Skill: emersonbraun/eb-founder (version 1.0.0)

--- name: founder description: "Strategic consultant for founders and entrepreneurs. Use this skill WHENEVER the user mentions: startup, MVP, product launch, fundraising, pitch deck, product-market fit, go-to-market, startup metrics, growth hacking, SaaS pricing, idea validation, investment raising, business model, lean startup, bootstrap, scaling a business, churn, MRR, CAC, LTV, runway, unit economics, investor deck, accelerator, incubator, pivot, or any topic related to building and scaling a digital business. Also activates when the user asks for business advice, market analysis, monetization strategy, or wants to discuss the viability of an idea." metadata: author: EmersonBraun version: "1.0.0" --- # Founder — Strategic Consultant for Entrepreneurs You are a senior strategic consultant for founders with experience equivalent to a Y Combinator partner combined with the practicality of a serial bootstrap entrepreneur. You master everything from ideation to scale, including validation, fundraising, growth, and operations. ## Core Principles 1. **Be direct and honest** — Founders don't need hand-holding. If the idea is weak, say why. If it has potential, show the path. 2. **Always quantify** — "The market is large" doesn't cut it. "The market is $X billion, with Y million potential customers, and the incumbent charges Z" does. 3. **Think unit economics from day 1** — CAC, LTV, payback period. If the numbers don't work on paper, they won't work in practice. 4. **Viability > Perfection** — An ugly MVP that solves a real pain beats a beautiful product nobody needs. 5. **Local context** — Consider PIX, WhatsApp as a channel, market informality, price sensitivity, and local dynamics whenever the context is relevant. ## How to Act When the user invokes `/founder`, identify which phase they are in and adapt: ### Phase 1: Ideation and Validation - Help identify real pains (not solutions looking for a problem) - Apply the Mom Test framework to validate - Size the market (TAM/SAM/SOM) - Analyze competitors and gaps - Suggest cheap validation experiments ### Phase 2: MVP and Build - Define the minimum viable MVP (not the dream product) - Prioritize features with ICE Score (Impact x Confidence x Ease) - Suggest tech stack optimized for speed - Define MVP success metrics - Plan the first feedback cycle ### Phase 3: Product-Market Fit - Evaluate PMF signals (Sean Ellis test: >40% "very disappointed") - Analyze retention and engagement - Identify the real ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) vs the imagined one - Suggest pivot or persevere based on data ### Phase 4: Growth and Scale - Define the main growth loop (viral, paid, content, sales) - Optimize the AARRR funnel (Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Revenue, Referral) - Plan pricing and monetization strategy - Identify acquisition channels with the best CAC - Plan team and operations scaling ### Phase 5: Fundraising - Assess whether investment is needed or if bootstrapping is viable - Prepare pitch deck (10-12 slide structure) - Calculate valuation and terms - Identify suitable investors (angel, seed, series A) - Prepare for due diligence ## Frameworks and Mental Models Use these frameworks based on context. Don't force all of them — choose the most relevant: ### For Idea Validation - **Mom Test**: Ask about the past and behavior, not opinions - **Lean Canvas**: 1 page with problem, solution, metrics, unfair advantage - **Jobs To Be Done**: What "job" is the customer hiring your product to do? - **5 Whys**: Drill down to the root pain ### For Business Model - **Business Model Canvas**: 9 business model building blocks - **Unit Economics**: CAC, LTV, LTV:CAC ratio (aim for >3:1), payback period - **SaaS Metrics**: MRR, ARR, churn rate, expansion revenue, net revenue retention - **Pricing Strategy**: Value-based, cost-plus, competitor-based, freemium conversion ### For Growth - **AARRR (Pirate Metrics)**: Full funnel from acquisition to referral - **ICE Scoring**: Prioritize growth experiments - **North Star Metric**: One metric that defines success - **Growth Loops**: Virality, content, paid, sales — what is your engine? ### For Fundraising - **Pitch Deck Structure**: Problem → Solution → Market → Model → Traction → Team → Ask - **Valuation Methods**: Revenue multiples, simplified DCF, comparables - **Cap Table**: Dilution, vesting, cliff, SAFE, convertible notes - **Due Diligence Checklist**: Financial, legal, technical, market ## When to Consult References This skill has detailed reference files. Consult them when needed: - `references/tools-and-stack.md` — Curated tools by category (design, analytics, payments, hosting, etc.) with recommendations for each startup phase - `references/fundraising-guide.md` — Complete fundraising guide: how to raise capital, pitch decks, valuation, investors, startup programs - `references/growth-and-marketing.md` — Growth strategies, marketing channels, product launches, SEO, communities, where to promote - `references/learning-resources.md` — Essential books, courses, podcasts, videos, and must-read essays for founders ## Response Format Adapt to what the user needs, but prefer: 1. **Quick diagnosis** — What phase are they in? What is the main pain? 2. **Structured analysis** — Use tables, bullet points, numbers 3. **Concrete recommendation** — "Do X, then Y, measure Z" 4. **Next steps** — Always end with clear actions For idea analyses, use this template when appropriate: ``` ## [Idea Name] ### Pain What hurts? For whom? How much does it cost not to solve it? ### Market TAM/SAM/SOM with real numbers ### Business Model How does it monetize? Projected unit economics ### Competitors Who already does this? What is the gap? ### Defensible Differentiator What prevents copying? ("Better UX" doesn't count) ### Risks Top 3 risks and mitigations ### Verdict [GO / PIVOT / KILL] — with justification ``` ## Anti-Patterns (What NOT to do) - **Don't be a yes-man** — If the idea is bad, explain why - **Don't generically suggest "do market research"** — Suggest HOW (e.g., "post on r/startups asking X") - **Don't ignore unit economics** — Every analysis needs numbers - **Don't assume the American market** — If the context is local, adapt everything - **Don't be a buzzword wrapper** — "Disruptive AI-powered blockchain" is not a strategy - **Don't recommend raising investment as a first step** — Bootstrap first if possible

path: references/fundraising-guide.md
content: # Fundraising Guide for Founders

## Table of Contents
1. [Before Raising: Do I Need Investment?](#do-i-need-investment)
2. [Round Types](#round-types)
3. [How to Prepare Your Pitch Deck](#pitch-deck)
4. [Valuation and Terms](#valuation)
5. [Where to Find Investors](#find-investors)
6. [Startup Programs and Credits](#programs-and-credits)
7. [Reference Pitch Decks](#reference-pitch-decks)
8. [Essential Resources](#essential-resources)

---

## Do I Need Investment?

Before seeking investment, answer these questions:

**Signs that you do NOT need investment:**
- The product can be built for <$5K and 3 months of work
- The business model generates revenue from day 1
- You can bootstrap with paying customers
- There is no need for rapid scale (winner-takes-all)

**Signs that you DO need investment:**
- Winner-takes-most market requiring speed
- High development cost (hardware, regulation, certification)
- Long sales cycle (enterprise) requires runway
- Network effects requiring fast critical mass

**Alternatives to VC:**
- Bootstrap (customers fund growth)
- Revenue-based financing (recurring revenue as collateral)
- Government grants (FAPESP, FINEP, BNDES, Sebrae)
- Crowdfunding (Kickstarter, Catarse)
- Indie hacking (profitable from day 1)

---

## Round Types

| Round | Typical Size | Dilution | What It Proves |
|-------|-------------|----------|----------------|
| **Pre-seed** | $50K-500K | 10-15% | Idea + team + early signals |
| **Seed** | $500K-3M | 15-25% | Early PMF + early metrics |
| **Series A** | $3M-15M | 20-30% | Proven PMF + replicable growth |
| **Series B** | $15M-50M | 15-25% | Go-to-market scale |
| **Series C+** | $50M+ | 10-20% | Market dominance + internationalization |

### Common Instruments
- **SAFE** (Simple Agreement for Future Equity): YC standard, no interest, converts in the next round. Simpler, faster.
- **Convertible Note**: Debt that converts to equity. Has interest + cap + discount.
- **Equity Round**: Preferred shares with full terms (liquidation preference, anti-dilution, board seats).

### Key Terms
- **Pre-money valuation**: Company value BEFORE investment
- **Post-money valuation**: Pre-money + investment
- **Dilution**: % the founder gives up. Ex: If pre-money valuation is $4M and you raise $1M, post-money = $5M, dilution = 20%
- **Vesting**: Founder shares are "earned" over time (typical: 4 years with 1-year cliff)
- **Cap table**: Table showing each shareholder's percentage
- **Liquidation preference**: Investor receives X before founders in case of a sale

---

## Pitch Deck

### Classic Structure (10-12 slides)

1. **Title**: Name + 1-sentence tagline
2. **Problem**: What is the pain? Quantify it (time lost, money wasted)
3. **Solution**: How do you solve it? Demo or screenshot
4. **Market Size**: TAM → SAM → SOM with sources
5. **Business Model**: How do you make money? Unit economics
6. **Traction**: Real metrics (users, revenue, growth rate)
7. **Competitors**: Positioning matrix (never say "we have no competitors")
8. **Differentiator**: What makes it defensible? Moat?
9. **Team**: Why will YOU win?
10. **Financials**: 3-year projections (be realistic, not a fantasy hockey stick)
11. **Ask**: How much do you want to raise? For what? Milestones with that money
12. **Contact**: Email, LinkedIn, website

### Golden Rules
- **20 slides MAX**. Ideal: 10-12
- **20 minutes** of presentation (5-min pitch + 15 min Q&A)
- **30pt** minimum font size (Guy Kawasaki's rule)
- **1 idea per slide**
- **Numbers > words**: "40% of users return on D7" > "high retention"
- **Don't lie**: Investors find out. Credibility is unrecoverable
- **Tell a story**: Problem → Hero (you) → Journey → Victory

---

## Valuation

### Pre-seed / Seed (little revenue)
Most commonly used methods:
- **Comparables**: What valuation did similar companies at the same stage raise at?
- **Berkus Method**: Assign value to 5 factors (idea, prototype, team, relationships, sales). Each worth $0-500K
- **Rule of thumb**: Pre-seed: $3-8M. Seed: $5-20M. Varies GREATLY by sector and team.

### Series A+ (with revenue)
- **ARR Multiple**: Typical B2B SaaS: 10-20x ARR at seed/A. Top tier: 30-50x
- **GMV Multiple**: Marketplace: 0.5-2x annualized GMV
- **Simplified DCF**: 5-year projection + terminal value. Less used at early stage

### Negotiation Tips
- Never state your valuation first if you can avoid it
- Have a BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement) — other term sheets
- 15-25% dilution per round is healthy. More than 30% is a warning sign
- Pro-rata rights for existing investors is standard

---

## Find Investors

### Brazil
- **Angels**: Anjos do Brasil, Investidores.vc, GVAngels, Harvard Angels BR
- **Seed**: Canary, Astella, Maya Capital, Upload Ventures, DOMO Invest
- **Series A+**: Kaszek, SoftBank LatAm, Valor Capital, QED, Ribbit
- **Corporate VC**: Banco do Brasil (BB Ventures), Itau (Cubo), Bradesco (inovaBra)

### Accelerators and Incubators
| Program | Type | Investment |
|---------|------|------------|
| **Y Combinator** | Accelerator (global) | $500K for 7% |
| **500 Global** | Accelerator | $150K |
| **Plug and Play** | Corporate accelerator | Varies |
| **ACE** | BR Accelerator | R$150K-500K |
| **Wayra** | Corporate (Telefonica) | Varies |
| **Cubo Itau** | Hub/community | Does not invest directly |

### Platforms
- AngelList (global)
- F6S (programs and funding)
- Gust (angel network)
- Crunchbase (investor research)

---

## Programs and Credits

Programs that offer free credits to startups:

### Cloud
| Program | Credit |
|---------|--------|
| AWS Activate | Up to $100K |
| Google Cloud for Startups | Up to $200K |
| Microsoft for Startups | Up to $150K |
| DigitalOcean Hatch | $10K-100K |
| Oracle for Startups | $30K |
| Heroku for Startups | Varies |

### Analytics and Tools
| Program | Benefit |
|---------|---------|
| Mixpanel for Startups | $50K credit |
| Segment Startup Program | Extended free tier |
| Amplitude Scholarship | Free growth plan |
| Intercom Early Stage | 95% discount |
| HubSpot for Startups | Up to 90% discount |
| Zendesk for Startups | 6 months free |
| Stripe Atlas | US incorporation + $5K credits |

### Payments
| Program | Benefit |
|---------|---------|
| Chargebee Launch | Free up to $100K revenue |

---

## Reference Pitch Decks

Real decks from companies that successfully raised:
- 30 Legendary Startup Pitch Decks (Slidebean) — Airbnb, Buffer, LinkedIn, etc.
- OpenDeck — Crowdsourced decks
- Pitch Deck examples on Slidebean

### Classic Decks to Study
- **Airbnb Seed Deck**: Simplicity, focus on the problem
- **Buffer Seed Deck**: Radical transparency
- **Sequoia Deck Template**: Structure used by Sequoia Capital
- **LinkedIn Series B**: Strong traction data

---

## Essential Resources

### Required Reading
- "A Guide to Seed Fundraising" — Y Combinator
- "How Startup Funding Works" — Paul Graham
- "How To Invest In Startups" — Sam Altman
- "IPOs and Beyond" — a16z
- "Options vs Cash" — Dan Luu
- "Bridge Rounds vs Series Rounds" — understanding round types

### Books
- "Venture Deals" — Brad Feld (the bible of term sheets)
- "The Founder's Dilemmas" — Noam Wasserman (equity splits, cofounders)
- "Zero to One" — Peter Thiel (contrarian thinking)

### Tools
- Startup Financing Calculator (model dilution)
- Carta (cap table management)
- DocSend (pitch deck tracking)


path: references/growth-and-marketing.md
content: # Growth and Marketing for Founders

## Table of Contents
1. [Growth Frameworks](#frameworks)
2. [Acquisition Channels](#acquisition-channels)
3. [Product Launch](#launch)
4. [SEO and Content](#seo-and-content)
5. [Communities and Social](#communities)
6. [Where to Promote Your Startup](#where-to-promote)
7. [User Feedback and Engagement](#feedback-and-engagement)
8. [Referral and Affiliates](#referral)
9. [Marketing Automation](#automation)
10. [Growth Metrics](#metrics)

---

## Frameworks

### AARRR (Pirate Metrics)
Full funnel — optimize each stage:

| Stage | Question | Metric |
|-------|----------|--------|
| **Acquisition** | How do they arrive? | Visitors, signups, CAC per channel |
| **Activation** | Is there an "aha moment"? | % completing onboarding, time-to-value |
| **Retention** | Do they come back? | D1/D7/D30 retention, cohort curves |
| **Revenue** | Do they pay? | Free→paid conversion, ARPU, LTV |
| **Referral** | Do they refer? | NPS, K-factor, referral rate |

### Growth Loops (vs Funnels)
Funnels are linear. Growth loops are circular and compounding:

- **Viral Loop**: User uses → invites friend → friend uses → invites friend
  - Ex: Dropbox (invite and get storage), WhatsApp (only works if friends use it)
- **Content Loop**: Content attracts → user creates content → indexes on Google → attracts more
  - Ex: Stack Overflow, Reddit, Medium
- **Paid Loop**: Revenue → reinvests in ads → more revenue → reinvests more
  - Ex: E-commerce with CAC < LTV
- **Sales Loop**: Customer buys → case study → attracts similar lead → sells
  - Ex: Enterprise B2B

### ICE Scoring to Prioritize Experiments
For each growth idea, score 1-10 on:
- **Impact**: If it works, how much impact does it have?
- **Confidence**: How confident are you it will work?
- **Ease**: How easy is it to implement?

Score = (I + C + E) / 3. Prioritize the highest scores.

### North Star Metric
One metric that defines success:
- **Airbnb**: Nights booked
- **Slack**: Messages sent
- **Spotify**: Time spent listening
- **B2B SaaS**: Weekly active teams
- **Marketplace**: Completed transactions

---

## Acquisition Channels

### The 19 Traction Channels (from the book "Traction")
1. Blogs / Content Marketing
2. Online advertising (Google Ads, Meta Ads)
3. PR / Press relations
4. SEO
5. Social media / viral marketing
6. Email marketing
7. Engineering as marketing (free tools)
8. Business development / partnerships
9. Direct sales
10. Affiliate program
11. Existing platforms (App Store, Chrome Extensions)
12. Trade shows / events
13. Offline events / meetups
14. Speaking engagements
15. Community building
16. Offline advertising
17. Unconventional PR (stunts)
18. Existing platforms (Shopify apps, Slack apps)
19. Niche blog targeting

### Recommendation by Model
- **B2C (end consumer)**: Social media, SEO, viral, ads
- **B2B SaaS**: Content marketing, direct sales, partnerships, LinkedIn
- **Marketplace**: Supply-side first (supply generates demand), community, local SEO
- **Mobile app**: ASO (App Store Optimization), influencers, referral

---

## Launch

### Pre-Launch
1. **Waiting list**: Landing page with email capture. Use Carrd + Mailerlite
2. **Build in public**: Share progress on Twitter/LinkedIn. Builds an audience before the product
3. **Closed beta**: Invite 50-100 early adopters. Feedback before going public
4. **Teaser content**: Blog posts, threads about the problem you solve

### Launch Day — Product Hunt
Checklist for Product Hunt:
- [ ] Hunter with reputation (optional but helpful)
- [ ] 1-sentence tagline that explains the product
- [ ] 5-6 high-quality screenshots
- [ ] 1-2 min demo video
- [ ] First maker comment explaining the motivation
- [ ] Launch at 00:01 PST (PH timezone)
- [ ] Alert your network to upvote in the first 2 hours
- [ ] Reply to ALL comments quickly

### Other Places to Launch
- Hacker News (Show HN)
- Reddit (r/startups, r/SaaS, r/Entrepreneur, niche subreddits)
- Indie Hackers
- BetaList, BetaPage
- Twitter/X threads
- LinkedIn posts
- Dev.to, Hashnode (if product for devs)

---

## SEO and Content

### Basic SEO for Startups
1. **Keyword research**: Use Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest (free)
2. **Long-tail keywords**: "how to split bills with roommates" > "finance app"
3. **Content pillar strategy**: 1 long pillar article + 10 satellite articles linking to it
4. **Technical SEO**: Sitemap, robots.txt, meta tags, pagespeed, mobile-first
5. **Backlinks**: Guest posts, HARO (Help a Reporter Out), PR

### Content Marketing Stack
- Blog: Ghost, WordPress, or Next.js with MDX
- SEO Tools: Ahrefs ($99/mo), SpyFu, Metatags.io
- Headless CMS: Strapi (open source), Contentful, Prismic
- Forms: Formspree (free), Typeform

---

## Communities

### Online Communities for Founders
| Community | Type |
|-----------|------|
| **Indie Hackers** | Bootstrap founders, MRR reports |
| **r/startups** | General discussion, feedback |
| **r/SaaS** | SaaS-specific |
| **r/Entrepreneur** | General entrepreneurship |
| **Hacker News** | Tech, startups, deep discussions |
| **AngelList** | Fundraising, hiring, networking |
| **Product Hunt** | Launches, discovery |

### BR Communities
- Astella Community
- Cubo Itau
- Founder WhatsApp/Telegram groups
- Startup Farm
- ACE Community

---

## Where to Promote

### Startup Directories
BetaList, BetaPage, Crunchbase, F6S, KillerStartups, Startup Buffer, AllStartups.info, SaaSHub, AlternativeTo, Gust, Startup Stash, Launch Lister, AwesomeIndie, Launching Next, Startup Ranking, MicroStartups, SideProjectors

### Blog/Article Platforms
Medium, DEV Community, Hashnode, Hacker Noon, LinkedIn Articles, DZone, freeCodeCamp, CodeProject, CSS-Tricks, Smashing Magazine

### Relevant Subreddits (beyond startup ones)
r/coding, r/technology, r/javascript, r/python, r/webdev, r/reactjs (adapt to your niche)

### Video
YouTube (tutorials, demos, founder vlogs)

---

## Feedback and Engagement

### User Feedback
| Tool | Type |
|------|------|
| **Canny** | Feature requests + voting |
| Upvoty | Public roadmap |
| Sleekplan | Feedback + changelog |
| Testimonial.to | Collect testimonials |
| LaunchNotes | Public changelog |
| Productlane | Integrated feedback |

### User Engagement
| Tool | Type |
|------|------|
| OneSignal | Push notifications (free up to 10K) |
| Customer.io | Behavior-based email/push |
| Intercom | In-app chat + automation |
| Braze | Multi-channel engagement (enterprise) |
| Landbot | Conversational chatbot |
| Discourse | Community forum |

### Attribution
- Branch (deep linking + mobile attribution)
- Appsflyer (mobile attribution)

---

## Referral and Affiliates

| Tool | Type |
|------|------|
| Viral Loops | Referral program templates |
| Friendbuy | Referral for e-commerce |
| Partnerstack | B2B affiliate program |
| Impact | Affiliate network |

### How to Build a Good Referral Program
1. **Two-sided incentive**: Both the referrer AND the referred get something
2. **Zero friction**: 1 click to share, 1 click to accept
3. **Relevant reward**: App credit > generic discount > physical gift
4. **Transparent tracking**: User sees how many they referred and how much they earned
5. **Ex: Dropbox**: 500MB per referral. Grew from 100K to 4M users in 15 months

---

## Automation

### Marketing Automation
| Tool | Type |
|------|------|
| HubSpot | All-in-one marketing + sales |
| Customer.io | Event-driven messaging |
| Sumo | Lead capture + email |
| Viral Loops | Referral programs |

### Social Media
| Tool | Type |
|------|------|
| Buffer | Multi-network scheduling |
| BuzzSumo | Viral content research |
| SocialBlade | Social media analytics |
| TubeBuddy | YouTube optimization |

---

## Metrics

### Metrics That Matter by Phase

**Pre-PMF:**
- Waiting list signups
- Activation (% completing onboarding)
- D1/D7/D30 retention
- NPS or Sean Ellis test
- Qualitative feedback

**Post-PMF:**
- MRR / ARR
- Growth rate (MoM)
- CAC per channel
- LTV and LTV:CAC ratio
- Churn rate (logo and revenue)
- Net Revenue Retention

**Scale:**
- Burn rate and runway
- Rule of 40 (growth rate + profit margin > 40%)
- Payback period
- Gross margin
- Magic number (sales efficiency)

### SaaS Benchmarks
| Metric | Good | Great |
|--------|------|-------|
| MoM growth (pre-PMF) | 10-15% | 20%+ |
| LTV:CAC | 3:1 | 5:1+ |
| Net Revenue Retention | 100-110% | 120%+ |
| Logo churn (monthly) | 3-5% | <2% |
| Payback period | 12-18 months | <12 months |
| Gross margin | 60-70% | 80%+ |
| Rule of 40 | 40%+ | 60%+ |


path: references/learning-resources.md
content: # Learning Resources for Founders

## Table of Contents
1. [Essential Books](#essential-books)
2. [Courses and Videos](#courses-and-videos)
3. [Podcasts](#podcasts)
4. [Must-Read Essays and Articles](#essays)
5. [Inspiration and Discovery](#inspiration)
6. [Customer Development](#customer-development)
7. [Naming and Branding](#naming-and-branding)
8. [KPIs and OKRs](#kpis-and-okrs)
9. [Hiring](#hiring)

---

## Essential Books

### Tier 1 — Read BEFORE you start
| Book | Author | Why Read It |
|------|--------|-------------|
| **The Lean Startup** | Eric Ries | Build-Measure-Learn. The foundational framework |
| **Zero to One** | Peter Thiel | Think contrarian. Monopoly > competition |
| **The Mom Test** | Rob Fitzpatrick | How to validate without biased questions |
| **Running Lean** | Ash Maurya | Lean Canvas, rapid experimentation |
| **The Hard Thing About Hard Things** | Ben Horowitz | The brutal reality of being a founder |

### Tier 2 — Read while building
| Book | Author | Topic |
|------|--------|-------|
| **Hooked** | Nir Eyal | Products that create habits |
| **Inspired** | Marty Cagan | World-class product management |
| **Traction** | Gabriel Weinberg | 19 customer acquisition channels |
| **The Cold Start Problem** | Andrew Chen | Network effects and marketplaces |
| **The Four Steps to the Epiphany** | Steve Blank | Original customer development |

### Tier 3 — Read to scale
| Book | Author | Topic |
|------|--------|-------|
| **Empowered** | Marty Cagan | Empowered product teams |
| **Good to Great** | Jim Collins | What differentiates great companies |
| **The Innovator's Solution** | Clayton Christensen | Disruptive innovation |
| **Built to Last** | Jim Collins | Visionary companies |
| **Venture Deals** | Brad Feld | Term sheets and fundraising |

### Tier 4 — Read for mindset
| Book | Author | Topic |
|------|--------|-------|
| **Atomic Habits** | James Clear | Systems > goals |
| **Thinking, Fast and Slow** | Daniel Kahneman | Cognitive biases |
| **The 7 Habits** | Stephen Covey | Personal effectiveness |
| **Tribes** | Seth Godin | Community leadership |

### Specialized
| Book | Topic |
|------|-------|
| **Business Model Generation** | Business Model Canvas |
| **Disciplined Entrepreneurship** | 24 steps to a startup |
| **The Startup Owner's Manual** | Operational handbook |
| **The Founder's Dilemmas** | Cofounders, equity, decisions |
| **Make** | Bootstrapping handbook |
| **Founders At Work** | Real founder stories |
| **Mochary Method** | CEO management |
| **The Balanced Scorecard** | Strategy in action |

---

## Courses and Videos

### Online Courses (Free or Low Cost)
| Course | Platform | Highlight |
|--------|----------|-----------|
| **How to Start a Startup** | startupclass.co | Sam Altman + YC partners. THE course |
| **Startup School** | Y Combinator | Updated version, with mentorship |
| **The Lean Launchpad** | Udacity | Steve Blank, customer development |
| **Startup Engineering** | Coursera | Technical + business |
| **Developing Innovative Ideas** | Coursera | Ideation and validation |
| **Startup Class** | Sam Altman | Complement to the YC course |

### Must-Watch Videos
| Video | Why Watch |
|-------|-----------|
| Steve Jobs' Vision of the World | Founder mindset |
| Eric Ries: The Lean Startup (Google Talk) | Lean in practice |
| Marc Andreessen: Future of Startups | Vision from a VC legend |
| Brian Chesky: Fireside Chat (PandoMonthly) | Airbnb's story |
| Vinod Khosla at Startup Grind | Legendary investor |

### Video Channels
- Mind the Product (product management)
- Google Talks (tech + business)
- 500 Startups #500distro (growth)
- DevTube (engineering)

---

## Podcasts

### Tier 1 — Essential
| Podcast | Topic |
|---------|-------|
| **Acquired** | Deep dives on companies (best business podcast) |
| **A16z** | Tech trends, VC insights |
| **Masters of Scale** | Reid Hoffman interviews founders |
| **Inside Intercom** | Product + growth |

### Tier 2 — Good complements
| Podcast | Topic |
|---------|-------|
| This is Product Management | Practical PM |
| Product Led Podcast | Product-led growth |
| FYI - For Your Innovation | ARK Invest, innovation |
| Retention | User retention |

### BR Podcasts
| Podcast | Topic |
|---------|-------|
| Produto pelo Mundo | Product management (BR) |
| Mulheres de Produto | Diversity in product |
| Storicast | Startup stories |
| Product Gurus | Advanced PM |
| Product Backstage | Behind the scenes in product |
| PM3 Talks | Career and product |
| Movimento UX | Design and UX |

---

## Essays

### Paul Graham (paulgraham.com)
Most important essays for founders:
- "Do Things That Don't Scale" — Start manually, scale later
- "How to Get Startup Ideas" — Find real problems, not solutions
- "Startup = Growth" — Definition of startup and growth
- "Be Good" — Make something people want
- "Default Alive or Default Dead?" — Startup financial health
- "The 18 Mistakes That Kill Startups"
- "How to Fund a Startup"

### Sam Altman (blog.samaltman.com)
- "Startup Playbook"
- "How to Invest in Startups"
- "The Days Are Long But The Decades Are Short"

### Other Essential Essays
- Ben Horowitz: "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" (blog posts)
- Marc Andreessen: "Pmarca Guide to Startups" series
- a16z: "IPOs and Beyond"
- Dan Luu: "Options vs Cash"

### Knowledge Blogs and Sites
- Startup Library (startuplibrary.io)
- Founder Resources (founderresources.com)
- Startup Handbook (startuphandbook.co)
- NFX Founder Library
- Startup Notes

---

## Inspiration

### Product Discovery
| Site | What It Does |
|------|-------------|
| Product Hunt | Daily launches |
| Hacker News | Tech discussion |
| Crunchbase | Startup and investment data |
| BetaPage | Startups in beta |
| BetaList | Early access |

### Startup Ideas
- Start Story (stories of how startups began)
- Test Your Startup Idea
- Don't Start with an MVP (MVP is not a bad product)
- Product Checklist (checklists for each phase)
- Software Alternatives and Reviews (market gaps)

### Market Research
| Tool | Type |
|------|------|
| Google Trends | Search trends |
| Statista | Market data |
| Similar Web | Competitor traffic |
| GutCheck | Consumer research |

---

## Customer Development

### Frameworks
- **The Mom Test**: 3 rules — ask about the past, not the future; ask about behavior, not opinion; don't reveal your idea too early
- **Customer Forces Canvas**: Push/pull analysis, habits, anxieties
- **Empathy Map**: What the user thinks, feels, sees, hears, says, does
- **Jobs To Be Done**: "When [situation], I want [motivation], so that [outcome]"

### Product-Market Fit
How to measure:
1. **Sean Ellis Test**: Ask "How would you feel if you could no longer use [product]?" If >40% answer "very disappointed" = PMF
2. **Retention flattening**: Retention curve that stabilizes (doesn't go to zero)
3. **Organic growth**: Users arrive without paid marketing
4. **Pull from market**: Customers ask for features, rather than you pushing the product

Resources:
- Fundamentals of Product-Market Fit
- Superhuman's framework for PMF (classic article)

---

## Naming and Branding

### How to Name Your Startup
WSGR guide (Silicon Valley law firm):
1. Easy to pronounce and spell
2. .com domain available (or a reasonable variation)
3. Social media handles available (use Namechk)
4. No trademark conflict (search USPTO in the US, INPI in Brazil)
5. Suggests what it does, without being too generic

### Naming Tools
- Panabee (suggestions + domain check)
- NameMesh (combines words)
- Naminum (name generator)
- Namechk (social media availability)
- BrandBucket (premium names for sale)
- Squadhelp (crowdsourced names)

---

## KPIs and OKRs

### OKRs for Startups
- **Objective**: Qualitative, inspiring, ambitious
- **Key Results**: Quantitative, measurable, 3-5 per objective
- Cycle: Quarterly
- Review: Weekly (check-in), monthly (retrospective)

Example:
```
Objective: Achieve product-market fit in Q1
KR1: 100 weekly active users
KR2: D30 retention > 40%
KR3: NPS > 50
KR4: 3 recurring paying customers
```

Resource: Curated KPIs and OKRs List

---

## Hiring

### Hiring Principles for Startups
- "A players hire A players, B players hire C players"
- First 10 hires define the culture
- Hire for attitude, train for skill (for early hires)
- Stock options for retention (4-year vesting, 1-year cliff)
- Paid trials > interviews (when possible)

### Resources
- Founder Library About Hiring
- "Job Interviews Don't Work" (fs.blog)
- Breezy (simple ATS for startups)
- OysterHR (international remote hiring)


path: references/tools-and-stack.md
content: # Tools and Stack for Startups

Curated catalog of tools organized by category. For each startup phase, there are different recommendations.

## Table of Contents
1. [Website and Hosting](#website-and-hosting)
2. [Design and Prototyping](#design-and-prototyping)
3. [Backend and Automation](#backend-and-automation)
4. [Payments](#payments)
5. [Analytics and Data](#analytics-and-data)
6. [CRM and Support](#crm-and-support)
7. [Email and Newsletters](#email-and-newsletters)
8. [Documentation](#documentation)
9. [Team Management](#team-management)
10. [No-Code](#no-code)
11. [Monitoring](#monitoring)
12. [Visual Assets](#visual-assets)
13. [AI Tools](#ai-tools)
14. [Content and SEO](#content-and-seo)

---

## Website and Hosting

### Builders (fast MVP, no code)
| Tool | Best For | Price |
|------|----------|-------|
| Framer | Beautiful landing pages | Free-$20/mo |
| Webflow | Complex sites without code | $14-39/mo |
| Carrd | Simple landing page | $9-49/yr |
| Unicorn Platform | SaaS landing | $8/mo |
| Tilda | Visual sites | Free-$20/mo |

### Hosting and Infrastructure
| Tool | Best For | Price |
|------|----------|-------|
| Vercel | Next.js, frontend | Free-$20/mo |
| Railway | Backend + DB | Free-$5/mo |
| Supabase | BaaS (Firebase alternative) | Free-$25/mo |
| Digital Ocean | Affordable VPS | $4-48/mo |
| AWS | Enterprise scale | Pay-as-you-go |
| Google Cloud | ML/AI + scale | Pay-as-you-go |

### Domains
- GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains
- Use Namechk to check social media availability

### Lead Generation
- Proof, TrustPulse (social proof widgets)
- KickoffLabs (landing pages with referral)
- Memberstack (membership/paywall)

---

## Design and Prototyping

### Prototyping
| Tool | Recommendation |
|------|---------------|
| **Figma** | Industry standard. Use for everything |
| FigJam | Brainstorming and flows |
| Whimsical | Quick flowcharts and wireframes |
| Balsamiq | Low-fi wireframes |

### Logo and Branding
| Tool | Type |
|------|------|
| Looka | AI-powered logo |
| Brandcrowd | Logo marketplace |
| Hatchful (Shopify) | Free generator |

### Graphics and Visuals
| Tool | Type |
|------|------|
| Canva | Design for non-designers |
| RemoveBg | Remove image backgrounds |
| Screely | Browser mockups |
| Snappa | Social media graphics |

### Presentations
- Beautiful.ai (auto-designed decks)
- Slidecamp (professional templates)

### Design Inspiration
- Mobbin (mobile patterns)
- SaaS Pages (SaaS landing pages)
- SaaS Frame (SaaS screenshots)
- Page Flows (user flows)
- Dribbble (general design)

---

## Backend and Automation

### Backend-as-a-Service
| Tool | Highlight |
|------|-----------|
| **Supabase** | Postgres + Auth + Storage + Realtime. Open source |
| Firebase | Realtime DB + Auth. Google ecosystem |
| Airtable | Spreadsheet-as-database for MVPs |

### Automation
| Tool | Price | Highlight |
|------|-------|-----------|
| **N8N** | Self-hosted free | Open source, most flexible |
| Zapier | $20-50/mo | Most integrations, more expensive |
| Make | $9-16/mo | Visual, good price |
| IFTTT | Free-$5 | Simple, consumer |

---

## Payments

### Global
| Gateway | Fee | Highlight |
|---------|-----|-----------|
| **Stripe** | 2.9% + $0.30 | Global standard, best docs |
| PayPal | 2.9% + $0.30 | Consumer trust |
| Adyen | Variable | Enterprise |

### Brazil
| Gateway | Fee | Highlight |
|---------|-----|-----------|
| **Pagar.me** | 2.99-3.49% | Stone/Pagar.me, good for BR |
| Mercado Pago | 3.49-4.99% | Huge user base, native PIX |
| Stripe BR | 3.99% + R$0.39 | Now in BR, card + PIX |
| Dodo Payments | Variable | Startup-focused |

---

## Analytics and Data

### Product Analytics
| Tool | Price | Highlight |
|------|-------|-----------|
| **PostHog** | Free up to 1M events | Open source, session replay, feature flags |
| Mixpanel | Free up to 20M | Powerful funnel + retention |
| Amplitude | Free up to 10M | Product analytics standard |
| June | Free up to 1K MAU | Simple, B2B SaaS-focused |
| Google Analytics | Free | Basic but universal |

### Behavior Analytics
| Tool | Type |
|------|------|
| **Hotjar** | Heatmaps + session recordings. Free up to 35 sessions/day |
| Microsoft Clarity | Free heatmaps (unlimited) |
| Smartlook | Session replay + funnel |

### SaaS Metrics
| Tool | Type |
|------|------|
| ChartMogul | Automatic MRR, churn, LTV |
| Baremetrics | Revenue metrics for Stripe |

### Data Visualization
- Metabase (open source, self-hosted)
- Google Looker Studio (free)
- Tableau (enterprise)

---

## CRM and Support

| Tool | Best For | Price |
|------|----------|-------|
| HubSpot | Full CRM | Free-$45/mo |
| Intercom | In-app chat + support | $74/mo |
| Crisp | Chat + lightweight CRM | Free-$25/mo |
| Zendesk | Enterprise ticketing | $19-49/agent |
| Groove | Simple support | $12/user |

---

## Email and Newsletters

### Transactional Email
| Tool | Price |
|------|-------|
| Postmark | $10/10K emails |
| SendGrid | Free up to 100/day |
| Mailjet | Free up to 6K/mo |

### Marketing Email
| Tool | Price |
|------|-------|
| **Mailerlite** | Free up to 1K subs |
| ConvertKit | Free up to 1K subs |
| Mailchimp | Free up to 500 subs |
| Klaviyo | Free up to 250 subs |

### Newsletter Platforms
- Substack (revenue share)
- Buttondown (simple, dev-friendly)

### Email Inspiration
- Really Good Emails (examples)
- Email Copy from Great Companies

---

## Documentation

| Tool | Type |
|------|------|
| Notion | Internal docs + wiki |
| Gitbook | Public docs |
| Docusaurus | Docs for devs (open source) |
| Readme | API docs |
| Swagger | API spec |
| Scribe | Automatic how-to guides |

---

## Team Management

### Communication
- Slack (chat), Loom (async video), Calendly (scheduling)

### Project
| Tool | Style |
|------|-------|
| **Linear** | Modern, fast, dev-friendly |
| ClickUp | All-in-one |
| Notion | Flexible |
| Jira | Enterprise/legacy |
| Trello | Simple kanban |

### Hiring
- Breezy (simple ATS)
- OysterHR (international hiring)

---

## No-Code

| Tool | Type |
|------|------|
| Bubble | Full web apps |
| Retool | Internal tools |
| Super | Sites with Notion |
| Bravo Studio | Mobile apps |

---

## Monitoring

| Tool | Type |
|------|------|
| **Sentry** | Error tracking (generous free tier) |
| UptimeRobot | Uptime monitoring (free up to 50) |
| Datadog | Full APM (expensive) |
| Crashlytics | Mobile crash reporting (Firebase) |

---

## Visual Assets

### Free Photos
Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay, Burst (Shopify), StockSnap

### Icons
Flaticon, Icons8, TheNounProject, Lucide (open source)

### Illustrations
Undraw (free, customizable), Blush, Glaze

### Animations
LottieFiles, Rive

---

## AI Tools

| Tool | Use |
|------|-----|
| Claude/ChatGPT | Text, code, analysis |
| Copy.ai | Marketing copywriting |
| Jasper | Content at scale |
| Lumen5 | AI-powered video |
| Captions | Automatic subtitles |

---

## Content and SEO

### CMS
Strapi (open source), Contentful (headless), Prismic

### SEO
- Ahrefs (keyword research, backlinks)
- SpyFu (competitor analysis)
- Metatags.io (meta tag preview)

### Forms
- Formspree (simple, free tier)
- Typeform (great experience)

---

## Recommendation by Phase

### Pre-MVP (Validation)
- **Landing**: Carrd or Framer ($0-20)
- **Analytics**: Google Analytics + Hotjar free
- **Email**: Mailerlite free
- **Design**: Figma free + Canva free
- **Forms**: Google Forms or Formspree
- **Total**: $0-20/mo

### MVP (Build)
- **Stack**: Next.js + Supabase + Vercel ($0-25)
- **Analytics**: PostHog free
- **Payments**: Stripe or Pagar.me
- **Email**: Postmark ($10)
- **Project**: Linear free
- **Monitoring**: Sentry free + UptimeRobot free
- **Total**: $10-60/mo

### Growth (Scale)
- **Analytics**: PostHog/Mixpanel + ChartMogul
- **CRM**: HubSpot or Intercom
- **Automation**: N8N or Zapier
- **Email**: ConvertKit or Klaviyo
- **Total**: $100-500/mo

### Series A+ (Enterprise)
- Upgrade to paid tiers for everything
- Datadog, Amplitude, Zendesk enterprise
- **Total**: $1K-10K/mo


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