Lydia Jett’s Post

Back in September 2019, we were deep into ideation mode. John and I had just applied to YC, and the project we were working on was annihilated as Uber & Lyft had just released the same product, but with the most solid distribution channel: their drivers. The key principle behind our ideation framework is to focus on the problem; the solution doesn’t matter (yet). What we wanted was to figure out where people were experiencing pain. So for us, it was always about asking ourselves the following questions: -- What actual problem are we solving? (e.g., how are companies sharing data with other companies) -- How do potential customers solve it right now? (ecosystem analysis) -- What is the impact of that problem? -- Who is impacted by this problem? (audience/persona) -- Can I easily reach those people and, if so, how? -- Is there any evidence they’re willing to pay for that? If so, how much? -- Who could give us more educated information on this problem and project? Then, we would give ourselves 2 days to talk to people around us, with only one goal: invalidate the idea. This approach helped us in two ways, first we would fight against any sort of confirmation bias, second is that it would force us to discover some of the unknown unknowns. We were lucky to know a lot of people around us who were super willing to spend time with us or to connect us. But the hidden goal behind that framework is that whenever we talked to someone, we learned something new: a new problem space, a new solution, a new pain. We created a virtuous cycle of ideation, and every single one of our encounters with people taught us something new to focus on. This is the framework we used from September until the end of December (and we reused it when we pivoted in 2020; more about that in a future post :) ). At that time, we had settled on a product to help companies share data with each other. In the end, we incorporated Daxtarity in January 2020 (Yes, we know… it’s a terrible name) and started at YC in January 2020. More about our YC experience next time! Check the link in the comments! #data #entrepreneur #airbyte

If you missed Crane Venture Partners Flight Summit this year, here's a little teaser that'll make you really really not want to miss it next year 😉 🚀 ✨ #startups #startup #gtm #gotomarket #founder #founders #founderstories #growth

🎉 Exciting News! This week marks a significant milestone for me, Torrey, David and the rest of the team as we officially launch Thoughtly! 🚀 It's been quite the journey from learning to code with Torrey to co-founding Thoughtly. About a year ago, I was learning how to code while finishing up my college degree. Then Torrey came to me with this proposition: "Hey, want to team up and build something awesome?" Things really started to take off when our third co-founder David came aboard after being impressed by a Thoughtly demo. Fast forward to today, and here we are, launching Thoughtly! It's been a rollercoaster of a year, juggling college and building Thoughtly from the ground up. But through the highs and lows, we've grown, learned, and built something we're incredibly proud of. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our first believers, like Pioneer and OAC, who saw the potential in us and pushed us to reach for the stars. And let's not forget the incredible support from our investors, advisors, and partners along the way. Today, Thoughtly is more than just an idea; it's a reality. We're on a mission to revolutionize the way businesses interact with callers by helping them deploy AI voice agents in minutes. Thanks to the support of our amazing team and everyone who's believed in us from day one, we've raised $3M to fuel our vision. I couldn't be more grateful for this incredible journey and everyone who's been a part of it. Here's to the next chapter of Thoughtly! 🚀💡 So excited to change the world with our amazing team! David Khaydatov Torrey Leonard Mary Correnti Eli Nathan Wayne Wang Mark H. S P #ThoughtlyLaunch #StartupLife #Innovation #AI

Today (October 31st) marks the 12 year anniversary for my "lightbulb moment". 💡 I want to dedicate my life into making capitalism a force for good! 💡 It was truly like in the cartoons. I knew immediately that this vision was going to dominate my life path. Do you have a vision or an inner motivation? Dedicating oneself to a clearly defined vision and intention is a powerful endeavour that will carve your way through life Here are some of the experiences that this dedication has led me to: - Building (and failing) three tech startups - Mobilizing impact driven strategic innovation processes for 50+ companies - Facilitating 100+ leaders through deep personal and professional transformation - Contributing in establishing three impact investment funds - Facilitating 75+ group therapy circles - Arranging 9 non profit festivals and conferences -And most importantly - I have met you, and thousands of passionate and dedicated people on the way I want to thank everyone who has been part of my journey so far, for giving me chances, providing trust, opportunites and collaboration - making valuable mistakes (and some successes) together along the road to grow and learn from. I particularly I want to thank one person. Myself - for daring to dream bold and dedicating myself deeply to a grander vision. I am very grateful for these 12 years - and now I am entering a new cycle. A lot has been done towards the vision - there is still work left. To be completely honest, right now - I am feeling very tired. Working with big hairy goals and trying to make impact for humanity can be exhausting. I have actually recently come to understand that I am close to burning out. So right now I am going home to spend time with my beautiful partner and two young girls - my #1 proudest contribution. The coming generations that will hopefully benefit from the effort that we are all putting in to make a positive difference - in different ways. This picture is from a impact startup competition where I had just pitched (me and my team lost) about 11 years ago. Cheers to everyone who are dedicating yourself to a grander vision - Keep up the spirit! Trust the process.

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎: 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬. In a year shadowed by the global pandemic, Pudu Robotics faced unprecedented challenges alongside the world. Yet amidst the uncertainty, we've also seen remarkable growth and resilience. In 2020, we secured Series B and B+ round funding from industry giants Meituan and Sequoia Capital, propelling our mission forward as we surpassed the milestone of 10,000 units shipped. Our journey was not just about numbers, but about partnerships that flourished even in tough times. Take for instance our friends at VD in Korea, who started as a small venture with just a handful of people. Today, they've grown to a robust team of nearly a hundred, scaling in tandem with us. Their progress mirrors our shared commitment to innovation and excellence. As we reflect on this year, we're reminded that it's through adversity that we often find our greatest strengths. Here's to turning challenges into opportunities and continuing to build a future where technology serves humanity in its time of need. #PuduRobotics #Resilience #Growth #PartnershipSuccess #PuduJourney #Partnership #Innovation

In the realm of business and strategy, the significance of a well-conceived vision cannot be overstated. However, it is essential to recognise that a vision, no matter how inspiring or grand, can remain unrealised without the capability to translate it into action. Agree or disagree? Let us know your thoughts! Here's bringing to you #QuoteoftheWeek, a series through which we'll highlight thoughts and statements from leaders and industry veterans from the startup ecosystem. This week, we share insights from Steve Case, Co-founder, AOL. #QOTW #Quote #16yearsofIAN #quoteoftheweek

Are Tech IPOs making a comeback?! Tempus AI just launched their IPO backed by SoftBank Group Corp. at a $6.1 billion dollar valuation! 🤑 Is this a good sign for the #techindustry at large? 🤔 As we all know from being on LinkedIn, this past year has seen a lot of restructurings and reductions in headcounts across a variety industries but mainly tech has taken some of the biggest hits! My prediction 💡💡 Starting now as Q2 winds down and Q3 ramps up I see a lot of #Tech companies amping up their #GTM teams to reach new markets, engage/upsell current markets and dig deeper into customer pains to drive pipeline & revenue! If you're a #AE #BDR or #SDR or even a #VPofSales looking for your next role I see a bright future ahead for all of us! Excited to see the swing of change in the marketplace and #tech to have the comeback it so rightly deserves! ⚡ 🥊 😁 #IPOs #stockmarkets #techipo #techsales #GTMstrategy

As you grow older. May you grow bolder. Closer to the end you are. Higher you should set the bar. Don't wait to create. Accelerate. This is the #Slykgeist and the way of the #Slykigai. Start your journey up a new mountain here: https://slyk.io/slykigai

#demoday! 🌟 The progress and innovation showcased by all the cohort teams have been nothing short of inspirational. AI First companies are all prime to redefine industries.A heartfelt thank you to the mentors, c10 team, partners, and everyone involved for creating magic. This is indeed just the beginning, and I'm excited to see where this journey takes us all. Here's to many more successes and milestones ahead! 🚀 #innovation #ai #startupjourney

🚀💥 The ‘Launch’ Saga of Our Latest Release, eyva 1.2 ! 💥🚀 Last week, we pressed the big red button (it's actually blue and plastic, but who's checking), and set our latest product into the wild, wild web. It went a little something like this... 👩💻 The Build-Up: Everyone was caffeinated and ready. The dev team had stocked up on enough energy drinks to fuel a rocket ship. 🔥 The Launch: We hit 'go live,' and our servers lit up like a Christmas tree — festive but frightening. 🐌 The Snag: Then, as all heroic tales go, we hit a snag. Picture this: Some bugs gears grinding like grandpa's old tractor. 🤯 The Recovery: But fear not! Our dev leaped into action, fingers flying over keyboards like a pianist playing Beethoven’s 5th. 🎢 The Rollercoaster: It's been a week of ups, downs, and loop-the-loops. Absolutely, it paid off. The wave of initial feedback has been astonishingly positive, and there's an electric buzz of pride and fulfillment resonating through our entire team. There’s nothing quite like the rewarding sensation of giving back and seeing our collective effort bring such impactful results. #haircare, #cosmetics, #regulatory, #cosmeticscience #cosmeticsindustry #skincare #beautytrends #cosmeticchemist, #cosmeticscience #beautyindustrynews #startup #saas #insights #data