Surge
@_surgeahead
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A seed platform for company builders.
Joined January 2019
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What do making biryani and building a business have in common?
@FreshworksInc
founder & Surge speaker
@mrgirish
draws a link between the two – advising startups to find the ‘biryani’ that can power their business & drive growth, by encouraging employees to shine in their roles.
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"Someone can always make something easier, better than you. But if you are desired, you will have the advantage. The path to wealth creation for a tech startup is based on two axes. The axis of motivation and axis of ease of use. The best founders can operate on both."
@kunalb11
1
27
342
When
@CitrusPay
got bought out by Naspers, the founders tracked down every employee who had ESOPs, even if they had moved on from the company - and made sure they got their share.
“These are the small things that create trust, that show founder integrity.” ~
@guptajiten
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In case you didn’t know it,
@RajanAnandan
is super excited about all the amazing applications that are coming through. 🤣
Is yours in yet?
#Surge05
applications close 11.59 pm IST on March 15, 2021.
#3daystogo
#GetReadyToSurge
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Breaks our heart to share that we lost someone from our Surge family.
@pankhuri16
was so vibrant…incredibly smart & full of life. We’re going to feel her loss very deeply. Our deepest condolences to her family, friends & colleagues. We will miss you very much Pankhuri.
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15 startups from India, SG, Indo & Vn across SaaS, Dev tools, Consumer, F&B, Education & Health. 1/3 with at least one female founder. Founders from 8 nationalities including India, Indo, Vn, SG, Italy, Canada, Barbados & Sweden.
We present Surge 03!
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17 startups building businesses in one of the toughest times in recent history. With HQs in 5 countries, they’re disrupting traditional industries & many are going global from day 1. We're so proud to present
#Surge04
#GetReadyToSurge
#Surge042020
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Want to reduce your
#customeracquisition
cost? Think about how predators work in the wild. Find your customers’ “watering holes” and be there, waiting, with your product or service, says CRED founder & Surge mentor
@kunalb11
.
#GetReadyToSurge
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Psyched to introduce the very first group of Surge startups. They're incredible founders with a ton of passion - and we feel lucky they chose Surge!
So without further ado...
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A passionate group of founders from 20 startups. Building enduring teams and companies in 4 countries. Cheered on by more than 60 co-investors and angels. Solving problems and disrupting categories across the world.
Presenting Surge 02, 2019.
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⭐️ 23 co's who are re-imagining the future for all of us
⭐️Changing the way we live, work & learn in a digitised, globalised, borderless world
⭐️To say something like ‘we could not be more proud’, would be an understatement
Meet
#Surge05
.
#GetReadyToSurge
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Don’t hire
#engineers
who can’t show you code that they can talk about, says Gojek's
@ponnappa
. "Look for a portfolio, and look for a taste... Ask them what they love, then tell them to tell you what they hate about what they love."
#GetReadyToSurge
4
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175
.
@kunalb11
shares his hacks on building category creating startups.
“The biggest skill that you’ll have to learn as a founder is the skill of human persuasion. You have to be very good at understanding human motivation. It’s not an optional course.”
#GetReadyToSurge
8
18
175
.
@KhataBook
, a digital ledger for SMEs, is one of the fastest-growing startups in Surge 01 2019. The # of active merchants grew from 150K in March to 1.8M in July & the value of txns recorded shot up from $600M to $2.3B.
@2SharmaP
talks with
@ravishnaresh
about their hypergrowth.
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Learning how to sell early in life is the fastest way to become a successful entrepreneur. Selling is nothing but empathy & empathy is nothing but curiosity. I'm curious about random things all day long - and I apply these to my work.
@kunalb11
speaks to
@singh_sequoia
.
#Surge04
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There has to be alignment between making delicious biriyani - and building the business. Intrigued? A snippet from
@mrgirish
's fantastic session at Surge.
#GetReadyToSurge
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147
Want to hire great people? Look for a growth mindset, says Surge mentor & Gojek founder Nadiem Makarim. “It doesn’t matter what they know, at any given time. What matters is their potential to learn and motivation to get better every day.”
#GetReadyToSurge
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Who is your target customer? Why will your customers love you? And how do you make this a habit?
@RajanAnandan
shares three questions we ask
#startup
#founders
to think about to help find product market fit.
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“Founders often ask me for a growth hack. There are 750 M daily active internet users and they spend 300 mins online every day! You WILL get users if you build something that people want.”
@RajanAnandan
#GetReadyToSurge
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When you’re born into the internet era it’s very different. Every house has a ‘CTO’ who’s 10-14 years old - and if you don’t build for them, you’ll become irrelevant really fast ~
@kunalb11
#GetReadyToSurge
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“I remind myself every single morning that l live in extraordinary times...By 2025, 70-75% of global economic growth will be in Asia.”
@RajanAnandan
#GetReadyToSurge
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When CRED & FreeCharge founder
@kunalb11
first startup up, he developed a unique
#talent
acquisition hack: sending a MacBook to candidates along with an offer letter. That gesture of trust made an impression, driving acceptance rates to over 95%.
#GetReadyToSurge
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Rolling applications. A flexible investment amount of USD 1M-2M to better meet the needs of founders & co-investors. We've taken feedback and made some changes to our design choices for Surge 02.
Applications now open!
#GetReadyToSurge
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We’re raising the ceiling and removing the floor on Surge. No longer $1-2M.
If you’re looking to raise up to $3M, we want to hear from you!
Thread 🧵 👇🏼
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Tough times can magnify the lightest fractures btwn co-founders. That’s why it’s so critical to have the utmost love, belief & respect for your co-founder. That can help you overcome almost anything. I consider myself blessed for the partnership I have with Rohit ~
@1kunalbahl
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133
So excited to launch the Spark Fellowship for women entrepreneurs in India & Southeast Asia.
@Sequoia_India
will offer a $100K fellowship to 15 female entrepreneurs per year whose startups are at the prelaunch or pre-PMF (product-market fit) stage.
Read more and apply 👇
Different perspectives & experiences help drive innovation. That’s why gender diversity is so important. We also recognise we need to do more to spark a change in our ecosystem.
Today, we’re proud to announce we’re expanding Sequoia Spark to do just that.
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Takeaways from
@mobhat
’s talk on building enduring co’s:
- There is no overnight success
- Take the time to build deep & wide moats
- Solve a big, audacious problem
- Embrace tech
- Create & serve a new mkt
- Attack the underbelly
- Take care of yourself, it’s a long journey
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'Culture will win the war'. ‘Punch above your weight on aspirational hires’. ‘Serendipity vs Strategy’.
Founders share their Top 10 Takeaways from Week 01 of Surge!
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"I don't want to be a mediocre success. I'd rather be a great failure.
How you play the game is important. But what game you play is more important. The next thing you do, should make your past a footnote."
@gauravmunjal
wraps his
#Surge04
talk in style.
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Who do you surround yourself with — are they sources of
#energy
or drains of energy?
@Sequoia_India
’s
@singh_sequoia
invites
#startup
#founders
to think about this and offers his thoughts on why it’s important to protect your energy.
1
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“If people can’t tell stories, I don’t think they succeed as leaders”.
@sequoia
’s
@moritzKBE
weighs in on why
#storytelling
is a vital skill for
#founders
to have, in order to successfully build and scale a business.
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“Trust is one of the most under researched topics amongst startup founders. The only hack that goes to create trust is to first offer it. If you are vulnerable, then people will take care of you, and look out for your company.”
#GetReadyToSurge
3
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121
Thank you
#Bengaluru
! So awesome to meet so many
#startups
&
#founders
building amazing businesses in India. Looking forward to more events IRL!
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#Startup
#founders
are visionaries who believe ideas can disrupt industries & change the 🌍. But early design choices can make or break a startup.
Excited to bring you
#tribalknowledge
from
@Sequoia_India
& Surge, through our
#FounderStarterPack
! Thread 👇
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Welcoming Surge 07 to the
#SurgeFam
!! 🎉
37 accomplished
#founders
across 15 startups leveraging tech to drive innovation in
#India
,
#SoutheastAsia
& the world!
We're blown away by the diversity of sectors & founders & the scale of their ambition
More 👇🏼
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“You cannot create trust around a badly designed product. Concept of trust comes from symmetry. Trust is a game of snakes and ladders, where the ladders are extremely short and the snakes extremely long.”
@kunalb11
#GetReadyToSurge
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“Execution is about doing the same thing repeatedly. And a lot of creative founders struggle with that. But ‘new’ doesn’t scale companies. New is about finding product market fit. But once you find that PMF, then you need to execute for scale.”
@RajanAnandan
#GetReadyToSurge
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From helping farmers improve their incomes, to democratising access to high-quality education, to enhancing global internet and data security... Our 20 startups are charting ambitious new paths to build business of the future.
Meet
#Surge06
:
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Today we launch the 10x Engineer initiative at Surge. We will curate high-caliber engineers who share the same passion: building something from scratch - and connect them to Surge founders working on the most interesting skyscrapers of tomorrow.
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India’s 1st multi-language live-streaming video e-commerce platform, Bulbul lets sellers demo products & answer buyer questions in real-time. With group buying/selling features coming up soon, they're geared to make your online shopping a truly social experience.
#Surge01Startup
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"If I’m launching a new product or feature, I first define what success or loss means for me & then I make peace with the possible outcomes. That ensures I don’t throw good money after bad or let ego get in the way of my decisions."
@Nithin0dha
in conversation with
@RajanAnandan
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1/2
#SurgeTurns2
and we’re celebrating this amazing journey and community by announcing
@Sequoia_India
’s second seed fund.
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“If you want something, the only thing stopping you from going after it is the fear of rejection. If you remove that fear, your world changes.”
@gauravmunjal
&
@RomanSaini
take the floor at Surge to share some of the secrets behind their incredible growth story.
#GetReadyToSurge
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We're thrilled to welcome
@RajanAnandan
to the leadership team
@sequoia_India
as investment advisor & mentor to Surge founders. Exciting times ahead!
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80+ exceptional founders from 6 countries
Close to 100 speakers & mentors
50+ co-investors
Few mistakes, lots of learnings, a bunch of success stories
A ton of midnight oil
It's been 365 amazing days. 🎂
Huge shoutout to everyone who made this possible. 🙏 Let's Surge!
We asked ourselves: how can we best serve early-stage founders? Can we do more to give them an unfair advantage? Thrilled to launch Surge (
@_surgeahead
) - a new kind of rapid scale-up program for early stage
#startups
in
#India
&
#ASEAN
.
#GetReadyToSurge
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“Talent is an insane moat” – Invest in it and be obsessed about
#hiring
talent, says
@CRED_club
founder and CEO
@kunalb11
. Watch to find out why.
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That proud parent feeling. 😌
French President Emmanuel Macron’s residence gets Bengaluru startup’s CoronaOven – which sanitizes everything in 10 minutes - by
@SanchDash
@EmmanuelMacron
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Surge kicks off tomorrow! Some incredible founders & teams applied, it’s been a tough decision process. We are excited to welcome 17 startups from 5 countries to Surge 01!
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Throwback to when we were lucky enough to hang out with
@paraga
at the
@Twitter
HQ. 😎
Thank you for spending time with our
@_surgeahead
founders
@paraga
. All the best for your journey ahead!
#GetReadyToSurge
#WeHaveAParagStoryToo
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Surge turns 4 this week, and we’ve grown into a community of 300+
#founders
& 130+
#startups
! 🎂 It’s been a huge privilege for our team to play a small part in helping the 8 cohorts we’ve had. Watch
@SequoiaIndiaSEA
's
@singh_sequoia
lay out the idea and vision for
@_surgeahead
.
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“Startup journey’s (and most journeys in life) are full of highs and slumps. If you’re playing the long game, you’ll be fine. The only games you’ll lose are the short games” ~
Nadiem Makarim, Founder & CEO,
@gojekindonesia
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“If you had to pick one skill you need as a founder, it’s storytelling. The other is obsession. The third, tenaciousness.”
@moritzKBE
joins
@singh_sequoia
in one of week 04’s most awaited sessions.
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90
At Surge, we look at KYC a little differently :)
“Who are your customers? Why will they love you? Why will they come back? It’s when your product just works. When it’s 10x better. Or saves time. Or entertains people. Or helps them make money.”
@RajanAnandan
1
12
89
"Write the script before you start filming. Write down everything that will happen with your product, customer, capital for the next 12 months. It’s not a business plan. It’s defining how you think the future will play out."
@gauravmunjal
#Surge04
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- There are no bad employees, there’s only a bad fit
- No brilliant jerks
- Embrace disagreement
- Act like an owner
- Practice craftsmanship
- Act with urgency
- Be customer inspired
@mrgirish
’s take on what makes for a great culture.
#GetReadyToSurge
3
19
90
Obsession is a key trait that’s common to
#founders
who’ve succeeded in their
#mission
.
@sequoia
's
@moritzKBE
recalls the lengths Bill Gates would go to during his early Microsoft days to cut out anything that might distract him from his business.
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Shyam Singh,
@CitrusPay
’s first employee & office admin was given ESOPs; he bought a house with his share when the company got acquired by Naspers.
#ESOPsAsAGrowthEngine
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Surge is work. Surge is fun. This is Surge. Apply for Surge 03 before Jan 15.
#GetReadyToSurge
#newavatarpratt
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Update: so far, we’ve sent responses to 70% of applicants & invited 6% for follow-up meetings - still have many more applications to go through!
Hope to get back to everyone by this weekend. Thank you so much for your patience!
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“When running a business, don’t try to solve for everything. Look for partners. I always think - can my problem be someone else’s business and can I make it profitable for them to build a solution around this?”
@vivekanandahr
@bounceshare
1
9
87
“The real innovation & businesses in the world always get built later rather than earlier. Yesterday’s businesses have the responsibility to adapt to businesses of tom. You’re cumulatively in a better market opportunity than earlier founders.”
@vijayshekhar
with Surge founders.
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86
One week to go for Surge 01! And here's our calendar.
Founders will spend five weeks in four countries. With execution sprints in their home markets in between.
#GetReadyToSurge
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83
“People think success is around the corner. It’s not. What’s in front of you is actually a turn, not a corner. The road keeps bending...and you need to keep going.”
@NaveenTewari
keeps it real.
@InMobi
#GetReadyToSurge
2
14
85
It’s important to feel passionate about your
#startup
– but it’s equally important to ‘stay real’. Don’t let unbridled enthusiasm cloud your view of what the market is telling you, says
@Sequoia_India
's
@mobhat
2
21
85
We’re thrilled to welcome the founders of
#Surge09
to our community! These builders are pioneering innovations across industries, with 10 of 13 startups leveraging AI and DeepTech to solve global challenges. Read more here:
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Good morning folks! We've now responded to 100% of our India applicants. If you haven't received a mail from us, please write to apply
@surgeahead
.com
For SE Asia, we've sent updates to 61% of the applicants. Please hold on as we work towards completing this list by Wed.
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126
#founders
from across 7 Surge cohorts took the time to join us for a magical 2 day
#SurgeReunion
.
Our founders continue to amaze us with their relentless desire to raise their game and raise the bar.
So grateful for our Surge community & every person in it 🙏🏼
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16
80
New things have to be learned as you go from early stage to growth stage and the journey is a long one.
@gvravishankar
talks to
#Surge03
#startups
about each stage of a company’s growth and how to keep learning and evolving as a founder.
#getreadytosurge
Thread 👇
2
16
82
“Founders often tolerate toxic top performers too long. Because there is so much focus on growth and performance. But the better answer is knowing you can find the duality of a top performer who is also a good cultural fit.”
@singh_sequoia
#GetReadyToSurge
0
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“The true currency in our lives is time and not money. And when you are willing to spend all your time in building your company, money doesn’t matter.”
@1kunalbahl
#GetReadyToSurge
1
18
79
“What makes for a good founder? I think actually storytelling is a vital, vital part…If people can’t tell stories, I don’t think they succeed as leaders.”
@moritzKBE
We bring you our memories from Surge 02, week 04 - a five day masterclass in sales, marketing & storytelling.
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25
77
Congratulations Tanushree and Aditya, on your little bundle of joy! So thrilled and excited to welcome the first Surge baby into our family!
#TheSurgefamilyisgrowing
1
3
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Just nine months since this video and what a journey it has been!
@Khatabook
is now being leveraged by 8 Mn merchants - and at a time when digitization of businesses has become even more critical. Congrats on the Series B
@ravishnaresh
& team! More power to you!
#Surge01
0
8
75
Surge 02 update: We've completed an initial review of 100% of the applications & spoken with 7% - with more meetings underway. Our goal is to get back to 75% of applicants by July 31st. And complete all reviews by Aug 15.
Surge 02 begins Sep 23 in Singapore!
#GetReadyToSurge
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Applications to Surge 1 are now closed. Thank you so much to all those who’ve applied. We will be getting in touch with applicants over the next few days.
15
4
75
Stellar line-up of speakers for week one of Surge 02. Many of them are Surge
#mentors
as well and we couldn’t be more grateful for the time they are giving to us and our founders. We’ll be bringing you snippets of their talks so stay tuned!
#GetReadyToSurge
1
6
74
A lot of ppl interview candidates with a lens of looking for red flags. We approach every interview with the Q. - “What’s the one thing about you that will make me want to hire you?” This changes the tone of the conversation entirely, making it much more constructive ~
@AjeyGore
1
12
74
“When you become successful, it’s not about increasing the standard of living. But increasing the standard of giving.”
@mrgirish
@FreshworksInc
#GetReadyToSurge
2
14
74
Since we started Surge in 2019, we've been early believers & partnered with innovative AI companies across the value chain. Every Surge cohort features AI companies, including
@invideoOfficial
, a rapidly growing text-to-video in minutes platform &
@AtlanHQ
, which recently raised
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“Do what you’re passionate about. When you believe, it’s an amazing thing. Don’t do it if you don’t believe in it...because then you won’t win.”
@RajanAnandan
catches up with Surge 01 founders.
#GetReadyToSurge
1
5
71
Specialist vs generalist product managers. Outsourcing vs hiring. Cost vs freedom to try new things.
How has
@saisrinivas
of
@PlayMPL
geared his organization for rapid growth and experimentation.
#GetReadyToSurge
0
3
66
“The war will continue. The decision of how you allocate your resources should not depend on one player. There’s no last game.”
@vijayshekhar
talks moats, business models, products and competition with Surge.
#Bengaluru
#GetReadyToSurge
1
12
70
When your chips are down, as a leader you need to double down. Your team’s conviction starts with you.
@RajanAnandan
in a fireside chat with
@singh_sequoia
#GetReadyToSurge
1
17
71
#Surge04
founder: My employees try to experiment - which I love. But don't tell me when they face blockers or fail. How do we solve for this?"
@RajanAnandan
: Experiments end, they don’t fail. Create a culture that celebrates the fact that they tried.
1
3
70
'Great sellers can sell anything.
But great sellers can't control renewals for you.
You as the
#founder
need to make sure your product is great enough for customers to renew. If you're selling but not renewing, you don't have PMF.'
Discussions @
#Surge06
with
@RajanAnandan
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