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Willem Profile
Willem

@vanlancker

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Startup building, investing, and design · Thrive, Oyster, Google, Apple

Joined October 2009
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 months
Some New Year’s news: I recently left my role at Thrive to start something new. I spent the last five years there supporting founders, starting new companies, and building the incubation program. I am grateful to draw on those relationships and the support of the Thrive team as I…
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@vanlancker
Willem
2 months
Feels like we are re-entering an era of quirky, personality-rich design languages. It is most apparent in hardware — though we are starting to see it more in software too.
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
 WFH, 1987
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
What pains me about the “NYC is done” & “leaving SF forever” crowd isn’t that they’re leaving (I get it) but the attitude that the city was something to take & now that it faces adversity, they’re gone. Cities are not products you consume—they require participation & investment.
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@vanlancker
Willem
2 months
When I say re-entering, this is what comes to mind
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@vanlancker
Willem
7 years
Doesn't begin to heal the divide but here is a small change Facebook could make to help us all escape our echo chambers:
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@vanlancker
Willem
5 years
New year, new news: I've joined Thrive Capital to focus on new incubations at the firm. I'm excited to get back to designing and building startups — working with founders to realize great ideas and catalyze companies at their earliest stage. 🚀
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@vanlancker
Willem
6 years
Excited to share a side project I’ve been jamming on with @leppert — an open source resource for naming things.
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
Worked from the office with a few other (distanced) people for the first time in a long time and, wow, it was the best. Idk what the future is, but can tell you it ain’t 100% remote.
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@vanlancker
Willem
6 years
Some news! 🎉 it’s the end of a 6+ year ride for me — from founding Oyster to our acquisition and then building products & teams at Google, all alongside the best people I’ve ever worked with. Now time to get back into startups again, in some new & different ways. More soon! 💫
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
Zillow CEO Rich Barton's excellent points on picking brand names.
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
You can participate & invest in your city in many ways. One that has been meaningful to me is supporting grassroots groups fighting for change. Here are two in NYC that I care about: @RidersAlliance - @rhookinitiative -
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@vanlancker
Willem
6 years
Finally, @leppert built some very cool menu interactions using your phone’s accelerometer and desktop scrolling speed. 🌈
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@vanlancker
Willem
6 months
Delta is a credit card company that also flies airplanes.
@sarthakgh
Sar Haribhakti
6 months
“The spending on Delta’s American Express cards is…nearly 1% of the entire U.S. gross domestic product….Delta will collect nearly $7 billion in revenue from American Express this year….That’s nearly equal to the amount the airline generated from flying passengers in 2022.”
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@vanlancker
Willem
8 years
Steve Ballmer is living out his childhood dreams before our eyes. It's like Big coming to life. What a joy to watch.
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@vanlancker
Willem
5 years
We are looking for someone to join our team at Thrive for a short term (3-6mo) incubation role. DM me! Details below. 👇
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@vanlancker
Willem
7 years
I worked with @designerfund on a guide to help designer's navigate working in tech—from big companies to small:
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
Nike Design, 1979
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 years
These Tampa Bay Patriots are pretty good huh?
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@vanlancker
Willem
2 months
@papoose Browser Co, Amo, Aavara/Family, Snap come to mind off the top of my head — though in software think it’s more about enabling expressive behavior than offering expressive form (credit to @bartonsmith for this take)
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 years
The team @Order knocked the @Every brand out of the park — a thoughtful mix of editorial professionalism and the flexibility to fit each author's unique personality.
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
It is fitting that Oyster would someday make it into literature — just wish my character had also been depicted as “chiseled” and not having “pants so tight I already knew him” 😂 huge congrats @annawiener !
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
Christopher Nolan's movie names all sound like they could be saas or fintech startups in 2020: Tenet Interstellar Memento Prestige Inception Following Insomnia Dunkirk Batman Begins The Dark Knight The Dark Knight Rises
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@vanlancker
Willem
1 month
"The successor to the Personal Computer is imminent. And that starts in the Browser" Excited for the future the Browser Company is building—so much accomplished in just 4 years Congrats to the entire @browsercompany team on these new resources to help achieve their vision 💙
@browsercompany
The Browser Company
1 month
For immediate release -
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
Late last year, a few of us at Thrive started talking about creating a new web browser, built like the best software in 2020: empowering, powerful, & a joy to use. Now we are sharing a *little* bit more about what @joshm , @hursh & the team @browsercompany are building.
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
2 years at Thrive and building 🌎. Feel lucky to do this job every day and the opportunity to work across big problems in healthcare, finance, software, wellness, consumer, and more. Let's gooo.
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
You get credit for doing hard things, but don’t get credit for doing things the hard way. Still have to remind myself of that all the time.
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@vanlancker
Willem
6 months
$10k. No tech. No screens. No problem.
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@vanlancker
Willem
2 months
don't wait your turn
@zanemountcastle
Zane Mountcastle
6 months
The average age of engineers in mission control when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon was 28
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@vanlancker
Willem
2 months
New investment – Clasp 🔗 Clasp creating the easiest way for HR, saas, and brokerage platforms to launch and grow employee benefits products. I'm excited to be working with founders Amar & Zach on product, narrative, sales and more as they build.
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@vanlancker
Willem
1 month
For all the talk of “taste” lately as some untouchable human skill, this is increasingly common
@rachdele
ra¢hel
1 month
10 years ago you walk into a cool persons apartment, you’d like like, woah. How’d they think of all this Now it’s all oh yeah I saw that soy sauce table staining instagram reel too
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
I have a good Twitter handle in case anyone is serious about this... 😂🤷‍♂️
@vc
Jake Chapman 🇺🇸🚀 ✨🇺🇸
4 years
I'd love to see a company focused on scaling Oyster farming Oysters 1) Remove CO2 from the ocean 2) Store it in their shells long term 3) Help the ocean capture more atmospheric CO2 4) Reduce ocean acidification 5) Filter toxins / algae (50 gal p/d) 6) Taste great 7) Worth $$$
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
The Browser Company is on a mission to create a new window to the internet; a new navigator to help make the most of the web. The team is sharp, growing, and there is a ton to do. Follow along here: 🔺☝🌌⭐⬆🌐🖥️👆🧭🌟🔗🔺
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 months
Going 1-0 is a common mantra in the NFL playoffs. You need to earn the right to play each week. I like it for startups as well. Today is all you can control. The next game is not guaranteed. You just have to perform here and now. Prune everything else away. Go 1-0. You and your…
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@vanlancker
Willem
2 years
🆕🌊 thank you to everyone who voted — so excited to see the new plate roll out later this year! Let’s go! ⚓️💙
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@vanlancker
Willem
2 years
If you know me, you know I love RI. So when the state launched a contest to redesign the current plate, I entered (several times actually)... Now one of my designs, #newwaveri was selected as one of the finalists and it is going to a public vote:
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@vanlancker
Willem
5 years
Naming a new project and I found this gem from when we were naming @Oyster . Other candidates were Atrium @atrium , Notion @NotionHQ , Acorn @acorns , Auger @AugurProject , Jaunt @JauntXR ... (and yes I workshop things with my mom 😘)
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@vanlancker
Willem
2 years
If you know me, you know I love RI. So when the state launched a contest to redesign the current plate, I entered (several times actually)... Now one of my designs, #newwaveri was selected as one of the finalists and it is going to a public vote:
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 years
Florida in February
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
Rhode Island in September
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
The next time you get direct, maybe kind of jerky, feedback from a client or colleague, just remember – it happens to everyone...
@sjmay92
Samuel J. May
4 years
Saul Bass's rejected posters for The Shining (1980) with Stanley Kubrick's annotated feedback
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 years
After being involved in starting ~10 companies over the last two years, if given the choice, starting a newco in spring is the move. Momentum builds faster, hiring is easier than end of year, everyone is working, it all just clicks quicker.
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
In the last 10 years Volvo went from the geeky nice kid in high school to the baddest mf around
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@vanlancker
Willem
1 month
How people commonly respond to new inventions — a progression:
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
@chanpory Chessboards, skyline, photo umbrella, cowboy hat on the wall, lap cat... fella’s got it all.
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 years
I went to art school, which teaches & prioritizes a culture of critique and interrogation. This is great for deep creation/analysis, but boy does it feel antithetical to the expansive, breezy, “I can conquer the world” attitude that much of investing & startups reward.
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
Love this. Would not be surprised to see more focused phone-first design tools in the future.
@aaronzlewis
ᴀᴢʟ
4 years
Snapchat is underrated as a v accessible design tool and i think a lot of young designers in the near future will say it‘s how they got their start. people are hacking the gif feature to create awesome little animations!
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@vanlancker
Willem
1 year
Thrilled to see Cadence expand its collaboration with @providence to a system-wide partnership. Even more – it is continually inspiring to see @caltchek and team scale their transformative care for patients battling chronic conditions. 💙
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 years
Payroll is a big opportunity for vertical sw platforms but has stagnated for too long—held back by archaic tech & complex dev experiences. Today I am excited to announce Thrive’s investment in @Check_HQ to deliver a moden API for payroll infrastructure.
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@vanlancker
Willem
2 years
Gateway had incredible vibes. Low price point, graphic yet folksy aesthetic, Made in the USA hardware, and approachable demo-filled “Country” stores. 🐄 Would fit into tech well today.
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@vanlancker
Willem
6 years
Over the last year I channeled the negativity of the 2016 election into design, volunteering, and my community. Here's some of what I learned:
@FastCoDesign
Co.Design
6 years
What I learned in a year mixing politics and design
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@vanlancker
Willem
6 months
Some questions to ask yourself when picking a startup — written for a new grad friend but can apply to everyone
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@vanlancker
Willem
5 months
Reminder:
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@vanlancker
Willem
5 years
Have been using @Pitch for the last few months and it is flat out the best way to make, collaborate, and share presentations. Excited to see them share more of their vision.
@christianreber
Christian Reber
5 years
Big news from @Pitch . Today, we’re officially announcing our invite-only beta, plus an additional $30m in financing from Thrive Capital and the founders of Instagram and Superhuman. It’s a huge milestone for us, let me explain why. 👇 1/7
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@vanlancker
Willem
10 months
After wrestling with it for years, I’m working to understand: your energy grows by using more of it. Scrap the notion that you shouldn’t drain the battery. This is true both physically and mentally. Put it into the world and, in turn, the world refuels you — often unexpectedly.
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@vanlancker
Willem
2 years
Incredible deep dive into @check_hq 's story and vision —  @almostabc , @revivek , and @ericstromberg are world-class and I feel lucky to continue to work with them (going on a decade soon!)
@mariogabriele
Mario Gabriele 🦊💭
3 years
Payroll is a colossal opportunity. • $150B market cap for payroll cos • Incumbents are > 50 years old • Largest player has just 17% share • NPS score often 0 This is why I'm so bullish about @check_hq . Could prove one of the most dominant fintech cos of the 2020s. 👇
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@vanlancker
Willem
5 years
It's not everyday you get to congratulate your fiancée on a Supreme Court victory! Congrats @betsyplum , @thenyic , @ACLU ❤️🇺🇸 This result is a huge win for immigrants and democracy! #everyonecounts
@nytimes
The New York Times
5 years
Breaking News: In a major setback for the Trump administration, the Supreme Court sent a case on adding a citizenship question to the census to a lower court
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@vanlancker
Willem
9 years
1/ I'm excited that I can finally share what I've been working on for months; @Oyster is joining the Google family! http://t.co/XIJh1GnIO5
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
@alexqgb don't disagree — though there are many ways to "invest" in where you live.
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@vanlancker
Willem
1 year
We're continuing to partner with legendary leaders to support our founders — really looking forward to the year ahead at Thrive.
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@vanlancker
Willem
9 years
The @Oyster reader for Harry Potter books sorts you into a Hogwarts house. I got Slytherin! #slytherinpride http://t.co/P7EOoI2r3J
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@vanlancker
Willem
5 years
@gt begs to differ...
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@vanlancker
Willem
1 year
New site, same great content 🖤❤️🤍
@fjg_3d
Frank J. Guzzone
1 year
🌐 🆕
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@vanlancker
Willem
1 year
Peter @pter is one of those designers whose work I've long enjoyed: always original, thoughtful, and full of personality. Excited for him and the team at the Browser Company - what a match!
@browsercompany
The Browser Company
1 year
❓What happened to the internet❓ @pter , the first designer at Tumblr… true internet kid… and now, Browser Co designer (!) has some thoughts… 👇
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
When picking a startup idea the business primitive is almost always more relevant to your day-to-day work than the market or space. I think a lot of first-time founders don't fully recognize that (I know I didn't).
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@vanlancker
Willem
9 years
Proud that @Oyster reached a million books for our readers today. I remember when people told us we wouldn't get to 100. More on the way.
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
@libbybrittain @zachklein Totally! I think COVID also accelerated a lot folks future plans. They don't *want* to leave but it makes too much sense not to (e.g. family who was already thinking of leaving due to costs, etc).
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 years
@joshm
Josh Miller
3 years
Just setting up my brwsr 🔊 @browsercompany
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 months
Why do we all shoot iPhone videos at concerts and sporting events or (worse yet) fireworks? The iPhone camera is good at many things but this isn’t one of them. I’d also wager that the median views on most concert videos is 0. While it certainly takes you out of the moment, I…
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 years
Hosting my first Clubhouse 👋 next Mon w/ @GauravAhujaK ! We’ll be talking eng hiring w/ CTOs @juliannaelamb @reterclose @hursh @revivek - Monday Mar 15 8:30pm EDT
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
In short, we want Thrive to be the best place for founders to start companies and are working hard to make that true. I couldn't be more excited for the road ahead. We have A LOT in the works. If you're a proven, passionate builder thinking about what's next, let's talk.
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@vanlancker
Willem
2 years
Excited to continue our work 🛠8️⃣
@JoshuaKushner
Joshua Kushner
2 years
We are humbled to announce Thrive VIII. Totaling $3BN, Thrive VIII will comprise two funds, with $500MM designated for incubations and early-stage investments, and $2.5BN designated for late-stage investments.
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 years
The Browser team is as thoughtful about their product as they are about the team building it. Exciting to see both grow. 🏄‍♂️
@joshm
Josh Miller
3 years
Six months ago, we started onboarding people to @browsercompany ’s product – one-by-one, by hand. Today, our cohort retention + engagement is so strong that we’re transitioning to self-serve soon! We didn't trust the data at first but it's clear something's working. More:
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
Lastly – I’m really excited to share a little more about Thrive Inc. The team at Thrive has been hard at work collaborating with a group of ambitious founders to incubate several new companies like @browsercompany . Looking forward to sharing more on those soon.
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@vanlancker
Willem
5 years
Congrats to the whole @ginlane crew on an amazing decade of brand building and for what's to come with @patternbrands 🌊➡️🌳
@nickjling
Nicholas Ling
5 years
1/ Today is the end of a chapter and the start of a new one. We’re closing @Ginlane 😭and launching a new company called @patternbrands 😎
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
We will look back on conversations about designers getting a "seat at the table" as a quaint moment in the past due to a few catalysts but more than anything... I think it will be because of Figma.
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
Whoa, Google Maps got a new icon. Have to believe it was prompted by confusion from Apple Maps copycat icon and desire to build the brand on places vs. turn-by-turn.
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@vanlancker
Willem
9 years
Lumin makes @Oyster the best way to read at night or in any low-light environment. Period. http://t.co/i5W07K6jfJ
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@vanlancker
Willem
7 years
Dream home 🏝
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 months
One quality measure of products is how they make you feel about yourself when you use them — in control, creative, empowered, etc. Very excited for @browsercompany 's latest act to bring that to search and more.
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 years
It has been a real privilege to partner with @caltchek and team from day one. Excited for this milestone and for Cadence to get out into the world helping patients at a massive scale with LifePoint.
@caltchek
Chris Altchek
3 years
I’m excited to share Cadence, the company we founded 9 months ago, publicly for the first time! Read more here:
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
Contact tracing — that protects user privacy — will be our best path out of COVID quarantines and towards awareness and more reliable disease tracking. Looking forward to seeing what comes of this effort:
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@vanlancker
Willem
2 months
@merterdir well said
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
When starting something, I often see founders underweight their personal fit on an opportunity. They know software and software is eating the world, so every problem can feel like something you can take on...
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
More of this. Designers both deploying capital AND delivering value into startups. Go @jw and @rsg ! 🤜
@jw
jw
4 years
It has been a privilege to run design sprints for over 30 startups the past few years. I’m excited to be working with @rsg to bring these processes to a new generation of early-stage companies.
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 years
Saving patients $$ to see better doctors leads to better health outcomes. Excited for @nickpreber and @getgarner to announce their vision and fundraise today:
@crunchbasenews
Crunchbase News
3 years
New York-based health tech company Garner Health, developer of a platform that analyzes large amounts of medical insurance claims to identify the highest-quality doctors in a city or neighborhood, has raised a Series A round of funding.
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
In reality, in the early going of a startup, "Founder/Market Fit" is as important (if not more) as the quality of the idea.
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 years
This investment, alongside Stripe, Bedrock, and Index, is also a continuation of my (nearly) decades-long partnership with @ericstromberg , @almostabc , and @revivek and I am thrilled to continue working together in support of each of them in this way. 🤝
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
 Macintosh TV × Frasier 🔥🔥
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@vanlancker
Willem
6 years
was born out of our own frustration naming companies, products, kids. We hope it can be a helpful tool for anyone finding themselves in the naming process.
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@vanlancker
Willem
2 months
You should start many books but finish relatively few. Reading less for information retention and more for dipping, however briefly, into new ideas and views.
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 years
Imprint, one of our latest incubations, is hiring. They are building an excellent product and team — maybe you can help them make it even better:
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@vanlancker
Willem
3 years
@bartonsmith humbled that this project could help me launch new my career as a hand model. thank you for giving me (and the old range rover) a shot. 🤝
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@vanlancker
Willem
4 years
It varies but an overly simple rubric for some primitives: DTC: ops, marketing Consumer Social: product iteration, community Subscription: retention, perf marketing Saas: product innovation, sales Tech-Enabled: value chains, regulatory, sales
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@vanlancker
Willem
2 years
I am consistently impressed by Steve, Demetri, and the @thirtymadison team. They are the epitome of "show don't tell" entrepreneurship. Excited about where this merger will take them next.
@stevengoodday
Steven Gutentag
2 years
Very excited to share that @thirtymadison and @nurxapp have signed a definitive agreement to merge. Michelle, @dkaragas and I are thrilled to work with @varsharao @Dreddielicious and the Nurx team to continue building the leading specialty healthcare company in the U.S. (1/2)
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