Founder Mode - 13 Nov 2025

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Shoppers are adding to cart for the holidays

Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.

Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.

Learn more.

Hi there,

Welcome back to Founder Mode, every week I’ll keep you updated on the top finds and opportunities, so that you save time and stay in the know.

Thanks for reading, and let’s dive in!

🔥 Top Finds

SoftBank CEO Says He’s “All In” on OpenAI
SoftBank sold its entire $5.8B Nvidia stake to double down on AI infrastructure and partner more deeply with OpenAI. Masayoshi Son says he’s “all in”, a bold bet that shows how capital is consolidating around a few dominant AI players, even as questions grow about long-term returns.

How to Be Creative
Most people treat creativity like productivity they try harder and expect results. But creativity comes from refreshing inputs, not forcing outputs. Expose yourself to new ideas, perspectives, and problems, and watch creativity follow naturally.

Buffett’s Final Shareholder Letter
Warren Buffett’s final letter to shareholders closes an era. As always, it’s grounded in timeless wisdom, patience, discipline, and staying within your circle of competence. A masterclass in clarity from one of the greatest capital allocators of all time.

Ecosystem Is the Next Big Growth Channel
Instead of fighting for direct access to customers, more startups are winning by going through trusted intermediaries, partners, platforms, and communities that already own attention. Building ecosystems, not just funnels, is becoming the new growth advantage.

Curate People
Naval Ravikant reminds founders that the team you build is the company you build. Recruiting and culture aren’t side tasks, they are the main act. Treat it like curation: assemble people who amplify each other and share an ambitious mission worth dedicating years to.

🎯 Startup Opportunities

🛠 Tool of the Week

Raycast
If you use a Mac, Raycast is probably the first app worth installing on a new machine. It’s the ultimate shortcut to everything. It is an everything launcher packed with powerful productivity tools. I use it daily to open apps, run commands, manage tasks, and trigger workflows without ever touching the mouse. It’s like Spotlight, but supercharged and extensible with community-built extensions. Raycast recently launched a Windows version too, though it’s still catching up to the polished Mac experience.

💬 Founder Mode Quotes

🙂 Fun Mode

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