Fact
AngelList and Carta turned anyone into a fund manager
Brianne argues the forcing function behind the solo-capitalist boom is platforms like AngelList and Carta that handle back-office, legal and LP connections — but she also spent two years blogging and tweeting to build the track record needed to raise outside money.
“AngelList and Carta have made this incredibly easy. I think the forcing function in venture, which has caused, you know, the ability for anyone to become a VC or to raise their own fund, is these platforms, which basically connect you with investors. They make it really easy to manage like your back office and, you know, you don't have to deal with lawyers and all that stuff.”
Steal thisSpend 1-2 years publicly building a track record (blog/tweet your investing thesis) before you try to raise a fund.
Idea
Build the Carta for NCAA name-and-likeness deals
Shaan's standout idea: athletes must report every endorsement deal to their school, who report to the NCAA. Build the back-office system of record — like Carta or AngelList — that tracks deals, terms, and payouts and becomes the entrenched infrastructure layer.
“So somebody who builds that back office sort of reporting tool, that underlying infrastructure layer, that's going to become incredibly valuable. A way to think about that is like Carta or AngelList, like these underlying platforms that sit underneath, the, the, the entrepreneur. And so that's one, that's one opportunity that I could see taking off.”
Steal thisBuild the system-of-record reporting tool for NCAA athlete deals; own the data, become sticky to universities, then layer on banking, contracts, and a deal marketplace.
Tactic
Don't make a layoff announcement about the CEO's moral conundrum
Critiquing Carta's public layoff memo, Shaan calls out the 'shareholder vs employee perspective' passage: laid-off employees don't care about the CEO's dilemma, and dwelling on it makes the message read as self-pat-on-the-back rather than empathy.
“I chose to manage this conflict by taking the shareholder perspective in deciding who should leave and taking the employee's perspective on how to help. To me, I was like, what is this paragraph?”
Steal thisIn a layoff announcement, lead with empathy and concrete help; cut any philosophizing about the CEO's own dilemma.