weisser's banner

weisser

@julianweisser • 33,524 subscribers

championing @solofounders with support + $100k

Shorts

The Solo Founders Program turns one today. Many say you need a co-founder to get started. They're wrong. The best founders have never waited around for a co-founder. Will you?

The Solo Founders Program turns one today. Many say you need a co-founder to get started. They're wrong. The best founders have never waited around for a co-founder. Will you?

27,442 görüntüleme

Videos

Anya Rossi

sweetdream.ai

SweetDream.ai•Sponsored•Livecam

Watch Anya Live

Anya is streaming live right now! Join her private show and enjoy exclusive content.

Exclusive private shows

1.2k viewers online

Private Show

Join now for exclusive access

Free preview available • Premium content

Most people think starting a company without a co-founder is a bad idea. We believe the opposite: solo founding will be the default way great companies get started. Applications are now open for the Solo Founders Program. 3 months in SF: "solo, together" + 1:1 support + $100K

Most people think starting a company without a co-founder is a bad idea. We believe the opposite: solo founding will be the default way great companies get started. Applications are now open for the Solo Founders Program. 3 months in SF: "solo, together" + 1:1 support + $100K

512,447 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce

If you talk to 100 seed funds and they won’t invest in your company you’re actually wrong. Was reminded of this conversation I had with Eoghan McCabe.

If you talk to 100 seed funds and they won’t invest in your company you’re actually wrong. Was reminded of this conversation I had with Eoghan McCabe.

377,895 görüntüleme • 4 ay önce

$1.5M ARR in 2 weeks. Zero (human) teammates. Solo Founders Podcast is live with of Polsia, an AI that runs your company while you sleep. His solo founder rule: 80% AI, 20% taste. 0:00 — How "solo founder" has changed with AI 2:40 — Scoping and trusting AI agents to ship 5:30 — Cloud Kitchens with Travis Kalanick 9:52 — Mount Fuji: Where Polsia was born 13:55 — 80/20 rule: 80% AI, 20% taste 21:24 — Building for yourself, not imaginary customers 23:10 — The game that inspired Polsia 29:55 — Polsia as an economy: The bigger vision 40:59 — How Polsia actually works today 51:35 — Why not just build businesses yourself? 57:55 — Advice for new builders: Push AI to the edge

$1.5M ARR in 2 weeks. Zero (human) teammates. Solo Founders Podcast is live with of Polsia, an AI that runs your company while you sleep. His solo founder rule: 80% AI, 20% taste. 0:00 — How "solo founder" has changed with AI 2:40 — Scoping and trusting AI agents to ship 5:30 — Cloud Kitchens with Travis Kalanick 9:52 — Mount Fuji: Where Polsia was born 13:55 — 80/20 rule: 80% AI, 20% taste 21:24 — Building for yourself, not imaginary customers 23:10 — The game that inspired Polsia 29:55 — Polsia as an economy: The bigger vision 40:59 — How Polsia actually works today 51:35 — Why not just build businesses yourself? 57:55 — Advice for new builders: Push AI to the edge

526,518 görüntüleme • 6 ay önce

Announcing the Solo Founders Podcast. Conversations with founders building the most ambitious companies without co-founders. First episode drops tomorrow.

Announcing the Solo Founders Podcast. Conversations with founders building the most ambitious companies without co-founders. First episode drops tomorrow.

433,139 görüntüleme • 6 ay önce

Solo founders are underestimated. We’re changing that. In May we launched the Solo Founders Program (<1% acceptance rate) for six founders to build together in SF. 60 days in: millions raised, 35k GitHub stars, rapid growth. Join us: Fall 2025 applications close soon.

Solo founders are underestimated. We’re changing that. In May we launched the Solo Founders Program (<1% acceptance rate) for six founders to build together in SF. 60 days in: millions raised, 35k GitHub stars, rapid growth. Join us: Fall 2025 applications close soon.

611,569 görüntüleme • 1 yıl önce

Have been looking forward to this one: Dave Morin on the Solo Founders Podcast. Dave Morin 🦞 was early at Facebook where he worked closely with Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook's developer platforms. Now he’s working with some of the top solo founders at Offline Ventures like Ben from Polsia and also chairs the OpenClaw foundation. 07:58 YouTube can be your co-founder 08:57 "I'm a producer, not an investor" 16:19 What Jony Ive told him when Steve Jobs died 18:50 The first twelve hours with OpenClaw🦞 34:15 "Am I crazy?" three months before Polsia 45:48 The 10,000-dinners test 53:32 The worst way solo founders fail 55:18 Just start

Have been looking forward to this one: Dave Morin on the Solo Founders Podcast. Dave Morin 🦞 was early at Facebook where he worked closely with Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook's developer platforms. Now he’s working with some of the top solo founders at Offline Ventures like Ben from Polsia and also chairs the OpenClaw foundation. 07:58 YouTube can be your co-founder 08:57 "I'm a producer, not an investor" 16:19 What Jony Ive told him when Steve Jobs died 18:50 The first twelve hours with OpenClaw🦞 34:15 "Am I crazy?" three months before Polsia 45:48 The 10,000-dinners test 53:32 The worst way solo founders fail 55:18 Just start

11,658 görüntüleme • 5 gün önce

He sold a company at 16. Then raised $3M at 19 without a co-founder. Today he gave the whole thing away. supermemory now runs fully local, self-contained, and the binary is open source. Solo Founders Podcast ep 14 is live with Dhravya Shah of Supermemory. 00:49 How a side project became a company 08:57 "Building was my way of doing art" 14:35 Saying no to VCs for 9 months 24:44 Launching Supermemory Local 29:29 Killing his own viral hit, mid-fundraise 46:39 Why ChatGPT "fails" memory benchmarks on purpose 52:57 The co-founder breakup that made him go solo 01:10:19 The case for solo founding

He sold a company at 16. Then raised $3M at 19 without a co-founder. Today he gave the whole thing away. supermemory now runs fully local, self-contained, and the binary is open source. Solo Founders Podcast ep 14 is live with Dhravya Shah of Supermemory. 00:49 How a side project became a company 08:57 "Building was my way of doing art" 14:35 Saying no to VCs for 9 months 24:44 Launching Supermemory Local 29:29 Killing his own viral hit, mid-fundraise 46:39 Why ChatGPT "fails" memory benchmarks on purpose 52:57 The co-founder breakup that made him go solo 01:10:19 The case for solo founding

139,725 görüntüleme • 3 ay önce

Solo founders are underestimated. Let's change that. Today we're launching: Solo Club — a community for solo founders at all stages Solo Founders Program — a 3-month program for 6 solo founders in SF Apply now.

Solo founders are underestimated. Let's change that. Today we're launching: Solo Club — a community for solo founders at all stages Solo Founders Program — a 3-month program for 6 solo founders in SF Apply now.

367,371 görüntüleme • 1 yıl önce

Our first solo founder just hit $1M ARR in under 2 months. Announcing the 3rd cohort of the Solo Founders Program. "SFP gave me a new framework to think about how fast I can go." Apply today to build "solo, together" in January.

Our first solo founder just hit $1M ARR in under 2 months. Announcing the 3rd cohort of the Solo Founders Program. "SFP gave me a new framework to think about how fast I can go." Apply today to build "solo, together" in January.

171,742 görüntüleme • 9 ay önce

Over 100,000 product managers use a product built by a company with one human employee. Solo Founders Podcast ep 20 is live with claire vo 🖤 of ChatPRD. Claire might be the only human, but she works with 9 AI agents and messages them like people. 00:51 The custom GPT that became a business 08:58 "She may be a wrapper, but she's my wrapper" 17:26 Austin vs SF, and "success dysphoria" 22:05 Why she took zero VC 33:08 Running a company with 9 AI agents 42:20 The agent that emailed us before she showed up 49:41 How I AI, and treating a podcast like a product 58:27 The case for (and against) going solo

Over 100,000 product managers use a product built by a company with one human employee. Solo Founders Podcast ep 20 is live with claire vo 🖤 of ChatPRD. Claire might be the only human, but she works with 9 AI agents and messages them like people. 00:51 The custom GPT that became a business 08:58 "She may be a wrapper, but she's my wrapper" 17:26 Austin vs SF, and "success dysphoria" 22:05 Why she took zero VC 33:08 Running a company with 9 AI agents 42:20 The agent that emailed us before she showed up 49:41 How I AI, and treating a podcast like a product 58:27 The case for (and against) going solo

32,695 görüntüleme • 2 ay önce

Today we’re unveiling Solo Grants. We give microgrants ($100-1,000) to individuals pursuing passion projects. We’ve already given 50 out and we’re just getting started. Solo Founders Podcast ep 19 is live with ari dutilh to discuss it. 00:09 The announcement 07:04 Microgrants 101: the world of no-strings money 14:35 The few-hundred-dollar gap 19:02 The grantee who asked for $100 less 21:56 A $500 check from a stranger 32:33 Solo, together

Today we’re unveiling Solo Grants. We give microgrants ($100-1,000) to individuals pursuing passion projects. We’ve already given 50 out and we’re just getting started. Solo Founders Podcast ep 19 is live with ari dutilh to discuss it. 00:09 The announcement 07:04 Microgrants 101: the world of no-strings money 14:35 The few-hundred-dollar gap 19:02 The grantee who asked for $100 less 21:56 A $500 check from a stranger 32:33 Solo, together

34,488 görüntüleme • 2 ay önce

$9M ARR. No VC. Solo founder. Solo Founders Podcast ep 6 is live with Yasser of Chatbase. We talk about: 00:03 Discovering RAG before ChatGPT existed 11:44 First Stripe payment 30 minutes after launch 14:37 "Free solo" founding, beyond indie hacking 27:39 Why bootstrapping changes the definition of success 35:37 The "benevolent dictatorship" of solo founding 44:43 Scaling bootstrapped, profitability from day one 54:14 The B2B playbook: pricing, content, cold outbound 1:08:20 Bear and bull case for solo founding

$9M ARR. No VC. Solo founder. Solo Founders Podcast ep 6 is live with Yasser of Chatbase. We talk about: 00:03 Discovering RAG before ChatGPT existed 11:44 First Stripe payment 30 minutes after launch 14:37 "Free solo" founding, beyond indie hacking 27:39 Why bootstrapping changes the definition of success 35:37 The "benevolent dictatorship" of solo founding 44:43 Scaling bootstrapped, profitability from day one 54:14 The B2B playbook: pricing, content, cold outbound 1:08:20 Bear and bull case for solo founding

64,596 görüntüleme • 5 ay önce

Solo-founded $2B company. Used by OpenAI, Anthropic, Replit. Solo Founders ep 13 is live with Michael Grinich of WorkOS. 07:49 The co-founder "blood bond" is a myth 10:55 There's only room for one Zuck at Meta 32:51 Pivots are the most traumatic thing you can do to a business 43:18 The best ideas always look like bad ideas 50:14 Sales is the ultimate expression of the company's value 53:57 The "founder pixie dust" no hire can replace 01:07:42 You only get one life. Why not swing as hard as you can?

Solo-founded $2B company. Used by OpenAI, Anthropic, Replit. Solo Founders ep 13 is live with Michael Grinich of WorkOS. 07:49 The co-founder "blood bond" is a myth 10:55 There's only room for one Zuck at Meta 32:51 Pivots are the most traumatic thing you can do to a business 43:18 The best ideas always look like bad ideas 50:14 Sales is the ultimate expression of the company's value 53:57 The "founder pixie dust" no hire can replace 01:07:42 You only get one life. Why not swing as hard as you can?

47,075 görüntüleme • 3 ay önce

"Millions of people creating with the same tool for totally different use cases, but the output looks the same. That's where the feeling of AI slop comes from." She's making it her mission to put an end to it. Solo Founders Podcast ep 18 is live with Thais Castello Branco of . 00:47 Why she went solo 02:08 What "taste" actually is 11:30 A quirk on one, slop on millions 13:09 The real cause: volume 19:37 Why it had to be a "lab" 30:04 You're bad at commissioning AI 44:01 Branding, Liquid Death and what lasts 58:34 The bear and bull case for going solo

"Millions of people creating with the same tool for totally different use cases, but the output looks the same. That's where the feeling of AI slop comes from." She's making it her mission to put an end to it. Solo Founders Podcast ep 18 is live with Thais Castello Branco of . 00:47 Why she went solo 02:08 What "taste" actually is 11:30 A quirk on one, slop on millions 13:09 The real cause: volume 19:37 Why it had to be a "lab" 30:04 You're bad at commissioning AI 44:01 Branding, Liquid Death and what lasts 58:34 The bear and bull case for going solo

34,489 görüntüleme • 2 ay önce

500 rejections. 0 co-founders. $300M valuation. Solo Founders Podcast Episode 2 is live with Paul Klein IV of Browserbase. Paul tried to find a co-founder. Nobody took the role. So he started Browserbase alone. Now they've raised $67.5M and have customers like Perplexity and Vercel. All in under two years. His take: "First-time founders should not be solo founders." 03:39 – StreamClub: from 72-hour coding binge to #1 on Product Hunt 06:41 – The 3,000-word memo that became Browserbase 08:32 – Solo by circumstance: co-founder dating and getting rejected 09:50 – The five-tool founder 18:48 – Company culture as a mirror of your flaws 30:46 – 500 rejections and hiring from non-traditional backgrounds 35:44 – Quarterback → head coach → GM: how the CEO role evolves 45:08 – The case against solo founding 51:49 – The case for solo founding

500 rejections. 0 co-founders. $300M valuation. Solo Founders Podcast Episode 2 is live with Paul Klein IV of Browserbase. Paul tried to find a co-founder. Nobody took the role. So he started Browserbase alone. Now they've raised $67.5M and have customers like Perplexity and Vercel. All in under two years. His take: "First-time founders should not be solo founders." 03:39 – StreamClub: from 72-hour coding binge to #1 on Product Hunt 06:41 – The 3,000-word memo that became Browserbase 08:32 – Solo by circumstance: co-founder dating and getting rejected 09:50 – The five-tool founder 18:48 – Company culture as a mirror of your flaws 30:46 – 500 rejections and hiring from non-traditional backgrounds 35:44 – Quarterback → head coach → GM: how the CEO role evolves 45:08 – The case against solo founding 51:49 – The case for solo founding

60,664 görüntüleme • 6 ay önce

I spent 7 years helping people finding co-founders (1,000 startups, $10B) Then I went all-in on Solo Founders. Solo Founders Podcast ep 8 live. I swapped seats and was interviewed by David J Phillips (solo founder of Fondo.com) We talk about: 01:46 The Co-Founder Myth & Origins of ODF 06:23 The Moment That Sparked Solo Founders 08:30 The New $100K Investment 12:31 Why There's No Demo Day 17:34 Solo Founders Program 20:59 Why Startups Really Implode 27:15 The Solo Founding Trend & Denominator Delusion 30:55 When to Raise a Seed Round 32:10 True Solo, Free Solo, Juiced Solo 36:40 The Tailwinds Behind Solo Founding 40:03 The Bear Case for Solo Founding 43:12 The Bull Case: The Company Only Dies If You Do 47:14 Solo Together, Not Solo Alone 49:08 Outro & How to Apply

I spent 7 years helping people finding co-founders (1,000 startups, $10B) Then I went all-in on Solo Founders. Solo Founders Podcast ep 8 live. I swapped seats and was interviewed by David J Phillips (solo founder of Fondo.com) We talk about: 01:46 The Co-Founder Myth & Origins of ODF 06:23 The Moment That Sparked Solo Founders 08:30 The New $100K Investment 12:31 Why There's No Demo Day 17:34 Solo Founders Program 20:59 Why Startups Really Implode 27:15 The Solo Founding Trend & Denominator Delusion 30:55 When to Raise a Seed Round 32:10 True Solo, Free Solo, Juiced Solo 36:40 The Tailwinds Behind Solo Founding 40:03 The Bear Case for Solo Founding 43:12 The Bull Case: The Company Only Dies If You Do 47:14 Solo Together, Not Solo Alone 49:08 Outro & How to Apply

48,621 görüntüleme • 5 ay önce

New experiment for ODF23: pay-what-you-want ODF22 was our best cohort (NPS/economics) but we wanted to try something new. Not changing: no equity to join, no right to invest. We're not a VC's dealflow hack. We help more people start the best companies together. Apply!

New experiment for ODF23: pay-what-you-want ODF22 was our best cohort (NPS/economics) but we wanted to try something new. Not changing: no equity to join, no right to invest. We're not a VC's dealflow hack. We help more people start the best companies together. Apply!

164,093 görüntüleme • 2 yıl önce

It’s the one year anniversary of the Solo Founders Program. The first cohort sat down to talk about building solo, together. Ep 24 is live w/ aldo, Chaitanya, Namanyay, and Dhravya Shah. 07:01 "Retention is growth" 12:53 Pulling the thread through three ideas 21:15 Free users vs. a real business 25:09 "My co-founder was my dad. I was 17." 31:04 What "solo, together" means

It’s the one year anniversary of the Solo Founders Program. The first cohort sat down to talk about building solo, together. Ep 24 is live w/ aldo, Chaitanya, Namanyay, and Dhravya Shah. 07:01 "Retention is growth" 12:53 Pulling the thread through three ideas 21:15 Free users vs. a real business 25:09 "My co-founder was my dad. I was 17." 31:04 What "solo, together" means

13,435 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce

6 pivots. Cease-and-desist from Microsoft. Then Harvard picked his AI over ChatGPT. Solo Founders Podcast ep 7 is live with rahul of Julius AI. We talk about: How Rahul ended up solo The football analogy for building momentum Why 8/10 co-founder teams are fighting in private "I need to be the worst coder on the team" Why "less cash, more equity" is a green flag Six pivots and the Microsoft cease-and-desist Why Sam Altman can't sell you a pen (but can sell you AGI) Rahul's bear and bull case for solo founding

6 pivots. Cease-and-desist from Microsoft. Then Harvard picked his AI over ChatGPT. Solo Founders Podcast ep 7 is live with rahul of Julius AI. We talk about: How Rahul ended up solo The football analogy for building momentum Why 8/10 co-founder teams are fighting in private "I need to be the worst coder on the team" Why "less cash, more equity" is a green flag Six pivots and the Microsoft cease-and-desist Why Sam Altman can't sell you a pen (but can sell you AGI) Rahul's bear and bull case for solo founding

45,748 görüntüleme • 5 ay önce

See the artists you love while you still can — it will change your life Bob Weir has moved on. Lucky to have met him when I first visited SF 14 yrs ago. His music rides shotgun through my life. Played til the end: 3 nights in GGP just weeks into his final treatments. Inspiring.

See the artists you love while you still can — it will change your life Bob Weir has moved on. Lucky to have met him when I first visited SF 14 yrs ago. His music rides shotgun through my life. Played til the end: 3 nights in GGP just weeks into his final treatments. Inspiring.

62,126 görüntüleme • 8 ay önce