Patrick Böert

Three biggest learnings from a fundraising journey. Shared by Rainer Märkle, General Partner at HV Capital at EUVC 1/ Have a time box with a deadline attached. Have a defined horizon & create a clear plan. Have some urgency to get things done at some point. Execute very transparently and reliably. 2/ Stick to your narrative. But don't do it blindly. Tweak it when necessary. Adapt it. Don't let yourself be surprised by major changes. Keep focusing on delivering according to your strategy & plan. 3/ Fundraising is a marathon with many sprints. There are moments when you'll ask yourself - Why do I do this? Is it gonna work out? But don't get too negative during the down phases. Adapting and pivoting is part of our job. As it is for the founder of a company. How about you? What fundraising lessons have you learned? Join the conversation. 🔽 #venturecapital #angelinvesting #startupfunding #europe

5

1 Comment

After closing a Series A funding round, companies enter a pivotal phase where the right approaches significantly influence their journey toward Series B. In brutkasten, Jan Lozek and I recently shed light on the critical strategies companies should adopt after securing Series A funding. 👉🏻 Here are the more top priorities companies should focus on post-fundraise: 📈 Optimize cash flow:  Investors are particularly interested in startups that efficiently manage their cash flow, maximizing growth and revenue while keeping expenses in check. 💰 Show them the money: Show investors how exactly you are making money: real customers, real sales, economies of scale. In other words, show you have a plan and that the plan is working. To outline flexible sales models, and exchange various key parameters, will also be a win. 🚀 Partner up, big time: Leverage your existing networks instead of spending more capital. Corporates can be great partners at this stage and could vouch for your startup. Be it for accessing a market or for increasing your sales, it always pays off to have the right partners. What additional tips would you add for companies navigating this crucial transition? 💡 #SeriesA #Funding #StartupGrowth

28

7 Comments

Thank you, ZyCrypto and Krypto News Deutschland, for including us in your recent list of "10 Fast-Rising Crypto VCs Shaping the World of Web3" together with our esteemed VC colleagues from all around the world. And yes, "it does take a village to raise a startup" but nothing beats working with obsessed founders on a mission! Recall, Trever, River Platform Company, OpenQ, KINO https://lnkd.in/en3SvQ5t #blockchainfounderscapital #zycrypto #venturecapital #blockchain #crypto #startups

40

4 Comments

Germany-based venture capital fund Robin Capital closed its Robin Fund One at 13 million euros (about $13.6 million). #venturecapital #veteranventures

2

How to End a VC Pitch Meeting The end of a pitch meeting is as critical as the presentation itself. While many founders spend the bulk of their time perfecting the pitch, the last 10 minutes of the meeting require as much attention. Abruptly ending a meeting leaves investors uncertain or disengaged. A structured conclusion, however, can lead to a clear path forward. Here are three objectives every founder should aim to achieve when wrapping up a VC meeting: Define a Clear Next Step Never leave a meeting without defining the next step. Investors have multiple demands on their time. Without a defined follow-up, your pitch will get lost in the shuffle. Ask directly when the VC’s internal meeting will take place. If they say their investment team meets on Wednesdays, say, “Great, I’ll follow up with you on Thursday.” This tactic demonstrates initiative and keeps the momentum going. If the VC hesitates to define a next step, it’s a red flag. It indicates they aren’t interested in moving forward. Don’t waste time chasing uninterested investors—focus your energy on those who show commitment. Guide Their Evaluation Process Most VCs won’t know how to evaluate your company. It’s your job to guide them. Highlight the metrics that matter in your industry and set the framework for how they should assess your business. For example, you might say, “Retention is a key indicator of our success. Have a look at industry benchmarks and see how our numbers compare.” Or, “To understand our customers' pain points, I recommend speaking with players in this particular segment of the ecosystem.” If you have a supportive paying customer or an industry expert contact, feel free to suggest a reference call. By giving them a roadmap for evaluation, you help the VC align their assessment with the most critical factors that reflect your company’s potential. Set Terms for Further Information Exchange If the VC requests documents you didn’t cover in the meeting—such as a financial plan—this is a chance to secure another engagement. For example, you can say, “I’ll provide the pitch deck we just covered, and let’s schedule a time to go through the detailed financial plan.” This keeps the dialogue active and ensures that further engagement is tied to your next move. It’s not just about sharing data—it’s about maintaining engagement and moving toward the next step in the process. Each piece of information you provide should act as a bridge to further discussions. Ending with Control The key to ending a VC pitch meeting is to maintain control of the process. Defining a clear next step, guiding the evaluation process, and negotiating further engagement are all critical components of a successful close. By managing these elements, you ensure that the conversation doesn't fizzle out but instead continues to progress. Reserve the final 10 minutes of your meeting to wrap up effectively—because how you end the meeting might just determine whether or not you secure the investment.

30

7 Comments

Germany and Europe need a lot more technical founders and we need to build a second & more technical ecosystem. 🏗 I just published a column in German outlet Gründerszene / Business Insider where I argue the following: 1. 👨‍🔧 Technical Founders are a massively lacking Europe is lacking the generational tech giants which the US or China have produced. The often quoted reasons are lack of Series B+ capital, fragmented European markets or regulation. The often overlooked factor is that those generational companies in the US are largely built by people with strong technical backgrounds whereas in Europe we see a lot less technical founders. I.e.: Of the top 10 market cap companies today in the US, 7 are tech companies. Of those, ALL have been founded by people with technical backgrounds. For European Unicorns only 26% have technical co-founders - and in most cases then not in the CEO role. That difference is staggering! 2. 🔁 This is a flywheel that has organically grown We have built a great and functioning flywheel especially around people with more business backgrounds. A lot of the venture successes in Europe and Germany in particular of companies started in the mid-2000s were built in the archetype of "two business school graduates hire first CTO to help them build company" as opposed to the "Two Stanford computer science graduates get together and build company". Then as a number of those companies turn successful the flywheel starts spinning: The next generation of people with business backgrounds has role models to emulate, has relevant network of angels and entrepreneurs and investors invest in things that look like past successes and so it becomes a self-reinforcing cycle. This flywheel just does not exist to the same extent for technical founders yet. Case in point: In Germany I would argue that probably >80% of VCs are German and have business backgrounds whereas in Berlin >80% of software engineers come from abroad. 3. 🎉 The future is bright Firstly the fact that we are only just getting started on the technical founder ecosystem is great news because it means our ecosystem is still at Day One and we have enormous potential. More importantly - the gap to the US is closing. The demographics of graduates are changing: Computer science graduates since 2010 have doubled in Germany and more importantly the perception of computer science degrees is changing. Computer Science is finally no longer viewed as a choice for "the nerds" but we increasingly see talent go down this path that 10-15 years ago would have chosen to study the more established paths of Business/Law/Medicine/etc... And last but not least do we start to see really meaningful technical ecosystems emerge, especially around the Technical University of Munich. Many thanks to Nina Anika Klotz from Gründerszene! Link to the full article (in german) here: https://lnkd.in/esXCTByd

297

45 Comments

Honoured to be featured in the latest Tech Funding News article discussing Germany’s role as a leading tech hub. 🚀 I’m also proud to see standout companies from the Earlybird Venture Capital portfolio—N26, Marvel Fusion, Isar Aerospace, and others—highlighted alongside my alma mater, Technical University of Munich, which is another key driver of innovation in the country. While Germany is often dubbed the ‘Silicon Valley of Europe,’ there’s still much to do, such as overcoming regulatory challenges and channeling more growth funding into promising startups. My advice for those navigating the Central European startup landscape: Leverage government-backed funding, connect with business angels, and build relationships with established companies. Do not wait to build a global network early on. Together we can strengthen this ecosystem so that one day it can truly live up to its nickname. Read more by Sofia Chesnokova here: https://bit.ly/404yyXr Cc: Dr. Hendrik Brandis, Paula Wehmeyer, Mario Kohle, Filip Lukac, Benjamin Berényi, Elisheva Marcus #Innovation #DeepTech #VentureCapital #GermanyTech

63

2 Comments

ChatGPT extension vs. Google Search: My personal comparative analysis The rise of ChatGPT as a viable alternative to traditional search engines such as Google has brought pretty high expectations. Personally, I was disappointed with my experience with the ChatGPT Chrome extension as a search tool. ChatGPT introduces a fresh perspective 🙃 with: - Conversational Interactions: Delivering direct answers in a conversational style. - Streamlined Information Retrieval: Removing the hassle of navigating through numerous links. - Innovative Problem-Solving: Leveraging a natural language approach for creative solutions. - Versatility in Tasks: Ideal for idea generation, content creation, and producing unique text outputs. - Ad-Free Experience: Shielded from the influence of advertisements, ensuring a cleaner user interface. - Customizability through Prompts. However, it's crucial to acknowledge key drawbacks 😢 and limitations that provide many generic and outdated answers - Superficial Responses: Often furnishes generic answers, particularly with vague prompts. Google offers diverse perspectives and sources for information verification. - Absence of Real-Time Updates: Reliant on pre-existing data, limiting access to the latest information without external integrations. - Limited Transparency in Sourcing: Lacks specific source citations unless explicitly requested, raising concerns about accuracy. - Dependency on Detailed Prompts: Output quality hinges on the depth and clarity of user inputs. At the end both tools cover differente needs or use cases. Use ChatGPT extension for creative endeavors, interactive learning, and idea formulation, while turning to Google for real-time, comprehensive, and multi-sourced searches. Unfortunately for optimal outcomes, a blend of both tools is a must; leverage ChatGPT for initial insights and then validate and expand findings through Google. #AI

11

1 Comment

What do Earlybird Venture Capital and remberg have in common? 👀 1. Both have been leading the integration of AI into the core workflows of their domains 2. Both will soon have shared their learnings at the GenAI Wednesday Munich We're at an exciting inflection point for Industrial Tech, and I can't wait to be part of the conversation at the upcoming GenAI Wednesday Munich event on November 20th, 6:30 to 10 PM (register with the link in the comments)! 🚀 I'm eager to share what we've learned at remberg, working hand-in-hand with leading industrial companies such as ams OSRAM, LIQUI MOLY and Hans Weber Maschinenfabrik GmbH in Germany. Together we're transforming service, operations and maintenance processes around industrial assets to make a real impact. I hope you will join me for some practical insights and inspiration! Here's what you'll take away: ✨ Building a thriving AI business: Hear how we're using generative AI at remberg to solve industry challenges. Get practical tips for scaling your own business. 🔧 Maximizing Asset Uptime with AI: Discover how remberg's AI significantly speeds up resolution of problems, streamlines operations, and increases asset productivity. 📈 Live Case Study & Demo: See remberg’s AI in action, supporting processes across a range of assets – from machines to vehicles and facilities. We'll cover exciting use cases such as 10X faster troubleshooting, smoother changeovers, and easier maintenance and service reporting. Let's create the future of industrial productivity together! Register now (link in comments) and join us at GenAI Wednesday. Really appreciate the invite Manuel Gruber, Daniel Melter and Marc Frey. 🙏 Thanks for showing me how it's done Dr. Andre Retterath in one of the last episodes of the GenAI Wednesday 💪 Thanks to CompuSafe Data Systems AG and jambit GmbH the event is FREE of charge. See you there. #AI #IndustrialAssets #rembergCopilot #AssetIntelligence #remberg #GenAI

94

7 Comments

Germany’s Investor Drop – Why Climate Tech is Bucking the Trend A recent article by Nadine Schimroszik in Handelsblatt today mentioned that the number of active investors in Germany has dropped by 40% this year. Based on PitchBook data, the conclusion is that venture capital in Germany has become significantly more challenging, particularly in early-stage and growth-stage investments. However, for Climate Tech, the story is different. Despite the overall decline in venture capital, the sector continues to attract attention, with a 16.2% increase in pre-seed and seed investments. Indeed, we have seen some positive developments recently: 1. Growing Commitment to Addressing the Climate Crisis 🌱 2. Long-term Investment Horizon ⏳ 3. Robust Capital Availability for Scalable Solutions 💰 Big thanks to Nadine Schimroszik for raising awareness on this important issue. As investors, how can we ensure we're not just reacting to trends, but actively driving the transformation needed for a sustainable future? 🌍🔋 #ClimateTech #SustainableInvestment #VentureCapital  

17

1 Comment

Great to see what Jan Thomas and his team at Startup Insider did with the new Investors Report 2024 for the DACH region! Anyone who wants to learn more about the German #venturecapital ecosystem and its investors, go get the report: https://lnkd.in/ehiVqmX6

53

2 Comments

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗜 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 #venturecapital 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 ... ... which led me to explain a bit about my personal history with them, and how they work. Here's what I told him 👇🏻 (which is #notfinancialadvice of course) 👉 I've personally sold common in secondary transactions twice (2 different companies as well) to existing investors who already owned a bunch of preferred + common in said companies. In one case I was approached by an existing investor, and in the other I approached the existing investor. 👉 Our first Creator Science Syndicate deal was a secondary transaction (we created an SPV to invest in a vehicle that had common stock in ConvertKit) 👉 For early stage companies, because there is still so much risk + the common stock is not really tradable, there’s no market for it. Whereas for later stage companies that are performing well, the common stock's inherent value starts to get very close to that of the preferred stock. So you will see the secondary market price for common begin to trend much closer to that of the preferred. 👉 Secondary transactions can be done directly with existing individual shareholders, or with firms/entities (eg SPVs, investment firms). 👉 Some very reputable firms have made venture secondaries the crux of their business model. Industry Ventures comes to mind. Anything else folks should know about secondaries? Leave a comment below!

5

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞-𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐩𝐩 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥? Shatter that wall with No-code x AI! The NoCode UK Conference speaker lineup is LIT 🔥 and you don't need a CS degree to join (or launch your next unicorn!). This is your chance to learn from the MVPs (pun intended) who are shipping million-dollar products with no-code! 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: 👇 Key topics and themes of the talks include: - The landscape of no-code tools and solutions from internal business operations to web and mobile apps - Combining AI and no-code tools to build exceptional software products - Building, fundraising, scaling, valuing, and selling no-code software products - Insights from replacing a custom code stack with a no-code software stack - Best practices for designing apps with Bubble - Using ChatGPT to code an entire app - Lessons learned on building minimum viable products from 30+ hackathons - Insights from running a remote, no-code product agency - The future of no-code and AI 𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮? 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 & 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬: Go from idea to product in WEEKS, not months. Hear how 👾 Chad Sakonchick built a multi-million dollar empire on no-code, and Milly Barker who built and sold a SaaS app...all from an airport lounge, seriously wow! ✈️ 𝐕𝐂𝐬 & 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 Your portfolio companies need a superpower? ‍♀️ No-code compresses your path to building, launching, and achieving massive outcomes. Since speed / time to market are your determinants of success, The efficiency is unmatched: Ship > Validate PMF > Pivot or Go Big > Exit. Take notes from Hazel Lim, the ex-investor, no-code whisperer who finds killer business ideas and exits them like a boss. (ps: generously shares such juicy biz ideas, breakdowns in her newsletter) 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬 & 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬:  Go from no-code newbie to six-figure earner with insights and learnings from the industry trailblazers like Youssef Elkhayami & Mike Wiendels and the top 1% freelancers like Dominic Norton. 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 & 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡: Lawyer by day, no-code superhero by night? See how Vensy Krishna built an award-winning COVID relief app in HOURS (no coding skills required!) and scaled a volunteer network to help thousands. Built a career in tech, founded multiple companies, and helped thousands to break into tech using no-code! Plus, you'll join a global no-code fam! This conference is by no-coders, for no-coders. Level the playing field, unlock endless possibilities, and ship anything you dream of - all without a single line of code. See you there! P.S. Spots are filling up faster than a one-click no-code deployment! Don't miss your chance to be part of the no-code gang. Link in the comments! #NoCode #AI #Entrepreneurship #Conference

6

2 Comments

We're excited to continue backing Silencio in its additional $2.5mn Seed raise led by Blockchange Ventures with continued support from MH Ventures alongside new strategic backers such as Blockchain Founders Fund, @Prosper GmbH, and Advanced Blockchain. This funding builds on the $1 million raised earlier this year. Silencio is the first fully on-chain DePIN project on peaq, leveraging its security, scalability, and interoperability to operate at a global scale. It is revolutionizing how environmental data is captured and distributed. This investment will accelerate Silencio's mission to build the world’s largest decentralized noise intelligence platform, providing actionable data for smarter cities, real estate, and public health by transforming smartphones into real-time noise sensors, delivering hyperlocal data for actionable insights. By combining decentralized infrastructure with hyperlocal data, Silencio is transforming industries and improving lives through strategic applications: 🏙️ Urban Planning: Empowering governments to design quieter, more livable cities with real-time noise data. 🏠Real Estate: Enabling buyers and renters to make informed housing decisions. ❤️Hospitality: Helping travelers find quieter accommodations, improving customer and business satisfaction. 📈 Public Policy: Supporting evidence-based policymaking to effectively address noise pollution. At the core of Silencio’s ecosystem lies the $SLC token, governed by the BlockSound Foundation. It serves as both a utility and incentive mechanism, rewarding data contributors and enabling enterprises to access premium analytics. The $SLC token is integrated as follows: 🎯Data Collection Incentives: Contributors earn $SLC by capturing noise measurements and contributing to Silencio’s decentralized infrastructure. 🔑Access to Advanced Features: Enterprises use $SLC to unlock real-time analytics, enterprise-grade APIs, and advanced mapping tools. 🔑Monthly Community Raffle: Active contributors are automatically entered into a monthly raffle for significant $SLC rewards, further incentivizing engagement. This tokenized model ensures long-term scalability and fosters a thriving, self-sustaining ecosystem. Silencio addresses the global challenge of noise pollution and embodies a vision to create the world’s largest community-powered data engine. Their mission is to decentralize data collection and ensure value flows directly to users by leveraging everyday devices. Using smartphones, they aim to crowdsource diverse data types with explicit user consent and full transparency, creating a system where users are both contributors and beneficiaries. More here: Medium: https://bit.ly/3ZRWZWt CryptoGlobe: https://bit.ly/3BRr2Wc

126

10 Comments

Fly Ventures closes a $80 million fund to back technical founders Berlin-based #VC firm #FlyVentures has announced its third fund, raising €80 million to back technical founders across Europe at the seed stage. The firm, co-founded by Gabriel Matuschka and Fredrik Bergenlid, focuses on startups in enterprise and deep tech, investing €1–4 million in funding rounds ranging from €2–10 million. With partners distributed across Berlin, London, Paris, and Zurich, Fly Ventures maintains an equal-GP model to target Europe’s strongest tech hubs. Fly Ventures' new fund reflects a boutique approach, prioritizing high-potential technical innovations before they gain widespread attention. Approximately 45% of the firm’s investments have been in AI, with vertical applications and industrial tech making up 35%, and dev tools/infrastructure accounting for 20%. Notable portfolio companies include Inato, a clinical trials marketplace, GitGuardian, a cybersecurity startup, and Wayve, which recently raised $1.05 billion to advance autonomous driving. Fly Ventures’ deep technical expertise and regional focus have made it a standout player in the European VC landscape. The firm continues to emphasize cutting-edge industries like AI, materials science, and cybersecurity, building a portfolio that showcases the transformative potential of technical founders in shaping the future of innovation. The article on TechCrunch in the first comment.

7

2 Comments

Zeitgeist is changing and we need to adapt or to encounter. When we started Climate Founders 4.5 years ago, we had a perfect Product Zeitgeist Fit (explained by a16z: https://lnkd.in/ePtBRVD3) in 2018 and 2019 activist groups like Fridays for Future played an important role to make the societies aware that we are in a climate crisis and need to act, with the beginning of the new decade announcement after announcement was made: politics made important changes from regulation to investment programs, more people than usual voted for green politics, the climate crisis got relevant media coverage, thousands of companies world-wide set decarbonization goals, huge asset managers implemented ESG and decarbonization strategies, billionaires pledged for the climate, hundreds of climatetech fund were established, serial entrepreneurs went into climate topics, Covid made many poeple think about contributing to a better world … in general you could feel change to make this decade to what it is in fact, the decisive decade for humanity. Even with beginning of the Russian war, there was a positive thinking that renewables are the solution to solve energy, industry and dependence problems, even climate chrisis deniers called them „freedom energies“. In 2023 we saw some Zeitgeist changes, the climate crisis seemed not to be a main topic anymore, in the media, in the politics, in companies and the society in general. Ambitious politicians understand that the society is not ready to change, some media work heavily against climate politics, companies realize how hard it is to decarbonize and partly drop their goals, asset managers start to drop ESG and decarbonization goals, investors and entrepreneurs look more at AI, politics goes right and populistic. Regarding Climatetech im still very optimistic: The 2018-2022 Zeitgeist helped to build a massive ecosystem, which is still growing. The current Zeitgeist is not in favor for Climatetech, but it will come back for sure, as unfortunately the climate crisis will hit us harder every year and we always had this typical left-right cycles in politics and societies. Due to our expanded activies our dealflow is still growing, but in general we have the impression that less new founders entered the space in the last 12-18 months and also hear from some other VCs that they see less climatetech teams. We take it as a challenge and re-focus on co-founder matching to make it easier to enter the space for founders. Especially scientists and serial entrepreneurs are our target group for our co-founder matching. Take the world’s biggest challenge as your personal opportunity and apply here: https://lnkd.in/egvTQApi

28

4 Comments

Here are the full terms of our recent investment Round size: $61.500 (430.000 DKK) Equity dilution: 2% Valuation: $3.000.000 (21.000.000 DKK) Post Money Cap Pro rata: no Type: SAFE Round Stage: Angel For context: Alvas was founded 11 months ago We’re two founders, one highly technical, the other technical and highly commercial. We build product and get customers ourselves Early revenue with 12 clients and $3250 MRR Our product is simple to understand, solves a pain point for a smaller niche And we’ve shown how we create value for multiple big Danish brands 🦄 #investment #StartUp #founder #unicorn _________________ I’m sharing the journey of building a Unicorn We’ve recently received funding, and I’m sharing everything about the investment Tomorrow I will share why we raised, and what the money will be spent on Feel free to follow along

423

30 Comments

📚Top 5 Books Referred to me by VCs I like asking Venture Capitalists for book recommendations for one reason: they are highly practical and useful. And because most VCs follow the Hippocratic oath of ‘Primum non nocere,’ (first, do no harm) they don’t want to waste your most valuable asset as a founder - your time. Each book serves a specific purpose. If you’re faced with a problem, ask a VC if they can recommend a resource on it. You may get a YouTube to watch or a book or article to read, but generally they have the resource you're looking for. 📘 7 Powers by Hamilton W. Helmer This was a very practical book that highlighted a lot of the strengths or ‘powers’ your business has that you may be unaware of. Hamilton W. Helmer outlines seven enduring sources of competitive advantage that drive business success. These powers are essential for any entrepreneur or founder to understand, especially in the early stages of building a SaaS company. It not only highlights the powers, but provides ways to leverage them. 📘 Competitive Strategy, by Michael E. Porter To be honest, this book was good but it’s more of a text book than anything - very hard to read. It provides a very strong framework analysing industries and competitors to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. It’s the go-to for competitor analysis. But I'd suggest starting with some content online around Porters 5 Forces. 📘 Only the Paranoid Survive, by Andrew S. Grove This was BRILLIANT. Andrew Grove, former CEO of Intel, drives home the importance of recognising and responding to strategic inflection points – moments when the competitive landscape shifts, new technologies emerge, or customer preferences change in significant ways. In today's environment companies must adopt a mindset of paranoia and continuously reinvent themselves to stay ahead of the competition. 📘 Thinking in Bets, by Annie Duke  I read the first half of this book twice. To be fair, it could have been a long blog post. The book runs out of legs at the end and starts clutching straws. But the overall message is superb. A good decision making process will produce more favourable results than unfavourable results over time. Annie Duke, a former world champion poker player provides insights as to how great poker players make decisions with limited information. Luck plays a large role in the hand you're dealt, but a good decision making process will trump luck in the long run. Last book in the comments:

6

2 Comments