Sam Thompson

Founders build companies. Ecosystems build founders. 🚀 Behind every "overnight success" is a powerhouse of support, the people who provide the capital, the coaching, and the connections to bridge the gap from a raw idea to a fundable venture. The Reed Smith LLP ROCKY Award by Tech Coast Venture Network (TCVN) is our way of recognizing these pillars of our community. As a Founder’s Choice Award, it is unique because the winners are chosen by the entrepreneurs themselves and the TCVN board. Who we celebrate: We honor the "rock-solid" individuals who help founders become investor-ready, including: * Angel Investors: For providing the critical early-stage belief and capital. * Mentors & Advisors: For guiding founders through the highs and lows of the journey. * Community Champions: For building the infrastructure that makes our ecosystem thrive. By honoring our champions, we ensure the next generation of innovators has a foundation to build upon. Watch this video for a behind the scenes look at the pre-show set up. 👉 Want to see who's leading the way? Check out the full press list to see this year's incredible winners and nominees. #TCVN #ReedSmith #StartupEcosystem #AngelInvestors #Mentorship #FoundersFirst #CommunityChampions

13

Proud to share a 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 project from two of my colleagues at Crane Venture Partners, Ben Wright and Rav Dhaliwal. A new book! 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿-𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 is shaping up to be a definitive field guide for technical founders who are discovering—often the hard way—that building a great product is not the same as building a great company. In an era obsessed with automation and "oh, AI can do that," this book brings the focus back to something harder, messier, and more powerful: conversation, trust, and learning directly from customers. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing 𝟮𝟬 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 from the book. Here are the 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝟰 to kick things off 1️⃣ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 ≠ 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 Why products don’t make businesses. 2️⃣ 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗔𝗠 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗖𝗣 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 Finding focus in your first market. 3️⃣ 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿-𝗼𝗻-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺—𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 Prioritizing pain that buyers must fix. 4️⃣ 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗜𝗖𝗣 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 The path to your initial sales focus. What I appreciate most about this work is its honesty. It doesn’t romanticize selling—but it makes the case that for founders, sales is not a department. It’s a responsibility. And done well, it becomes a real competitive advantage. More takeaways coming weekly. 📍 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵: 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻, 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟭𝟬 If you’re a technical founder navigating your first customers—or supporting one who is—this is a book worth paying attention to. #FounderLedSales #Startups #GoToMarket #B2BSales #Founders #Crane

17

4 Comments

📣 Female Tech Founders in NYC — New Accelerator Alert! Scale Ready Studio is a new 12-week, revenue-focused growth program for women building tech startups in NYC, created by Women.NYC in partnership with Get Sh!t Done. This program is designed to help founders scale sustainably through: - Revenue and profit growth - Strong systems and operations - Weekly strategy labs - Hybrid coaching (1:1 + group) - Technical assistance - In-person Founder Days The program culminates in a Deal Day, where participants pitch to a curated group of investors. 🗓 Applications close January 12

71

10 Comments

TechCrunch Targets Boston Startups with Side Events Push in 2026 https://lnkd.in/efP6EgJt TechCrunch invites startups to host Side Events during Founder Summit Week 2026 in Boston, offering unique opportunities for community engagement and brand visibility. Read the full article on Business 2.0 News #techcrunch #targets #boston #startups #side #events

2