Your Startup's DNA - 02/10

This is Second Opinion, a newsletter created by Hustle Fund, where we weigh in (with our second opinion) and give tactical advice on founder situations.

Today’s Edition

Alright, friends. Turns out, hiring based on LinkedIn profiles is basically a coin flip. So let’s talk about it.

✨ Today's episode: Hiring your first 5 employees

Why hiring is make-or-break

When you're a seed-stage founder, every hire shapes your company's DNA. Mess it up, and you're re-hiring for the same role in 3 months. Get it right, and you build a team that works.

In today's episode of Uncapped Notes, Wael Jabir, Hustle Fund’s chief cheerleader, sits down with Sarah Lucena, CEO of Mappa, who went from co-founding team to 30 people and just promoted half her company this January.

Sarah breaks down the signals most founders get wrong, why underdogs often outperform "perfect" LinkedIn profiles, and what to do when a hire doesn't work out (spoiler: it's probably on you, not them).

Here's the episode: