Thursdays at Abnormal Returns are all about startup and venture capital links. You can check out last week’s links including a look at the best time in the economic cycle to start a business.
Quote of the Day
"You’re probably many decisions away from success, but always one decision away from failure. Clarity matters. The more aware you are of yourself and your surroundings, the more data you have to inform your decisions, and the more competitive you will be."
(Scott Belsky)
Chart of the Day

“First, apps inspire infrastructure. Then that infrastructure enables new apps.”
Fundraising
- Bitcoin is down but Coinbase is set to raise capital at a much higher valuation. (recode.net)
- Slack is pushing for a 2019 IPO. (wsj.com)
- OpenDoor is the latest beneficiary of Vision Fund capital. (wsj.com)
Pitching
- Appropriate body language is a big part of a successful pitch. (ft.com)
- Why story telling is such an important skill. (safalniveshak.com)
- How to master the cold e-mail. (medium.com)
- There are only two reasons to do a conference panel. (pointsandfigures.com)
Books
- A Q&A with Reid Hoffman about his new book " Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies." (fortune.com)
- "The Messy Middle: Finding your way through the hardest and most crucial part of any bold venture" by Scott Belsky is a good look at managing any project. (readingthemarkets.blogspot.com)
Startups
- How to think about a second seed or seed extension round. (hunterwalk.com)
- VCs are putting more capital into the food-tech space. (wsj.com)
- New Jersey wants to attract more startups. (nytimes.com)
- If you are only talking to dudes, you will likely only fund dudes. (hunterwalk.com)
- Do the brains of successful entrepreneurs differ markedly from others? (ft.com)
- How to get a job at startup: be scrappy. (pointsandfigures.com)
- Design is marketing. (seths.blog)