From the Investors
Sam Altman of Y Combinator evaluates the state of equality in tech in “Diversity and Startups”
Scott Kupor of Andreessen Horowitz notes that while it’s cheaper to build companies today, it also takes more money to win the market, in “Why the Structural Changes to the VC Industry Matter”
David Lee of SV Angel shreds emails that vaguely ask for a “business development partnership” in “More on Biz Dev Intros…”
Brad Feld of Foundry Group advises founders to ignore their rivals but obsess about their products in “Use Your Competitors’ Products All the Time”
Tren Griffin of Microsoft shares food-for-thought from the investor who led Accel’s Facebook investment in 2005 in “A Dozen Things I’ve Learned from Jim Breyer”
Robert Siegel of XSeed Capital sharpens the focus of his portfolio companies on “the big Xs” of their businesses in “Don’t Drop the Baby” (via the WSJ)
Jeffrey Carter of Hyde Park Angels builds on Seth Bannon’s post by encouraging founders to lean on their investors for advice, referrals, and more in “Nine Things Startups Can Do to Avoid Failure”
Tomasz Tunguz of Redpoint Ventures doesn’t answer the question for you, but rather reframes the problem in a thought-provoking manner, in “The Best Advice I’ve Ever Received”
MG Siegler of Google Ventures admires the focus that single-display tablets offer in “The New Typewriter”
FundersClub celebrates its two year anniversary with some statistics and highlights
From the Operators
Joseph Walla of HelloSign keeps his runway short and his team hungry in order to avoid complacency in “Too Much Funding, Not Enough Action”
Matt Sandler of Chromatik publishes an introduction to working in “the industry,” complete with content deals, growth hacks, and working with celebrities, in “The Startup Guide to Hollywood”
Sahana Ullagaddi of Klout reaches out to people who share content and finds opportunities to help them in “Five Ways to Build Stronger Social Media Relationships”
Ryan Hoover of Product Hunt sits down with Brian Donohue of Instapaper and Matt Hartman and Maya Prohovnik of Betaworks in “Product Hunt Radio Episode 16”
Matthew Goldman of Wallaby defines a founder as a team that laid cornerstone in “Who is a Founder?”
Kirill Zubovsky of Scoutzie watches Seth Bannon’s co-founders resign and wonders, “What Does it Mean to be a Startup Co-Founder?”
JP Boily of Rainforest doesn’t sleep a lot as a full-time employee and a full-time dad in “Being a New Dad While Working at a Startup”