Alan Harris

Agentic Commerce @ Unlimit • Grounding models in cause & effect • Patents & Coffee Nerd

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

Ways for startups to get non-dilutive funding:

1. SBIR grants
2. STTR grants
3. NSF grants
4. Foundation grants
5. Competitions
6. Incubators
7. Crowdfunding
8. Pre-sales

These can all provide capital without having to give up big pieces of equity.

Venture capital can be great.

But it isn’t for everyone.

If you think it might not be for you, explore other options.

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

@Hadley Totally agreed.

The Series A bar is incredibly high right now. This makes alternative funding like SBIR grants even more valuable.

It allows founders to keep the burn low while they're figuring out how to hit those demanding targets.

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

@Stage3Finance Spot on.

The idea of focusing on shifting to an abundance mindset and recognizing money as a tool really clicks.

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

Free courses are everywhere online.

Here are 9 free course websites for

Coding
AI
Math
Data analysis
Engineering
And a lot more...

1. Class Central

This might be the best one because it’s a collection of the best courses from all the others. Their advanced search makes it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for.

2. Google Skillshop

Google isn’t just the biggest search engine in the world. It’s also one of the world’s largest providers of free education. Most of that comes in their Skillshop.

3. Coursera

This famous course website mixes free and paid options. Many of their courses come from big-name universities, and their rating system makes it easy to find the best of the best.

4. Udemy

This is probably the most-used course website on the internet. It has free and paid options on basically every topic you can think of.

5. Alison

This is similar to the last two, but it prioritizes certifications more. If that’s what you’re looking for, definitely give it a look.

6. edX

This organization likes to team up with big universities to create courses and larger programs. They also offer bootcamps, which are more intensive.

7. freeCodeCamp

This non-profit offers a massive catalog of free coding education. You can learn from them on their website or YouTube channel.

8. MIT Online Courses

This famous technical college offers a bunch of courses for free online. Stanford, Harvard, Oxford, and many others do the same.

9. YouTube

YouTube has thousands of free courses and even more short instructional videos. Learn how to search correctly, and you’ll find many gems on this platform.

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

@realAmirSyed Boom.

Stay aligned with the idea of keeping standards high and embracing that Day 1 mentality.

Thanks for sharing!

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

@agazdecki As often as I meet with Startup founders, I can say this is the truth!

The ones I've seen grow the most always look like they've been friends since birth.

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

"Take a deep breath..."

Deepmind did a study to find out if slight differences in ChatGPT prompt wording led to better problem-solving results.

In this case, telling the AI bot to take a deep breath led to better results.

That's despite the fact that AI bots have no lungs 😂

Even though LLMs aren't human, they seem to think like humans.

Interesting stuff.

It's also worth trying next time you're writing prompts.

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

@jasonlk This is so true.

I've been hearing many stories of people making this mistake. Especially lately with all of the layoffs.

You can't be so eager to get into your next role!

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

@Codie_Sanchez @bp22 Learning from someone who has already done it is much easier and more comfortable.

But it's more fun to do it yourself and make a hundred mistakes along the way.

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

@Stage3Finance Takes big steps to make it there.

It's inspiring what you've accomplished since then!

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

My friend had a 7-bedroom mansion.

My family had a tiny apartment.

I was 11 years old.

I asked him:

"What do your parents do for work?"

He said his dad owned a business.

From that moment forward, I was obsessed with entrepreneurship.

That led to mowing lawns at 12 years old, reading dozens of business books, and eventually making my way into the startup world.

Everyone has a different story about catching the entrepreneurship bug, but once you get it, it rarely goes away.

Whatever you're working on, I wish you good luck.

This game is brutal, but it's worth it.

Keep building.

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

@Stage3Finance A lot of these pages are amazing!

Excited to follow the other ones that I don’t know.

Thanks for sharing this

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

New AI features on LinkedIn:

1. AI-generated messages
2. AI-generated replies
3. AI-powered profile optimization
4. AI assistant in sales navigator

Plus, there are AI tools for LinkedIn:

1. Taplio - Content creation
2. Aragon - Profile photos
3. Canva - Banner photos
4. Careerflow - Profile optimization

AI is changing LinkedIn.

Better to adopt it now than wait until everyone else already has.

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

People: "AI is taking over the world."

AI: "No. Wait, actually, yes."

😂

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

Quick Pitch

SBIR grants help startups get funding without diluting equity, but applying for them is difficult.

My AI tool makes it easy. Hit the link in my bio to learn more.

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

ChatGPT just had two massive improvements.

Here’s everything you need to know.

🧵👇

[Alan Harris @alanh_]

The future:

Bard, Claude, and more could all become powerful, competing “everything” apps.

If this arms race continues, we’ll all get access to extremely powerful AI tools.