of the market as fast as possible will help you ensure you build the right product and craft the right story for the right audience. There is no shortcut: always be pitching. Only those who live and breathe their business stand a chance in the arena.

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Taking the energy from the Techleap's State of Dutch Tech this week straight into building mode! The report highlighted a clear "AI Paradox": The Netherlands has Europe’s highest AI talent density, yet 70% of that talent is locked inside incumbents. It is time to unlock that potential. OWOW's Venture Studio is looking for the next wave of founders for the OWOW 2026 cohort. If you have that deep expertise and want to solve real problems in traditional sectors (Logistics, Manufacturing, etc.) with the backing of a strong team and funding: this is for you. Check the details in Robin Dohmen's post below. 👇 #StateOfDutchTech #VentureStudio #Building #AI

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