underrated founder moat: trust. if you do what you say you’ll do, people will bet on you again and again.

most founders overrate competitors + underrate persistence. staying in the game longer than everyone else will get you further than 99% of people. early stage: don’t fear the competition. just don’t quit.

wildest lesson from building Nativ: posting in public REALLY WORKS. we thought it was a waste. a16z a16z speedrun 🧊 pushed us to do it. 90% of our revenue now come from building in the open.

founders are professionally delusional people who make history.

biggest growth hack we’ve found: plane tickets. go see your customers. every trip paid for itself 10x.

to everyone appying for a16z a16z speedrun 🧊: don’t just list facts. tell a story. make it compelling to read. that alone will 10x your chances of getting the interview.

if your mom instantly understands your startup... it’s probably not ambitious enough.

I'll be giving a talk next week during SF Tech Week! Feel free to join or DM me

there’s a huge opportunity with sora 2: alternative endings. imagine re-writing the last 5 minutes of your favorite movie or game… a thousand different ways.

just got access to sora 2 + a couple invite codes who wants in?

every b2b founder dream summed up

as a non-american founder, i still can’t get used to: "omg!! i love your product so much i want to use it!!" and then never replying again.

i've been working from Founders Cafe in SF and it's an awesome place! highly recommend it

find who inspires you and spend as much time with them as you possibly can.

our talented engineer Nidhi met Sam Altman on the street yesterday. told her if he offers equity, at least negotiate for both of us.

“where should i live?” is the wrong question. ask instead: “what’s my priority right now, and which place maximizes it with the least downside?” everything else follows.

when i was 12, i led a counter strike team with people 8 years older than me. only recently realized… that was my first startup.

took the bus in SF and everyone was on their phones for 25 minutes straight. instagram girl. tiktok guy. candy crush lady. i made eye contact with literally no one except the bus driver when entering the bus. we are so cooked as a species.

there’s a quiet pressure in sf to always look like you’re winning. but the best founders i know are open about the messy middle.