the z list 💥🧿✨👩🏻‍💻 #51

founder & investor features are about to get so much more fun

Author

Zehra Naqvi
May 28, 2024

Sponsored by

If you aren’t subscribed to No GPs Allowed, you may have missed this announcement! I am very excited to kick off 1 GP Allowed — a monthly version of No GPs Allowed in which I interview a GP for around 1 hour about their entire career from the start to where they are now. I meet them IRL, photograph them (canon g7x girl), and ask them very specific questions tailored to their background. This series will start with Terri Burns. If there are other GPs (perhaps your own) that you think would be interested in sharing their wisdom with the rest of us non-GPs, reply to this email. TLDR this is like Vogue’s 73 Questions, but we’re putting GPs in the hot seat.

How do I prepare for these interviews? This isn’t another generic Q&A.

  • I spend 3 weeks listening to every podcast, interview, panel that the GP has done

  • I read as much of their own content online (tweets, linkedin posts, newsletters, etc.)

  • I come up with 35 questions that no one has yet asked them (based on all the research I’ve done above)

  • I meet the GP somewhere they love to frequent (a restaurant, cafe, museum, third space, etc.)

  • The final interview is formatted like an interview in Vogue or a feature in the New Yorker.

  • I photograph them on my Canon G7X & a disposable camera.

The first edition will be out towards the end of June. Subscribe here for updates!

Stay tuned for a version of The Z List for founder features (who have raised a Series A & beyond) similar to the above!

Z List IRL hosted by Zehra

Scroll a little further down for the top ~5% of all the events at NY Tech Week (32 vs. 590 on the main calendar)

wednesday 5/29

monday 6/3

  • For the Girls: Female Founder & Investor Breakfast

    • for who: femme identifying founders & investors

    • hosted by: All Raise & SVB

    • okay so i’m hosting one event at ny tech week, bringing back the “for the girls” founder & investor breakfast that I hosted last year with SVB!

tuesday 6/4

thursday 6/13

post nytw later in june!

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VC Ecosystem News (No GPs Allowed)

If you haven’t yet subscribed to No GPs, below is some of what you can expect delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning.

I don’t love that Sam Altman basically stole ScarJo’s voice-likeness for Sky but it is pretty remarkable to hear him validate a thesis I’ve been bullish on + vocal about online. Because so much of our lives will become automated via AI AND social interactions online will become increasingly machine-first (see Rex’s post below), the value of IRL connections and experiences will sky rocket. I think of companies like 222 building in this space.

ScarJo’s complaints re: OpenAI’s Sky could fuel U.S. right of publicity law

NY Tech Week (curated by me, Z)

The list below is heavily vetted and represents ~5% of all the events at NY Tech Week (32 vs. 590 on the main calendar).

monday 6/3

tuesday 6/4

wednesday 6/5

thursday 6/6

friday 6/7

Jobs (investor, operator, founding opportunities)

The Z List job drop, powered by Parallel.

Favs - A Los Angeles startup, is rethinking social media with an app focused on close connections and authentic interactions, minus the distractions of traditional platforms. ✨ Zehra’s portfolio company ✨ 

Doorlist -  DoorList is a social platform for campus events and group communication, enabling users to manage social calendars and facilitating over 1 million event invites.

Gynger - Gynger unlocks business growth by financing software and infrastructure purchases. Get flexible payment terms to improve cash flow, access top-tier tools, and save money.

Brie - A donation-based resale marketplace with 2-hour pickups, access to 1.5M charities, supporting charity with every purchase, and serving both wholesale and individual customers—redefining sustainable decluttering.

Thingtesting - Ditch the shopping struggles! We're your one-stop shop for honest reviews and brand discoveries, empowering informed purchases and a more thoughtful shopping experience.

Pin - A platform that makes it easy for people to pool their money together & invest in startups.

Disco - A post-purchase ad network for Shopify brands, helps top brands like Caraway acquire new customers by recommending products to interested shoppers after they purchase from similar brands.

Friends of Zehra

Kulfi Beauty - Kulfi Beauty celebrates South Asian beauty & culture with fun beauty products and content created with our community.
✨ Zehra’s portfolio company ✨ 

Doola - Start your US business from anywhere and keep it 100% compliant.
✨ Zehra’s portfolio company ✨ 

Soundmap - Soundmap is a gamified consumer social app for music fans. We have scaled to 100k DAU in less than 90 days and we are consistently top 5 in the iOS music game chart.

Carry - Carry is an all-in-one platform for tax-advantaged accounts, investments and strategy for business owners and high earners.

Want to get your jobs featured on the Z List? Sign up for the Parallel waitlist here.

Resources

Discounts

  • Kulfi Beauty, use code “zehra” for 20% off. I use their concealer rose rush and their kajal eyeliners in nazar-no-more everyday.

Friend’s of The Z List: Events & Projects
Wanna feature your event? Fill out this form.

tuesday 5/21

wednesday 5/29

Want to work with Zehra?

  • If you’re interested in working with me in any capacity I have some bandwidth and would love to learn more :) fill out this form. 

Please reply to this email if you'd like to amplify your events with the z list community or if you'd like to collaborate on an event together.

Have fun! 💥🧿✨👩🏻‍💻