Wells Douraghy

Wild to see New York Tech Week be such a thing still 2 years later. When we started it at Capital, I had to fight, scratch, claw, and (sometimes) beg people and companies to host events. Didn't look like that publicly because we drove a ton of hype and momentum to it. Eventually, the hype becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. But the 0 to 1 to keep that hype going required a ton of effort. Now the whole thing has a momentum of it's own. For example, two companies that told me no to hosting events just invited me to their tech week events for this year. The lesson - drive enough momentum and eventually something becomes the default. Inevitable. Inevitability can be engineered.

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Day 92: LvlUp Labs – The Hub for Founders in LA! Exciting news, friends! I’m pumped to introduce LvlUp Labs, powered by LvlUp Ventures! LvlUp Labs is an exclusive, founders-only membership community and workspace in Los Angeles – and if you’re a startup founder looking to level up your game, this is the place to be. Here’s why it’s so DOPE: Collaborate & Innovate – It’s a curated space where high-growth startups come together, share ideas, and scale faster. Plus, it’s filled with incredible event programming, mentors, and partnerships that help accelerate growth. Epic Events – From intimate networking mixers to big productions, LvlUp Labs fosters real connections between founders, investors, and the entire venture community. You never know who you’ll meet! Hands-On Resources – Need more than just a cool office? LvlUp Labs has an entire VC ecosystem at your disposal – mentors, investors, and industry leaders are on-site regularly to help you level up. Ready to join the most dynamic startup space in LA? Drop a comment below if you want to learn more about joining our founder community! Let’s make the next days of our journey count, filled with more stories, inspiration, and community impact! P.S. Want to get involved? If this resonates, repost, to share with others ♻️ and follow Javy Martinez for more in the future.

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MrBeast's onboarding doc got leaked and broke the internet last week. There's one concept inside the manual that resonated with me (and more founders should internalize): Agency. I've been thinking about the concept of "agency" a lot since that MrBeast production guide came out. It's a critical skill we don't talk about enough. Agency means being the kind of person who gets sh*t done, no matter what. Founders are the highest agency people on the planet. They look at the world and say, "This isn't how I want it. I'm gonna change it." And they do it. From nothing to something—that's next-level agency. When growing a company, you realize there are a TON of people out there with zero agency. Those people are a terrible drain on your business. You need people who hit a speed bump and go FASTER. Hit a brick wall? They blow right through it. The world's gonna throw up all these stops, and success is about plowing through them all. MrBeast nailed it: "I want less excuses in this company. Take ownership and don't give your project a chance to fail. Dumping your bottleneck on someone else and then just walking away until it's done is lazy... I want you to have a mindset that God himself couldn't stop you from making this video on time. Check. In. Daily. Leave. No. Room. For. Error." THAT'S the stuff. That's what every successful founder and killer employee has. Give them something, and it gets done. No. Matter. What. High agency. The secret sauce that's rarely found but invaluable when you do come across it.

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🚀 AlleyCorp Closes $250M Fund to Fuel Tech Innovation in NYC and Beyond🗽 🌟 Founded by NYC internet entrepreneur Kevin Ryan, AlleyCorp incubates and invests in transformative companies across diverse verticals including Diversified Technology, Healthcare, Robotics, and Impact. 💡💰 🤝 The fund, backed by a select group of LPs, supports AlleyCorp's mission to originate ideas, hire teams, provide initial funding, and maintain integral leadership throughout the company’s lifecycle. 🌱🔍 💼 With about 20–30 new investments and 5–8 incubations per year, AlleyCorp has a track record of nurturing early-stage tech pioneers. 📈🌐 🦄 Notable investments include MongoDB (NASDAQ: MDB), Business Insider, Gilt Groupe, Zola, and Nomad Health, shaping the landscape of tech innovation in NYC. 🌆🌟 🔬 AlleyCorp also announces the incubation of Radical AI, pioneering AI-driven materials design, and Conduce Health, revolutionizing access to personalized healthcare specialists. 💻🏥 ✅ Looking to raise capital for your #fund and increase the international pool of your LP #investors?   🤝 Need warm #LP introductions?   📝 Selling #secondaries to increase liquidity?   🧐 Looking for co-investments?   ▶ G+QUANT's link for inquiries and fund decks: https://lnkd.in/gjC_EuTE #VentureCapital #TechInnovation #NYCTech #StartupInvestment #Incubation #AlleyCorp #ImpactInvesting #HealthTech #AI #Robotics #DiversifiedTechnology #InvestmentStrategy

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🚀 Maximize Your Networking at NY Tech Week with Essential Conversation Tips! 🚀 Hello NY Tech Week attendees! As founders, we're often just one great conversation away from our next big breakthrough. To help you make every discussion count, I've got a fantastic resource to share—an image filled with "50 Ways to Fuel a Conversation" from the book "The Fine Art of Small Talk" by Debra Fine. Here’s how you can use these tips to supercharge your networking: 📍 Be the First to Engage: Don't hesitate, be the first to say hello. It sets a proactive, positive tone. 📍 Remember Names: Make it a point to remember and use people's names during conversations. It's a sign of respect and helps build rapport. 📍 Share and Seek Insights: Talk about what you're working on but also ask others about their projects. It’s a two-way street! 📍 Keep It Open: Don’t just stick to business—explore a variety of topics to find common ground and deepen connections. 📍 End on a High Note: Always conclude with a clear next step, whether it's exchanging contact info or a follow-up meeting. Let’s use these tips to turn every interaction into a potential gateway for collaboration and growth. See you out there, and let's make it a week to remember! #NYTechWeek #NetworkingTips #StartupLife #FounderAdvice #TechInnovation

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Someone broke down the estimated costs of a $15 Sweetgreen salad. We need these cost graphics for digital health to help future founders. Especially for tech enabled cos, the greatest cost is labor. Much of the "value created" is in curation and matching, which means the gross margins are reliant on labor arbitrage. Pay someone $X, but get paid $X+Y% per visit. The challenge with healthcare is that you often have to pick one of two business models: 1. specialized, low volume, high cost, low gross margin % 2. generalized, high volume, low cost, high gross margin % I'd argue founders should focus on gross dollars over the lifetime of the customer (like Jeff Bezos said) instead of gross margin %'s, but we'll leave that for another time. The challenge is that many tech enabled digital health cos have high cost of goods sold (labor) and moderately high product, design, and engineering budgets. We must build differentiated solutions for patients, clinicians, and clients to be out incumbents, however, we're realizing that companies are ultimately valued on the discounted value of future cash flows. And the high SG&A costs at most organizations might be inbalanced to the unit economics of the business. I'm not sure the math pencils out for everyone unfortunately. But I'm just a guy on the internet, would love to hear the thoughts from those smarter than I (you!). Comment below. --- p.s. I have no idea the accuracy of the graphic and not an investor in Sweetgreen. Cheers. Credit: David Crowther

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👋 What better way to get to the AWS Summit NYC than on a boat 🚤 Looking forward to meeting developers, startup founders, and builders at the Summit TODAY! Catch me at the Dev Community Lounge, Startup Lounge, or on the floor of the Expo filming folks to learn what they're building! DM me in you want to meet up, be in one of my videos, or just grab a cup of coffee ☕ In the meantime, let me know where you are coming in from and what you are most excited for the AWS Summit 😁 #AWSSummit #AWS #startups

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This is Marques Brownlee. He built a tech review empire on YouTube. → One of the most trusted voices in tech → 16M+ subscribers → Before age 30 Here's how he turned his passion for gadgets into THE tech channel: A bedroom in New Jersey. Marques Brownlee has a vision: “I wish tech reviews that were honest, in-depth, and accessible to everyone.” He started with a simple webcam taped to a phone book, reviewing an HP laptop he got for Christmas in 2008. Little did he know that his hobby would become one of the most influential tech channels on the planet. But the journey to "success" was far from easy. MKBHD had to juggle his growing YouTube channel with his studies at Stevens Institute of Technology. He even found time to play ultimate frisbee competitively — competing at the national level! Getting taken seriously in the tech world? Tough. Imagine telling people: "Hey, I'm a kid reviewing tech products in my bedroom. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about." But early attempts at content (unboxing videos and basic product reviews) taught him valuable lessons. Chief among them: Explain hard concepts simply. He wanted to compete with the likes of CNET and Engadget. He invested in better cameras, lighting, and audio equipment. While there were plenty of tech review sites and channels, few were as relatable and easy to understand as MKBHD. His videos are meticulously crafted. Clean visuals, smooth editing, and clear explanations that make even the most complex tech accessible. But the secret sauce to MKBHD's success? His knack for building a community. He didn't just want viewers. He wanted a crew of tech-obsessed buddies to geek out with. So, he'd dive into the comments, swap stories and opinions, and make everyone feel like they were part of something special. And it worked like a charm. "I wanted to build a community of people who were just as excited about technology as I was. A place where we could geek out together, learn from each other, and have fun along the way." Despite early success, turning passion into a business was no walk in the park. YouTube's ever-changing algorithms and ad policies have been constant challenges. But MKBHD is a master at: → Diversifying his content → Collabing with other creators → Expanding into other content mediums → Selling awesome merchandise He built multiple revenue streams that allowed him to scale his team and production. In 2019, he interviewed tech giants like Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg. He effectively cemented his status as a leading tech voice. Recently, his authority in the tech space has been highlighted. The reviews of AI hardware products like the Rabbit R1 and Humane’s Pin showed how his videos can impact the narrative around tech. He’s built true expertise and trust as a tech voice. MKBHD's rise from bedroom blogger to YouTube superstar is a testament to the power of passion, authenticity, and hard work.

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How to pitch: The company has zero traction —> “We’re early” You only have 2 customers —> “We’re working with design partners” You currently have no revenue but hoping some pipeline finally closes —> “we’re on track to exit this year at $3M ARR” You’re in the natural kill zone of a FAANG —> “We view them as partners rather than competitors” There’s no way the tech can actually work —>“We’re manifesting the future” And of course: One of your developers uses Co-Pilot to write some front end code —> “We’re an AI company”

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Something that's struck me about startup service providers - "We take x% of your business, y% of your funding round, and you pay an upfront fee." Starts to feel like a death of a thousand cuts...but as a founder you're still carrying all the risk. It can feel like a losing battle but you have to back yourself to ask, "why is it all three of these terms?" - If you're paying an upfront fee then the other two should be dropped, if a service provider wants to carry the risk of not charging upfront fee's then sweat equity makes sense. Feel's ripe for disruption. #founders #fundraising #serviceproviders

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