AngelList is a platform that helps startups with fundraising, recruiting, and networking. It is run by only 22 people who leverage code to automate processes and scale the platform. They prioritize building infrastructure early, hiring self-motivated people, and admitting mistakes. Employees wear many hats, are given significant responsibility, and enjoy above-market compensation in the form of salaries and equity, as well as perks like regular offsites.
2. AngelList is a platform for startups.
We help startups fundraise, recruit, network and
more.
3. Since 2010
$500M invested offline (estimate)
$83M invested online (launched 2013)
600K applications to incubators
290K intros between talent and startups
127K registered startups
11M API requests a day
13. Do It in Code
Team doesn’t grow exponentially
Leverage per person grows exponentially
Codebase as complex as an operating system
Works while product-oriented
Sales orientation changes dynamics
17. AngelList’s Plumbing
User Profiles Company Profiles
Private Messaging Search
Funding Data Press Data Tag
Taxonomies “Signal” Rankings
References Q&A Updates Follow
Graph Connection Graph Intros
18. Sweat the Plumbing
Start with community and customers
Build a platform to serve their needs
Build plumbing early, while you’re young
Exponentially harder to build plumbing later on
Good plumbing means massive leverage
31. With great power comes great responsibility.
People who are not self-aware or have no humility
must be let go.
People who do not want to take on so much
responsibility must also be let go.
32. Wear Many Hats
Top talent loves the “founder”-like responsibility
Let people choose their own path
Let them fail, at least once
Don’t get “too many cooks in the kitchen”
Enforce self-awareness and humility
35. Docs
Attempt to replace lawyers. Too
complex. Boondoggle project.
Market didn’t want it. Lawyers
didn’t want it.
Talent
monetization
Not well thought out. Damaged
our brand. Internal issues
establishing a strategy. Axed after
much consternation.
AngelList Defeats
36. Admit Defeat
AngelList is a high-stress environment
You’re completely responsible for your decisions
Move fast, be bold, expect failure
Failure is okay, repeated failure is not
Resiliency is the sign of a great team
38. Salaries and Equity
AngelList pays above the
market rate for talent, in
both salary and equity.
We care about how
productive each member
is, not how many
members we have.
$150K
salary
0.2%
equity grant
39. Perks
Standard
office space, health insurance,
retirement plans
Valley
standard
catered meals, commute
reimbursement, in-office massage
Not so
standard
quarterly nearby offsites, annual
overseas offsite, lax scheduling
requirements, remote okay
41. Big Perks
Above-market salaries and equity grants
All the standard perks and then some
Regular offsites build camaraderie and memories
Best perk is working with top quality people
And having an awesome mission
Top talent wants culture more than anything
42. The most difficult work of a company is establishing
a culture, and building a team.
AngelList’s greatest accomplishment is that we’ve
herded so many intelligent people, and big egos,
into one unit.
A great team is defined by how it overcomes
adversity, not how it celebrates success.