Chris Parjaszewski 👤

We've helped hundreds of tech startups build their GTM teams  and noticed a common mistake among first-time founders: ↳ They treat GTM like a short-term project  with a binary outcome: make it big or bust. We commonly hear something like: "We will 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐗𝐘𝐙" or "𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥-𝐢𝐧-𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐘" (sounds familiar, right?) Their goal for the GTM team is vague: find people with good profiles (work at big companies, Ivy League graduates, Forbes 30 under 30, etc.), mostly to leverage their network to make some deals and beautify their deck to raise funds. In contrast, the most successful startups we've worked with approach this differently. ↳ They let their GTM teams be shaped by where they are on their "market-fit" journey GTM and product evolve in lockstep with each other. They consistently refine their strategies and team structure to meet changing business needs. Their product will go through three stages: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦-𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐭: Find a significant and worthwhile problem to solve. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭-𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐭: Develop a solution for this high-demand issue. 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦-𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐭: Build a collection of multiple products that fit in the market. Each stage has different objectives, so the approach to building the GTM team should vary accordingly. In the first stage, most founders will do it themselves. Startup ideas often arise from everyday experiences —you see a problem, and you have an idea to solve it. You need to test if the problem is big enough.  Go to meetups, ask around, DM people like crazy. You can hire a sales rep to help with that.  BUT Their role isn't to generate revenue but to gather leads  that you can use to refine your ICP and improve your product. As you move past the ideation stage, your GTM focus will gradually shift towards Sales and Marketing and, eventually, Customer Success. ✅ I included the MOVE Framework from GTM Partners below. They do a great job showing how product evolution changes GTM approach. During the last 2 stages, you should hire people with domain expertise, especially if you sell complex technologies. Many founders make the mistake of hiring based on titles alone. Then, they find out their new hires totally get lost because they don't understand the technology. (even though they have solid sales backgrounds). You can't sell what you can't teach. So hire GTM talent that understand your product and speak your customers' language. P.S. Need help hiring a GTM expert team for Data, AI/ML, Compute, and Cloud Infra? DM me. We have helped successful early-stage startups (backed by Zoom, Norwest, and Two Sigma Ventures) find A+ hires. #GTMstrategy #GTMteam #recruitment #sales #strategy

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Can a GPT4 wrapper be a viable business? The answer: It's complicated. There are so many hot startups raising big rounds that are simply GPT4 with a bit of code, or a fine-tuned model on training data. On the surface, it may seem like there's a bigger moat in a medieval castle. Except... 💬 - There are tonnes of compliance and administrative tasks at enterprise level that can be automated 💣 - These all require specialist input and data to build a specialised model. E.G compliance/regulatory/RFPs/customer service. 💫 - The user only cares how the tool can be used to cut costs, or boost productivity - They DON'T care what's beneath the bonnet. 🚘 The issues are of course, around privacy and memory. I've come across multiple corporates in Law and Real Estate who are reticent to use due to privacy. As long as the token economics works, the more specialised use cases should shine through.

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🚀 “How to find Product Market Fit & use The RVP PlayBook to Scale a SaaS Business” 🎙️💡 If you're involved in the startup ecosystem or considering joining one, this is a must-watch! Richard King shares invaluable advice on hiring for different growth stages, from seed rounds to Series C. My key takeaways? 👉 Learn why it's crucial to hire individuals that match the current growth stage of your startup. From thriving in chaos at the seed stage to fitting into established processes at scale-up levels, every stage requires a different breed of talent. 👉 Richard delves into the glamorous vs. the gritty realities of working in a startup. It's not all about stock options and potential big payouts; it's also about the capacity to handle intense challenges with a small team. 🔗 Don't miss these insights that could redefine how you approach building your team and navigating the startup world! Watch the full video for a deeper dive into ensuring your hires align perfectly with your growth trajectory. 👀 Watch now and let us know how you're ensuring the right fit in your hiring process! Links to the full episode can be found in the comments below 👇 #StartupLife #HiringStrategy #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #BusinessInsights #podleaders

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Where on earth are all the Flutter developers?! 😩 LinkedIn is the #1 platform for headhunting. True or false? Most people (especially lazy Recruiters) will tell you that’s true. (Lazy Recruiters also tell you the entire Flutter talent pool consists of the 146 candidates that pop up on their LinkedIn search.) But that’s not the case. It’s just that LinkedIn isn’t a mobile developer’s natural habitat. They might have an account, but they’re not visiting the site on a daily basis. They’re not looking at job ads, and your hyper-personalised InMail or connection request will probably go straight into their “other” folder - who looks in there? Instead, they’re busy chatting with other developers in private, invitation-only Discord and Matrix groups, amongst other places. I know this because, thanks to my 20+ years of networking and building tech teams, I’ve been invited into many of these groups. And the pool of world-class Flutter developers is much bigger than you think! So, if you’re struggling to find the right talent for your team, it doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t exist. You might just be looking in the wrong place… #Hiring #MobileDevelopment #MobileEngineers #Flutter

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How do our clients decide to hire a software consultancy like Codingscape over recruiting new team members? They often just compare the upfront cost of salary versus the cost of working with us. But there are other costs to consider: 1/ Time to value - the cost of lost work postponing the project while they hire 2/ Recruiting costs to hire exceptional talent 3/ Their fully burdened employee costs, things like office, equipment, benefits, and switching costs. The bigger the company, the harder it becomes to recruit great people quickly. When they consider costs more holistically, hiring a consultancy is the more cost-effective option. When our clients work with the Codingscape team they work with is the best of the best. Our team integrates seamlessly to create great technology outcomes.

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💡 Here are 3 AI SAAS Ideas, you can start today. with no-code and AI... 1) Design Clone: A platform that uses a company's existing brand guidelines to generate marketing assets in seconds. Tools: Bubble, Midjourney, Claude. 2) Recruiter Voice Agent: A platform that performs the first round of voice interviews for companies and performs a sentiment analysis. Tools: Synthflow AI, ElevenLabs, Airtable. 3) Real Estate Butler: A platform that helps first-time real estate buyers analyze the market and manage their largest investment like a pro. Tools: It's complicated (there are 3 sub ideas) Check out the full breakdown in my latest Youtube video. But one thing is for sure... No-Code + AI will dominate the next 3 years.

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Learn from OpenAI’s playbook: Prioritizing key projects and empowering a mission-oriented team are essential for startups aiming to make a significant impact 👇 ➡ 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗲: Sam Altman, CEO at OpenAI and Brad Lightcap, COO at OpenAI 🔌 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿: Harry Stebbings, Founder at 20VC ✏ “20VC: OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Brad Lightcap on The Future of Foundation Models” ⭐ 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲: "There are two strategies to build on AI right now: [...] (1) to assume the model is not going to get better and then you kind of build all these little things on top of it; [...] (2) to build assuming that OpenAI is going to stay on the same rate of trajectory and the models are going to keep getting better at the same pace." ⭐ 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀: "At any given point in a company's life, there's only one to three things that really matter. And that spills over into how we run the team because [...] if we can align on what those things are, [...] then it helps me to translate down to the teams that I'm building." ⭐ 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: "I think people criminally underrate how important it is and how much return you really get on just giving people access to the technology. [...] Someone who used to spend two days doing something now spends two minutes doing it and is freed up to do 85 other things in their daily life." ⭐ 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆'𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: "I watched what has happened to other tech companies when they just become the place you want to work because it's a good resume item. [...] I think companies that lose their mission orientation and get taken over by mercenaries usually come to regret that." ⭐ 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀: "Find a way to make sure that there's this very flat and even playing field when it comes to how you look to the team for perspective, decision-making, judgment, and creativity." ───── 👉 Follow me, Alexander Small, for tactics and strategies for building startups from industry-leading Founders, Operators and Investors

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SaaS Daily Funding News $90m+ invested into the software industry. Details 👇 beehiiv - Series Unknown - $31.99m - offers a platform that enables creators to produce, monetize, and expand newsletters. NATIX Network - Series Unknown - $4.6m - focuses on computer vision platform that enforces privacy. Caliza - Series Unknown - $7.3m - a software development company that provides cross-border remittance solutions for banks and MTOs. Glaut - Pre Seed - $1.4m - an AI-native customer survey platform that conducts in-depth, AI-moderated interviews with customers at scale. Invent Analytics - Series B - $16.99m - a provider of AI-based inventory and pricing optimization solutions for retailers and FMCG companies. Hona - Series Unknown - $11.2m - eliminates unnecessary communication and improves customer experience with automatic update notifications. Sware - Series Unknown - $6.02m - provides validation automation platform and managed services programs. Carbonfact - Series A - $15m - Fast, scalable life-cycle assessments to help fashion brands lower their scope 3 emissions #saas #software #startups #venturecapital #technology #startup

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The Kyutai fully end-to-end audio model demo of today is a huge deal that many people missed in the room. Mostly irrelevant are the facts that: - they come a few week after OpenAI ChatGPT-4o - the demo was less polished than the 4o one (in terms of voice quality, voice timing…) Relevant: - the model training pipeline and model archi are simple and hugely scalable, with a tiny 8+ people team like Kyutai building it in 4 months. Synthetic data is a huge enabler here - laser focus on local devices: Moshi will soon be everywhere. Frontier model builders have low incentive to let you run smaller models locally (price per token…) but non-profits like Kyutai have very different incentives. The Moshi demo is already online while the OpenAI 4o one is still in limbo. - going under 300 ms of latency while keeping Llama 8B or above quality of answers is a key enabler in terms of interactivity, it’s game changing, This feeling when the model answer your question before you even finished asking is quite crazy or when you interrupt the model while it’s talking and it react… Predictive coding in a model, instantly updated model of what you’re about to say... Basically they nailed the fundamentals. It’s here. This interactive voice tech will be everywhere. It will soon be an obvious commodity.

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Following up from our Scheduling 2.0 launch yesterday we'll be highlighting a number of features we announced. One of my favorite additions is Auto Scheduling for panel interviews. This feature builds on top of a ton of features we've shipped in the past (schedule templates, interview limits, calendar keywords, etc.) to allow you to automate scheduling the most complex interview panels. See more in the demo video below 👇

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In 2016, on YC Talk, Marc Andreessen mentioned a somewhat counterintuitive idea: "We almost never see a founder fail because they were too late to market. It's almost always because they're too early to market." Another suggestion he made was: "If what you're working on was the hot thing 3-4 years ago, you're probably right on time." I can confirm this observation based on my personal experience. I remember that when I started working on autonomous driving problems, I felt that we might be behind the market, but we were actually 6-8 years ahead. My latest work on generative-based video compression and restoration was initially inspired by some pet projects in 2012. It started to take some real form during my time at Huawei in 2020, but probably only now, with the latest progress on Gen AI images and video, will it hit the market in the next 3-4 years. Due to this, it is likely that the real breakthrough products based on the current advances in LLMs will appear on the market in the next 3-4 years or later. #startups

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Gpt announcements.. New app which can do voice and video and seems to have a happy Californian personality. - rolling out SOON, but not TODAY Gpt4o free to all users version of gpt4, with access to gpt store. Quite a major step forwards. Cheaper 4o APi costs for developers as a side result. Still not as cheap as 3.5 In summary. - nice but no real enterprise value, other than increasing the capability of what is ‘free’

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#OpentoWork on #LinkedIn: Badge of Honor or Burning Bridge? The green "O2W" badge is a double-edged sword. It can be a beacon to #recruiters searching for #talent by boosting your visibility to them, but it can also raise eyebrows at your current #employer by flashing the wrong message. So, should you wear it? Let's unpack the pros + cons: Pros: => Increased Visibility: Recruiters actively searching for #candidates are more likely to see your profile, potentially leading to more #interview #opportunities. LinkedIn reports members with O2W see 2x more #InMails => Passive yet Proactive #JobSearch approach: O2W is a low-effort way to let your #network know you're actively seeking new roles or #opportunities, making you a more attractive candidate. Former #colleagues or #connections might be the key to your next great role. => Openness, Transparency & #Networking Spark: Attracts potential collaborators or #employers outside your current #network. Starts conversations with industry #connections who might know of suitable openings. Wearing the badge shows you're proactive in your #career & confident in your #skills. Cons: => Alerting Your Employer: While O2W can be discreet, there's always a chance your current #employer might see it. If you're unhappy but not actively looking, this could question your #loyalty & potentially create tension or awkwardness. => #Spam Overload: O2W might open the door to irrelevant & spammy #jobinquiries or unsolicited #messages or even #joboffer #scams. => Perceived Desperation: Some hiring managers might misinterpret O2W as a sign of instability or desperation or #unemployment, impacting your candidacy. So, should you use the badge? It depends on your specific situation. Some tips or alternatives to consider for navigating: - => Unhappy but Discreet: There are other ways to network & signal openness without O2W. Focus on building #relationships & engaging with relevant #content. => Targeted Networking: Consider the "Let Recruiters Know" feature. Connect with recruiters in your field & update your profile to showcase your skills & career #goals as well as highlight your ideal next role. => Content #Marketing: Target your audience. Share insightful #articles or #posts that demonstrate your #expertise to entice potential employers. Explain what kind of roles you're interested in to attract the right opportunities by crafting a compelling #headline. => Strategically let Your Network Know: Subtly mention your job search to trusted connections who can keep an eye out for suitable opportunities. Focus on building genuine connections before (& after) using the badge. Ultimately, the #decision is yours. Weigh the pros + cons & choose the strategy that best suits your career goals! Consider your specific situation & comfort level. What are your #thoughts on the "O2W" badge? Do you use or have you used it effectively? Share your #experiences & insights in the #comments! #careerdevelopment #careerchange #badgefree

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The Importance of Having a Must-Have Product EP#31 LIVE tomorrow with Yaron Schechtman, CRO @ Rotate, shed light on the seismic shift affecting startups today. From his insightful perspective, we've indeed shifted from the "nice to have" era to the "must have" era.💡 The startup landscape is evolving - products that end up as a peripheral part of a tech stack will struggle to legitimize their need for investment now. A sobering reality, but one that underlines the need for startups to nail that real product-market fit (PMF). Companies that fail to create a substantial impact are at risk of shutting down. This reality check intensifies the scrutiny of investors, who are demanding a more comprehensive understanding of a product's PMF before releasing funds. The impetus is on us - the innovators, designers, builders - to create and sell solutions that don't just tick boxes, but are integral to the success and efficiency of our clients' ventures. Let's rise to the challenge and thrive in this new era of necessity. This valuable wisdom serves as a compelling reminder. It’s about making a meaningful impact and catering to ‘must-have’ needs with our solutions rather merely being 'nice to have'. Remember, it's not just about surviving; it's about thriving in this competitive landscape.💫🚀 Join us tomorrow as EP#31 goes LIVE and it's for sure, not one to miss. #podcast #linkedinLive #leaders #sales #investment

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GPT-4o - what is it? Why is it a revolutionary? It looks like OpenAI has successfully done what Google failed to do when Gemini was released - the truly multimodal model. From their presentation, it's easy to think that they just improve a little bit the speed of response, but the main thing here is multimodality. And the second part is costs. I guess, they did some breakthrough with the model efficiency, if they improve so significantly the speed and make all the functions of chatgpt for free. I'm waiting for new costs for their models in the API. :) #gpt4o #openai #chatgpt

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