Last Received
dingodavesubstack
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 01:55
pick
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 22:24
vanchina2
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 17:55
support
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 17:42
codenewsletter
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 16:06
fjart
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 15:32
eatingwell
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 15:13
geeksoutfit
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 15:00
drop
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:52
thedeepview
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:35
Newest Addresses
thedeepview
Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:28
serviice
Fri, 27 Feb 2026 17:50
geeksoutfit
Fri, 20 Feb 2026 19:19
enron
Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:25
eatingwell
Sun, 01 Feb 2026 18:13
snopes
Tue, 27 Jan 2026 14:05
stechnique
Mon, 26 Jan 2026 17:35
techniquee
Fri, 23 Jan 2026 20:58
n004123050
Wed, 07 Jan 2026 16:19
balmar
Wed, 07 Jan 2026 15:02
Last Read
ztr
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 02:14
jonbobby
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 02:14
da2e3305
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 02:13
gp6dd
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 02:13
y
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 02:13
nbobby
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 02:13
insjdsgdgsdeesdsdsdsdsd
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 02:13
l
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 02:13
3a3c
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 02:13
a0e3a3c
Sun, 08 Mar 2026 02:13
Most Received
ail
129480
gp6
110822
jonbobby
85072
gp6dd
84471
bobby
64066
mydailymoment
61015
cb322c5
57039
vanchina2
56249
liamont
53714
funnyordie
52238
Available Messages
The following is a list of recent messages for ztr. Select one to see the content. Messages are removed frequently. Check early. Check often.
Subject
Received
Listen: Snowflake’s former CRO on scaling from $0 to $3 .5B (and surviving 4 CEOs)
Sun, 01 Mar 2026 15:13:27 GMT
Do you really need a forward deployed engineer?
Tue, 24 Feb 2026 16:57:21 GMT
Listen: Most CROs are salespeople. Vanta’s CRO says tha t's changing
Sun, 22 Feb 2026 16:10:14 GMT
Listen: Why Rippling’s VP of Design thinks speed improv es quality
Sun, 15 Feb 2026 16:04:14 GMT
A new podcast from First Round: How the top 0.001% of scaleup execs operate
Thu, 05 Feb 2026 18:42:24 GMT
Mastering the skill of company-building, from Applied Intuition ’s founder
Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:45:52 GMT
What cold-calling from a closet taught Gusto’s founder about PMF
Tue, 20 Jan 2026 17:22:00 GMT
The unconventional growth levers that made Canva a $42B company
Tue, 13 Jan 2026 16:59:32 GMT
The best company building advice we heard in 2025
Tue, 06 Jan 2026 16:58:00 GMT
The most honest lessons about the path to product-market fit
Fri, 19 Dec 2025 17:34:48 GMT
Selected Message
From: review@...
To: [email protected]
Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2026 16:58:00 GMT
Subject: The best company building advice we heard in 2025
To: [email protected]
Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2026 16:58:00 GMT
Subject: The best company building advice we heard in 2025
- HTML Content
- HTML Source
- Plain Text
HTML Content
HTML Source
<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<!--[if mso]><xml><o:OfficeDocumentSettings><o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch><o:AllowPNG/></o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]-->
<title>The best company building advice we heard in 2025</title>
<style>
.post-title-link {
display: block;
margin-top: 32px;
color: #15212A;
text-align: center;
line-height: 1.1em;
}
.post-title-link-left {
text-align: left;
}
.view-online-link {
word-wrap: none;
white-space: nowrap;
color: #73818c;
text-decoration: underline !important;
}
.kg-nft-link {
display: block;
text-decoration: none !important;
color: #15212A !important;
font-family: inherit !important;
font-size: 14px;
line-height: 1.3em;
padding-top: 4px;
padding-right: 20px;
padding-left: 20px;
padding-bottom: 4px;
}
.kg-twitter-link {
display: block;
text-decoration: none !important;
color: #15212A !important;
font-family: inherit !important;
font-size: 15px;
padding: 8px;
line-height: 1.3em;
}
.kg-cta-link-accent .kg-cta-sponsor-label a {
color: #62DCAD !important;
}
.kg-cta-link-accent .kg-cta-text a {
color: #62DCAD !important;
}
.kg-audio-link {
color: #73818c !important;
}
@media only screen and (max-width: 620px) {
table.body {
width: 100%;
min-width: 100%;
}
.hide-mobile {
display: none;
}
.mobile-only {
display: initial !important;
}
.hide-desktop {
display: initial !important;
}
.desktop-only {
display: none !important;
}
table.body p,
table.body ul,
table.body ol,
table.body td {
font-size: 16px;
}
table.body .post-excerpt {
font-size: 16px !important;
}
table.body .kg-callout-card {
padding: 16px 24px !important;
}
table.body .kg-callout-text {
font-size: 16px !important;
line-height: 1.5em !important;
}
table.body pre {
white-space: pre-wrap !important;
word-break: break-word !important;
}
table.body .content {
padding: 0 !important;
}
table.body .container {
padding: 0 !important;
width: 100% !important;
}
table.body .main {
border-spacing: 10px 0 !important;
border-left-width: 0 !important;
border-radius: 0 !important;
border-right-width: 0 !important;
}
table.body .btn table {
width: 100% !important;
}
table.body .btn a {
width: 100% !important;
}
table.body .img-responsive {
height: auto !important;
max-width: 100% !important;
width: auto !important;
}
table.body .site-icon {
padding-top: 0 !important;
}
table.body .site-info {
padding-top: 24px !important;
}
table.body .post-title-link {
margin-top: 24px !important;
}
table.body .post-meta-wrapper {
padding-bottom: 24px !important;
}
table.body .site-icon img {
width: 36px !important;
height: 36px !important;
}
table.body .site-url a {
font-size: 13px !important;
padding-bottom: 16px !important;
}
table.body .post-meta,
table.body .post-meta-date {
white-space: normal !important;
font-size: 13px !important;
line-height: 1.2em;
}
table.body .post-meta,
table.body .view-online {
width: 100% !important;
}
table.body .post-meta-left,
table.body .post-meta-left.view-online {
width: 100% !important;
text-align: left !important;
}
table.body .post-meta.view-online-mobile {
display: table-row !important;
}
table.body .post-meta-left.view-online-mobile,
table.body .post-meta-left.view-online-mobile .view-online {
text-align: left !important;
}
table.body .post-meta.view-online.desktop {
display: none !important;
}
table.body .view-online {
text-decoration: underline;
}
table.body .footer p,
table.body .footer p span {
font-size: 13px !important;
}
table.body .view-online-link,
table.body .footer,
table.body .footer a {
font-size: 13px !important;
}
table.body .post-title a {
font-size: 26px !important;
line-height: 1.1em !important;
}
table.feedback-buttons {
display: table !important;
width: 100% !important;
max-width: 390px;
}
table.feedback-buttons img {
display: inherit !important;
}
table.body .feedback-button-text {
display: none!important;
}
table.body .latest-posts-header {
font-size: 12px !important;
}
table.body .latest-post-title {
padding-right: 8px !important;
}
table.body .latest-post h4,
table.body .latest-post h4 span {
padding: 4px 0 6px !important;
font-size: 15px !important;
}
table.body .latest-post-excerpt,
table.body .latest-post-excerpt a,
table.body .latest-post-excerpt span {
font-size: 13px !important;
line-height: 1.2 !important;
}
table.body .subscription-box h3 {
font-size: 14px !important;
}
table.body .subscription-box p,
table.body .subscription-box p span {
font-size: 13px !important;
}
table.body .subscription-details,
table.body .manage-subscription {
display: inline-block;
width: 100%;
text-align: left !important;
font-size: 13px !important;
}
table.body .subscription-details {
padding-bottom: 12px;
}
table.body .kg-bookmark-card {
width: 90vw;
}
table.body .kg-bookmark-thumbnail {
display: none !important;
}
table.body .kg-bookmark-metadata span {
font-size: 13px !important;
}
table.body .kg-embed-card {
max-width: 90vw !important;
}
table.body h1 {
font-size: 32px !important;
line-height: 1.3em !important;
}
table.body h2,
table.body h2 span {
font-size: 26px !important;
line-height: 1.22em !important;
}
table.body h3 {
font-size: 21px !important;
line-height: 1.25em !important;
}
table.body h4 {
font-size: 19px !important;
line-height: 1.3em !important;
}
table.body h5 {
font-size: 16px !important;
line-height: 1.4em !important;
}
table.body h6 {
font-size: 16px !important;
line-height: 1.4em !important;
}
table.body blockquote {
font-size: 16px !important;
line-height: 1.6em;
margin-bottom: 0;
}
table.body blockquote p {
margin-right: 15px !important;
margin-left: 15px !important;
}
table.body blockquote.kg-blockquote-alt {
border-left: 0 none !important;
margin: 0 !important;
font-size: 18px !important;
line-height: 1.4em !important;
}
table.body blockquote.kg-blockquote-alt p {
margin-right: 20px !important;
margin-left: 20px !important;
}
table.body hr {
margin: 2em 0 !important;
}
table.body .kg-header-card.kg-v2 span {
font-size: inherit !important;
}
table.body .kg-header-card.kg-v2 .kg-header-card-content {
padding-top: 64px !important;
padding-bottom: 64px !important;
}
table.body .kg-header-card.kg-v2 .kg-header-card-image + .kg-header-card-content {
padding-top: 52px !important;
padding-bottom: 52px !important;
}
table.body .kg-header-card.kg-v2 .kg-header-card-heading {
font-size: 2.2em !important;
line-height: 1.1 !important;
}
table.body .kg-header-card.kg-v2 .kg-header-card-subheading {
line-height: 1.3em !important;
}
.feature-image-caption {
font-size: 13px!important;
}
.kg-card-figcaption {
font-size: 13px!important;
}
.kg-card-figcaption p,
.kg-card-figcaption p span {
font-size: 13px!important;
}
table.body .kg-cta-card {
padding: 0 20px;
}
table.body .kg-cta-card.kg-cta-bg-none {
padding: 0;
}
table.body .kg-cta-sponsor-label {
padding: 10px 0;
}
table.body table.kg-cta-content-wrapper {
padding: 20px 0;
}
table.body .kg-cta-immersive.kg-cta-has-img:not(.kg-cta-bg-none):not(.kg-cta-no-label) table.kg-cta-content-wrapper {
padding-top: 0;
}
table.body .kg-cta-minimal .kg-cta-image-container {
padding-right: 20px;
}
table.body .kg-cta-immersive .kg-cta-image-container {
padding-bottom: 20px;
}
table.body .kg-cta-immersive.kg-cta-no-text .kg-cta-image-container {
padding-bottom: 0;
}
table.body .kg-cta-button-container {
padding-top: 16px;
}
table.body .kg-cta-minimal .kg-cta-image-container {
display: inline-block !important;
width: 100% !important;
padding: 0 !important;
padding-bottom: 16px !important;
padding-right: 0 !important;
}
table.body .kg-cta-minimal .kg-cta-content-inner {
display: inline-block !important;
width: 100% !important;
padding: 0 !important;
}
table.body .kg-cta-minimal img.kg-cta-image {
width: 52px !important;
height: 52px !important;
}
table.body .kg-cta-minimal a.kg-cta-button {
display: inline-block !important;
}
table.body .kg-cta-minimal table.kg-cta-button-wrapper td {
padding: 4px 16px 5px;
}
table.body .kg-cta-immersive .kg-cta-button-wrapper {
padding: 6px 18px 7px;
}
}
@media all {
.subscription-details p.hidden {
display: none !important;
}
.ExternalClass {
width: 100%;
}
.ExternalClass,
.ExternalClass p,
.ExternalClass span,
.ExternalClass font,
.ExternalClass td,
.ExternalClass div {
line-height: 100%;
}
.apple-link a {
color: inherit !important;
font-family: inherit !important;
font-size: inherit !important;
font-weight: inherit !important;
line-height: inherit !important;
text-decoration: none !important;
}
#MessageViewBody a {
color: inherit;
text-decoration: none;
font-size: inherit;
font-family: inherit;
font-weight: inherit;
line-height: inherit;
}
.btn-primary table td:hover {
background-color: #34495e !important;
}
.btn-primary a:hover {
background-color: #34495e !important;
border-color: #34495e !important;
}
}
</style>
</head>
<body style="background-color: #fff; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0; padding: 0; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #15212A;">
<span class="preheader" style="color: transparent; display: none; height: 0; max-height: 0; max-width: 0; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; mso-hide: all; visibility: hidden; width: 0;">The 13th edition of our annual roundup is here</span>
<table role="presentation" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="body" width="100%" style="border-collapse: separate; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; background-color: #fff; width: 100%;" bgcolor="#fff">
<!-- Outlook doesn't respect max-width so we need an extra centered table -->
<!--[if mso]>
<tr>
<td>
<center>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600">
<![endif]-->
<tr>
<td style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: top; color: #15212A;" valign="top"> </td>
<td class="container" style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: top; color: #15212A; display: block; max-width: 600px; margin: 0 auto;" valign="top">
<div class="content" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; margin: 0 auto; max-width: 600px;">
<!-- START CENTERED WHITE CONTAINER -->
<table role="presentation" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="main" width="100%" style="border-collapse: separate; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; background: #ffffff; border-radius: 3px; border-spacing: 20px 0; width: 100%;">
<!-- START MAIN CONTENT AREA -->
<tr>
<td class="wrapper" style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: top; color: #15212A; box-sizing: border-box;" valign="top">
<table role="presentation" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse: separate; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; width: 100%;">
<tr class="post-content-row">
<td class="post-content-sans-serif" style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: top; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.5em; color: #15212A; padding-bottom: 20px; border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e7eb; padding-top: 32px; max-width: 600px;" valign="top">
<!-- POST CONTENT START -->
<p style="margin: 0 0 1.5em 0; line-height: 1.6em;"><em>Sharing our favorite snippets of startup advice we published last year.</em></p><h2 id="the-30-best-pieces-of-company-building-advice-we-heard-in-2025" style="margin-top: 0; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.11em; font-weight: 700; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; margin: 1.5em 0 0.5em 0; font-size: 32px;"><a href="https://email2.firstround.com/c/eJxUj8FqBCEQRL9Gb7O03U6rBw-BMP-htmYlMzthxt1Avj7skkuoUxUFjycxZ8NW12gcO2f8HFDXLfV16hI5zEIiksgTMQAYTNXPTV-jbUXAtkwpORNsK5wyzACQJZgETfeIgAwG2PDMGC4-hcoYCmEGNpKUhdaPcxz7_SaXsm96jdcxvk5FbwoXhctRH71-X_6_nrvChVxqzyhaNkXvlBt4LDCJKTzZZv0UkNrUinPBBBIHsz7izziUhbWnbb-9kCPm-_o5vYz1iB_X_Rx_7RHxNwAA___PiVUw" rel="noreferrer" style="overflow-wrap: anywhere; color: #62DCAD; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">The 30 Best Pieces of Company Building Advice We Heard in 2025</a></h2><div class="kg-card kg-image-card" style="margin: 0 0 1.5em; padding: 0;"><a href="https://email2.firstround.com/c/eJxUj8FqLCEQRb9Gdz1UlVrqwsWDR_-HWpqRdE-HHmcC-fqQIZss7-XA4UgqBdnqltCz9xhcJN32PLZlSOLoxIhINsEYBgCk3ILr-pqKlRhDsYVrZHQZKdcccuiUXSsieiQCYkBgZMcULyHHxhSroQKMkpWFPs77PI_HTS712PWWrnN-3JX5p2hVtJ7tOdrn5S_18ytasbdSOlll1l2Z_6Z0CFRhEay82G7DEsn0pVfvI0YjHpw-09c8lYVt5P24vZQzlcf2vryK9Uxv1-M-f9cz0XcAAAD___LPVUk" style="overflow-wrap: anywhere; color: #62DCAD; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><img src="https://review.firstround.com/content/images/size/w1600/2026/01/book-cover-hero-1.png" class="kg-image" alt loading="lazy" width="600" height="338" style="border: none; -ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic; max-width: 100%; display: block; margin: 0 auto; height: auto; width: auto;"></a></div><p style="margin: 0 0 1.5em 0; line-height: 1.6em;">Happy 2026!</p><p style="margin: 0 0 1.5em 0; line-height: 1.6em;">We’re kicking off the new year with a tradition we’ve upheld ever since The Review was born in 2013. Every January, we comb through all the articles we published over the past 12 months to pull out 30 pieces of standout advice.</p><p style="margin: 0 0 1.5em 0; line-height: 1.6em;">We spoke with some incredible founders and builders in 2025, filling out an archive that covered topics from launching out of stealth to user onboarding to landing your first design partners.</p><p style="margin: 0 0 1.5em 0; line-height: 1.6em;">As we assembled this guide, the snippets that stood out to us were the seemingly small tactics and against-the-grain approaches that led to outsized impact. They came from folks who weren’t afraid to take risks long before their strategies became consensus, or before their companies became household names.</p><p style="margin: 0 0 1.5em 0; line-height: 1.6em;">Here’s a taste of the advice that made the list:</p><ul style="margin: 0 0 1.5em 0; line-height: 1.6em; padding-left: 1.3em; padding-right: 1.5em; list-style: disc; max-width: 100%;"><li style="margin: 0.5em 0; padding-left: 0.3em; line-height: 1.6em;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;">Run a reverse demo.</strong> <strong style="font-weight: 700;">Clay</strong> co-founder <strong style="font-weight: 700;">Varun Anand</strong> architected the company’s breakout revenue growth. Just one of Anand’s clever GTM tactics: flipping the classic demo on its head by asking the customer to share <em>their</em> screen and give Clay a test drive, with his guidance.</li><li style="margin: 0.5em 0; padding-left: 0.3em; line-height: 1.6em;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;">“Meme-ify” your idea to build momentum inside your company.</strong> <strong style="font-weight: 700;">Mihika Kapoor</strong> rallied folks from across <strong style="font-weight: 700;">Figma</strong> to join her in getting a new bet off the ground: Figma Slides. To do so, she turned the product idea into a meme, even creating a custom Slack emoji. “It may feel random, but a big part of what made Figma Slides go internally viral was the fact that we called it ‘Flides.’ It was ultimately this meme that people were able to take and run with. That’s because being kooky humanizes your idea,” she says.</li><li style="margin: 0.5em 0; padding-left: 0.3em; line-height: 1.6em;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;">In the age of AI, hire more entry-level people, not fewer.</strong> We sat down with <strong style="font-weight: 700;">Shopify</strong>’s VP and Head of Engineering, <strong style="font-weight: 700;">Farhan Thawar</strong>, to find out how he’s brought CEO Tobi Lütke’s famous AI memo to life in his org. Bucking the trend to slash entry-level roles, Shopify has made hiring young people a key part of its AI strategy: the company brought on 1,000 interns last year. Thawar says young people are AI centaurs — they use AI in reflexive, creative ways.</li></ul><p style="margin: 0 0 1.5em 0; line-height: 1.6em;">We hope you’ll find something in here you can put to use to build an incredible company, whether that’s today or 10 years from now.</p><p style="margin: 0 0 1.5em 0; line-height: 1.6em;">Thanks, as always, for reading and sharing!<br><br><em>-The Review Editors</em></p><p style="margin: 0 0 1.5em 0; line-height: 1.6em;"></p><div class="btn btn-accent" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 100%; display: table;"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" style="border-collapse: separate; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; width: auto;" width="auto"><tr><td align="center" style="font-size: 18px; vertical-align: top; color: #15212A; border-radius: 5px; text-align: center; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: #2CC58A;" valign="top" bgcolor="#2CC58A"><a href="https://email2.firstround.com/c/eJxUj8FqLCEQRb9Gdz2UVVrqwsWDR_-HWpqRdE-HHmcC-fqQIZss7-XA4UgqxbDVLRnP3pvgIuq257EtQxJHJyQimQIRA4DB3ILr-posNRQwko33RRoW18EW7qZJFSuiR0JABgNs2DHGS8ixMcZKWICNZGWhj_M-z-Nxk0s9dr2l65wfd0X_FK4K17M9R_u8_KV-foVrcL7n6quidVf0n0qHgBUWMZUX221YIlJfevU-mkjiwekzfc1TWdhG3o_bSzlTeWzvy6tYz_R2Pe7zdz0TfgcAAP___FtVRA" style="overflow-wrap: anywhere; border: solid 1px #3498db; border-radius: 5px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 12px 25px; text-decoration: none; background-color: #2CC58A; border-color: #2CC58A; color: #FFFFFF;" target="_blank">Take me to The Review</a></td></tr></table></div><p style="margin: 0 0 1.5em 0; line-height: 1.6em;"></p>
<!-- POST CONTENT END -->
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
<!-- END MAIN CONTENT AREA -->
<tr>
<td dir="ltr" width="100%" style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: top; color: #15212A; background-color: #ffffff; text-align: center; padding: 32px 0 24px; border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e7eb;" align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" valign="top">
<table class="feedback-buttons" role="presentation" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: separate; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; margin: auto; width: 100%;" width="100%">
<tr>
<td dir="ltr" valign="top" align="center" style="font-size: 18px; color: #15212A; display: inline-block; vertical-align: top; font-family: inherit; text-align: center; padding: 0 4px 4px; cursor: pointer; width: 30%;" width="30%">
<a href="https://email2.firstround.com/c/eJxUkc1q7DoQhJ9G3mmQuvXXCy0uBL-HpG7FYjx28NgTcp_-cIazybLgo6Dq41yrDW6SbGOI0SZPMMmjjFUPzoE8IzMXTIjBGGOhSPJ9WnLjbqKxgil2HwUaG48pkHMVyQWYRgYDwVgTbPAB6JYKSQBqCNUEy0U508fxPI_92vjW9se05uU8v54K_1MwK5gPeQ35vv2mFMznIrrK89Rtf3yV7UfXa6w8tk9d-DWa6G_Ri5SD9dg0GPDvOlQwdxGupd0VzIF8ZUvx1zbkqGC2f3mcr2uwwg-s3SRoRrNtQbvukibArnuLkSwhR-MVhLv8KPxgsEE6QcFWLPpSWvfegSEhRxwRUhBLAVKEEg0TdqrFMsVYWq9YpiP_fx7KmXWUx769bzlzvda7fluZzvy57M_zX3pl-BMAAP__TtuEKA" target="_blank" style="color: #62DCAD; text-decoration: none; overflow-wrap: anywhere;">
<img src="https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/more-like-this-mobile.png" border="0" width="42" height="42" alt="More like this" style="border: none; -ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic; max-width: 100%; display: block; margin: 0 auto; vertical-align: middle;">
<p class="feedback-button-text" style="display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: #15212A; font-weight: 500; margin: 1em 0 0 0; line-height: 1.4em; word-break: break-word; font-size: 13px;">More like this</p>
</a>
</td> <td dir="ltr" valign="top" align="center" style="font-size: 18px; color: #15212A; display: inline-block; vertical-align: top; font-family: inherit; text-align: center; padding: 0 4px 4px; cursor: pointer; width: 30%;" width="30%">
<a href="https://email2.firstround.com/c/eJxUkc1q7DoQhJ9G3mlodVs_vdDiQvB7SGopFuOxg0eekPv0hzOcTZYFHwVVn8ScjZunGo133ptgGaf6SH3TXaJjKyQiiQKRAwCDqQbbpjXm0hhymWdsEAQCeikIhOhLg5b91CMCOjDgjLMO-RYSV4dcCDM4I0nN0Pr5HOdx7XIrx2Pa4jrG11PRfwoXhctZX71-335TCpexVp3rc-hyPL7S_qPz1Tfp-6dO8uql6u-q15pO0X3XCGjfdaRwabVKTuWucHFssxj2v7aReIUL_OVpua4uij4oNwhYQIspTs9tDpqRmm7FezZM4sEqdPf6o-hD0LjaGBOVZMimVJq1MwJXnlk8YXDVsMPgMXkQpsY5GWHvU2mZ0nTG_8epZth6ehz7-5YR87Xd9dvKNOLnejzHv_SK-CcAAP__QLSEzw" target="_blank" style="color: #62DCAD; text-decoration: none; overflow-wrap: anywhere;">
<img src="https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/less-like-this-mobile.png" border="0" width="42" height="42" alt="Less like this" style="border: none; -ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic; max-width: 100%; display: block; margin: 0 auto; vertical-align: middle;">
<p class="feedback-button-text" style="display: inline-block; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: #15212A; font-weight: 500; margin: 1em 0 0 0; line-height: 1.4em; word-break: break-word; font-size: 13px;">Less like this</p>
</a>
</td> </tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="wrapper" align="center" style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: top; color: #15212A; box-sizing: border-box;" valign="top">
<table role="presentation" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse: separate; mso-table-lspace: 0pt; mso-table-rspace: 0pt; width: 100%; padding-top: 40px; padding-bottom: 30px;">
<tr><td class="footer" style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: top; color: #73818c; margin-top: 20px; text-align: center; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-top: 10px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 30px; line-height: 1.5em; font-size: 13px;" valign="top" align="center"><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0 0 1.5em 0; line-height: 1.6em;"><span> Made with ✨ by </span><a href="https://email2.firstround.com/c/eJxUj8FqLCEQRb9Gdz2UVVrqwsWDR_-HWpqRdE-HHmcC-fqQIZss7-XA4UgqxbDVLRnP3pvgIuq257EtQxJHJyQimQIRA4DB3ILr-prAuYbFdA-YoxUnvbdMuYZajWUqeiQEZDDAhh1jvIQcG2OshAXYSFYW-jjv8zweN7nUY9dbus75cVf0T-GqcD3bc7TPy1_q51e4ehsqR-MVrbui_1Q6BKywiKm82G7DEpH60qv30UQSD06f6WueysI28n7cXsqZymN7X17Feqa363Gfv-uZ8DsAAP__gABUXg" target="_blank" style="overflow-wrap: anywhere; color: #73818c; text-decoration: underline; font-size: 13px;"><span>First Round Capital</span></a><span>.</span></p></td></tr>
<tr>
<td class="footer" style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: top; color: #73818c; margin-top: 20px; text-align: center; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-top: 10px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 30px; line-height: 1.5em; font-size: 13px;" valign="top" align="center">First Round © 2026 – <a href="https://email2.firstround.com/c/eJxU0D2O2zAQxfHTUB0Nzgw55BQsAhi-x_ArFla2A4naRXL6IEaaLR_wa96_5VKA_dIzRI4RUhBc-kPXza4ts4RGrTWlRMTOOUDtKYzlngOW1FUgoYyhQ6lD1YCigZrUmJY1o0N24Bg4MMolqXRGqYTFMTQ13o11P-b-Op_tUl-PZcv3OX8dhn4YvBm87f1z7V-X78rg7XweZznqvpb-D9LtPNdm6EpluITV2QaVrR8-WUEadtQYBYRadMEgf_Tfhq4NgfsQVKoKFFTrCMGjky5eWiRM3EEYU0SNrgkNKQpNYtQ6CqlBfvavY-tz9t3Q1VUfyDHaAKlaz0mshlQsjdhxoEeAuuz5z9yNd9uqj9fzfXrmcm4f9t18mfnn_XXM_-sz498AAAD__2sqeg4" style="overflow-wrap: anywhere; color: #73818c; text-decoration: underline; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">Unsubscribe</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<!-- END CENTERED WHITE CONTAINER -->
</div>
</td>
<td style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: top; color: #15212A;" valign="top"> </td>
</tr>
<!--[if mso]>
</table>
</center>
</td>
</tr>
<![endif]-->
</table>
<img width="1" height="1" alt="" src="https://email2.firstround.com/o/eJwszkFuAyEMQNHThF0i24DBCx_GE0ODOpORCOmip68Udfn_6rluG3IKTbFwKVizUGiHjf06XFmyR3e3WGNkAECyVnMPD60mVHutSTpHiY2KpcylJxbE1iUMJSAGBEbOTHKrJo1J7pE2YHS7JOhjvtY830-_3c8jTP1d85JgH3acz89aur337-tHFJZ-Pc7X-q8fpb8AAAD__1coN6Q"></body>
</html>
Plain Text
Sharing our favorite snippets of startup advice we published last year.
The 30 Best Pieces of Company Building Advice We Heard in 2025 [https://email2.firstround.com/c/eJxUj8FqBCEQRL9Gb7O03U6rBw-BMP-htmYlMzthxt1Avj7skkuoUxUFjycxZ8NW12gcO2f8HFDXLfV16hI5zEIiksgTMQAYTNXPTV-jbUXAtkwpORNsK5wyzACQJZgETfeIgAwG2PDMGC4-hcoYCmEGNpKUhdaPcxz7_SaXsm96jdcxvk5FbwoXhctRH71-X_6_nrvChVxqzyhaNkXvlBt4LDCJKTzZZv0UkNrUinPBBBIHsz7izziUhbWnbb-9kCPm-_o5vYz1iB_X_Rx_7RHxNwAA___PiVUw]
Happy 2026!
We’re kicking off the new year with a tradition we’ve upheld ever since The Review was born in 2013. Every January, we comb through all the articles we published over the past 12 months to pull out 30 pieces of standout advice.
We spoke with some incredible founders and builders in 2025, filling out an archive that covered topics from launching out of stealth to user onboarding to landing your first design partners.
As we assembled this guide, the snippets that stood out to us were the seemingly small tactics and against-the-grain approaches that led to outsized impact. They came from folks who weren’t afraid to take risks long before their strategies became consensus, or before their companies became household names.
Here’s a taste of the advice that made the list:
* Run a reverse demo. Clay co-founder Varun Anand architected the company’s breakout revenue growth. Just one of Anand’s clever GTM tactics: flipping the classic demo on its head by asking the customer to share their screen and give Clay a test drive, with his guidance.
* “Meme-ify” your idea to build momentum inside your company. Mihika Kapoor rallied folks from across Figma to join her in getting a new bet off the ground: Figma Slides. To do so, she turned the product idea into a meme, even creating a custom Slack emoji. “It may feel random, but a big part of what made Figma Slides go internally viral was the fact that we called it ‘Flides.’ It was ultimately this meme that people were able to take and run with. That’s because being kooky humanizes your idea,” she says.
* In the age of AI, hire more entry-level people, not fewer. We sat down with Shopify’s VP and Head of Engineering, Farhan Thawar, to find out how he’s brought CEO Tobi Lütke’s famous AI memo to life in his org. Bucking the trend to slash entry-level roles, Shopify has made hiring young people a key part of its AI strategy: the company brought on 1,000 interns last year. Thawar says young people are AI centaurs — they use AI in reflexive, creative ways.
We hope you’ll find something in here you can put to use to build an incredible company, whether that’s today or 10 years from now.
Thanks, as always, for reading and sharing!
-The Review Editors
More like this
Less like this
Made with ✨ by First Round Capital [https://email2.firstround.com/c/eJxUj8FqLCEQRb9Gdz2UVVrqwsWDR_-HWpqRdE-HHmcC-fqQIZss7-XA4UgqxbDVLRnP3pvgIuq257EtQxJHJyQimQIRA4DB3ILr-prAuYbFdA-YoxUnvbdMuYZajWUqeiQEZDDAhh1jvIQcG2OshAXYSFYW-jjv8zweN7nUY9dbus75cVf0T-GqcD3bc7TPy1_q51e4ehsqR-MVrbui_1Q6BKywiKm82G7DEpH60qv30UQSD06f6WueysI28n7cXsqZymN7X17Feqa363Gfv-uZ8DsAAP__gABUXg].
Warning
Almost all the messages that arrive here are garbage! Resist the urge to click on any unexpected or questionable links.
It may happen that e-mail will claim to come from liamon.com, especially from some administrative role or process. These are certainly garbage. There are no accounts to expire. There are no passwords to leak. There aren't administrators sending messages to liamon.com addresses. These are certainly phishing attempts.
Absolutely ignore those links!