Steph Mui

on a mission to create more founders/angels as founder of @getpinxyz and sharing what i learn // past: VC at NEA, Stanford GSB, UChicago

[techbimbo @jameygannon]

had a fab time at the @specs supper club last night with some name-drop worthy tablemates @mweinbach @floguo @bentay @stephmui @jaiyagill ✨

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

@jameygannon @specs @mweinbach @floguo @bentay @jaiyagill our conversational range was excellent

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

@KevinEspiritu the niches never end 🫠

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

@JamesonCamp ugh I’m jealous! mine used to be the same but ever since a few weeks ago they flag almost everything as a repeat 🫠

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

ft @tonyhawk at the iconic @NYSE 🎉

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

brilliant event by @tryramp that I can only describe as an interactive, 2006 Wall Street-themed Sleep No More 🤌

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

@ScottHickle @ThroneScience 😭 that’s so funny

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

if you’re planning on seeing “you can see everything” the reason to go asap (besides it being really compelling) is because it’s already being spoiled all over the internet and it’s so so so much better going in blind

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

holy I just got out of “you can see everything” and I already know I need to go watch it again bc I indeed did not see everything the first time omg

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

both, lol. but i'm not buying frivolously - they're showing me things i want that i never would've found on my own (ie i screenshot something and send it something i've been looking for but wouldn't have taken the time to hunt for on my own, and it's very good at finding the exact thing or a secondhand alternative)

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

it's only been 2 months of using personal agents (instinct, muse, caspian) for shopping and my spending habits have already meaningfully increased and shifted as a result

as one example: i love secondhand / vintage, but hate the digging/sifting process which i've now entirely outsourced to these agents

> my average my spending in this category has increased from $365 average to $820 in the last 2 months (they are really really good at uncovering hidden gems i'd never have the time discover on my own)

> my spending has shifted majorly towards sites that are agent-friendly

before: 65% eBay / 25% TheRealReal
now: 50% Poshmark / 30% ThredUp

(all bc my agent can actually send me listings from poshmark/thredup that match what i'm looking for 🫠)

as someone who has no patience for nonstop clicking and sorting i can't see myself going back

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

@reemixed @amazon 🫠 fr although maybe for the best considering how much i already spend on amazon

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

@firstadopter i've used it for the shortest amount of time but i've found caspian to be the best so far cc @mollycantillon !

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

@heshie 👏👏

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

@mjnblack epic scene lol

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

@zane_vg yes but tbh i don't understand how a company's resources really fix that problem. every co i've talked to wants someone who's proven they've done it (usually personally, or at another company but the latter is harder to identify) so it's truly a catch 22

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

as someone who’s been offered this kind of role many times, the three things startups get wrong:

> the math doesn’t math. even top-range salary for most of these kinds of roles is a fraction of the guaranteed comp + personal upside someone can get on their own (ESP in tech/AI as an independent creator or founder). for an established creator this almost never makes sense. bet on an earlier, rising creator, or do a fractional / equity deal that actually works for both sides

> companies want the expertise, then micromanage it to death. a lot of creator friends who took these roles left because they couldn’t use their own judgment / creativity. (and then the work doesn’t perform and both sides are unhappy)

> platform expertise gets treated as interchangeable. some skills overlap, and someone who’s grown on one platform will pick up another faster than average. but being really good on X is not the same as being good on IG, YouTube, or LinkedIn. given how hard this hire already is, expecting A+ on every platform from one person is a disservice. pick the platform you’re optimizing and narrow the expectation to that (or you're setting everyone up for failure/disappointment)

[adel 🌟 @adelwu_]

literal hardest role to hire for rn and every ai startup wants someone

> chronically online (knows trends)
> has taste & can create (new media)
> understands ai & technical
> can execute with quality (operator)

such a small niche of folks who can do this

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

@kemiisf indeed

[Steph Mui @stephmui]

@TedMerz yes, and frankly even finding people who understand hooks and creative in an intuitive (vs formulaic) way is really difficult 🫠