Everything Kathryn Minshew said on any show that made the record, most notable first. Each card names its show and opens the statement there.
Minshew Secured A VC Term Sheet For The Muse Via Cold Email
“One of the investors that gave us a term sheet is someone that I sent a cold email to about a month before we started raising because I had seen something that they'd written on the internet and thought it was brilliant and so wrote back an answer and we ended…”
Minshew: Microsoft acquiring LinkedIn opens competitive room for The Muse
“I think that, that the Microsoft acquisition does have Shareholder value, and there's some interesting synergies, but if anything, I believe it will pull LinkedIn a direction that opens up even more space for us to really focus on the experience of an individu…”
Minshew: Founders should never reveal specific investor names to VCs
“I would never tell a VC who else I'm talking to. That's just not, not great practice, but certainly giving them an update about how the process is moving.”
Minshew: Defer to Co-Founders in Their Area of Strength Despite Disagreeing
“I think we have a very deep understanding of where each of us is stronger, and so there are certain areas where I would absolutely defer to Alex, even if I disagreed, because at the end of the day, I understand that that's an area where she is going to be most…”
Minshew: Address co-founder vision differences within days, not weeks
“I think Alex and I have also learned to, you know, tackle some of the big questions early. If you suspect that you have a difference of opinion or a difference of vision with someone, you don't necessarily have to have it out that second in that meeting, but d…”
Minshew: Entire PYP team followed her during co-founder split
“When the split happened, every single person who'd been working on that project chose to follow Alex and I instead of the other two.”
Minshew: Micromanaging an Executive Indicates You Hired the Wrong Person
“And if you have to run someone's ship, then you probably have the wrong general. And if you've got a great general, like let them do their job and give them that space and that authority.”
Minshew: Value alignment in executive hires is 10x more critical
“Making sure that every hire has really strong values, is aligned with your core values and your vision for the company. That's critical no matter what, but it is 10 X critical for your leaders because they will replicate themselves on a team.”
Minshew: Y Combinator's primary value is peer founders, not partners
“My biggest takeaway from YC was the power of a peer network. I learned a lot from the partners and the speakers and the things that people think of when they think of Y Combinator, but the number one advantage is being in a cohort with sixty-odd other companie…”
Minshew: The Muse faced 148 investor rejections before seed funding
“I had been turned down a 148 times.”
Minshew: Frame Co-Founder Disagreements Around Company Benefit to Reach Resolution
“Handling founder disagreements, first of all, as a baseline, you have to be respectful. You have to disagree in a constructive fashion and you have to put the company first. So it's much easier to come to a resolution when you're both framing your arguments in…”
Minshew: Adjourning Discussions Overnight Resolves Tough Founder Impasses
“For example, there are times when it's very clear to Alex or I that we need to stop discussing and move on to another topic, or in some cases, adjourn the meeting. And by the time we come back, it's actually very common for one of us to say, now that I've slep…”
The Muse Co-Founders Interviewed Every Hire Until Reaching 100 Employees
“Until we got to a hundred people, Alex and I both interviewed every single person who joined the muse. Now, at least one of us interviews everyone and both of us still interview about 50% of hires.”
Minshew: The Muse reaches 50 million annual users
“Because we have fifty million people every year who use the Muse to find a job, get advice, or navigate their career, and they are so different.”
Kathryn Minshew
20VC 1
MASTERS OF SCALELEDGER