All of our Starting Up articles

The Saboteurs That Threaten Innovation — And How to Handle Them

The Saboteurs That Threaten Innovation — And How to Handle Them

Steve Blank (of Lean Startup and Four Steps to the Epiphany fame) unpacks why innovators and founders should expect fierce battles from incumbents on the path to disruption.
How to Test A Business Idea: Essential Tools for Validating Before You Launch

How to Test A Business Idea: Essential Tools for Validating Before You Launch

If you're an entrepreneur who needs to learn how to validate business ideas effectively, these expert strategies help your startup concept hit the mark.
Non-Obvious Signs of Early Startup Traction — And How to Spot Them

Non-Obvious Signs of Early Startup Traction — And How to Spot Them

We gathered the most surprising anecdotes from seasoned founders about when things clicked into place.
Here’s What You Can Really Expect When Pitching Your Seed-Stage Startup at a VC Partner Meeting

Here’s What You Can Really Expect When Pitching Your Seed-Stage Startup at a VC Partner Meeting

There isn't much advice to guide founders on navigating their first VC partner meeting. So First Round Partner and former founder Liz Wessel shares her playbook for seed-stage startups tackling one of fundraising's most opaque processes
Starting an Analytics Org From Scratch — Lessons From a Decade at DoorDash

Starting an Analytics Org From Scratch — Lessons From a Decade at DoorDash

DoorDash VP Jessica Lachs has grown the company’s analytics team from a band of scrappy generalists to a highly specialized 300-person org. Here, she spells out how founders can lay the groundwork for an analytics function at their startup and pick the right first hires for the team.
The Not So Cookie-Cutter Approach to Company Building — 8 Lessons from Zapier

The Not So Cookie-Cutter Approach to Company Building — 8 Lessons from Zapier

Wade Foster, founder and CEO of Zapier, shares his contrarian takes on building a billion-dollar company — from fundraising advice, go-to-market strategy, and hiring mistakes.
Navigating the Legal Maze: A Founder’s Guide to Hiring Lawyers at Every Stage of Your Startup

Navigating the Legal Maze: A Founder’s Guide to Hiring Lawyers at Every Stage of Your Startup

Veteran legal executive Irene Liu provides a comprehensive guide on the startup legal roadmap and how to engage lawyers as you scale. She offers insider advice on hiring outside and in-house counsel and building strong founder-lawyer partnerships.
How to Know if Your Idea’s the Right One — A Founder’s Guide for Successful Early-Stage Customer Discovery

How to Know if Your Idea’s the Right One — A Founder’s Guide for Successful Early-Stage Customer Discovery

Jeanette Mellinger, BetterUp's Head of UXR and former Head of UXR for Uber Eats, unpacks her approachable three-step playbook for early-stage customer discovery so founders can build something users really want.
The Secret to Running Effective Growth Sprints — Follow This Process to Learn Faster

The Secret to Running Effective Growth Sprints — Follow This Process to Learn Faster

"With every growth experiment, you're not just trying to optimize your return on ad spend, lower your CPA, or bag a few new logos ahead of the next fundraise. You're fundamentally learning and making progress toward a simple question: How are we going to grow this business?"