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The Design VC
Navigating the first few years of your startup through a design and product lens.
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Crafting the Perfect Pitch Deck (from a VCs Point of View)
Crafting the Perfect Pitch Deck (from a VCs Point of View)
As a newly minted Venture Partner I’ve seen a few hundred pitches and pitch decks the past 12 months. While this is nothing compared with…
Andy Budd
Aug 31, 2022
What Startup Founders Get Wrong When Raising Money (and How to Fix It)
What Startup Founders Get Wrong When Raising Money (and How to Fix It)
As a Venture Partner at a VC fund, I’ve reviewed hundreds of pitch decks in my time. In fact most funds will receive thousands of decks a…
Andy Budd
Dec 4, 2024
Why VCs Turn Founders Down (Note: It’s Not Always About the Idea)
Why VCs Turn Founders Down (Note: It’s Not Always About the Idea)
Let’s break down some of the most common reasons why VCs pass-and what you can do to improve your chances.
Andy Budd
Oct 20, 2024
How to Write Genuinely Helpful Investor Updates (That Don’t Suck)
How to Write Genuinely Helpful Investor Updates (That Don’t Suck)
For those unfamiliar with Investor Updates they’re simply an email (or sometimes a Notion page) that gets sent round to your investors…
Andy Budd
Jul 13, 2022
Why You Can’t Build Your Way Out of Slow Growth
Why You Can’t Build Your Way Out of Slow Growth
In my recent talk on The Growth Equation, I introduced Barry, an archetypal founder whose story might sound all too familiar. Barry is a…
Andy Budd
Dec 5, 2024
A Simple Framework for Startup Growth
A Simple Framework for Startup Growth
One of the most common — and deceptively simple — questions founders ask is: “How can I grow my business faster?” It feels like the kind…
Andy Budd
Nov 28, 2024
The 10 Practical Startup Books Every Growth-Obsessed Founder Should Read
The 10 Practical Startup Books Every Growth-Obsessed Founder Should Read
A quick search for “startup books” will give you classics like The Lean Startup, Crossing the Chasm, , No Rules Rules, Blitzscaling, and…
Andy Budd
Dec 5, 2024
LATEST
Why Hiring Ex-FAANG Employees Might Be a Mistake for Early-Stage Startups
Why Hiring Ex-FAANG Employees Might Be a Mistake for Early-Stage Startups
For many early-stage founders, hiring team members from FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) companies feels like a shortcut to…
Andy Budd
Jan 3
Schrödinger’s Rebrand: From Leather Seats to Starship Chic
Schrödinger’s Rebrand: From Leather Seats to Starship Chic
Jaguar’s recent rebrand feels like it exists in a quantum state — both a daring pivot and a colossal misstep, depending on who you ask…
Andy Budd
Dec 16, 2024
How Optimising for Value Delivery Unlocks Startup Growth
How Optimising for Value Delivery Unlocks Startup Growth
In my recent talk on The Growth Equation, I shared the story of Marta, a founder archetype whose journey reveals a common but often…
Andy Budd
Dec 12, 2024
How and Why I Chose to Self-Publish The Growth Equation | Andy Budd
How and Why I Chose to Self-Publish The Growth Equation | Andy Budd
Back in 2005, I wrote my first book — and learned the hard way why traditional publishing isn’t for everyone. The book, one of the first…
Andy Budd
Nov 15, 2024
Escalating Commitment to a Losing Strategy — Why Founders Refuse to Quit
Escalating Commitment to a Losing Strategy — Why Founders Refuse to Quit
As a startup founder, shutting down your business will be one of the hardest decisions you’ll ever have to make. However sometimes it’s…
Andy Budd
Apr 10, 2023
The 4 Elements of An Effective Brand
The 4 Elements of An Effective Brand
As a Seedcamp VP from a design and product background, I’m regularly asked for hiring advice. Especially from folks who have had an open…
Andy Budd
Aug 5, 2022
The Rise of the Multi-Player Web and Why Web 2.0 is Here to Stay
The Rise of the Multi-Player Web and Why Web 2.0 is Here to Stay
While investors seem to be going all in on Web3 at the moment, I’ve been noticing an interesting trend that has its roots firmly in the Web…
Andy Budd
May 10, 2022
How to Write a Job Ad that Doesn’t Suck!
How to Write a Job Ad that Doesn’t Suck!
As a Seedcamp VP from a design and product background, I’m regularly asked for hiring advice. Especially from folks who have had an open…
Andy Budd
Apr 11, 2022
Where to Find The Best Design Talent
Where to Find The Best Design Talent
The design recruitment market is really hot at the moment. Largely because founders and leadership teams are beginning to understand the…
Andy Budd
Apr 8, 2022
Why I’m Still on the Fence About Crypto | Andy Budd
Why I’m Still on the Fence About Crypto | Andy Budd
As somebody who has been lucky enough to not only experience a number of online trends—early Web adoption, The Web Standards Movement, the…
Andy Budd
Apr 7, 2022
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