Key takeaways
- The most useful investor feeds for founders mostly come from people who started or ran companies before investing.
- Balance VC accounts with founders who build without venture money, such as Courtland Allen or Jason Fried.
- TechTwitter IO lists these accounts for free in its founders and investors group, next to a satirical daily paper.
The best VC Twitter accounts for founders mostly belong to investors who built or ran companies first: Paul Graham, Marc Andreessen, Naval Ravikant and Nat Friedman, with Elad Gil for AI markets. They write about what they saw up close, which is more useful to a founder than a fund's announcements. TechTwitter IO's free list of who to follow on tech Twitter groups them under founders and investors, with a note on each.
Why founders should read investors at all
You will pitch some of these people, or people who read them. Their posts show which markets they think are opening, how they judge a team and which mistakes they keep seeing. Reading them for a few months is cheaper than learning the same things in a partner meeting.
The catch is that investor feeds can turn into deal promotion. The accounts below stay on the useful side because most of these people have run or started a company.
The short list
| Account | Background | What you get from the feed |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Graham (@paulg) | Co-founded Y Combinator | Essays that many founders start with |
| Garry Tan (@garrytan) | President and CEO of Y Combinator | What the accelerator is looking for now |
| Marc Andreessen (@pmarca) | Co-founded Netscape and Andreessen Horowitz | Big-picture views on tech and markets |
| Naval Ravikant (@naval) | Co-founded AngelList | Short posts on startups and wealth |
| Elad Gil (@eladgil) | Investor, wrote High Growth Handbook | Notes on AI markets |
| Nat Friedman (@natfriedman) | Former CEO of GitHub, now an AI investor | What an operator turned investor backs |
| Siqi Chen (@blader) | Built Ari and Sandbox VR, invests in Mercury, ElevenLabs and Gamma | A builder's view of the companies he backs |
Two investors who sit closer to the newsroom
Alex Heath (@alexeheath) is a partner at Sound Ventures and hosts the Sources podcast. Ben Tossell (@bentossell) founded Ben's Bites, builds with AI without writing code and invests in developer tools. Both give you an investor view from people who also publish.
The counterweight
Not every founder needs venture money, and your feed should say so. Courtland Allen (@csallen) founded Indie Hackers for people who build without VC funding. Jason Fried (@jasonfried), a co-founder of 37signals, writes about calm companies and small teams. Following one or two of them keeps the VC accounts in proportion.
How to use these accounts
Reply when you have something specific to add. TechTwitter IO's own advice is that a useful reply under a large account reaches more people than a post from a new one, and that the For You tab learns from what you like and reply to within a week or two. Mute topics you are tired of. Nobody is told when you unfollow.
For the lighter side of the same timeline, TechTwitter IO's daily paper rewrites the funding rounds, launches and feuds as satire, and adds puzzles like Connections and Who Tweeted It. It is free. It is also parody: its footer says that unless a post links to a source, the people and quotes are invented, so do not cite it in your deck.
When is this list the wrong tool? If you are actively raising, a warm intro and a partner's own blog will tell you more about a specific fund than any feed.
FAQ
Which VC Twitter account should a founder follow first? Paul Graham. His essays cover the questions most first-time founders have, and he co-founded Y Combinator.
Are VC Twitter accounts useful if I am bootstrapping? Some are, for market views. Balance them with Courtland Allen or Jason Fried, who write for founders who skip venture money.
Where can I find more investors to follow? TechTwitter IO's who-to-follow page lists them in its founders and investors group, and readers can suggest more.
Frequently asked questions
Which VC Twitter account should a founder follow first?
Paul Graham, who co-founded Y Combinator and whose essays answer most first-time founder questions.
Are VC Twitter accounts useful if I am bootstrapping?
Some are, for market views. Balance them with Courtland Allen or Jason Fried.
Where can I find more investors to follow?
TechTwitter IO's who-to-follow page groups them under founders and investors.
Sources
- How to get into tech Twitter: who to followTechTwitter IO
- TechTwitter IO, today's paperTechTwitter IO
