😎 Techstars catches up with YC, Google unveils XR glasses, and Greg Isenberg shares 33 ideas to win in 2025

Why 70% of CEOs are sure about their strategy but only 10% of teams agree, how to launch a product in waves, and what to do if an investor asks for 30% at seed

Hello, entrepreneurs!

In today’s issue — how not to lose your strategy in the office chat, why a data room isn’t just a formality, and how to launch a product so people don’t forget about it after three days.

🧩 Duncan presents blocks.so — a library of components you can copy into your apps. Built on shadcn, beautifully designed, open source. If you haven’t copied someone else’s code yet, you’re not really a founder.
https://x.com/EphraimDuncan_/status/1909254871754105274

🧭 Eric Partaker shares stats: 70% of CEOs are confident in their strategy, but only 10% of teams agree. He offers the Wheel of Strategy — 20 simple questions for real clarity. If your team can’t answer them, it’s time to go back to the strategy table.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/eric-partaker-5560b92_70-of-ceos-say-their-strategy-is-clear-activity-7320053708891815936--RVk/

🧑‍💼 Ben Lang quotes Marc Andreessen’s criteria for hiring the best people. No details, but if you don’t know who Marc Andreessen is — time to Google him.
https://x.com/benln/status/1914379800376209806

💸 TechCrunch reports: Techstars increases startup funding to $220,000, almost like YC. $20K for 5% and $200K SAFE with no cap. More money means more equity. Now, choosing an accelerator is a matter of strategy, not just geography.
https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/18/techstars-increases-startup-funding-to-220000-mirroring-yc-structure/

🕶️ Shahram Izadi from Google unveils the Android XR platform: glasses that summarize books, translate languages, and find your keys. The future of “extended reality” looks like sci-fi, but it’s already working live on the TED stage.

📅 Emery.to — a daily planner for entrepreneurs. If you’re still planning in Excel, try something that doesn’t make you want to throw your laptop out the window.
https://emery.to/

🎡 Natia Kurdadze shares the client acquisition wheel for founders. If you still don’t have your own customer journey scheme — here’s a reminder that without it, you’re just hoping for a miracle.
https://x.com/natiakourdadze/status/1911447030456607022

🚀 Jimmy Kim breaks down a product launch into layers, like Netflix does with series. Don’t do a “one-shot launch,” build a wave: teaser, education, micro-launch, main launch, post-launch content. Launching isn’t the finish line, it’s the start of demand generation.
https://x.com/yojimmykim/status/1911087955386507664

📊 Peter Walker from Carta advises: if an investor asks for 30% at seed, show them the stats. Less than 10% of US seed rounds in the past six months sold 30% or more. The median is 20%. “It’s the market” is no longer an argument.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/peterjameswalker_startups-founders-fundraising-activity-7316521083795296260-gqPt/

💡 Greg Isenberg shares 33 ideas for winning in 2025. From “pricing is product” to “you can’t A/B test a movement.” My favorites — “build for the problem behind the problem” and “ship ugly, sell pretty.”
https://x.com/gregisenberg/status/1909224725022114243

As you can see, entrepreneurs, in 2025 the winners will be those who aren’t afraid to experiment with formats, don’t sell half the company at seed, and don’t forget about the real value — user attention. ❤️