Starting Up

The resources founders actually use.

Every essay, video, podcast, book and tool behind 1,327 answered founder questions, in one place, each with a note on why it is here.

What founders use most, ranked by how many answers lean on it.

  1. This is the most direct answer to the question: it argues you should ditch the intro and open like a movie cold open, and it... Feel the Boot Article · 9 min read Cold Start Your Startup Pitch: Hook Investors from the First Second Lance Cottrell In 2 answers
  2. This is the canonical source on the highest-stakes 30 seconds in startups, from the people who coach hundreds of founders... Y Combinator Article · 12 min read A Guide to Demo Day Presentations Y Combinator In 2 answers
  3. This is the cleanest decision framework we found because it draws the line by cheque size, not vibes: under 1M and 1M to 2M go... CRV (Charles River Ventures) Article · 10 min read Priced Round vs. SAFE: How Founders Choose at Each Stage CRV In 2 answers
  4. This is the canonical founder-side explainer of what a board actually is and when you owe someone a seat. It spells out the... Y Combinator Startup Library Article · 15 min read How to Create and Manage a Board Y Combinator (Kirsty Nathoo and Aaron Epstein) In 2 answers
  5. In Indian deals the real control lever often sits next to the board seat: affirmative rights (reserved matters) in the term... Ediplis Counsels Article · 8 min read Affirmative Rights in a Term Sheet Namratha Krishnan In 2 answers
  6. This is the term sheet guide written for the Indian cap table, using rupee exits (a ₹40 Cr sale on a ₹100 Cr paper valuation)... Malpani Ventures Article · 15 min read How to Read a Startup Term Sheet Like a Founder Malpani Ventures In 2 answers
  7. This is the piece that reframes your panic. NFX's core line, that radio silence gives investors room to assume the worst, cuts... NFX Article · 12 min read Investor Updates in Tough Times: A Guide for Founders NFX In 2 answers
  8. If your lead going quiet surprised you, this is the guide that stops it happening again. It sets the cadence expectation... Visible.vc Article · 15 min read Investor Updates: The Complete Guide for Founders Visible.vc In 2 answers
  9. This is the one piece that draws the exact line your answer draws: it tells you to run two versions, a full update for people... Foundersuite Article · 15 min read How To Write High Impact Investor Updates When Raising Venture Capital Nathan Beckord In 2 answers
  10. Gil (angel in Airbnb, Stripe, Coinbase) treats the board as something the CEO actively manages, not answers to. The tactic that... High Growth Handbook Book · 20 min read The Role of the CEO: Managing Your Board of Directors (High Growth Handbook) Elad Gil In 2 answers
  11. A copy-and-fill template built for exactly the founder in this question: it is structured around a five-minute read (matching... Founder Institute Template · template The 5-Minute Investor Update Template Founder Institute In 2 answers
  12. Concrete proof that the absence of a written agreement is what turns a friendship into a lawsuit. The Zipcar story (a casual... Vestd Article · 12 min read Startup horror stories: when co-founders fall out Vestd In 2 answers
  13. This is the cleanest map of the three ways co-founders actually decide things: consensus, functional expertise (your domain,... edbatista.com Essay · 12 min read On Co-Founder Decision-Making Ed Batista In 2 answers
  14. This is the counterweight to the "solo founders get penalized" folklore, built on Carta's cap-table data rather than vibes. It... Solo Founders (citing Carta) Article · 10 min read Fundraising as a Solo Founder: The Data Proves You Won't Pay a "Solo Tax" Ari Dutilh In 2 answers
  15. YC is openly skeptical of a remote co-founder (they discount the plan if a linchpin is distant), which makes this the most... Y Combinator Video · 35 min Best Practices for Managing a Remote Team Y Combinator In 2 answers
  16. A tight, practical checklist for the still-employed co-founder before they write a line of code for you: read the employment... Startup Grind Article · 8 min read Moonlighting a Side Project While Employed Full-Time: Here Are the Dos and Don'ts Startup Grind In 2 answers
  17. This is the concrete clause mechanic your answer needs. Clerky spells out that vesting normally commences on the date shares... Clerky Template · 6 min read What are customary stock vesting terms for startup founders? Clerky In 2 answers
  18. The mirror image of the India breakdown, and just as itemized: Delaware filing fee 289 (with 10M authorized shares), registered... SpryTax Article · 12 min read Cost of Delaware C-Corp: Complete Fee Breakdown 2025-2026 SpryTax In 2 answers
  19. This is the piece that settles the 'do I really need an auditor from day one' question with a hard yes: it states plainly that... Razorpay Rize Article · 12 min read Auditing Requirements of a Private Limited Company in India Razorpay Rize In 2 answers
  20. This is the guide that tells you to decide before you raise, not after. Its core line, 'structure the decision around your... Treelife Article · 22 min read Delaware Entity Setup for Indian Businesses and Startups: Complete Guide Treelife (startup legal and finance advisory) In 2 answers
  21. This is the exact playbook for a Pvt Ltd founder: the eight sequential approvals in order, from checking your AoA permits... EquityList Article · 18 min read ESOP Scheme in India: Definition, Structure, and Filing Guide EquityList In 2 answers
  22. Founders always ask two questions: how big should the pool be, and how much does one hire get. This answers both with hard... Index Ventures Article · 15 min read Rewarding Talent: Option Grant Allocation Considerations and Benchmarks Index Ventures In 2 answers
  23. Jose Ancer is a working startup lawyer, and this is his clear line between what a filing tool handles and what needs actual... Silicon Hills Lawyer Article · 15 min read Startup Founders Using ChatGPT and Gemini for Legal (and where a real lawyer is non-negotiable) Jose Ancer In 2 answers
  24. Written for Indian founders hiring right after a seed round, it argues your first employees should be hustlers who can figure... Quartz (qz.com/india) Article · 8 min read A Guide for Early-Stage Indian Startups to Lure the Right Talent Quartz India In 2 answers

Show the next 24

Playbooks

A goal, and the route through it a step at a time.

Find an idea worth pursuing Spot problems worth solving and find the one that actually fits you. 4 steps Validate before you build Get real evidence people want it before you write a line of code. 4 steps Understand your customers Talk to real users, define who you're for, and read the market clearly. 4 steps From idea to first customers The idea-stage spine: find a problem, prove it, talk to customers, and land the first ten. 4 steps Build an MVP without code Ship a first version with no-code tools before you hire anyone. 4 steps Build and launch your first product Turn a validated idea into something real people can use. 6 steps Find and work with developers Hire, brief, and work with builders without getting burned. 4 steps Name and brand your startup Name it, design an identity, and say what it does in a line. 3 steps Build a landing page that converts A page that loads fast, earns trust, and turns visitors into signups. 4 steps Get your first customers The scrappy, unscalable work of going from zero to your first paying users. 5 steps Sell it yourself, founder-led Reach out, run the conversation, and close before you have a sales team. 4 steps Grow with content and SEO Compound reach with content, search, and a founder audience. 3 steps Grow with paid ads Spend that returns: the channels, metrics, and loops behind it. 4 steps Price and package your product Charge for value, package it right, and check the numbers work. 3 steps Bootstrap instead of raising Fund growth from revenue, and keep control of your company. 4 steps Raise your first round Understand the game before you pitch: whether to raise, from whom, and on what terms. 5 steps Find a co-founder, split equity Find the right partner and split equity without regret. 3 steps Set up the company right Incorporate, split equity, protect your IP, and make your first hires. 4 steps Survive founder life Mindset, burnout, the leap, and the parts nobody warns you about. 5 steps Build in India The India-specific playbook: schemes, government, enterprise, and the local market. 5 steps

The questions founders start with

What are good startup ideas in India right now? The ideas Indian investors are backing in 2026 sit in a few places: AI built into one industry's daily work (vertical AI for B2B, where software fu... Beginner 5 resources → How do I find product-market fit? Narrow until a small group cannot do without you, then widen. Pick the segment where usage is strongest, talk to those people every week, and chang... Intermediate 9 resources → Do I actually need a co-founder, or can I go solo? You don't strictly need one, but the data says teams outlast solos: complementary skills, shared load, and someone to argue you out of bad calls al... Beginner 3 resources → How do I build an MVP for my startup, step by step? Write down the one assumption that kills the idea if it is wrong, then build the cheapest thing that tests it and get it to real users within weeks... Beginner 9 resources → Which tool should I use to analyse qualitative data like interview notes? For a founder with a dozen interviews, Gemini Notebook, which is free, or Claude, free or $20 a month on Pro: load the transcripts, ask for the rec... Beginner 6 resources → How do I get my first client as a freelancer? Your first client is most likely someone who already knows you or someone they know, so start there before marketplaces. 1) Pick one service for on... Beginner 6 resources → How do I decide how much to charge for my product? Stop guessing and stop pricing off your costs, price off the value the customer gets and their willingness to pay. Talk to customers about pricing,... Beginner 3 resources → Should I raise venture capital or bootstrap my startup? Raise VC only if your business needs a big pile of cash to reach escape velocity before someone else does, and if a 10x-in-a-few-years outcome is g... Beginner 3 resources →

Questions for your situation

The Aspiring Founder The Idea-Stage Founder The Builder The Launcher The Grower The Student Founder The Indie Hacker The Technical Solo Founder The Non-Technical Founder The Domain Expert The Women Founder The Anywhere Founder The Corporate Switcher The Repeat Founder
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