Sridhar Arunagiri

hosting our first open pitch at @16vc.bsky.social next week 50+ founders. 2 mins each. ideas, feedback, and connections. founder slots are full, but the waitlist is open! vcs & media folks, let's connect 👀 luma.com/l3g3zy0i #startups #founders #16vc

We’re launching the 16VC Accelerator, our first accelerator We’re bringing together 25 ambitious early-stage founders across SF, NYC and London Each selected founder gets $200K upfront, with the 16VC team working alongside you Read the full details + apply by Oct 4: tiny.cc/16vcapply

the best startup ideas usually sound stupid at first too small too niche too early then someone finds 10 customers who desperately want it and suddenly everyone says “of course this was going to work” hindsight is undefeated what’s one idea you had that sounded stupid but you wish you hadn’t quit?

september is here and only 3 months left in 2026 founders, what’s the one thing you need to get done this month? the one thing that would make you look back at september and say, that moved the company forward

spent a lot of time with the team this week thinking about what we should build next at 16VC one question we kept coming back to: what do founders actually need more of right now? curious what you think

building a startup rarely gets harder because you run out of ideas it gets harder when you have too many the real challenge is figuring out what to ignore every yes means saying no to something else

i hear the same startup idea from 10 founders i’m still looking at the founder first how far have they taken it, what have they learned, and how quickly are they moving? the idea can change, the founder has to figure out what survives

its going to be september soon we’re more than halfway through the year made me stop and think what have i actually done with it so far? some things went well some didn’t and some plans changed completely what about you? what’s one thing you’re proud of building, learning or changing this year?

i've met founders who are very intentional about how people reach them no random calls, unexpected meetings, or “quick question” messages across five apps it sounds strict, but protecting your attention is part of the job what's one boundary you've had to set?

we have a hiring problem. we're moving fast, but hiring isn't. interviews and paid trials aren't giving us enough signal, and we're spending weeks figuring out fit. what does your hiring process look like?

wfo ❌️ wfh ❌️ wfc ✅️ every morning we start at the office with a very clear plan by 4pm, we're in a café we've tried to fight it we've accepted it we're apparently a café-based company now

we hosted around 30 founders at 16VC the best conversations weren't about what people were building they were about what wasn't working customer problems bad assumptions hiring decisions deals that fell through the stuff that rarely makes it into a pitch deck next one is already in the works :P

a founder told me they'd rather read one messy customer call transcript than another market report. i get why. the report tells you the size of the opportunity. it says nothing about why someone actually paid, or why they didn't.

founders of bengaluru we are ready for you! very excited to host you and know about your ideas see you at 6 :)

New discussion on r/16VCFund: What should a founder actually prove before approaching a VC? We’d love to hear different perspectives from founders and investors. Read the discussion → www.reddit.com/r/16VCFund/s...

Pitch what you're building. We invest $100K to $2M in ambitious founders through our Fellowship, Studio, Accelerator, and Fund. www.16vc.co

Building a startup? Join our 16VC Founder Office Hours for feedback on your idea, MVP, fundraising, or growth. 📅 July 31 | 9 PM IST 🌍 Free & online Register: luma.com/f5u2k0cp

in 2022, we started as angelfund. over the last few years, we experimented, failed, learned, and kept building. today, we're excited to launch the first cohort of the 16vc founder fellowship. this is just the beginning. meet the founders: medium.com/@16vc/announ...

🚀 The 16VC Summer Founder Fellowship launches July 1! A global, remote-first community of ambitious founders, with hubs in San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Dubai, and Bengaluru. Stay tuned for our Founder Spotlight series. ✨ #16VC #FounderFellowship #Startups #Entrepreneurs #Innovation

the quality of your startup is often limited by the quality of the questions you ask. don't ask: "how do i get more users?" ask: "why aren't my current users inviting others?" better questions create better companies. #startups #founders #buildinginpublic

The World’s Next Founders Are Building Everywhere 🌍 open.substack.com/pub/16vc/p/t...

⏳ 48 hours left. Applications for the Summer Founder Fellowship 2026 close on June 15 at 11:59 PM PST. If you've been thinking about applying, don't let the opportunity pass by. Apply now: tiny.cc/16VC_s26 #Founders #Startups

16VC, Reddit Discussions, and the Questions People Ask Us Most open.substack.com/pub/sridhars...

what's the biggest mistake first-time founders make? 1. building too many features 2. hiring too early 3. raising too much capital 4. waiting too long to launch 5. something else drop your answer below. the best responses usually come from experience.

pitch me your company in 1 word.

The fastest way to get clarity on your startup isn't another week of research. It's a conversation with a customer. ✅tiny.cc/16VC_s26 #startup

if i gave you $100k today for your startup: what would you spend it on first? be specific. the answers tell me more than most pitch decks. #StartupFunding #Founders #Entrepreneurship #BuildInPublic

a lot of founders think they can figure out distribution later. but products rarely fail because they’re bad. they fail because nobody sees them. distribution isn’t just marketing. it’s making sure the right people see your product. the best founders build product and attention at the same time

founders: what's the one thing keeping your startup from growing faster right now? be honest. customers? product? distribution? funding? team? drop it below in one sentence 👇 #startup #founders #buildinpublic #startuplife #entrepreneur

something we see very often: after removing the $15k usd grant from founder fellowships, applications tend to drop. is it really about the fellowship, or was it mostly about the grant? #startups #founders #entrepreneurship #fellowship

nothing tests investor patience like: ✅ great meeting ✅ verbal alignment at $250k ❌ founder comes back next week with a brand new $600k pitch curious how many people here have dealt with this. #startuplife #angelinvesting #venturecapital #fundraising #founders

no cofounders? that’s okay. no investors? still building. no fancy office? don’t need one. just obsession, consistency, and the courage to start before you feel ready. ai is the greatest leverage in history. build now. #startup #buildinpublic #ai #founders #indiehackers

substack.com/@16vc/note/c...

most startup positioning problems are actually clarity problems. founders keep adding features when the market still doesn’t understand the core problem being solved. clear companies scale faster because buyers instantly “get it.” clarity compounds. #startups #ai #founders

🚀 Founder GTM Strategy Session for AI & SaaS founders — learn ICP, acquisition, founder-led growth & traction strategies. 🗓 May 28 | Online 🎟 Register: [https://luma.com/san0b046](luma.com/san0b046?utm...) #Startup #GTM #AIStartups #SaaS #Founders #StartupGrowth

48 hours, zero budget, no audience — just pure execution to get first 10 real users. Would you pull it off? www.reddit.com/r/16VCFund/c... #Startups #GrowthHacks

if you’re a founder, say hi — let’s connect #buildinpublic

Introducing the 16VC Advisor Network: Global Operators Shaping Early-Stage AI and Enterprise Systems open.substack.com/pub/16vc/p/i...

a big market size slide isn’t investor conviction. it’s optimism with a number. we see: “$120B TAM” no wedge no reason this team wins no why now market size ≠ clarity before: “$200B fintech market” after: “start with one broken workflow, then expand” investors fund entry, not size #startups #vc

fundraising in 2026 is not about traction. it’s about clarity of trajectory. most decks fail because they describe what exists, not what becomes inevitable. investors don’t fund metrics. they fund momentum they can underwrite. #startup #vc #founders #ai #fundraising #buildinpublic

founder gtm strategy session 🚀 icp, channels, founder-led growth & messaging that converts for early-stage startups. may 28 | 10:30–11:30 pm ist register: luma.com/san0b046 #founders #startups #gtm #saas

we’re launching the 16vc founder fellowship. a 9-week program to help early-stage founders get ready to raise. hands-on support. small cohort. focused outcomes. apply: tiny.cc/16VC_s26 #startups #venturecapital #founders #fundraising

most founders don’t need more advice. they need to become fundable. that’s the gap. 16vc fellowship: a 9-week sprint to fix your narrative, positioning, and raise. applications open: tiny.cc/16VC_s26 #startups #fundraising #venturecapital #founders #buildinpublic

attention is short. you don’t get time to “build up” your narrative. it either clicks quickly or it’s ignored. sharp ideas travel faster than detailed ones. clarity is leverage. #startups #fundraising