Ever wanted to get direct access to the minds of successful venture capitalists around the world?
You’d have an instant hotline to all markets and new inspired investment ideas. Not to even mention the expertise and experience of successful venture capital investors.
Thing is, you can. Using the platform until recently known as Twitter (now 𝕏).
Here’s a roundup of my top 19 venture capital and angel investor Twitter accounts that I follow.
@rrhoover – Ryan Hoover
Ryan Hoover is a venture capitalist and founder of Product Hunt, a website where users share and discover new products. He is known for his expertise in startups, product development, and technology trends.
Hoover’s Twitter account, @rrhoover, typically features content related to technology, startups, and product development.
He often engages in discussions about current trends in the tech industry, shares insights and advice for entrepreneurs, and highlights interesting new products and services. Followers can expect a mix of personal thoughts, professional insights, and industry news.
Don’t overthink it pic.twitter.com/iGKXvRLZOv
— Ryan Hoover (@rrhoover) July 10, 2023
@eladgil – Elad Gil
Elad Gil is a prominent figure in the tech industry, known for his role as an entrepreneur, investor, and author. He has a significant background in technology and startups, having co-founded Color Genomics and contributed to high-profile companies like Twitter and Google.
On his Twitter account, @eladgil, Gil shares insights and commentary on technology, startups, and the venture capital industry. His tweets often include perspectives on market trends, advice for entrepreneurs, and discussions about the future of tech.
Followers can expect a blend of professional analysis, personal viewpoints, and industry news.
A founder I know was going to meet with a big name and asked for advice for meeting.
Tips
1. Start the meeting with agenda so person realize you will make good use of their time & show you prepped
2. Come with something useful for them. Intro they may not have within your…— Elad Gil (@eladgil) December 18, 2023
@Travis_Jamison – Travis Jamison
Travis Jamison is a repeat founder turned full-time investor. Owner of CapitalPad, Smash.vc, Snowball Investing Club, Smash Digital, partner in dozens more, and an experienced entrepreneur-mentor.
Travis Jamison’s career trajectory has taken him from being an entrepreneur managing various businesses to an investor who now focuses on more involved and strategic forms of investment, particularly through Smash.vc.
His investing path took him from the venture capital world to almost the complete opposite… investing in SMBs (small and medium sized businesses). To simplify, he invests in micro private equity, providing capital to those acquiring companies.
Travis also owns an investing community aimed at like-minded individuals who share a similar enthusiasm for the intersection of entrepreneurship and investing.
I think the ideal wealth target is simply reaching upper middle class, then keeping the lifestyle at that level.
Making more is great, but further improvements to one’s life quality is marginal.
Keeping the lifestyle in that range & stacking excess cash for freedom = the dream.
— Travis Jamison (@Travis_Jamison) February 19, 2023
@sama – Sam Altman
Sam Altman, known as @sama on Twitter, is a well-known entrepreneur and investor, primarily recognized for his role as the former president of Y Combinator, a prestigious startup accelerator.
He is also the CEO of OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research lab. On his Twitter account, Altman shares his thoughts and insights on a wide range of topics, including technology, startups, artificial intelligence, and broader economic and societal issues.
Followers of his account can expect a mix of personal opinions, industry insights, and discussions on current trends in technology and society.
i failed pretty hard at my first startup–it sucked!–and am doing pretty well on my second.
the thing i wish someone told me during the first one is that no one else thinks about your failures as much as you do, and that as long as don’t psych yourself out you can try again.
— Sam Altman (@sama) February 5, 2023
@sether – Seth Levine
Seth Goldstein, known on Twitter as @sether, is an entrepreneur and investor with a focus on digital media and technology.
He has co-founded several companies, including DJZ and SocialMedia.com, and is recognized for his contributions to the tech industry. On his Twitter account, Goldstein shares insights and commentary on technology, digital media, and the startup ecosystem.
His tweets often reflect his experiences as an entrepreneur and investor, offering perspectives on industry trends, entrepreneurial advice, and observations on the evolving digital landscape. Followers can expect a blend of professional reflections, industry news, and personal thoughts.
Looks like I had the timing of this post pretty much spot on. https://t.co/ss8nZ9WkCv pic.twitter.com/1d8gsih7af
— seth (@sether) October 10, 2023
@DavidSacks – David Sacks
David Sacks is a well-known entrepreneur and investor in the tech industry. He is recognized for his role as the founding COO of PayPal and has been involved in various successful ventures, including Yammer, which he founded and later sold to Microsoft.
Sacks is also a partner at Craft Ventures.
His tweets often include commentary on current industry trends, business strategies, and broader economic topics. Followers can expect a mix of in-depth analysis, personal opinions about Elon Musk, and discussions about the tech and startup ecosystem.
When @elonmusk made necessary business changes at Twitter, the media reacted with hysterical melodrama: he was “starving” employees; the site was facing “imminent collapse.” But when Twitter Files exposed state censorship and Hamilton68 fraud, they react with defeaning silence.
— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) January 30, 2023
@VCBrags – VCs Congratulating Themselves
VCs Congratulating Themselves share news, jokes, puns and motivational posts from other VCs and entrepreneurs.
They are run by the team behind Brags Ventures, a VC firm with a great sense of humor.
The content typically includes exaggerated and humorous brags, mimicking the style of venture capitalists and startup culture. The tweets are meant to poke fun at the sometimes over-the-top self-promotion and jargon common in the VC community. Followers can expect a blend of satire, humor, and witty commentary on the venture capital industry.
They currently have just over 235K followers, so you are highly likely to come into contact with useful contacts in the venture capital space.
“I agree with what Peter Thiel said in Zero to One, competition is for losers. That’s why I’m working on something nobody else is”
– Andrew, 28, founder of an AI girlfriend startup
— VCs Congratulating Themselves 👏👏👏 (@VCBrags) January 25, 2024
@HarryStebbings – Harry Stebbings
Harry Stebbings is known for his work in the venture capital and podcasting world.
He is the creator and host of “The Twenty Minute VC,” a popular podcast where he interviews notable venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. He shares insights and thoughts related to venture capital, tech news, and entrepreneurship.
His tweets often include personal opinions, updates about his podcast episodes, and interactions with leaders in the tech and VC sectors. Look to Harry for business advice and keeping tabs on emerging trends.
Sometimes people say WTF, you have a podcast and then raised $140M.
What no one sees;
2,850 episodes recorded.
7 years without a weekend off.
Countless missed birthdays and family occasions.
Overnight success, I think not. 😂
— Harry Stebbings (@HarryStebbings) September 17, 2021
@indievc – Indie.vc
Indie.vc is a VC firm known for its unique approach to investing.
They are great at shining a light on the flaws of the VC landscape, and will really make you think. Just because a trend is really taking off, does it mean you need to jump on it immediately?
Give them a follow if you are looking for a sound niche voice in your feed. For example, you will come across a gem like this that you aren’t all that likely to see from some of the bigger account in the space:
Sent privately from one of the most active angels in the game
“I’m so over the capital being pushed into so many companies with the expectation to build at a pace that will just kill them. It makes zero sense! Most of those investors don’t even understand the actual business!”
— indievc (@indievc) May 17, 2018
@ganeumann – Jerry Neumann
Jerry Neumann invests and advises companies in the early investment game stage. He’s the venture capitalist behind Neu Venture Capital, one of the most successful VC firms in the early stage VC landscape. He’s also one of Business Insider’s top 100 early stage investors.
You might also know him as Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School.
He has worked at Deloitte and IBM, and he used to run the venture capital division of the Omnicom Group.
He shares wisdom on both his Twitter feed and his publications “Founder Vs Investor: The Honest Truth About Venture Capital from Startup to IPO” and his blog, Reaction Wheel.
His Twitter profile is home to some very clever insights you should definitely check out. Case in point:
VCs can help when you’re raising money, by making introductions to other VCs, by committing to invest in the round, and by vouching for you. This is the icing on the cake – and founders need to be the cake by doing their job to scale the startup.https://t.co/mIj1ExXtNO
— Jerry Neumann (@ganeumann) December 6, 2023
@aileenlee – Aileen Lee
Aileen Lee, an early stage tech VC known for coining the term “unicorn”, is probably a good place to start growing your network of venture capitalists.
Lee is an MIT and Harvard Business School graduate who kick-started her investment career in 1999. She is the co-founder and managing partner of Cowboy Ventures, an early investment firm whose portfolio hosts numerous successful early-stage companies, including Dollar Shave Club, Bloom Energy, and Guild Education.
Follow her not only for insightful perspectives and valuable content but also for job postings she occasionally shares.
It’s been 10 years since the original unicorn analysis (when we accidentally coined the term)🦄
So, our @CowboyVC team dug into new data. The tech industry has changed a TON!
✨ From 39 to 532 unicorns
✨ Pendulum swung HARD from consumer to enterprise
✨ Business types,… pic.twitter.com/Sfk8uPCp7T— aileenlee (@aileenlee) January 18, 2024
@naval – Naval Ravikant
Naval Ravikant’s tweets frequently tackle the topics of building startups, creating wealth, and life philosophy. He’s also a prominent venture capitalist.
Best known as the co-founder of AngelList, Ravikant has invested in 200+ companies, among which are more than 10 unicorns.
His tangible advice is beneficial to novice and experienced entrepreneurs alike, while his thought-provoking observations can help you strengthen your business acumen.
.@nireyal , author of “Hooked” and “Indistractable,” on distractions.
“So the first step to becoming indistractable is realizing that most of our distractions begin from within. We tend to blame the pings, dings, and rings, but that only accounts for 10% of our distractions.…
— Naval (@naval) September 8, 2023
@jason – Jason Calacanis
Jason Calacanis is a prominent angel investor known for backing unicorns like Uber, Wealthfront, Trello, and Robinhood.
His profound understanding of the startup and tech ecosystem and a good nose for identifying high-potential businesses make him a great source of information and learning.
All this means his feed is packed with insider business tips, advice for securing venture capital, startup trends, and all things entrepreneurship.
If you want to understand why tradmedia is collapsing, it’s because they’ve been replaced in “the age of expertise.”
When given the choice to consume an average journalist’s reporting or an experts take, consumers are increasingly picking the expert (or at least adding the… https://t.co/Q4JmEBTcb8
— @jason (@Jason) January 23, 2024
@ajay_bcv – Ajay Agarwal
With more than 20 years of experience investing in early-stage investment in SaaS and digital marketplaces, Ajay Agarwal is one of the leading voices in the field of venture capitalism.
A partner at Bain Capital Ventures and a Standford grad, Agarwal has been involved in the growth of SendGrid, SurveyMonkey, and Optimizely, among other successful companies.
His tweets focus on embracing innovation in business, so his account is a must-follow for entrepreneurs venturing into tech, AI, and SaaS.
The day that many of us who use Office 365 for email and calendar is finally here! @getclockwise is now available to Microsoft users—a workforce of over 400 million employees across 40% of businesses.
Try it out and let me know what you think.https://t.co/ITxquaw3yX
— Ajay Agarwal (@ajay_bcv) November 15, 2023
@paulg – Paul Graham
As the co-founder of the startup accelerator Y Combinator, Paul Graham brings extensive experience and depth to discussions about entrepreneurship and startups.
He uses his platform to address different facets of the startup landscape and share actionable tips for budding entrepreneurs and business enthusiasts.
His tweets help those navigating the entrepreneurial journey stay on track and offer them a sense of direction.
Bootstrapping is a proper subset of taking venture funding. Taking venture funding lets a company choose its growth rate. One end of this continuum is to raise zero dollars and just take whatever default growth rate you can get off your own revenues.
— Paul Graham (@paulg) August 25, 2023
@bfeld – Brad Feld
Best known for “Feld Thoughts,” his blog about entrepreneurship, a seasoned VC, and co-founder of Techstars and the Foundry Group, Brad Feld is also active on Twitter.
He shares tech updates, startup advice, and investment strategies.
His thought leadership extends from investment strategies to mental health awareness in the entrepreneurial world.
Why 3D printing is vital to success of US manufacturing | FT Film https://t.co/rYJ2STGe6E via @FT
— Brad Feld (@bfeld) June 2, 2023
@msuster – Mark Suster
An entrepreneur turned VC, Mark Suster offers a deep insight into the world of venture capital.
He is now a partner in Upfront Ventures with successful exits under his belt, so it’s no wonder his blog “Both Sides of the Table” and his Twitter account are the go-to resources for tech startups.
He regularly shares industry knowledge derived from his (and other successful people’s) entrepreneurial experiences, while his tweets are both candid and no-nonsense.
.@NikkiHaley was clearly right
– Calling it a “refugee camp” 70+ years later is false marketing. These are permanent communities
– UN aid groups clearly allowing $$ to fund terrorismShe saw this before many others. WaPo positioning super disingenuous. pic.twitter.com/WMiwJ6ggAg
— Mark Suster (@msuster) January 19, 2024
@GuyKawasaki – Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki, currently the chief evangelist at Canva, is a digital Renaissance man and mobile industry pioneer.
He started out as an Apple employee and moved on to become a successful entrepreneur, bestselling author, podcaster, and VC, resulting in a wealth of experience spreading across different areas.
His tweets offer links to his podcast episodes, which are interviews with amazing people. Every episode is both inspiration and practical, including actionable tips on entrepreneurship, innovation, tech, and even social media marketing — the whole nine yards.
Join us as Joe Foster takes us behind the scenes of Reebok’s iconic journey. His autobiography, Shoemaker, reveals the secrets to their global prominence 🌏 https://t.co/ZAexH4OeL1 pic.twitter.com/YUS5fPgnx0
— Guy Kawasaki (@GuyKawasaki) November 3, 2023
@joshk – Josh Kopelman
Being at the helm of First Round Capital, a fund backing up startups at the seed stage, Josh is a big name in the world of VC and angel investors.
Since 2004, he has invested in more than 300 companies and business development deals, the most notable being LinkedIn, Uber, and Warby Parker.
He used to be an entrepreneur himself, so he knows what it’s like to be on both sides of the table, and his concise and to-the-point tweets reflect this.
A lot of startup advice sucks. Here is some that doesn’t.
The @firstround Review team collected the best company building advice we heard from builders at Figma, Shopify, Vanta, Webflow, Retool, Vercel & dozens of other companies to guide you through 2024.…
— Josh Kopelman (@joshk) January 4, 2024
Twitter Tips For Early Stage Founders
So why should you spend your time on Twitter anyway? ‘Tis a silly place after all, as they say. Well, four reasons come to mind.
Keep Tabs On The Community
By following VCs on Twitter, you gain a front-row seat to the thought processes of these industry titans. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in the venture capital community with industry insights, market trends, and latest industry news.
But – use the block/mute function generously. Otherwise you’ll drown in noise.
Learn From Others’ Failures
It’s two steps away from having a mentor at your fingertips, guiding you through the journey of securing investments and scaling your business with a venture partner.
But – only follow qualified experts from curated lists like these.
Engage With Experts
In the startup community, where networking is paramount, Twitter provides a unique space for founders to engage, interact, and even collaborate with venture capitalists. When a simple tweet might get you into the good graces of the managing director of a venture capital firm, you need to be in there.
But – be genuine. Don’t try to bullshit anyone on Twitter, you’ll be blocked instantly.
Understand the Investment World
It’s not just about securing funds either. It’s about understanding the rhythm of the investment world, anticipating its ebbs and flows, and positioning oneself for success. For an early-stage founder, this interaction isn’t just beneficial: it’s essential.
But – use Twitter as an addition to your toolkit. Don’t use it as your only source of data.
Your Turn
If you’ve been avoiding Twitter lately due to the (questionable) upgrades going on, I don’t blame you. But there’s a whole treasure trove of amazing conversation going on, as long as you know where to look.
Now you have 19 people to follow and build a Twitter feed worth visiting daily.
Who knows, this might be your chance to meet the general partner of the firm to fund your next venture. And if Twitter feels like a bit too much, remember to check out these investment blogs.
