NFX✓

Speed is one of the few advantages an early-stage startup can control, so we built Season 2 of the NFX Masterclass around it. 10 free episodes on faster fundraising, hiring, growth, decision-making, pricing, positioning, and execution:

RT @afederation: Today we’re opening our structure-free AI drug discovery model for all to use! Ptarmigan-1 predicts which small molecules bind a protein, and where, without building a 3D protein structure. It learns from multiple kinds of data, including measurements of proteins at work inside living human cells. This is the culmination of a long and winding path to get here In my first week of grad school, I sat in a lecture hall where generations of chemists had trained and Nobel Prizes hung on display. One of the most accomplished chemists in the world introduced us to the word “undruggable,” describing targets that so many had given up on. I remember sitting there feeling so indignant. Of course all targets are impossible to drug until the right technology lets you drug it. Thankfully I found my people in @jaybradner's lab, where the T-shirts said “nothing is undruggable”, and got to work We focused on gene regulators there, proteins that control which genes turn on and off and can drive cancer. Most are poorly structured, making them difficult targets for traditional tech that focus on a well-defined binding pocket. Gene regulators are not the only disordered proteins though. Roughly 40% of the human proteome has significant disorder, and these targets remain out of reach while discovery for structured proteins gets faster every year. With Ptarmigan-1, we’re giving researchers a way to search for molecules against these targets without first having to solve their structure. I’m grateful to the team and supporters that brought us here. Now we get to see what the community does with it. Try it and tell us what you think. Link below.

You don't do a job anymore. You create one. @GigiLevy's latest on the mindset that separates the optimistic from the fearful, and how to build a meaningful career alongside AI:

In cybersecurity, being anchored to an old paradigm is toxic. The need for companies that can keep pace with AI is clear. Here are the opportunities for startups:

How to price with evidence (not just guesses): Find 4-10 potential customers. Show them a mockup. Describe the benefit of your product. Then ask At what price would this feel: 1) suspiciously cheap? 2) like a bargain? 3) expensive? 4) prohibitively expensive?"

Plot the answers and the revenue-maximizing price emerges. Tests like this, and more in season 2 of The NFX Masterclass

No retreat. No surrender. When we talk about a commitment mindset, this is what we mean: More from Episode 2 of The NFX Masterclass:

RT @JamesCurrier: My parents were both teachers - so I really can't help teaching all that I've learned about startups. "Speed" is the subject of Masterclass #2. Let me know what you like or what can be improved! @nfx

🚨 It's official: NFX Masterclass is back! ALL episodes are now live. 🚨 Season 2 is all about speed. In fundraising. In building. In marketing. We've been developing this content for years. It's everything you need in 10 new episodes from @JamesCurrier. Free, as always. Watch it now:

The way most founders think you should build: Problem -> Product -> "Marketing" -> Language The way you should build: Language -> Figure Out What Works -> Build Words change everything about your product. Including what you build in the first place.

Find the right words, grow faster. All in the NFX Masterclass. Episodes drop tomorrow, Sept 15. Sign up here:

AI can outperform humans, but not in the way most people think. ◼ AI won’t fear derision from its college classmates. It will launch the product. ◼ AI won’t procrastinate. ◼ AI won’t have its ego bruised and cling to a bad idea. ◼ AI won’t self-sabotage because it doesn’t feel worthy. To match AI's speed, humans need to be clear-minded and fearless. 6 ways we see founders self-sabotage, and how to avoid them, from @JamesCurrier:

RT @JamesCurrier: Go @Novig and @j__fort and team. The prediction markets are up for grabs and you have the team and culture to do something great here. @NFX# # . .

The word free releases dopamine. It's one of the most powerful pricing levers. ◼"Buy 1, Get 1 Free" converts 30-50% better than "50% off." ◼Cutting chocolate's price from 14¢ to free boosts preference from 31% to 69%, despite only a 14¢ difference. People stop acting rationally.

Free is one of the most powerful pricing levers. Use it deliberately. And watch your downstream funnel so it doesn't just train customers to never pay. How to use the power of "free" from the NFX Masterclass → get it in your inbox on September 15:

Congratulations to @TwoStepTx on an oversubscribed $62M Series A + IND clearance for their first-in-class peptide-drug conjugate program. Many cancer therapies rely on a single cell-surface target. TwoStep's platform hits five integrin targets at once. Why this matters 👇

TwoStep's integrin-binding peptide (PIP) binds to five different integrins highly expressed on solid tumors, while leaving healthy tissue alone. One targeting system. Many tumor types. And potentially many therapeutic payloads. That's the power of a true bioplatform. It allows them to tackle a variety of solid tumors with different tools.

The IND clearance means TwoStep can now move toward a Phase 1 trial of TS-104, their lead peptide-drug conjugate. We backed them on Day 1 because of the talent of their scientist-founders, the platform's flexibility, and the market: a single delivery system that could reach millions of patients with few good options. Delivery should never be a barrier to the right treatment. Excited to see what comes next! More here:

Fear holds most founders back – even subconsciously. Here are 12 ways to overcome it, from @JamesCurrier. A snapshot of the the new NFX Masterclass. 📆 Live on September 15