Fusion42 Community Catalyst #002
A catch up on what's been going in our startup community
Well first off you may have noticed the explosion of activity in Fusion42 over the last weeks…. and for that, we owe a a massive shoutout to Kurt Walker and all our new family members from the US ❤️.
Kurt is as totally obsessed on solving the pain points of startup funding, go- to-market and the power of people and community as I am. In light of this, we're thrilled to announce our partnership 🎉 Together, we're fully dedicated to enriching the community with more resources, deeper insights, and broader knowledge sharing to support founders worldwide.
Kurt runs some excellent startup spaces that are available to Fusion42 members.
Every Tuesday: Fundraising Fluency 11:30 PST
These sessions help founders unlock the secrets to successful fundraising with insights beyond just pitching VCs and Angels. Essential for founders looking to refine their fundraising strategy.
Every Thursday: Pitch Kung Fu 16:00 PST
For founders looking to master their pitch, these sessions focus on fine-tuning presentation skills and persuasive techniques. Founders are encouraged to bring along fellow founders, creating a supportive and dynamic environment for practicing and improving their pitches.
* We will be sending out the full calendar and invites in the community over the coming days.
So here is what we are covering in this Newsletter:
😃 The Good: Highlights of our biggest wins and positive feedback.
😔 The Bad: Areas where we faced challenges or setbacks.
😖 The Ugly: The toughest issues or conflicts we need to address.
💬 Chat Activity: A rundown of the most active discussions this week.
🗂️ Topics Covered: Overview of key subjects discussed across channels.
🔗 Resources for F42 Members: 2500 Accelerator and Incubator list.
📞🖥️ Open Call: What it is all about and the new Startup spotlight.
📊 Poll of the Week: Cast your vote on this week's burning question.
But first….💡 Your startup needs these five things to succeed:
1️⃣ A solution to a real problem – the world doesn't need another useless app clogging up their phone.
2️⃣ A business model that actually makes money – because let's face it, that’s what a business is.
3️⃣ A really compelling story – because people buy into stories emotionally before they buy into products.
4️⃣ A team that can execute – because it's not just about having a good idea, it's all about making it happen.
5️⃣ Cash – because let's be blunt you need to eat, without it, you're screwed.
Got all that figured out? Great! You got this, let's go 🚀
😃 The good:
We're honing in on the 'Go To Market' strategy channel – in today's fearful fundraising climate it is not only what business is all about but one of the key ways to de risking and alleviating investor fears. With the days of easy money and vanity metrics behind us, it's back to business 101.
For founders, it's all about showing investors the real deal: customers coming aboard and opening their wallets. It's not just about big numbers and shiny objects. it's about solid value and sustainable growth.
The channel has been on fire🔥 with incredible value being generated from experts sharing knowledge and tactics. 🙏🏼❤️
😔 The Bad:
It's not bad, just something I and a few others have come across this week.
The fear of asking a question in an open forum that might be seen as a silly question!
There aren’t any, it is just part of the grind. It happens to all of us, and let me assure you of one thing, we're all about creating a space where there's no such thing as a silly question, this is where you ask anything and everything. After all, the only daft move is not to ask.
Keep the questions coming; that's how we all learn.
😖 The Ugly:
Time as a commodity has a finite nature and infinite value
Personally I don’t seem to have enough time, and wasting it upsets me, especially when in the Social boost channel.
The ethos of community is to help one another and not just dump a post for a little personal gain and add zero other value.
I do not want to be this 👆🏼
💬 Chat activity:
Our latest analysis reveals a dynamic interaction within our channels, highlighting extensive participation with over 1400 messages exchanged between members. The wide range of discussions underscores our community's diverse interests and our channels' success in encouraging collaboration.
01 🤝 Networking & Collaboration
Total Messages: 341
Most Active Day: 60 messages on 2/29/2024.
02 🌟 Ask Us Anything
Total Messages: 258
Most Active Day: 64 messages on 2/29/2024.
20 🤖 AI
Total Messages: 227
Most Active Day: 29 messages on 2/20/2024.
09 🎯 Pitch Perfect
Total Messages: 104
Most Active Day: 32 messages on 2/28/2024.
04 🚀 Go-to-Market
Total Messages: 97
Most Active Day: 30 messages on both 2/19/2024 and 2/29/2024.
If you have not yet registered with Fusion42 yet then please find the link here:
We have an airtable of registered members and for those who have registered please reach out if you would like access to it and find out who is in the community.
🗂️ Topics covered in the channels:
01 🤝 Networking & Collaboration:
Enhance networking via LinkedIn and MeetUp.
Master slide-less pitching for impact.
Boost engagement and growth through content creation.
Discuss AI and blockchain in gaming and tech ventures.
Navigate legalities for startup security.
20 🤖 AI:
Ensure AI ethics and control.
Innovate and understand AI's market impact.
Discuss global AI initiatives for development.
Analyze AI in reshaping business and economy.
Consider AI’s societal implications, including job displacement.
02 🌟 Ask Us Anything:
Coordinate events and network effectively.
Develop strategies for sales and market expansion.
Integrate technology tools for better engagement.
Manage investor relations and funding processes.
Tackle business operations and management challenges.
09 🎯 Pitch Perfect:
Adapt pitches for different investors.
Align startup visions with investor missions.
Explore pitch formats and expectations.
Embrace brutal, honest feedback on pitches.
Create multiple pitch decks for different investors.
04 🚀 Go-to-Market:
Conduct competitive analysis and market positioning.
Prioritize product-market fit and entry strategies.
View GTM as an ongoing process.
Leverage resources and expertise within the community.
Focus on a specific target audience for better market penetration.
The ❤️ of Fusion42 🙏🏼
🔗 Resources for F42 members:
Folk -Streamline your contacts and nurture relationships effortlessly.
Notion -Your all-in-one workspace for notes, tasks, wikis, and databases.
Hubspot -Grow your business with a comprehensive marketing, sales, and service platform.
Brex. -Empower your business finances with corporate cards and spend management.
fiverr. -Connect with freelancers to get more done, from anywhere, anytime.
mondaycom -Project management made easy – collaborate, organize, and track work in one visual tool.
Stripe -Simplify your online payments with seamless integration and global reach.
Zendesk -Enhance customer service with a powerful and flexible support ticketing system.
📞🖥️ F42 Open call:
Our open call series which we hold every second Thursday has niched down on its format and value it brings to the community.
We asked ourselves a few questions to come up with what we believe will add huge value in the current ecosystem.
❓ AI is obviously the biggest game changer and the news is fast and furious.
👀 We dig into how it it being used at a business level by examining the biggest AI reveals and giving our thoughts on how they change things up.
❓ The technology is often seen as the answer to everything but it is not that simple.
👀 We dig into the limitations and solutions that exist and what is coming.
❓ The community has been built for Startup founders that wish to make their journey less grindy. If that is about fundraising, customer acquisition, legal, financials, well being …. or just a place to offload that is the purpose.
But, at its core Fusion42 is a lot more than a Whatsapp safe and expansive based community, it is business, one that is building tools for global founders and investor alike to make the journey way less grindy and way more efficient.
👀 We dig into the tools that are currently being used and what we are building to solve the crazy amount of pain points that the ecosystem endures.
❓ How can we all understand the real use cases that have been identified and are being solved?
👀 Startup spotlight. We are inviting founders to speak about what they are building using AI. This is not a pitch for investment but a knowledge share to help both the community with new powerful products and to help founders get into the feedback loop.
🌟 Fusion42 Open Call: AI for Startup Fundraising 🌟
Join us for an hour catching up with what's happening in the world of the Startup ecosystem, AI news and the tech powering it.
🗒️ The Rundown
➡️ Perspectives on AI: News, Tech, VC/Startups.
➡️ Engage in a community-driven conversation. Focus will be on the how AI will change fundraising and what is on the roadmap.
➡️ Startup Showcases real use cases:
Meet Thibault: Discover their AI-driven product that massively helps event coordinators.
➡️ Open floor Q&A: Dive deeper, ask your burning questions.
Why Attend?
🤭 For the giggles
🧠 To feed our love of learning
🤝 Because that's community spirit
🛠️ To ensure the tools we're building truly fit the founder's toolbox.
🔄 For the perfect feedback loop – your insights are the gold.
We want to help with GTM, please vote
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Thank you for reading. If you liked it, share it with your friends, colleagues and everyone interested in the startup Investor ecosystem.
If you've got suggestions, an article, research, your tech stack, or a job listing you want featured, just let me know! I'm keen to include it in the upcoming edition.
PLease let me know what you think of it, love a feedback loop 🙏🏼
🛑 Get a different job.
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Thank you for pouring your heart and soul into the Fusion 42 community. I've enjoyed seeing the huge uptick in activity and hop to be able to contribute more regularly. The balance is tough with added travel throw into my schedule and pushing to get my new tech stack completed. I love learning from Kurt Walker and am glad you guys have joined forces!
Kurt Walker is Enigmatic 💜👌🏾🙌🏾👍🏽