A specific VC playbook: post a screenshot of text with a punchy, controversial headline. The headline drives viral distribution and outrage, while the nuanced text attracts knowledgeable individuals who then send better ideas and relevant startups, effectively turning social media into an inbound deal-flow engine.

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Use X's (Twitter's) short-form, high-feedback environment as a low-cost testing ground for content ideas. Once a concept gains traction and high engagement, expand it into longer-form content like a newsletter or YouTube video. This workflow ensures you only invest significant effort in pre-validated topics.

In a saturated social feed, generic ads fail. Small businesses can win by being creative, funny, or controversial. Their advantage over large corporations is speed and agility, as they can post bold ideas without the layers of legal and board approval that stifle creativity.

The founder of Source sent Drew Houston $1,000 on Venmo with a pitch in the description to get noticed. Houston, who had previously sent the founder $200 for a domain name after a brief meeting, responded by Venmoing back a $200,000 angel investment. This highlights the power of creative, direct outreach to high-profile investors.

Stop thinking of content as a one-way broadcast. A sophisticated approach involves creating posts designed to provoke responses. Then, systematically mine the comments for raw, unfiltered consumer insights, effectively turning your social channels into a free, real-time market research platform.

Gamma's AI launch succeeded not just because of the product, but because they intentionally crafted a "spicy" and provocative tweet designed to spark debate. This drew engagement from influential figures like Paul Graham, massively amplifying their reach beyond what a standard announcement could achieve.

Large tech conferences often foster consensus views, leading VCs to chase the same deals. A better strategy is to attend smaller, niche events specific to an industry (e.g., legal tech). This provides an information advantage and helps develop a unique investment perspective away from the herd.

Instead of manufacturing demand, find existing attention and 'vibe code' a solution. Mark Liu saw a Peter Levels tweet about fake MRR screenshots go viral, shipped a verification tool in 48 hours, and piggybacked on the virality. The key is extreme speed and quitting fast if it fails.

An investment firm can build a powerful inbound deal flow engine by creating media like podcasts and consistent social content. This allows the firm to be more selective with its investments, which in turn becomes a core part of the value proposition to its own investors.

Rejecting conventional headhunters and pedigrees, WCM actively sources talent from unique places. They successfully hired a key team member after discovering his insightful investment commentary on Twitter, where he was posting under a fake name, proving that talent can be found anywhere.

Most VCs "gather" by networking broadly. QED advocates for "hunting": identifying a single, high-conviction company and relentlessly pursuing an investment. This shifts the mindset from passively waiting for inbound leads to proactively targeting the absolute best opportunities long before a formal fundraise begins.