Tremendous

An angel investor's take on life and business

  • Why You Need Revenue to Raise Capital in 2026

    You’re crushing it online – 750,000 visitors in 120 days. You’re ready to raise a round, right? Wrong. 

    Lots of Eyeballs, No Revenue

    Even if a startup gets a lot of attention online, it’s usually not enough to raise capital today. 

    Take the example of a founder on Reddit… 

    He’s built a site to sell car parts. The site is extremely popular, with nearly a million visitors in just four months. 

    But he hasn’t been able to monetize. 

    Attention Isn’t All You Need

    For most startups, lots of eyeballs and no revenue isn’t enough to raise capital today.

    With companies hitting a million in revenue in mere weeks, a pre-revenue company isn’t compelling. 

    If the founder can’t find a way to monetize all those eyeballs, what good are they? 

    The Exceptions

    Some startups can raise large sums without revenue.

    Consumer social startups typically focus on growth for a long time before monetizing. That’s the model we’ve seen from Facebook, Snapchat, etc.

    If they can show strong growth and retention of free users, they may be able to raise millions without any revenue.

    Consumer SaaS can also get away with being pre-revenue for the first several years. Luis von Ahn did this successfully at Duolingo.

    Deep tech startups are usually pre-revenue at seed. A prototype and strong team is enough.

    And if a founder has an incredible track record, all bets are off. He may be able to raise millions with a couple of iMessages. 

    My Best Advice for Pre-Revenue Founders

    Forget about the exceptions. Focus on the rule.

    Raising money from angels and VCs will be difficult. Bootstrap your way to the first couple customers.

    And consider an accelerator! Accelerators specialize in making bets on nascent companies like yours. 

    Wrap-Up

    Being an early-stage founder is the classic chicken and egg problem. You need capital to grow. But without growth, you can’t get capital.

    It’s frustrating. What good are these “investors,” anyway? 

    Forget about them for now. Bootstrap your way to a couple of customers. Get into an accelerator. 

    Then, when you graduate, you can raise that multi-million dollar round. 

    More on tech: 

    $1 Million By Demo Day — What Top YC Startups Look Like in 2026

    Meet My Latest Investment: Cryopets

    My $698,000 Miss on Figure and Anthropic

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

    Wispr Flow

    I used this app every single day to dictate to my computer, I’m even dictating this text using Wispr Flow! It’s way better than Apple’s native dictation.

    My productivity is up about 25% since I started dictating rather than typing. I’m also less tired and stressed.

    Get a free month of Wispr Flow Pro here!

  • AI Just Turned Epstein’s 1.4 Million Emails Into a Calendar — What It Shows Is Chilling

    You can now browse Jeffrey Epstein’s entire calendar online. This morning, I dug into his schedule to find out what day-to-day life was like for the notorious sex offender… 

    The Banality of Evil

    Hannah Arendt coined the term “the banality of evil” while reporting on the trial of Adolf Eichmann. Maybe all evil people, regardless of scale, are like that.

    It’s amazing how much of Epstein’s schedule is incredibly mundane: tooth cleanings, UPS packages, even CPR training. 

    It looks like it could be the schedule of any rich, busy man. Except for one thing… 

    Lolita Airlines

    Epstein was basically running Lolita Airlines. You see countless calendar items with flights for young women. 

    The logistics are very complex. Girls are ferried from one city to another constantly.

    Epstein would’ve needed numerous assistants to run this complex operation. I’m guessing a lot of Ghislaine Maxwell’s time was spent organizing all this travel.

    To add insult to injury, Epstein made at least some of his victims fly coach. 

    A Whirlwind of Activity

    “There’s a psychological condition known as alexithymia, common in certain personalities. The individual craves almost ceaseless action, which enables them to avoid acknowledging the abhorrent things they do.’

    ‘Abhorrent? What certain personalities?’

    ‘Antisocial personalities.’”

    Reading through Epstein’s calendar, I was reminded of Tony’s exchange with Dr. Melfi in season two of The Sopranos.

    Epstein certainly kept busy. A typical week could include over 100 calendar appointments. 

    Meetings with this one, flights here, flights there.

    I have no idea how Epstein kept track of it, even with assistants. It sounds exhausting. 

    Did this whirlwind of activity help keep Epstein’s mind off the terrible things he did? 

    The Power of AI

    It’s incredible that AI can analyze a million Epstein emails and turn them into a browsable calendar.

    The folks behind this project used Reducto to pull it off. Reducto can take massive amounts of unstructured data and get it into a structured format with incredible accuracy.

    Tools like this are going to be invaluable in legal discovery. Reducto would also be great for helping intelligence agencies analyze signals intelligence. 

    Just a couple years ago, we never would’ve been able to recreate Epstein’s calendar like this. I wonder what will be possible a couple of years from now? 

    Wrap-Up

    If there’s one thing that’s clear from looking at Epstein’s schedule, it’s how complicated his life was.

    Epstein couldn’t run his business alone. He couldn’t handle the logistics of abusing these young girls alone, either. 

    Lots of people knew what Epstein was doing. Lots of people helped him. 

    I hope every one of them sees the inside of a prison cell. 

    More on tech:

    Normies Are Still Underestimating AI

    No, We’re Not Over-Investing in AI — Here’s the Math

    Finding the Next Billion Dollar Startup with Openclaw

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

    Wispr Flow

    I used this app every single day to dictate to my computer, I’m even dictating this text using Wispr Flow! It’s way better than Apple’s native dictation.

    My productivity is up about 25% since I started dictating rather than typing. I’m also less tired and stressed.

    Get a free month of Wispr Flow Pro here!

  • $1 Million By Demo Day — What Top YC Startups Look Like in 2026

    14 out of almost 200 startups in YC W26 hit $1 million ARR by Demo Day, according to Garry Tan. That’s the highest ever.

    $1 million ARR by Demo Day is what an elite YC startup looks like in 2026. 

    The Numbers, Straight from Garry

    I look at tons of startups in every YC batch. Hitting $100k ARR used to mean you were one of the top companies. Not anymore. 

    Yesterday, Garry Tan announced on X that YC W26 had the most companies ever hit $1 million ARR by Demo Day. When I asked him how many, he replied that 14 of them hit that milestone.

    Just a couple of batches ago, almost no one would hit $1 million by Demo Day. Now, about 7 percent of YC startups do it. 

    I nailed one myself! Yesterday, I wired for an awesome SaaS company in W26 that recently crossed $1M.

    Why Are Companies Growing Faster?

    AI. 

    AI has made every aspect of running a company faster. You can code faster, contact leads faster, even raise money faster by having AI generate your deck.

    Not wanting to be left behind, businesses are eagerly buying AI tools. When you’re selling into a market like that, you can hit $1 million faster.

    What Does Average Look Like?

    Of course, $1M ARR companies are far from typical.

    From what I’m seeing, the average YC startup has ARR below $100,000. Most software companies have at least some paid customers, but they’re still early.

    Even if you’re not one of the top companies in your batch right now, there’s hope!

    Demo Day is just one day in a company’s life. Maybe you’re not one of the cool kids today. But you could be a huge success later!

    Are the Rounds Open? 

    For the top companies, you’d better get your check in before Demo Day. Demo Day was yesterday, so if you haven’t already nailed one of those $1M ARR companies, you’ll probably have to wait for next batch.

    For average companies, I’m still seeing rounds open. 

    Contact founders you’re interested in sooner rather than later. Meetings have already been going on for a week or more. You don’t want to miss the boat. 

    What About the Prices?

    The best YC companies are growing at ridiculous rates. But can you invest at a price that makes sense?

    Occasionally, the answer is yes. These $1 million ARR startups typically come at valuations between $25 and 40 million.

    I’m comfortable with the lower end of that range. But when you get closer to $40 million, I tap out. There just isn’t enough upside left.

    Valuations go even higher. I saw prices of $50, 75, and even 100 million this batch!

    Oddly, the companies with tons of revenue aren’t raising at the highest valuations. The highest prices I’ve seen in W26 were for deep tech companies.

    There seems to be a bubble in deep tech right now. This may be because everyone’s afraid of the foundational models killing application companies. 

    Wrap-Up

    We can grouse about YC’s valuations. But where else can you find startups just a couple months old with $1 million ARR?

    YC is still producing some of the best companies in tech. Choose carefully, and you could find yourself in the next Stripe. 

    More on tech:

    Your Deck Probably Sucks. Here’s How to Fix It.

    Meet My Latest Investment: Cryopets

    My $698,000 Miss on Figure and Anthropic

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Google Stitch Let Me Design a Sleek Angel Investing App in Minutes – Here’s How

    Most startups I meet are slinging ugly products. No more excuses! Here’s how to use Google Stitch to produce a beautiful design in minutes…

    Google recently dropped Stitch, its new AI design tool. Just talk to Stitch and it will produce any app design you want, for free.

    This morning I used Google Stitch to prototype an app for angel investors. Let me show you what this thing can do!

    My New App: The Startup Sleuth

    For each new startup I meet, I do about 20 minutes of research. What are the founders’ backgrounds? What traction does the company have?

    If AI could speed that up for me, it would be a huge productivity boost. 

    Here’s the prompt I gave Stitch: 

    “Make an app to help angel investors research a startup. I should be able to upload the deck and also include links to any web pages that I want. I want the app’s design to be minimalist. I want it to be dark mode.”

    It’s Alive!

    Stitch asked me to approve its first design. I liked it, but I asked Stitch to make all the fonts serif. I find that a lot easier to read. 

    The interface was a little confusing. I had to scroll down to find new iterations, and there were various text boxes with unclear uses. New iterations popped up in random spots, sometimes below the prior one, sometimes alongside.

    But after a few more tries, I finally nailed it! 

    Stitch did a great job of covering the basics, like the amount the startup has raised and its current traction. 

    The complete design is pretty. The screens are clean and readable. Stitch even included some cool elements I didn’t expect, like a black and white caricature of the founder. 

    As I designed the app, I used Wispr Flow to talk to Google Stitch. Speaking to my computer rather than writing code — that’s revolutionary. 

    Wrap-Up

    My Stitch app had better design than 95% of the startups I see. There’s no excuse for ugly software anymore. 

    A top human designer is still better than Stitch. But for a cash-strapped startup, Stitch is more than adequate. 

    See if you can improve your app’s look and feel with Stitch. Pretty software makes people happy. It also inspires trust. 

    Up your design game, and I guarantee you it will pay off!

    More on tech: 

    Automating My Investing with Lovable

    Spying on Viral X Posts with Grok Tasks

    MiniMax M2.7: China’s $40 Billion AI Flop

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

    Wispr Flow

    I used this app every single day to dictate to my computer, I’m even dictating this text using Wispr Flow! It’s way better than Apple’s native dictation.

    My productivity is up about 25% since I started dictating rather than typing. I’m also less tired and stressed.

    Get a free month of Wispr Flow Pro here!


  • MiniMax M2.7: China’s $40 Billion AI Flop

    MiniMax, a $40 billion Chinese AI startup, just dropped its most powerful model yet. M2.7 claims to be one of the best models in the world, but it flopped in my testing…

    Round #1: How Bad Is the Damage from the Iran War?

    This morning on Bloomberg, I heard that 40 energy sites have been destroyed in the Iran war. How big of an impact will that have?

    MiniMax explains that there’s no comprehensive list of all energy facilities. So, it’s hard to tell what percent have been damaged.

    MiniMax pulls together a good estimate, finding that around 3 to 5% have been damaged thus far. It notes that the percentage matters less than which facilities have the largest scale. MiniMax projects that the disruption will last for between several weeks and a couple of months. 

    This was a good and nuanced answer. But it only cited a couple of sources. Grok 4.20 would have cited hundreds.

    I’ll give this round a B+. 

    Round #2: Will El Nino Mean a Warmer 2026?

    If you were in the Northeast or Midwest this year, you probably froze your butt off! El Nino is projected to hit later this year, giving us warmer weather. 

    When will El Nino start, and how much warmer will it get? 

    MiniMax claims that El Nino makes it colder and wetter in the northeast. But it only cites one source.

    Dejected, I sought a second opinion…

    Grok confirms that El Nino actually results in warmer weather, as does Gemini. Whew!

    MiniMax flunked this round, giving misleading info. I’m giving it an F. 

    Round #3: Researching Helium Production Startups

    For our final round, I gave MiniMax a toughie. 

    Helium production infrastructure in the Middle East is being damaged in the war. Helium is a finite resource because it escapes from the Earth’s atmosphere. 

    Helium is a critical ingredient in chip manufacturing. Are any startups finding new ways to produce it?

    MiniMax explains that the issues with helium are even worse than I thought. A Qatari facility that produces a third of the world’s helium has been badly damaged in the war.

    But there are awesome startups working to fix the problem. One of the most exciting is Interlune, which is trying to mine helium on the moon. 

    MiniMax gave a solid answer, but it cited just 2 sources. It’s hard to know how reliable the answer is. 

    I’m giving this round a B-. 

    Wrap-Up

    MiniMax earned a C- overall in my testing. 

    This is actually down from the C I gave the prior model in January. Some responses are great, but others are completely wrong.

    This makes it hard to rely on MiniMax. But since it’s cheap to run and sometimes produces good results, it could work in your application if you test it carefully.

    But for now, I’m remaining a Grok stan.

    More on tech: 

    MiniMax: China’s $7 Billion AI Model Flops in Testing

    A SOTA Model On Your Phone? — Testing Qwen 3.5

    Normies Are Still Underestimating AI

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Normies Are Still Underestimating AI

    “AI will never be able to…” I never hear anyone in tech say this anymore. But outside our little bubble, most people still underestimate AI.

    Yesterday, I spent the day at New York Build, one of the largest construction conferences in America. I was shocked by how little people outside the technology industry really understand what’s happening in AI.

    Normies Still Underestimate AI

    “AI will never be able to understand what customers want.” 

    I heard an architect confidently make this claim on a panel yesterday. Another agreed with her. 

    I almost gagged. 

    Anyone in tech has long since given up trying to predict what AI cannot do. 

    Outside our industry, a lot of people still want to think that their work is somehow special. AI can do some of it, but cannot replace them.

    I’m not buying it. Just this week, Google released a vibecoding tool that could replace most software engineers. Its design sense is far beyond most humans.

    The general population has no idea what’s about to hit them. 

    AI Takes Way More Energy Than I Thought

    “One Rubin chip requires as much cooling as 40 houses.”

    I learned this incredible fact from a nice young man working at a booth near the entrance. He was selling HVAC systems, and data centers are one of his biggest customers. 

    I knew AI data centers required a ton of energy. But hearing from an expert on HVAC made me realize that the energy needs are far greater than I thought.

    Just this morning, I wired for a new investment that will help data centers reduce their energy use. After chatting with this fella, I was very happy I made that bet. 

    More details soon… 

    How AI Can Help the Real Estate Industry

    It seems like anyone who knows how to actually do anything in this country is about to retire. That’s especially true in real estate.

    I listened to a panel with a facility manager who had managed some of the biggest buildings in New York City. He said most of his colleagues are retiring.

    We should interview them with AI and put as much of their knowledge into the AI models as possible. Then we can run buildings more efficiently.

    If we can run major commercial buildings better, the cost of housing will fall. 

    Wrap-Up

    I got the idea for attending weird, non-tech conferences from Cyan Banister, one of the best early stage investors. She likes to immerse herself in the “general population.”

    New York Build is a great way to do that. Most of the exhibitors sell stuff like pipe fittings and escalators, not SaaS.

    I was shocked how unprepared a lot of people are for what’s coming with AI. But some folks, like the young HVAC salesman, get it and are profiting from it.

    New York Build was a fascinating event — I’ll be back next year!

    Have a great weekend, everybody!

    More on tech: 

    Request for Startups: American Drugs, Litterbots and Robochefs!

    Meet My Latest Investment: Verustruct

    Your Deck Probably Sucks. Here’s How to Fix It.

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Request for Startups: American Drugs, Litterbots and Robochefs!

    One of the most fun parts of angel investing is dreaming up startup ideas. Here are three ideas I’m really excited about. If you’re working on these, let me know! 

    American-Made API’s

    To make prescription drugs, you need Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs). The overwhelming majority of APIs are made abroad.

    In a war or pandemic, we may not be able to import APIs. That would make it impossible to manufacture life-saving drugs.

    I’m looking for startups that are making APIs in the United States, preferably with robots. This would keep pricing competitive and make it easier to scale.

    Litterbots

    This morning, I went outside with my coffee, like always. As I drank my espresso, I picked up a few pieces of litter.

    The sidewalk looked a lot nicer after. But you know what would be even better? A robot to do it for me!

    I’d like to see little autonomous robots going down every sidewalk, sucking up trash. All it would take is affixing a vacuum to a food delivery bot.

    Detroit has a version of these cleaning up their beaches today. What a great idea!

    Robochefs

    Many people don’t know how to cook or don’t have the time. What if a robot could whip up anything we want in minutes?

    I saw an interesting home cooking robot recently, but you have to chop up the ingredients first. It basically just heats and stirs for you.

    We need a more complete solution. Pull this off and millions of people could eat better. 

    Wrap-Up

    I love investing in startups. Every day, I see the coolest new technologies.

    No matter what problem we have, startups give us a chance to fix it. 

    Being able to produce our own drug ingredients will make our country more resilient. Litterbots and robochefs could make daily life easier. 

    If you’re building in these areas, let me know!

    There will be no blog tomorrow. I’ll be at New York Build. If you’re there, come say hello.

    See you on Friday!

    More on tech: 

    Meet My Latest Investment: Cryopets

    Which Accelerators Are Worth Your Time? Here’s How to Find Out.

    Why Giving 5% Equity to an Advisor is Insane

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Buzzwords I Hate Seeing in Startup Pitches

    Here are some words I see in startup pitches that make me gag…

    • Democratizing. We’re not starting a political movement. 
    • Revolutionary. The more you insist you are, the more I suspect you’re not. 
    • Award Winning. No one cares.
    • Disruptive. Every startup should disrupt the way things are done. 
    • Leverage. “Use” is a better substitute in most cases.
    • Solution. Also known as a product.
    • Agentic. Unless you actually have an AI acting on its own, skip this buzzword. 
    • 100 Years Combined Experience. You don’t need to add up everybody’s experience. It’s meaningless. 
    • Vertically Integrated. More gobbledygook.  

    What do all these terms have in common? They’re meaningless.

    If I tell you “I have an award winning agentic solution to democratize and disrupt accounting,” I haven’t told you a darn thing. 

    Instead, say “my product files your taxes in 10 seconds using AI.” Now I understand what you actually do!

    Investors have seen thousands of pitches. Our BS detectors are exquisitely tuned.

    Send an investor your deck, and they’ll spend a minute or two with it. You want that deck to give them as much useful information as possible. Buzzwords get in the way.

    Say you actually get a meeting. You have 20 to 30 minutes.

    If you waste time spouting buzzwords, you’re not conveying the information the investor needs. And you’re not going to get a check.

    Use very simple language. Focus on what actually matters: team, customers, and product.

    If you stick to the facts, your odds of raising money will go way up!

    More on tech:

    Your Deck Probably Sucks. Here’s How to Fix It.

    Why Giving 5% Equity to an Advisor is Insane

    Making an Investor Demo That Raises Millions

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Why Giving 5% Equity to an Advisor is Insane

    Some founders give advisors ridiculous amounts of equity — 5% or more. This is a huge mistake. Here’s how to do it right… 

    Pick the Right Advisors

    You want advisors with real expertise in what your startup is doing. Avoid people whose value add is unclear. 

    Say you have a SaaS company that sells to homebuilders. Bringing on an advisor with decades of experience in the industry could make a lot of sense. 

    He knows what homebuilders need. He also has a lot of connections that could help you in sales. 

    Limit The Roster

    You don’t need 10 or 20 advisors. 2 to 5 is plenty.

    You only have time for regular calls with so many advisors anyway!

    A long list of advisors is not going to impress investors. I skip right past the Advisors slide. 

    Focus only on the advisors you truly need to make your startup a success. And don’t forget, you don’t have to have any advisors at all! 

    Keep Equity Reasonable

    Typical equity for an advisor is 0.25% to 0.5%. Definitely don’t give more than 1%.

    Some rookie founders give away huge slugs of equity. This leaves less equity for you, your co-founders, your team, and future investors. 

    An advisor is probably only spending a few hours a month on your company, at most. That isn’t worth 5%. 

    Get It in Writing

    You need a written agreement, signed by both parties. The agreement should specify how much equity the advisor is getting and what you expect in return.

    Say you bring me on as an advisor to your startup… 

    My expertise is primarily in fundraising. Maybe you give me 0.25% for two hour-long calls per month. At those calls, we’ll look over your deck and discuss your fundraising strategy. 

    Vest the equity monthly over two years. If I’m not performing, you can cut me loose and keep your equity. 

    Many founders use the FAST Agreement as an easy way to bring on an advisor. This is a solid approach. 

    Wrap-Up

    Advisors should be a small part of your startup, if you have them at all. Pick a couple experts, give them modest equity and clear tasks to complete. 

    And don’t forget, advisors aren’t going to make or break your startup. 

    Treat them as a useful add-on. Nothing more. 

    More on tech: 

    Your Deck Probably Sucks. Here’s How to Fix It.

    How to Run a Pitch Meeting

    How to Tell If Investors Are Really Interested

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Three Lessons on Business from Warren Buffett

    “You can’t do well in investing unless you think independently. The truth is you are neither right nor wrong because people agree with you. You’re right because your facts and reasoning are right. In the end, that’s what counts.” – Warren Buffett

    Since I was a kid, Warren Buffett has been my idol. I just finished the definitive biography of Buffett, The Snowball, by Alice Schroeder.  

    The Snowball gives an up close view of how Warren works. Here are three lessons I’m taking into my own investing… 

    1. Do Things Your Own Way. In 1956, Warren left his job in New York to start the Buffett Partnership in Omaha. This was a radical act at the time.

    “…for a college graduate to become self-employed, to work at home, to work alone, was strikingly unusual in the 1950s,” Schroeder writes.

    And in Omaha! Every serious person in finance at the time was in New York. 

    But just like in his investments, Warren was content to go his own way. 

    2. Keep Reasonable Hours. Everyone talks about 996 these days. But Warren and his partner Charlie Munger never kept such brutal hours.

    Warren gets in at 8:30 and leaves at 5:30 sharp. He’ll often do a little reading in the evenings as well. In all, he typically worked around 55 to 60 hours a week. 

    His partner Charlie often left the office in time for a round of golf. 

    Neither of these guys chained themselves to their desks. Maybe this is why they were able to keep working for so many years. 

    3. Pay Close Attention to Current Events. Every day, Buffett reads every word of three newspapers: The Financial Times, The New York Times, and his beloved Wall Street Journal. He also gobbles up financial reports and watches a lot of CNBC. 

    Because he’s carefully followed the news for decades, Buffett knows more about what’s going on in the world than almost anyone. 

    This lets him spot opportunities.

    I’m an inveterate news junkie, so following Buffett’s lead comes naturally. When I read my Wall Street Journal later today, I’ll be thinking of Warren! 

    Wrap-Up

    If you’re a fan of Buffett, you must read The Snowball. 

    The most fascinating parts were the up close view of how he does his job. It’s like looking over the shoulder of the greatest investor in history. 

    What you see is surprisingly quotidian: a man coming into a humble office in the Midwest in the morning, reading the paper and heading home in time for dinner. No all-nighters, no raucous trading floor.

    Buffett shows what we can achieve if we set a reasonable pace, think for ourselves, and always keep learning. No matter what you do, there’s always more to learn from Buffett.

    Have a great weekend everybody!

    More on investing:

    Warren Buffett Says Goodbye

    Using Grok 3 to Manage My Stock Portfolio

    How Charlie Munger Taught Warren Buffett About the Power Law

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order.