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Lessons from Raising a Softbank Megaround

generalist.com · 1,698 words · saved by 1 readers

"The Best Venture Firm You've Never Heard Of is the best piece of writing I've ever read online, and I read a lot of stuff. Personally recommend it to all my friends." — Kaan, a paying member Friends, If you were the CEO of a buzzy company in the late 2010s, there was a good chance you would get a call from the lieutenants of Softbank’s Masayoshi Son. If you passed the first screening, you might find yourself invited to Tokyo for an in-person summit. It is a matter of startup lore that halfway through an immaculate sushi dinner, an entrepreneur might receive something close to an ultimatum from the Softbank impresario: accept our gargantuan offer or we’ll fund your competitor. Only those in attendance will know how closely the rumor hews to reality, but it makes for a compelling scene. Whether Ryan Petersen enjoyed the high-brow mafioso stylings of Masayoshi Son is unknown. Flexport has not really had the kind of close startup competitors that facilitate such a dynamic. What is certain

"The Best Venture Firm You've Never Heard Of is the best piece of writing I've ever read online, and I read a lot of stuff. Personally recommend it to all my friends." — Kaan, a paying member Illustration by Eleanor Taylor Friends, If you were the CEO of a buzzy company in the late 2010s, there was a good chance you would get a call from the lieutenants of Softbank’s Masayoshi Son. If you passed the first screening, you might find yourself invited to Tokyo for an in-person summit. It is a matter of startup lore that halfway through an immaculate sushi dinner, an entrepreneur might receive…

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