dash

making high-conviction bets on unlikely wins

[dash @backpocketvc]

How to spot ideas before they’re obvious:

[dash @backpocketvc]

@Yegane_SEO Exactly

[dash @backpocketvc]

send the cold DM
send the cold email
cold call

cold open at an event

it's rough you're probably going to be sometimes annoying

it'll work though

[dash @backpocketvc]

Picked up this ancient text at the airport

This was a gentle reminder: clocking hours and presenteeism is corporate slop

Don't let it infect your mind

Enjoy your life

[dash @backpocketvc]

This was a gentle reminder: clocking hours and presenteeism is corporate slop

Don't let it infect your startup

Enjoy your life

[dash @backpocketvc]

@ideaworldbase simple always works

[dash @backpocketvc]

“a little eatery and tea place.”

All lowercase.

You know you’ll get something simple to eat.
You know you can sit and have a tea.
You know the atmosphere will be relaxed.
You can probably guess the kind of people who run it + the kind of people who eat there.

All from this one sentence.

This is some positioning done well:
It communicates much more than the actual copy.

The best positioning feels like this little sign:

Simple, specific, and full of contextual information.

[dash @backpocketvc]

@QiLikeCheetah Usually true though

[dash @backpocketvc]

@vanraj_narula Thanks man you too!

[dash @backpocketvc]

Good few days in MA 🇺🇲

Right now: head down, building out the back office and middle office

Fund mechanics and the invisible stuff that makes the visible stuff possible.

It’s a stack of small, unglamorous systems.

no entourage
no terrible parties in SF

Yet

[dash @backpocketvc]

This is how I actually pick founders:

A lot of early-stage investing comes down to gut feel & founder signals.

I look at founders through three core filters:

Clarity -> Do they have a sharply defined worldview, and a thesis that spans beyond just their product?

Positioning -> Do they understand how to place themselves and their product in the market in a way that creates leverage?

Distribution -> Are they willing to take social risk, and do they understand how hard it is to get attention and earn trust?

This thought process focuses on the founding team surviving contact with the market.

Am I wrong here?

[dash @backpocketvc]

I see VCs complain about too many cold DMs flooding their inbox.
Or complain endlessly about founders.

This is bizarre to me.

I’m here because I actually like doing this job.
I like seeing what people are building.

If you’re building something interesting and you think it might be a fit, send it.

If you're seeing this, my DMs are open.

[dash @backpocketvc]

@richardzphotoz most people with conviction are really sure about what they hate

[dash @backpocketvc]

@yasser_elsaid_ silly LinkedIn, am I right boys?

[dash @backpocketvc]

@amt_c42 @mirandanover Paris networking is mostly a look of horror as I deploy all the french I know in the first 2 mins

[dash @backpocketvc]

Don't be the nice guy equivalent of a founder

You can’t expect your customer (or your date) to do the interpretive labor you skipped.

Present your product the way your audience perceives value not how you wish they did.

[dash @backpocketvc]

Don't be the nice guy equivalent of a founder

You can’t expect your customer (or your date) to do the interpretive labor you skipped.

Present your product the way your audience perceives value not how you wish they did.

[dash @backpocketvc]

@LeadGainGilley Keep going

[dash @backpocketvc]

@bhavye_khetan “The Firm” is ominous

[dash @backpocketvc]

@hthieblot 3D printer is a shout