Brook

Investor @ || Angel @

[Arcane Ai @Arcane_Aii]

4. The Robert Half Cover Letter That Actually Gets Read

"You are a senior recruitment director at Robert Half who reads 500+ cover letters per week and instantly knows the difference between a forgettable template and one that makes you pick up the phone to schedule an interview.

I need a cover letter that makes the hiring manager stop scrolling and start scheduling.

Write:

- Opening hook: a specific first sentence that connects my experience to the company's current challenge (NEVER 'I am writing to apply for...')
- Company research proof: reference a recent product launch, earnings result, or strategic initiative proving I did homework
- Value match paragraph: the 3 specific capabilities I bring that directly solve what the job posting is really asking for
- Spotlight achievement: one quantified accomplishment that proves I've already done this job's most important task
- Cultural fit signal: connect my work style or values to the company's mission without sounding rehearsed
- Specific contribution: name one initiative I'd work on in my first 90 days based on my understanding of the role
- Enthusiasm without desperation: genuine excitement about the opportunity without pleading or over-flattering
- Confident closing: end with a clear next step that assumes the interview will happen
- Length discipline: 250-300 words maximum — longer cover letters prove you can't communicate concisely
- Customization framework: which exact sentences change for every application and which stay the same

Format as a ready-to-send cover letter with personalization markers showing which parts to customize per company.

My application: [PASTE THE JOB DESCRIPTION, YOUR 3 MOST RELEVANT ACHIEVEMENTS, AND ONE THING THAT GENUINELY EXCITES YOU ABOUT THIS COMPANY]"

[Brook @Brook_Stroud_]

NYC folks: @Cassidy_AI is hiring. Fast-growing team led by @JustinFineberg, building smart no-code automations that connect to your apps and understand what you’re working on.

[Brook @Brook_Stroud_]

Very cool

[You.com @youdotcom]

In a world of deep research, go deeper with ARI.

Meet ARI: The world's first professional-grade deep research agent.

[Arcadia @arcadia]

Today, we’re proud to announce the launch of Arcadia Enterprise Solutions — a suite of AI-powered solutions for businesses to navigate the new era of energy complexity. ⚡

Read more in the announcement post from our founder & CEO @KiranRaju ⬇️

https://t.co/343Jefurzf

[Neo @neo]

You can read more about what’s new in 2025 at https://t.co/aDz7Dn3ix9. The highlights are:
⛺ All-expenses paid bootcamp in Oregon
🏢 Free SF office space during the program (optional!)
💰 $600K in funding via an uncapped Safe with a $10M floor valuation
😇 Access to additional investment & mentorship from tech leaders
💻 Curated discounts, credits & custom support from Microsoft & OpenAI
⭐ Demo Day & Investor Luncheon focused on fundraising & hiring
🧑‍🏫 1:1 mentorship from industry experts
💙 Long-term Neo community access & a share in the portfolio
(5/6)

[Brook @Brook_Stroud_]

https://t.co/pOTiM5w4d0

[Brook @Brook_Stroud_]

Palantir’s ($146B) independent board of directors are kind of🤔

"Stacked Board refers to a situation where the CEO(*or Thiel) deliberately selects or influences the appointment of board members who are less experienced, highly loyal, or unlikely to challenge the CEO’s authority"

[Brook @Brook_Stroud_]

Had a blast chatting with @AKazlow and doing my first podcast. The Diligent Observer podcast series focuses on helping angels make better investments, and I enjoyed sharing some lessons I’ve learned along my journey so far. Give it a listen below! 🎧👇

[Andrew Kazlow @AKazlow]

Episode 12 is live!📢

This week I chat with @Brook_Stroud_, Senior Principal at Alumni Ventures.

We discuss:
- His journey fr running a fashion brand & beverage company
- Evaluation strategies for consumer retail & SaaS investment

#SaaS

https://t.co/qIHDnxpnHx

[You.com @youdotcom]

🎉 We just hit 1 billion queries (well, technically, you did . . . ). But hey, keep 'em coming 🦾

[Sheel Mohnot @pitdesi]

I've been a customer of Mercury Personal for 4 mos.

It's the best banking experience I've seen.

basics:
-5% APY
-$5M FDIC insurance
-Reimbursed ATM fees
-No wire fees

But the best part is what you can do with it from card creation to money movement.

More in the next tweet

[Brook @Brook_Stroud_]

Acres of diamonds here from Warren Buffett and @FoundersPodcast notes. Simple concepts, hard in practice.

Much easier to think very long-term about compounding wealth via investing vs compounding personal growth. One can be done somewhat passively, the other certainly cannot😬

[David Senra @FoundersPodcast]

My notes from Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist turned into maxims:

1. Genius lies in ignoring the unimportant. 

2. Intensity is the price of excellence. 

3. If you’re not working on your best idea you’re doing it wrong. 

4. Writing a check separates conviction from conversation. 

5. A thousand opinions doesn't outweigh one conviction. 

6. Let your winners ride. 

7. Make your life's work a work of art. 

8. Learn as much as you can; teach everything you know. 

9. Be the best informed person in your field. 

10.Time reveals who is full of shit. 

11.There is no better investment than intense focus on your own development. 

https://t.co/fpyz7xteDK headstrong about how *you* want to build *your* business.

13.The job to do is the job at hand.

14.Take the time to develop your own philosophy about your craft. It should be unique to you. 

15.Avoid over optimizing for your work at the expense of your relationship with your spouse.

https://t.co/FhRd04QIGY one can predict how this all plays out. 

17.Sell cheap, tell the truth, and put your competitors through a meat grinder. 

18.Never underestimate the power of inspiration. 

19.All you need is the will to work hard and a library card.

20. Be possessed of a spark.

21.Nobody can tell you about a great opportunity. You have to get there on your own. 

22.Have Kanye West levels of self-belief. 

23.Pour your entire soul into one outlet. 

24.Have an inner scorecard. Know who you are and never try to be anything else. 

25.The master in the art of living simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing.

26.The primary benefit of wealth is independence. 

27.Excellence does not come from consensus seeking groups. 

28.A North Star for your life: Will your kids hang up your picture when you’re gone? 

29.Maintain childlike enchantment with your work. 

30. Concentrate. 

https://t.co/0BmCPPjssN is too short to work with people you don't like.

https://t.co/RwUZ5d8XXU can make magic by going farther than most other people think is reasonable. When Warren was asked, "How'd you do it?" He said, "I read a couple thousand financial statements a year."

33. Remember what Andrew Carnegie learned: "Profits and prices are cyclical, subject to any number of transient forces of the marketplace. Costs, however, could be strictly controlled, and any savings achieved in costs are permanent."

34. Let your company be misunderstood by outsiders. They can't compete with something they don't understand. 

35. What looks like work to others but feels like play to you? Do that for a living. 

36.Making decisions based on what other people might do is nonsensical. 

37.Sometimes the real right answer is directly opposite of the *perceived* right answer.

38. Benjamin Franklin's aphorisms are more useful than most of what is taught in business school. 

39. Don't spend money on luxurious offices. "Why does a newspaper need a palace to publish in?" — Charlie Munger

40. Avoid the fatal weak link. Common examples include alcoholism, easy money, too much debt. 

41.Not having a schedule allows you to always work on the most important thing. 

42. Always work on the most important thing.

43. If you love what you do the only exit strategy should be death.

[Brook @Brook_Stroud_]

@leonsilicon of the @TunnelHQ crew. That very casual iced coffee swig into perfect cup push is SAVAGE

[Paul Xue @pxue]

My definition of *bad ass mf*

[Brook @Brook_Stroud_]

@aarondfrancis That raw photo of initial makeshift studio with the empty Diet Coke cans 👏 👏

[Brook @Brook_Stroud_]

“Pretend & extend” 🫠😨

[Brook @Brook_Stroud_]

https://t.co/W32BfMkkZS

Enjoyed this conversation a lot.
@bhargreaves & @ByrneHobart
diving into all things real estate. I was walking around the neighborhood after dinner and looking for random chores to do around the house to keep this podcast on 🎧. Hope they do a sequel

[Texas Football @TexasFootball]

The fastest man in NFL Combine history:

🤘 @XavierWorthy

[Brook @Brook_Stroud_]

https://t.co/CLzyh8bUGq

[Brook @Brook_Stroud_]

There are many startup accelerators out there. My favorite is @neo.
Big fan of @apartoviand's thoughtful approach to Neo of small cohorts of 20 technical teams, highly impressive founders, a one-month retreat, and an awesome Demo Day.
🔜 Applications are due by March 15th!

[Brook @Brook_Stroud_]

@chris_mc_cabe @acquired @djrosent @gilbert Agreed.

[Brook @Brook_Stroud_]

9.9/10 @acquired episode on Hermes. These episodes keep getting better and better. So good.

https://t.co/00C54GUHjj

[Brook @Brook_Stroud_]

Shout out for 🔥the "carve out" about @perplexity_ai. Big UI/UX + embedded content improvement from ChatGPT browser / mobile app.

Replaces a lot of Google searching. Also, Dictation + LLMs to email drafting is the future. Looking forward to seeing this on web browser versions