For investors & entrepreneurs

The OG VC blog. <a href="https://avc.com/">Twenty years of archives</a> on startups, investing, and the NYC tech ecosystem. Fred co-founded <a href="https://www.usv.com/">Union Square Ventures</a> and has been writing daily since 2003. Now publishing at avc.xyz. I've learned more from this blog than from any MBA class.

Strong opinions on the digital economy, brilliantly argued. <a href="https://www.nyu.edu/">NYU Stern</a> professor, serial entrepreneur, and one of the sharpest writers on tech and markets. You won't agree with everything. That's the point.

Makes financial news fascinating — and funny. Former <a href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/">Goldman Sachs</a> banker turned <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/">Bloomberg</a> columnist. Subscribe and give it a try. You'll be hooked within a week.

If you're building product, this is the one. Former <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/">Airbnb</a> PM, now writing the most actionable newsletter on <a href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/s/product-market-fit">product-market fit</a>, growth, and hiring. Over a million subscribers — for good reason.

Deeply researched long-form pieces on companies, markets, and investors. His annual <a href="https://www.generalist.com/future-50">Future 50</a> — compiled with 200+ VCs — is one of the best early-stage company lists out there.

Makes complex tech stories genuinely fun to read. Packy has a gift for turning dense business models into narrative. 250k+ subscribers and growing. If you only add one new newsletter, make it this one.

No paywall, no ads, no fluff. Tactical 3,000+ word pieces from real founders and operators backed by <a href="https://firstround.com/">First Round Capital</a>. Consistently the most useful content in the startup ecosystem.

The gold standard for technology strategy analysis. Ben's <a href="https://stratechery.com/concepts/">Aggregation Theory</a> framework is genuinely foundational. Free weekly essays; paid daily updates ($120/yr). Worth every penny if you invest in tech.

OKRs: a proven method to define objectives and get results. <a href="https://www.kleinerperkins.com/">Kleiner Perkins</a> legend. Watch the <a href="https://www.whatmatters.com/stories/ted-talk">TED Talk</a> first, then read the <a href="https://www.whatmatters.com/book">Book</a>. I use OKRs with every portfolio company.

24 systematic steps to build innovation-based ventures. Created at <a href="https://entrepreneurship.mit.edu/">MIT's Martin Trust Center</a> by its managing director. Use the <a href="https://www.detoolbox.com/">DE Toolbox</a> — it's free and excellent. This is the framework I recommend to every first-time founder.

From the founder of <a href="https://gust.com/">Gust</a> and the father of angel investing in New York. David built <a href="https://www.newyorkangels.com/">New York Angels</a> and has seen thousands of deals. Two books, both essential.

The network effects bible. <a href="https://a16z.com/author/andrew-chen/">Andrew Chen</a> went from running rider growth at <a href="https://www.uber.com/">Uber</a> (15M → 100M users) to GP at a16z. Based on interviews with founders of Airbnb, Slack, Zoom, and Dropbox. If your startup has any network component, read this first.

30,000 data points on what actually makes unicorn founders. Most didn't have prior industry experience. Being first to market doesn't matter. Solo founders aren't disadvantaged. This book will challenge everything you think you know about <a href="https://www.dcvc.com/">pattern matching in VC</a>.

The definitive book on <a href="https://www.feld.com/">term sheets</a>, equity structures, and VC mechanics. Now in its 4th edition. If a founder reads one book before taking a meeting with a VC, this is it. No excuses.

What no business school teaches — decisions with no good answers. <a href="https://a16z.com/">a16z</a> co-founder on the reality of running a company when everything is falling apart. If you've been in the operator seat, you'll recognize every chapter.

The clearest articulation of <a href="https://paulgraham.com/startupfunding.html">fundraising mode</a> and investor psychology ever written. From the co-founder of <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/">Y Combinator</a>. Free, evergreen, essential. Read this before you raise a single dollar.

What she learned from 400 meetings to fund her startup. Four hundred. That's not a typo. Required reading for anyone who thinks fundraising is about the pitch deck. It's about the <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/">grind</a>.

They suck. Savvy investors hate them. Yes, YC posted a <a href="https://blog.ycombinator.com/safes-are-not-bad-for-entrepreneurs/">rebuttal</a>. No, it's not a good one. Read more from <a href="https://avc.com/2012/09/convertible-debt/">Fred Wilson</a>. SAFEs now represent <a href="https://carta.com/">88% of pre-priced rounds</a> — that makes the dilution warning more urgent, not less.

Don't let the title fool you. A practical guide from the founder of the <a href="https://rockiesventureclub.org/">Rockies Venture Club</a>. Covers SAFEs, convertible notes, and why both deserve scrutiny. Pairs well with the SAFE Notes piece above.

<a href="https://www.foundrygroup.com/">Foundry Group</a> co-founder on the different stages, types of investors, and paths to funding. Good video primer on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/learning/">LinkedIn Learning</a> — covers friends & family through Series A.

Walk through the pipeline doc every morning with your team. More important than coffee. (But still have coffee.) Jenny ran <a href="https://www.techstars.com/">Techstars NYC</a> and now leads <a href="https://everywhere.vc/">Everywhere Ventures</a>.

Free 7-week curriculum from <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/">Y Combinator</a>. Covers idea validation, product-market fit, fundraising, and growth. No cost, no equity, no catch. Includes <a href="https://www.startupschool.org/cofounder-matching">co-founder matching</a>. Just do it.

Four billionaire investors argue about tech, markets, and politics. Unfiltered, often chaotic, always interesting. You'll disagree with at least one of them every episode. That's what makes it great. 750k+ downloads per episode.

The most prolific investor interview podcast in the world. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrystebbings/">Harry</a> has interviewed everyone — <a href="https://www.benchmark.com/">Gurley</a>, <a href="https://www.sequoiacap.com/">Leone</a>, <a href="https://www.greylock.com/">Hoffman</a>, and hundreds more. Started at 18. Now runs a fund. Incredible.

3-6 hour deep dives on how great companies actually got built — <a href="https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/nvidia-the-gpu-company-1993-2006">NVIDIA</a>, <a href="https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/berkshire-hathaway">Berkshire Hathaway</a>, <a href="https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/costco">Costco</a>. #1 technology podcast. Yes, the episodes are long. Yes, you'll listen to every minute.

Founder stories behind iconic brands — <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/">Airbnb</a>, <a href="https://www.patagonia.com/">Patagonia</a>, <a href="https://spanx.com/">Spanx</a>. Best for understanding how founders think, not just what they built. Guy Raz is one of the best interviewers in the game.

Counterintuitive lessons behind scaling, from <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/">LinkedIn's</a> co-founder and <a href="https://www.greylock.com/">Greylock</a> partner. 669+ episodes. The production quality is unusually high — feels more like a documentary series than a podcast.

David reads a founder biography every week and extracts the lessons. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Buffett">Buffett</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs">Jobs</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estée_Lauder_(businesswoman)">Estée Lauder</a>, and hundreds of lesser-known greats. 350+ episodes. Beloved by operators and long-term thinkers. One of my favorites.

Two of tech's most respected investors — <a href="https://www.benchmark.com/">Benchmark's</a> Gurley and <a href="https://www.altimetercap.com/">Altimeter's</a> Gerstner — in frank conversation. Guests have included <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/">Satya Nadella</a> and <a href="https://openai.com/">Sam Altman</a>. Higher signal density than anything else out there.

How to reach anyone on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/">LinkedIn</a>. Great primer with real examples and templates. Don't be the person who sends a connection request with no context.

Minimize friction, maximize results. Alex founded <a href="https://www.2048.vc/">2048 Ventures</a> and has made 150+ first-check investments. He knows what makes a warm intro actually work — and what makes investors delete your email.

"The difference between fundraising in the Bay Area versus somewhere else isn't a difference of degree. It's qualitatively a <a href="https://alexdanco.com/">completely different exercise</a>." As a New York investor, I feel this one deeply.

A simple template from <a href="https://fi.co/">Founder Institute</a> to keep your investors informed. Five minutes to write, huge impact on trust. If you're not sending monthly updates, start here.