All of our First-time founders articles

The Pivotal Stories Every Startup Leader Should Be Able to Tell

The Pivotal Stories Every Startup Leader Should Be Able to Tell

Since starting his career as a U.S. Marine, Don Faul has led operations at Facebook, Pinterest and now Athos. Here are the stories he tells to rally big teams to do their best work.
The Three Frameworks You Need to Kick-start Sales

The Three Frameworks You Need to Kick-start Sales

TalentIQ VP of Sales Whitney Sales offers three indispensable exercises for startups seeking to build their early sales function and tally their first deals.
The Fundraising Wisdom That Helped Our Founders Raise $18B in Follow-On Capital

The Fundraising Wisdom That Helped Our Founders Raise $18B in Follow-On Capital

Two years ago, First Round launched its Pitch Assist program to help founders raise follow-on capital. Here are the most important fundraising lessons we share.
The Science of Speaking is the Art of Being Heard

The Science of Speaking is the Art of Being Heard

Reboot.io founder and professional coach Khalid Halim has drawn from his training in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) to help top-tier tech leaders better communicate and resonate with their growing teams.
One Founder, Both Sides of the M&A Table — What All Startups Can Learn from His Experience

One Founder, Both Sides of the M&A Table — What All Startups Can Learn from His Experience

Jeff Seibert sold two startups back-to-back, and now regularly advises Twitter on acquisition deals from the inside. Here's what all founders need to know about this process.
How Early-Stage Startups Can Enlist The Right Amount of Security As They Grow

How Early-Stage Startups Can Enlist The Right Amount of Security As They Grow

Security isn't about reducing risk to zero. It's about continuously rebalancing risk as context shifts. Here's how Box's Michael Graham helps startups approach security at each growth stage.
The Tools Early-Stage Startups Actually Need to Understand Their Customers

The Tools Early-Stage Startups Actually Need to Understand Their Customers

Segment Co-founder and CEO Peter Reinhardt has personally test-driven a tool a week for the last three years. Here he shares the toolkit you need to get the most out of your customer data.
OpenTable's CEO on How to Dodge Company Breakdown as You Scale

OpenTable's CEO on How to Dodge Company Breakdown as You Scale

OpenTable's leader Christa Quarles explains how startups can spot and survive their breaking points.
Square Defangs Difficult Decisions with this System — Here’s How

Square Defangs Difficult Decisions with this System — Here’s How

Gokul Rajaram shares a framework that he's used at Square and Caviar to make the most difficult decisions, all while assigning ownership, being inclusive and coordinating execution among all stakeholders.