Founder Fire

I was recently asked in an interview, "what's a common trait you see among founders?" It's a difficult question because we have had such a rich variety of founders on our platforms. If I've learned anything from this process, it's that great founders can be anyone from anywhere. What unites them, though, is a passion for building. I speak with founders on a daily basis and the fire is palpable.

Welcome back to the Founder Roundup! Hope your weekend was fantastic. We had the pleasure of featuring three great founders last week. Check out their profiles below.

A big welcome to our new subscribers. If you haven't introduced yourself yet, respond to this email. I'd love to get to know you.

Weekly Wisdom

Startup School

I had the opportunity to write a guest post for OpenVC on the topic of stock options. I'm a bit of zealot on this topic, as I think we need to move away from stock options as the primary form of startup equity. 

Give the article a read and let me know your thoughts!

Backseat Startup

In episode 8 of the Backseat Startup Podcast, we had Chris Joyce, CEO of Gusher, on the show. Gusher is a platform allowing you to launch a startup without the need to raise capital through performance-based equity.

A Reddit user was concerned that a potential acquirer was only reaching out for reconnaissance. Chris broke down signs to look out for and how to navigate such situations. 

Give the recording a watch above or subscribe through the button below.

Founder Roundup

Miguel Lorenzo, Founder of Filma

With apps like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, anyone can be a content creator. That’s why it’s important to choose the right video editing software.

Miguel Lorenzo created Filma to help creatives edit their videos with ease. He has always been a creative person, with music, video editing, and software engineering as his primary outlets.

He could never find a video editing software that was good enough for iPad use. So, he made one.

With its MVP created in 2019, its first launch in 2020, and its App Store listing in 2021, Miguel has been constantly improving Filma and building more features. Filma is a “true video editing app” for everyone, everywhere, available on Mac and iPad.

Filma has a variety of video editing features, such as motion tracking, templates, presets, advanced masking, keyframes, color adjustments, and more.

Head over to their website to learn more.

Elif Duran, Co-Founder of BeforeSunset

We’ve all had those days where we work far past working hours without even realizing it. Elif and her team at BeforeSunset have created a tool to help employees and managers manage their time and resources effectively.

Elif began studying computer engineering and worked as a cashier at KFC during her prep class. That was when she realized how important time really was.

4 years later, as a quality assurance engineer, she had to track her time at work, but all the tools she had were insufficient. With all the efficiency data she inputted, she got nothing back in return.

Seeing an opportunity in time-tracking data, Elif was engrossed with developing a software that would eventually become Before Sunset.

The aim of BeforeSunset is to create a healthy work environment for all. It is a platform for people to keep track of their time, projects, budgets, and take control of their workday.

BeforeSunset recently launched on Product Hunt, earning the #3 Product of the Day. Their next step will be to improve BeforeSunset with the help of user feedback.

Head over to their website to learn more.

Aaron Guyett and Tim Nielsen, Co-Founders of Cloutchain

Social media can get saturated with people and events you don’t really care about. Co-Founders Aaron Guyett and Tim Nielsen created Cloutchain for brands and fans to connect without all the noise.

After an intense stretch of studying and working, Aaron wanted a way to give back to the world. But, he couldn’t find an effective way of doing so.

Every post he made reached random people, not the people he intended to reach. Fortunately, Aaron found Tim, working on a solution

With Aaron’s technical skills and Tim’s legal skills, they became a force to be reckoned with. Put simply, Cloutchain helps brands find and retain their top fans.

Unlike platforms like Facebook and Instagram, Cloutchain allows brands and fans to engage with each other directly. With Cloutchain, you can create and release digital cards that fans collect to unlock content, rally behind goals you set to earn rewards, and provide experiences like access to events.

For a recent example, Cloutchain allows snowboarding fans to engage with the Kemper Snowboards brand for a chance to get the limited edition snowboard.

Turn your marketing cost center into a revenue stream while rewarding and empowering your top fans.

Head over to their website to learn more.

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SFDeals

Have you checked out our community discounts yet? We have deals on 80+ tools startup founders use everyday. Our goal is to help our community save $1 million (we're already at $188,078) over the next year. Starting a business is tough enough. We're trying to make it cheaper.

If you have any trouble accessing the deals, PLEASE let me know. Happy to hop on a call and walk you through the process. We'd also love any feedback on the experience. We want the marketplace to be as frictionless as possible.

Community Corner

Who are we and what do we do? Read about our mission and check out our marketing portfolio here.

Calling all students: We have launched a campus ambassador program to connect the next generation of founders and investors. Members can take advantage of a community of entrepreneurial students across the globe, attend weekly meetings where we vet early stage companies, and a host of other programming. If you or someone you know would be interested in joining, apply here.

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