Let's Start Up Issue 9 | The Annual Planning Workbook is here! ✍️
POV: You're a founder building a startup
Hi there 👋 Welcome to the Let's Start Up newsletter, curated by me, Janine Sickmeyer, a tech founder turned angel investor. Follow me as I share startup tips, industry news, founders you should know, and investors putting their money where their mouth is. Let’s Start Up, is a community of its own with an emphasis on the overlooked and underrepresented.
What's In This Issue 🗞
A brief look into what you'll be reading about.
Annual Planning Workbook Launch!
Tweets of the week
Two womxn founders you should watch
Must-listen podcast episodes
What's On My Mind 💭
I’ve been thinking…
I was going to write about pitching to investors this week but then I saw a tweet from a friend of mine and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk about this very important topic. The best time to start something is now.
Whether it's investing in companies, saving for retirement, starting a company, or writing a book. These things take time but you'll never get there if you don't just start. I know I say that a lot but it's true. If you're waiting for the magical day when you should start working out - I'm here to tell you that day is now. If you're waiting until you are "successful" before you write a book, I argue that you are already successful and just write the damn thing. There is always a reason or an excuse to say you'll do it tomorrow but when tomorrow turns into a year, you will have wished you already started. So my thought this week is short and sweet. JUST START.
And if the trouble is that you don't know where to start, then check out my Annual Planning Workbook that I am launching TODAY for free. More about that below!
What I’ve Been Working On 💁🏻♀️
Things I care about that I want to share
The time is here for my Annual Planning Workbook launch!! 📆 🚀 Now that we're on the cusp of a new year, it's time to focus on what you can control: your own intentions, goals, and actions. The Annual Planning Workbook will help you do just that in four different parts (reflection, visualization, action plan, and one word). I invite you to download a copy of the workbook and find a serene, quiet place to unplug and set attainable resolutions for 2021.
51 VCs Who Want To Invest In Women, Black And Latinx, And LGBTQ+ Founders
Many VCs are white, straight men located in Silicon Valley with an ivy league education. And while many funds and investors made commitments to supporting overlooked founders, we have seen little change in the numbers. While there are problems we need to address in VC, many investors are dedicating their time, effort, and careers to close the funding gap.
I am honored to be featured on this list with so many smart investors. As someone who just started angel investing this year, it's easy to fall into imposter syndrome. This article gave me validation that I belong in this community. Thank you for including me: Allyson Kapin, Founding Partner of the W Fund and Founder of Women Who Tech.
Recently Hit the Stands 📰
Things in the news I think you should check out
The No-Code Movement Means Anyone Can Be a Tech Founder
You can be tech-savvy without being technically-savvy. Now, there are so many tools that make it possible to build an app or website without knowing how to code. Pretty cool, right? Brianne Kimmel of Worklife VC even goes as far to say that "You don’t need to have a computer science degree to start a tech company. You just need an idea." All of these products and tools, like Netlify, Webflow, Leadpages, and Squarespace, are helping people start businesses from scratch, without a computer science degree.
The Buildies are highlighting builders, creators, makers, and doers. With a total of eight categories celebrating no coders, community connectors, bootstrappers, and much more. Nominations are open December 7th-21st, and the winners will be announced on January 4th. Check out the rest of the award categories and submit your nominations! And if you're feeling up for nominating your friend, it would be a great honor to get the Actually Helpful Award which is celebrating the investors that actually contribute to building the future, rather than just writing checks and tweeting. If you want to
The Cold Email That Started It All
Like I always say, you should always have one email out in the world that might change your life if answered. In her junior year at Stanford, Gabby Goldberg moved to Israel to learn Hebrew and take a break from college. She took a risk and landed a job at a Tel Aviv tech company called Hibob, a Bessemer-funded company, just days before her flight. Gabby spent her time learning the tech and VC industries and joined Twitter to break into Venture. After stumbling across a tweet from VC Jeff Morris Jr. of Chapter One on the way back from Israel, Gabby applied to an internship position with an email. She ultimately landed the job and that one email started her career.
Hot Take of the Week 🔥
Somebody had to say it.
A Little Birdie Told Me 🐦
Tweet of the week. (Yes, I'm adding myself this week because I'm so happy about it and it made my week so is in fact, MY tweet of the week)
Walk the Walk 💰
Investors putting their money where their mouth is.
Career Karma Raised $10 Million Series A To Help Workers Acquire In-Demand Trades
Career Karma, a platform that helps people find a job training program online, just secured $10 Million in Series A Funding. Every month, Career Karma provides advice, coaching, and other services to workers. The site also offers information on different career paths and boot camps or universities anyone can attend to excel in their career. Initialized Capital led the investment and Garry Tan joined the Career Karma Board. Read more about how Rueben Harris and the other two founders of Career Karma broke into tech and were inspired to start their company in this announcement.
Alt VC Founder's Viewpoint Survey
Alt VC is dedicated to investing in underrepresented founders and they created this survey in order to gather feedback. The goal of the survey is to identify how investors can help overlooked founders. Founders can answer all questions anonymously and those honest answers could be the push that VCs need to become more diverse. Thanks to Claire Diaz for sharing.
Founders You Should Follow 👀
Meet these founders who are making moves.
Gefen Skolnick, Couplet Coffee & Bunch of Founders
Gefen Skolnick is a founder and investor based out of Santa Monica, California. She has immense experience as an entrepreneur, working in tech, and venture capital. More recently, Gefen founded Bunch of Founders, an inclusive and open community space for underrepresented founders. Now she's also working on her newest venture, Couplet Coffee, a specialty and custom coffee brand for consumers. You can find Gefen actively scouting startups with venture capital and serving as the Lead Venture Partner at Contrary. And to top it all off, she's behind the viral sensation 👁️👄👁️.
Li Jin, Side Hustle Stack
Born in Beijing and raised in the midwest, Li Jin is a founder and tech-lover. Formerly Li was an investor at Andreessen Horowitz, Product Manager at Shopkick, and a board observer to several companies. She just launched Side Hustle Stack this month, a resource to find platform-based work. Anyone can use the platform to find a new income source by browsing different companies and work categories. Side Hustle Stack has all of the links and details someone needs to start their new gig. Congratulations to Li Jin, Lila Shroff, and Brandon Handoko on the launch of Side Hustle Stack. It's a great way for bootstrapping founders to make money and use their skillset while building their startup.
What Founders Need to Know 🤔
Build forms to collect data for free with Tally, a Typeform alternative. It's always free to use, and you don't need to know how to code. Plus Tally has templates for everything from a customer satisfaction survey, user research, and even team activities. Creds to @bossnayamoss.
Founder and CEO of SwagUp, a company that designs swag packs, Michael Martocci wrote a guide for successfully bootstrapping a company. The SwagUp Guide to Bootstrapping to 8 Figures in Under 3 years shares the 14 most important lessons he learned and tactics used.
Publicity is important for a startup, but getting a reporter to cover your business can be a challenge. Leah Fessler, a previous journalist at Quartz, gives inside secrets for earning media.
Goodbye Burnout 🎧
Podcast episodes to clear your mind or get you moving.
Working Women: Valerie Jarrett and the Importance of Mentorship | The Michelle Obama Podcast
Michelle Obama, the Former First Lady of the United States, talks to Valerie Jarret, who was a senior advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama about how mentorship propelled her growth. In the episode, also two discuss how the workplace experience can actually impact all areas of your life and how important it is to have diversity in leadership. Listen for a thoughtful conversation between two powerful women and leaders.
On the 20 Minute VC Podcast, Harry Stebbings brings on Katrina Lake, the Founder & CEO of Stitch Fix. Katrina's company has shaken up retail apparel with a new model. Stitch Fix makes shopping personal with science, technology, and a personal stylist. Starting as an associate at a venture firm, Katrina started Stitch Fix and raised $42M in funding, then led the company to a $2 Billion IPO. Listen to Katrina share her thoughts on the founder's vision, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt, and balancing growth and profitability.
Before you go 🚪
Check out what you might have missed
So many prominent SaaS companies are Black-owned. See which ones in this thread.
Do something remarkable to create buzz around your launch. Learn how you can do just that here.
Believe it or not, Taylor Swift is dropping a new album tonight named evermore.
Barack Obama shares how he approaches tough decisions in this medium article.
Seasonal Depression and Founder Anxiety is real and it's important to find the right people to help.
Thanks for reading! I’ll catch you next time. And don’t forget to share Let’s Start Up with your community!