Adrien Naoki

Co-Founder @homnox_ & Tennis player 🎾 | Greatest achievement: My first startup failed

[Adrien Naoki @adrien_naoki]

1/ The First 365 Days of Our Startup – HOMNOX 🧵

[Adrien Naoki @adrien_naoki]

I make sure that every day I live for my week and not my weekend.

[Adrien Naoki @adrien_naoki]

Reflecting on the past months, I’ve realized that knowing the difference between obstinacy and determination is key. Obstinacy clings to goals blindly, while true determination adapts and evolves.

Patience helps us lean toward positive determination over negative obstinacy.

[Adrien Naoki @adrien_naoki]

@dcinvestor @Apple @kchristophe13

[Adrien Naoki @adrien_naoki]

Raising Capital For Our Pre-Revenue Startup

Drawing from my experiences over the past 14 months with our current startup, @homnox_ , and my previous startup venture from 2018 to 2020, I’ve learned a lot about fundraising and what to prioritize. For homnox, we successfully raised funds, albeit not as much as we had anticipated. As of this writing, we have completed our minimum viable product (MVP) and are gearing up to conclude our pre-seed round.

Key takeaways:

1. Raising funds from venture capitalists (VCs) shouldn't be your ultimate goal or a guaranteed indicator of startup success. VCs finalize deals with founders only when it's in their financial interest. Essentially, they're on the hunt for promising and often undervalued opportunities. Therefore, VC funds should be viewed as a means to an end, not as the end goal itself.

2. Before dedicating significant effort to secure venture capital, ensure your startup qualifies as “VC-eligible.” Indicators might include having more than just a PowerPoint presentation, showing potential for exponential growth, having a substantial total addressable market (TAM) and a full team in place.

3. It’s important to recognize that investors often have a specific investment thesis they adhere to, targeting certain industries or investment sizes. If you don’t align perfectly with their criteria, it’s best to quickly move on.

4. Struggling to fundraise for a long period of time can enhance a founder’s problem-solving and cost-efficiency aptitudes as capital is limited. You come to understand that time is your most valuable asset, and many things can be accomplished without spending money. Personally, the lessons learned from not securing the full amount of money have been the most enlightening.

5. Prioritizing bootstrapping in the early stages (starting without external funding) is necessary. Relying primarily on personal funds can drive innovation under resource constraints and potentially boost startup valuation. As a result, founders might find themselves in stronger negotiating positions when they eventually seek their first external investment.

[Adrien Naoki @adrien_naoki]

@homnox_ : Transforming home ownership experience worldwide.

We integrate all aspects of home ownership into one user-friendly app: from designing, furnishing, financing and building one's 3D printed home to managing home improvement services.

Our construction partners print the homes, we don't.

[Adrien Naoki @adrien_naoki]

12/ Feel free to reach out and follow our journey ✅ @homnox_

[Adrien Naoki @adrien_naoki]

1/ The First 365 Days of Our Startup – HOMNOX 🧵

[Adrien Naoki @adrien_naoki]

11/ Fun fact: There's a 20-year age difference between Greg and me. Rest assured, this has become our greatest strength!

[Adrien Naoki @adrien_naoki]

Thoughtful Path to Building Wealth and Reaching Financial Freedom:

YOU CAN START NOW.

HERE'S HOW:

The first thing to determine before investing even a cent is your risk tolerance. If you're not comfortable investing your money in various ventures, don't force yourself. Listen to your instincts and choose not to invest. However, after further reading or a conversation with a knowledgeable friend, you might be inclined to try. Perhaps the right time will never come, and that's okay. Saving wisely is already a significant achievement, better than most.

Assuming you understand your risk tolerance, I wanted to share the 10 guidelines that have helped me make better investment decisions:

1. Behave and invest in accordance with your own risk tolerance.

2. Define your ultimate goal and stick to it. For me, it’s living off my capital, meaning achieving financial freedom. This allows the money to work for me, granting me total control over my time and life. Simply put, “Don’t work for money; let the money work for you.”

3. Only invest money you can afford to lose.

4. Don’t invest all the money you can afford to lose. Save a portion, as life is unpredictable.

5. Invest in sectors or interests you’re passionate about.

6. Invest in what you understand. If unfamiliar with a topic or company, research before deciding to invest or not.

7. Prioritize long-term investments over short-term ones. Patience pays off.

8. Be aware that luck plays a significant role in financial success.

9. Take profits and reinvest them at a risk-free rate.

10. Compounding your profits is your greatest asset towards financial freedom.

[Adrien Naoki @adrien_naoki]

@aakashgupta @kchristophe13

[Adrien Naoki @adrien_naoki]

@oak_fr @CryptoMatrix2 @JohannesRehbein