Wall of Love
We can wax poetic about what it’s like to work with us, but we prefer you hear it straight from the source. We combed the archives for some our favorite shoutouts that we think best capture what makes First Round a cut above. Some of these folks are founders we’ve partnered with, some are invaluable members of our community, some are regular Review readers.
This was a special group of humans Brett Berson, Mark Munro, and First Round Capital put together. How they run the Angel Track program and the firm, and the level of support they provide (and how much they care) for founders was incredible to see. Should be any founder’s first call.
Thank you ❤️
I can’t recommend Angel Track enough. The program First Round Capital has put together is incredibly valuable for anyone looking to professionalize their angel investing. Plus, the network is amazing.
This is a fantastic program & community for angel investors. @brettberson @markmunro and the @firstround team do an incredible job sharing learnings & helping everyone become better investors – highly recommend!
@firstround has done an amazing job of creating a library of tactical and strategic content that a first time founder would find tremendously useful.
Thank you First Round for your hard work!
I’m so thankful for @firstround’s mentorship program for pairing me with an amazing mentee in Europe.
We had our 4th call this morning. I’m amazed at how much progress she’s made over the last 1.5 mths.
If you feel stuck in your career reach out & find a coach/mentor/friend
First Round’s written content + podcast with the best operators in the game. The information they share consists of management, leadership, business principles, and so much more.
https://review.firstround.com/podcast
This article from First Round Capital about quitting is worth its weight in gold. Let Annie Duke take you to school on why it’s so hard to quit and how to do it better. Thank you!
https://review.firstround.com/grit-or-quit-tactical-advice-for-founders-facing-tough-company-building-decisions?
Sales Development Track is a great opportunity for anyone looking to break into tech sales! I highly recommend First Round Capital and their courses to help propel you into a new career! Check it out!
The First Round blog is always worth the time. If you want to multi-task and get great First Round content, be sure to check out the In Depth podcast when taking your next walk. You’ll come back more motivated and informed. Content is excellent. Brett Berson is a great podcaster and great editing means no time is wasted.
#Founders – reach out to @firstround if you’re starting a new company. There is nobody better to support you in the most difficult stage of growing your seed into a business. Thank you @btrenchard for supporting our mission to transform ##Insurance with #AI!
A VC’s job is to make calculated bets and maximize expected outcome. This move from First Round to bring Annie Duke on board is so impressive😍
My favorite startup advice article ever, even more important for non-profits. I try to get every company and org I invest in to read and adopt it: https://review.firstround.com/the-founders-guide-to-discipline-lessons-from-fronts-mathilde-collin
Thank you @collinmathilde & @firstround for writing this up.
This @firstround interview with @ryanglasgow on product development, listening to customers, and growing up/down market is terrific … worth a listen. https://review.firstround.com/podcast/episode-31
Huge shoutout to @firstround + @juliagovberg for their work building community among startups. From mentorship, to coffee chats, to Circles, in just a few months I’ve been able to connect with numerous peers that I wouldn’t have otherwise.
I love this @firstround podcast episode with all of my startup PR heart – thank you @NairiHourdaj! https://open.spotify.com/episode/6xpQFpx2B1gbW2uPVJSX0F
As a founder, one of the most common warnings I hear is “pick your investors wisely – it’ll be a 10+ yr relationship”. On that note, we couldn’t have picked a more incredible partner to help get us to where we are today! So insanely grateful for the @firstround team! 😍
Another amazing product from the @firstround team. I love the toolkits they build and share transparently with the entire community. angels.firstround.com
Highly recommend @firstround‘s mentor program. Our team participated last quarter and it was super well-run and beneficial to everyone ranging from engineers to my co-founder/CPO and myself! My CEO mentor was a rock 🙂
@joshk So grateful for your and @firstround support through the years, we couldn’t have done it without you!
@juliagovberg and the @firstround community are simply the best. Prompting this tweet today: Their amazing Fast Track mentorship program. And there are ways to get involved even if you aren’t at a portfolio company—ask Julia for details!
I think I should just be @firstround‘s marketing arm. Every article lately is so good. Highly recommended for early-stage companies, their investors and their coaches.
i met my @firstround fast track mentor today and i am just like wow 🔥 … i truly love meeting seasoned Black operators.
Can’t speak more highly of @btrenchard and the entire @firstround team! After our first conversation (that went over by an hour!) we knew we had to have you in the @meet_cocoon fam ❤️️
s/o to @firstround review for unfailingly putting out some of the most actionable, well-written content out there.
I love @firstround content on their blog and podcasts
They’re always so oddly specific–yet perfectly helpful because of that.
@joshk The content that @firstround has been putting out over the last year or so is top-notch, thank you 🙂
The First Round Founder Retreat was such an incredible experience. I am really grateful that i could be a part of this. Another founder who attended and I were reflecting and said, “If we have all of this support and can’t succeed, how can anyone who doesn’t?” This is so hard, but it’s great to have support and now new friends to get through it with.
Thank you so much for all the hard work put into organizing this Founder retreat. It was a tremendous experience that I will look back on fondly for years to come and I couldn’t be more grateful. The group of founders was amazing and made the experience truly magical. I learned so much from all of them and I can’t wait to stay in touch and watch them all crush it.
Thank you so much for organizing the Founder Retreat! Built strong relationships with a few new people, as well as folks I’d met over Zoom via other First Round programs. The density of actionable feedback on challenges I’m facing was incredible.
I’ve been a mentor 4 times and it’s been an amazing experience — I highly recommend applying to @firstround Fast Track program as either a mentor or mentee! #mentoring
@firstround has open up its #FastTrack #mentorship program to #Black and #Latinx #startup employees and founders outside of the First Round portfolio — take the opportunity and apply for this cohort! I’ve done it for 3+ years, it’s mind-opening.
lucky to do Fast Track last session, applying again. Whether you fit more as a mentor or mentee, I can’t recommend this @firstround program enough!!
I HIGHLY recommend Fast Track – my mentor has been a continuing source of wisdom and support. And the networking sessions were great 🤠 thanks @firstround
Yooo @firstround is on Fire. 🔥 No other VC compares when it comes to value-add to the community:
• FR Network (for portfolios)
• Talent
• Expert Network
• First Round Review
• Discovery Assist
• Angel Track
• Fast Track
• Co-Founder Forum
• Unconference + much more
There have been many people involved in the journey so far, but we truly wouldn’t be here without @joshk who took a massive bet on us before we even had incorporated the company. Come join the team at http://Merlinlabs.com!
This program is almost too good to be true: It’s free, you get to learn about investing from the best investors in the world in an intimate setting, and as a huge bonus you meet a bunch of extraordinary people going through the program with you. I couldn’t recommend more.
Angel Track apps are open. Last year, when I was figuring out what to do next, the program helped me build by confidence as an Angel investor and advisor and introed me to a diverse group of operators and investors. Recommend. 2 thumbs up.
Congrats to @chrisfralic and @firstround on the amazing @Roblox investment – great post here on the power of the slow bake and non linear valuation growth! (Love it when the good guys win) https://firstround.medium.com/reflections-lessons-learned-from-roblox-after-more-than-a-decade-of-partnership-da3cd9279f5e
First Round Angel Track is a gift that keeps on giving: unparalleled access to learn from world class investors and remarkable community. HIGHLY recommend… apply for the next cohort!
@firstround finished my fast track mentor session this morning. I feel like I am getting millions of dollars worth of knowledge and cultivation for free. So thankful for your program!
The @firstround Angel Track program was the most impactful experience in my evolution as an angel investor + (part-time) emerging fund manager. Off-the-record knowledge, frameworks, & best practices get downloaded to your 🧠 from highly successful investors. 20/10 NPS.
This article perfectly sums up the perspective of working at a scaling company. I have seen Klaviyo grow from 200 to 800 employees. Currently going through my 4th role change in 2 years. Now its time for me to find some new legos to build with! https://review.firstround.com/give-away-your-legos-and-other-commandments-for-scaling-startups
The First Round Angel Track program is THE BEST angel/ early stage program out there.
I still refer to my Angel Track notes today when I am conducting startup diligence. Also, the people in the program are phenomenal.
Applications are open! 💯 would recommend applying!
Fast Track was awesome. Highly recommend. Literally changed my life trajectory.
I have read thousands of articles giving advice on startups, entrepreneurship, C-Suite executives and boards. This one written from a podcast featuring Anne Raimondi, is by far one of the best. https://review.firstround.com/from-exec-roles-to-board-seats-lessons-for-the-startup-c-suite-from-zendesk-guru-ebay-and-more
Would highly, highly, highly recommend the @firstround angel track program!! The amount of effort and time the team puts into each session is world class and has helped me structure my own thinking around angel investing. Plus I’m still learning from the broader community too!
I have gotten so much out of @firstround’s Angel Track, from the amazing learning opportunity to a tight community of amazing and diverse individuals. One of my most valuable networks, and I hope and expect it to be a very value-added one for founders too.
Early customer conversations are hard, even if you have a big network. @firstround Discovery Assist is the most helpful program I’ve ever seen from an early-stage VC: https://discoveryassist.firstround.com @grlalx and @markmunro introed us to 20 incredible companies over the last 3 weeks.
The program was extremely well structured and was extremely high impact for mentors and mentees alike. I really appreciate all the hard work that you put into making the program a success. It didn’t go unnoticed.
Congratulations on the Unconference yesterday. It was one of the best events I’ve been to for the last number of years and was a lot of fun. Thanks again for all your hard work pulling it together!
I just wanted to write to thank you for putting me in touch with GOAT. The interview did indeed go well and I just accepted an offer from them this morning. So, thank you once more for putting me in touch with them! I really appreciate the help you’ve offered me and if there is anything I can do for you, please do let me know!
So grateful to have had @haleybay & @firstround by our side. Thanks for believing in us and investing in us (not just financially — but also as people). Choosing you as our lead investor was one of the smartest choices we made along the way!
I want to give you and the FRC team a special thanks for investing in Ossium for a third time. Your consistent support across more than 4 years has been truly invaluable. The intros you’ve made over the years — including Village Global and B Capital — have created game-changing opportunities that have far exceeded our highest expectations. FRC has been the model of a supportive investor. Ossium is proud to be a portfolio company.
Here’s my yearly endorsement of the awesome Fast Track program. First Round is so thoughtful about matching mentors with mentees, and providing a framework for time to be well spent. ✨
I got connected to my current company @thirtymadison through @firstround. Can vouch for how great the folks over there are for matching me with an opportunity that fit my level, interest, and ambition. I’m a huge fan, highly recommend! firstround.com/talent/
@firstround is on the top of my must read list. ALWAYS. I’m constantly forwarding their content onto someone!
I’ve really enjoyed @brettberson‘s new podcast. Unique guests, very deep and detailed conversations. Lots to learn for the builders out there.
This program is robust! It’s like the Equinox of mentorship programs.
This is nuts. First Round just productized the most time-consuming part of customer discovery (finding and connecting with relevant people). I guess “value add” isn’t a myth 🙃
I wanted to send a note of gratitude to you — the candidate you sent our way accepted our offer. We’re at a vulnerable moment in our company’s life paradoxically as we have benefitted from the turbulence of the Coronavirus in terms of the legal industry instantly becoming remote and adopting new, modern tooling. On the other side of that reality, the requirement to execute our vision and offer an incredible service in this demanding space while returning time and recouped revenues to our users and firms has never been more paramount.
Our biggest risk in doing this was shipping the sophisticated product for which the candidate has extensive experience and years in industry (22+!) we will leverage to help us achieve our goal. His contributions to our team will be compounding for years. For that we are truly grateful for your help in our journey as a young company with unreasonable ambitions.
@firstround is top notch at building a platform + community. First angel track then the designer track now technical track. They understand how to play the really long game
I super recommend this angel investor program, even if you’re just starting to consider ponying up small dollars to back early stage teams and ideas. @firstround has brought together a great set of humans to learn from and they helped reduce my anxiety of those first few checks!
On a personal note, I am so thankful for all that you’ve done for our team and me. Alongside everything else, I believe the incredible value of First Round shines through people like yourself and the programs and community that you and your team have put together.
So excited to have participated in such a great program with such great people/design leads. Shout to @firstround, it’s been truly an honor to learn from such veterans. We family now! Thanks for everything @WhitnieLow and Ryan B.! 🙌🏿
In 2015, @btrenchard from First Round led the seed round in @Superhuman. We had no traction at the time; literally zero users. Thank you Bill and the whole @firstround team for your belief and evangelism! 😁 🙏👌
Dear First Round Capital, the amount of effort you put into your interviews and thoughtful content (and have for years now) is amazing. Brand journalism at its very best. Inspiring and helpful. Sort of like Fast Company magazine, but more surgical and relevant for tech. Just love it. One of my favorites from your archives was the $0 to $1B piece you wrote on Slack.
I’m always shocked when someone turns down money from @firstround. Their own @Quora, HBR, recruiting network, event series, massive mentorship program…if I was ever to found again, they’d be my first stop.
I’ve sat through a lot of community-centric sessions/conferences/unconferences. This one was easily in the top three for the year. Thanks for all you and the team do for revenue leaders out there. Keep up the great work!
I’ve been a mentor in the Fast Track program for the last 2 years, and it has been an incredibly worthwhile experience. Being able to give back through mentorship has been so rewarding, and I’ve met amazing mentees along the way from whom I’ve also learned a ton. First Round makes it so easy with such a well-run program, and I hope to continue as a mentor in cohorts to come!
if you’re at a @firstround company, spend the time to get gold status so you get access to the forums after you leave. such an invaluable resource.
@firstround has single-handedly the most practical advice on building startups on the internet! Just endless, the the podcast is shaping up beautifully as well.
Writing good content in newsletters is hard. Conflicting goals of promoting your enterprise and be valuable to your readers. @firstround team does a great job. Don’t talk about portfolio companies raising or new partners they hired just content helpful to founders.
Just wanted to say thank you for such a thoughtfully put together and well-executed conference. I used to run events like this for my last company and I know how many logistics and moving pieces go into this, so thank you! I was skeptical that a Zoom conference could feel intimate but you did a phenomenal job. Congratulations!
This program is so well run and organized. I always felt supported as a mentor and received lots of opportunities to get more for myself out of the program. It’s been a learning experience all around. Thank you for the opportunity!
I’d like to sincerely thank you again for this experience and opportunity to be part of the Fast Track program. It has been wildly fulfilling, both professionally and personally. I still have weekly or bi-weekly 1:1’s with each of the Mentees with whom I’ve been working over the past 23 months. They are awesome individuals and leaders within their respective organizations. I am truly grateful to First Round Capital for these relationships.
Thanks for opening this up beyond the First Round Portfolio! It’s truly a transformational experience. As someone who has been involved in large scale diversity efforts at Alphabet and beyond, I believe this to be the most significant effort any VC firm is doing today!
My Mentor is a fantastic coach and a wonderful data leader. I always looked forward to our conversations because they were a perfect mix of advice that was actionable and things that I would have to plan/think about in the future.
Grateful to have been a part of the @firstround Angel Track program this spring. I joined a brilliant, thoughtful, & diverse group of entrepreneurs and operators for a bootcamp in all things 😇 . The program far exceeded my expectations. @firstround is top notch.
And a very special thank you to @cm_brown90 @lafillemouen @brettberson for bringing me into this rewarding experience. Their diligence, structure, thoughtfulness are top notch!
My thoughts on @firstround’s discovery assist platform:
👏🏾 Great for pre-product founders
👏🏾 Benefits the firm and allows them to vet market potential while empowering the founder.
👏🏾 It’s EQUITABLE in directly connecting founders with a network of customers
That’s how you get it done @firstround. Now make sure you ensure diverse founders from all backgrounds participate in discovery assist. You’re on the money. Keep it up
This man speaks the truth. @joshk and @firstround were with us when it counted most.
Thank you to @WhitnieLow & @firstround for this awesome founder swag kit, and most importantly for all the amazing support and programming. Feel insanely grateful to be a part of this community!
Thank you @btrenchard. I will never forget the day I called you and offered to return the investment because I did not believe in the future of the criminal justice work and you told me we invest in people and to keep the money and figure it out.
Per usual, pure gold from @firstround and this episode of #InDepth with @anneraimondi. Must-listen for execs, especially in startups. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-depth/id1535886300?i=1000507717461
This @firstround article about @Superhuman is honestly one of the best articles I’ve ever read. “Ask your users how they’d feel if they could no longer use your product. The group that answers ‘very disappointed’ will unlock product/market fit.”
First Round is the finest seed stage VC. Highly recommend founders to work with them if possible.
First Round Review by @firstround. Lots of great content from different perspectives. The Review is about liberating untapped knowledge out there that can transform the way people build technology to inspire and accelerate action.