u/betasridhar

If you've been building startups for a while, you've probably seen the same patterns repeat.

Some founders spend months building before talking to customers.

Some raise money too early.

Some wait too long to launch because they want everything to be perfect.

Others focus on features instead of solving a real problem.

Looking back at your own journey (or the startups you've worked with), what do you think is the single biggest mistake first-time founders make?

More importantly, what lesson did you learn that changed the way you build?

Share your experience below. Your insight could save another founder months of wasted time.

Every founder eventually faces a decision where there isn't a clear right or wrong answer—only trade-offs.

What was yours?

• What made it so difficult?
• What did you decide?
• Looking back, would you make the same choice again?

Curious to learn from founders who've been through it.

If someone wired you $25,000 today with one condition—you have to build a startup—what would you build?

• What problem are you solving?
• Who experiences it?
• Why does it matter now?

Not looking for perfect ideas. I'm more interested in real problems people have personally experienced.

We're excited to invite investors, media, and ecosystem partners to the 16VC SF26 Demo Day, where our SF26 founders will showcase the startups they've been building.

📅 September 10
🕙 10:00 PM – 1:30 AM IST
📍 Online (Google Meet)

Registration is free (approval required).

We'll be sharing more about the founders and agenda soon. Hope to see you there!

We're building a community for founders, builders, and operators, and we'd rather hear from people than guess.

What would genuinely keep you engaged?

• grants or small cash incentives
• tool credits
• founder/VC office hours
• networking events
• mentorship
• exclusive content
• something else?

Curious what communities have done well (or poorly) in your experience.

Imagine you're starting a company today.

You only get one unfair advantage.

A. The right co-founder
Someone exceptional who complements your skills and can build with you through the highs and lows.

B. Product-market fit
You know with certainty that customers desperately want what you're building.

C. A large audience
You already have hundreds of thousands (or millions) of engaged followers who trust you.

D. Exceptional timing
You're entering the market at exactly the right moment, just before demand explodes.

You can only pick one.

Which are you choosing, and why?

Curious to hear from founders, operators, and investors. Have your priorities changed after building a startup?

Today, we're proud to officially launch the 16VC Founder Fellowship.

Our inaugural cohort brings together nearly 80 startups and 150+ founders and co-founders from around the world. Over the next 9 weeks, they'll participate in mentorship sessions, hands-on workshops, office hours, and collaborate within a global community of ambitious builders.

This launch represents more than the start of a program—it's the beginning of a long-term community dedicated to helping exceptional founders build exceptional companies.

A huge thank you to every founder who joined our kickoff and to everyone who believed in this vision from day one. Your energy, ambition, and willingness to build are what make this community special.

Throughout the fellowship, we'll be sharing founder spotlights, program highlights, key learnings, and behind-the-scenes updates here

To everyone in Cohort 1: welcome. We're excited to build the future together. 🚀