Rest is a weapon. Not a luxury. As a founder, you're the engine, the strategist, the closer—you can’t run on fumes. Rest sharpens decisions, reveals the next move, and recharges your edge. This weekend: reboot. refocus. recalibrate. Clear heads build better companies.

There are people who do business— …and then there are people who build ecosystems. Steve Snyder is one of those rare ecosystem builders. Grateful to call him a friend—and grateful for everything the team at Gesmer Updegrove LLP does to support the builders behind the scenes.

Boomers love big words. Synergistic alignment of cross-functional verticals to optimize scalable paradigms. Sir, I just asked how your weekend was. In early-stage startups, clarity > complexity. If you can’t spell it, don’t pitch it.

Scaling is hard. My partner Rob Hughes & Hands On Angel are assembling an incredible team to pull this off—and we’re putting in the time and energy to make Pitch Lift LA our best event yet. LA, we’re coming in hot this October. And we’re bringing the elevator with us.

🚨 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆-𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀! We’re rebranding 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗸 to 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 – and we’re taking it to the next level. Every 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟭–𝟮𝗽𝗺 𝗘𝗦𝗧 on TikTok, I’ll be co-hosting this live event

🌮 Early-stage founders, here’s your Taco Tuesday challenge: If you can’t explain your startup clearly enough to make an investor nod before the tacos hit the table, it’s time to simplify. The best pitches are like the best tacos—simple ingredients, bold flavor, and no filler.

⛳️ Startups, pitches, and a little friendly competition on the green. Last week, I had the pleasure of joining the Pitch & Putt event hosted by my good friends Alina and @Ries . This was such a creative way to bring founders, investors, and ecosystem builders together

🚸 The best early-stage founders explain their company like they’re talking to a 4th grader. Why? Because if you can’t make it simple, you don’t really understand it yourself. Investors aren’t looking for jargon—they’re looking for clarity.

Last week at the Pitch & Putt event in Boston, I got to catch up with my buddy Steve Bernard Steve and I have two things in common: 1️⃣ We love helping early-stage founders through our work at Techstars 2️⃣ We love a great tequila almost as much as we love helping founders.

🚨 Attention early-stage founders – The Pitch Lift LIVE is now every Monday! Every Monday from 1–2pm EST on TikTok, I’ll be co-hosting The Pitch Lift LIVE with my good friend Rob Hughes Here’s what goes down: 🎤 Founders drop their 30-second elevator pitches ⚡️ We give

🚀 Founder Spotlight: Rook Every now and then, you meet founders who just get it. For me, that’s Marco and Jonas , the incredible team behind ROOK If you’re a founder, investor, or just someone who loves watching great teams win, keep an eye on Rook. Big things ahead.

🎬 The Road to LA – Update #3 Rob Hughes and I are deep into planning The Pitch Lift LA, and somehow, we’re still standing (and still friends). This LA event is shaping up to be our biggest yet.

🌍 UK founders, it’s time to think bigger. I talk to a lot of incredible founders in the UK—but too many are still thinking locally when it comes to raising venture capital.

🚀 Three things every founder should do on Friday to set up a killer week ahead: 1️⃣ Tackle the hardest thing first on Monday morning. 2️⃣ Plan on Sunday night. 3️⃣ Keep filling the top of the funnel. 🔥 What’s one thing you do every Friday to get ahead?

🚨 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆-𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 – 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆! Every 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟭–𝟮𝗽𝗺 𝗘𝗦𝗧 on TikTok, I’ll be co-hosting 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 with my good friend

The best founders are unstoppable. Because at the end of the day, markets shift, funding dries up, plans change… but a founder’s ability to keep going? That’s the true unfair advantage.

Road to LA – Episode 3 🚀 Every week, Rob and I sit down to “plan” The Pitch Lift LA. And by plan, I mean… Talk big strategy ✅ Obsess over details ✅ Veer wildly off-topic ✅ Laugh way too much ✅ Pitch Lift LA is going to be our biggest, boldest stop yet…

Rise Up 🌅 There’s something about watching the sun break over the horizon that feels like the perfect metaphor for early-stage founders. If you’re in the early days, remember: The path won’t always be clear. The progress might feel slow. But every single day you show up,

3 Mistakes First-Time Founders Should Avoid 🚫 1️⃣ Overspending on tech for your MVP 2️⃣ Raising capital too early 3️⃣ Creating a board too early The takeaway: 💡 Build lean, get paying customers, and keep control until the timing is right.

🚨 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆-𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 – 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆! Every 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟭–𝟮𝗽𝗺 𝗘𝗦𝗧 on TikTok, I’ll be co-hosting with my good friend Rob Hughes 📷 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗮