Athena VC

work sucks, start a company, it’ll be fun. we’ll match your salary, you keep ~90% equity

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

Elon went to Russia to acquire an intercontinental ballistic missile.
That was his starting point before building rockets.

Watch the full series on YouTube: https://t.co/9TJcv0jS3g.

If you message me after watching, I’ll mentor you and possibly fund $20K-$50K for 6 months.

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

Want to ensure you’re hitting the right market?

Check out the Product Market Fit series by First Round Capital.

Watch the full series on YouTube: https://t.co/9TJcv0jS3g.

If you message me after watching, I’ll mentor you and possibly fund $20K-$50K for 6 months.!

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

How I Found My Co-CEO and Scored a Mentor with Alexis Ohanian

Watch the full series on YouTube: https://t.co/Md0BdaMek3
If you complete this and message me, I’ll mentor you and optionally fund $20-50k for 6 months.

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

I Discovered How to Generate Startup Ideas
I chose a market I’m passionate about
I studied 100 companies: their sales, products, and marketing
I spoke with ex-employees and 100 users to uncover real problems
Start your journey today! Dive deeper with me: https://t.co/9TJcv0jS3g

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

Building quickly often means starting small.
Think Amazon—just books at first.
Or The Rounds—delivering only cereal because it was simple and essential.

Watch the full series on YouTube: https://t.co/9TJcv0jS3g

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

Simplify your customer support process.
↳ Save reps up to 15 minutes per task.
Automate refunds with one click.
↳ Seamlessly process payments, send return slips.
Pivot based on feedback.
↳ Transform lukewarm interest into thousands in revenue.

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

Successful entrepreneurs don’t quit after a few years.
They face setbacks, learn, and persist.
Decade-long journeys yield the richest rewards.

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

A big challenge for founders is feeling overwhelmed with endless ideas and tasks. Instead of focusing on execution, they often get stuck in analysis paralysis.

Every Monday, we share wins and set clear goals on Slack.
Start small, and watch your impact grow!

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

A big problem with aspiring entrepreneurs is they overlook user comfort in their pursuit of innovation. After a year of developing Focusalot, we learned the hard way that users prefer ease over tracking.
Listen to feedback before launching.
It could change everything.

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

There was a time when I was stuck in analysis paralysis:
Overthinking every feature of my product
Waiting for the "perfect" moment to launch
Top startups develop their MVP in under four weeks, focusing on maximum user value.

[@re @LivingstoneAre]

https://t.co/5mn4YkwlvT

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

If school is providing you value, then by all means, continue.

But as Paul Graham (Y Combinator) puts it, school can feel like a prison—a place to memorize meaningless facts so adults can get on with their day.
Where all the work is pointless, and achieving results doesn't matter, so everything devolves into a popularity contest.

Steve Wozniak (Apple) didn't learn anything about computers at university, he taught himself in high school by reading textbook and chip manuals and designing computers on paper.
Einstein discovered the theory of relatively whilst working as a desk clerk and reading physics papers in his spare time.
Elon Musk taught himself how to build SpaceX and Tesla.

At the end of the day, entrepreneurship is about learning by doing, not cramming information in a classroom.

[Rob Liu @RobAthenaVC]

Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates didn’t stick around for degrees, and neither should you.

With https://t.co/HSGq92Izjz, get all the startup knowledge, network, and funding you need—without university costs.

Sound like your kind of deal?

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

Sam Altman is making bold bets on the future.

Instead of chasing after what might be hot tomorrow, focus on understanding the technologies shaping the present.

That’s how you’ll be ahead of the curve.

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

Unlocking mentorship can be a game-changer for any entrepreneur.

Offering compensation when seeking mentorship dramatically boosts your response rates.

If you’re serious about growth, invest in your mentors. The ROI is unmatched.

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

What do world’s top founders have in common?

https://t.co/lBMZYRamdh is backing founders who have persistence like these founders.

Are you in?

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

My startup refinement framework.
Step 1: Understand your user.
Step 2: Engage with users over and over.
We at ContactOut found success by diving deep into user pain points.
This approach is key to building better startups!

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

The smallest things often bring the most value.

Especially when you’re short on time.

The key?
Focus on building something in 2 to 4 weeks that solves a problem 10x better than what others are doing.

At ContactOut, we found it: using AI to personalize email outreach.

Imagine AI crafting a message for Bill Gates, referencing his book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, and his climate work.

Another feature? AI drafts your email replies—like scheduling meetings—so you don’t have to.

It’s about solving a real problem quickly and effectively.

[Athena VC @_AthenaVC]

Less than 1% of applicants get into YC, and those who do are industry experts. But what about everyone else—the millions of founders who aren’t in that top tier but would still benefit greatly from a check, even at a steep tradeoff?

In South and South East Asia or other emerging markets, a $20k check for 7% could make a huge difference for someone with not much experience or funding options.
It may not compare to YC's $500k for 7%, but without that initial check, many founders might not even get the chance to build their companies.