the z list 💥🧿✨#60

So, I just returned from a week in SF, and the city has slowly but surely grown on me over my last three visits.

There’s no denying that SF is the ultimate place to lock in simply because everyone around you is in startups, VC, or tech, and everything closes early.

That said, I am elated to be back in NYC for the next few weeks. This is the best time of year here.

Now to the most crucial topic of conversation…the VCs that wrote off consumer are now returning to it? This all started with a Michael Seibel tweet pointing out that 99% of VCs are too obsessed with b2b and have written off consumers almost entirely.

And yes, in the past 5 years of investing I never once abandoned consumer for b2b (except for the one angel investment I have that is b2b2c I suppose).

What does this mean for consumer founders? Now is the time to fundraise.

There are 72 days till Thanksgiving when a lot of GPs will start to go MIA before the end of the year. Raise your round now, post on LinkedIn, send that investor update email, and get out there. Consumer is coming back and the opportunity is huge. There are plenty of new VCs eager to make a name for themselves invested in category defining consumer companies and VCs are hiring for more consumer investors than ever before.

Deel & The Z List (tldr they’re the best)

Ready to expand your team beyond borders without the headaches of global hiring?

Deel makes it simple for anyone - from startups to enterprises - to seamlessly hire, onboard, and pay global employees and contractors.

We handle all of the paperwork, exchange foreign salaries into local ones, and ensure compliance with local regulations.

Join over 35,000 customers like Nike, Dropbox, and Shopify, who rely on Deel to make global hiring easy across 150+ countries.

Interested? Get $1500 in Deel Billing Credits by booking a demo here.

Note from Zehra: I’ve had a number of portfolio companies work with Deel and they are without a doubt, hands down, the absolute best for everything related to hiring but especially for hiring abroad. If you have engineers or talent in general out of the country please consider taking up their offer of $1500 in Deel Credits.

Z List IRL hosted by Zehra

REMINDER: As such, I’m making a commitment to meet 5 new founders, 3 new VCs, 2 new operators, and 1 new angel investor IRL a week. 

Here are some of the cool new people I spent time with in SF this past week

• Nikunj at Khosla

• Khushi at Kleiner Perkins

• Justin at Koala

• Connie (building in stealth)

• Avni at Gen She

• Noorie at Shapes

• Allie at Fortune

In the coming months, I’m partnering with a slew of incredible companies to host the following events:

• Reverse Demo Days (VCs pitching founders)

• Fundraising AMAs (a moderated session between a founder who recently closed a fundraising round AND the VC who led the round discussing how to fundraise)

• Pitch Deck Feedback Sessions (live pitchdeck feedback given by a mixed panel of VCs + late stage founders)

• Career Path AMAs (interviews with investors, executives, creatives, and more)

If there are specific practical events that you’d like to see in the coming months reply to this email and let me know!

If we’ve met at any point in the past year, you’ve probably heard of my IRL to URL thesis. I firmly believe the next generation of consumer social companies have to solve the friction between our IRL & URL identities as well as make it easier for us to go from URL to IRL. There’s a lot more I could say here but you can read this week’s issue of Fan Behavior to learn more.

TLDR I’m starting a IRL to URL monthly dinner series for founders, engineers, and operators building in the space (and maybe a select few VCs).

The first IRL to URL dinner is 1 month away!

Apply to join here — for those of you that have my phone number, expect a text from me in the next few days!  

tuesday 9/17

• +1000 Aura Gen Z Founders & VCs

  • hosted by: Zehra 

  • for who: Gen Z VCs & Founders

🚨 new event wednesday 9/18

• Founder in Residence Summit - What Comes After Fundraising?

  • hosted by: all in all

  • I’m moderating at this event!

friday 9/20

• Emerald Summit: Funding Climate-Tech Startups

  • hosted by: wallet max

  • for who: founders, VCs, and operators in climate

thursday 9/26

• Pre-seed Consumer Founders + VC Dinner

  • hosted by: Zehra 

  • for who: what the title says

VC Ecosystem News (No GPs Allowed) 

• The Laundress cofounder sold her company to Unilever for a reported $100 million. Now she says the ‘bad deal’ ruined her cleaning brand

• Salesforce Ventures ups its AI fund to $1B, doubling it again

• Nikita Bier joined Lightspeed as a Product Growth Partner

  • ZN’s POV: this announcement is 100% part of the reason why VCs are excited about consumer startups again and are “returning” to it.

• A new consumer app is going viral. It’s an interpretation of consumer social AI (you create a profile and everyone who replies to you is an AI.

  • ZN’s POV: I guess this democratizes the experience of having millions of followers? Not sold on it yet but I need to download it and test it out myself.

Friend’s of The Z List: Events & Projects
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tuesday 9/17

• Bulletpitch Industry Dinner Series (NYC)

  • hosted by: Brett + Bulletpitch 

Jobs (investor, operator, founding opportunities)

The Z List job drop, powered by Parallel. I swear by listing jobs on Parallel + finding new jobs on Parallel.

Good Karma - GoodKarma is your one-stop shop for digital growth. Our data, strategy, and creative experts help businesses of all sizes (from startups to established brands) achieve sustainable success in fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and consumer goods.

• Project Manager - Ecommerce - Apply Direct

Xano - Xano: build apps fast, no coding required.  Their no-code platform simplifies creating backends and connecting to data.

• Business Operations Coordinator - Apply Direct

222 - Craving connection beyond dating and friend circles? 222 offer spontaneous adventures - ditch profiles, say yes, and experience the unexpected!

• Full-Stack Engineer - Apply Direct

Good Karma - GoodKarma is your one-stop shop for digital growth. Our data, strategy, and creative experts help businesses of all sizes (from startups to established brands) achieve sustainable success in fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and consumer goods.

• Marketing Project Manager (Medior or Senior) - Apply Direct

• Ecommerce Strategist (Senior) - Apply Direct

• Email designer - Apply Direct

• Junior Performance Marketeer - Apply Direct

Earth Finance - Earth Finance empowers businesses and investors to navigate the low-carbon future through expert consulting, financing, and policy guidance.

• Manager or Senior Manager - Apply Direct

Bezel - Bezel brings trust to luxury watches. They use tech to ensure authenticity and provide a seamless buying experience in the booming pre-owned market ($20 billion).

• Authentication Specialist, Watches - Apply Direct

Platter - Unleash your brand's individuality! Platter customizes their Shopify theme & app bundle to perfectly reflect your unique vision.

• Customer Success Manager - Professional Services - Apply Direct

Revolve - Revolve aims to redefine peer-to-peer car sales by creating a platform where both buyers and sellers benefit. Their AI-powered tool, Revy, simplifies the process by providing assistance with everything from listing creation to test drive scheduling, ensuring a positive and transparent experience for all.

• Chief of Staff - Apply Direct

• Growth Marketing Manager - Apply Direct

• Senior UX Designer - Apply Direct

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.

• Sales Associate - Apply Direct

Xano - Xano: build apps fast, no coding required.  Their no-code platform simplifies creating backends and connecting to data.

• Lifecycle Marketing Manager - Apply Direct

• Conversion Rate Optimization Marketing Manager - Apply Direct

• Product Manager - Apply Direct

Profound - Profound is pioneering a new analytics platform that helps businesses understand and optimize their AI Search performance, a crucial aspect of reaching hundreds of millions of consumers using AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity.

• Sales Development Representative (First Sales Hire) - Apply Direct

Resources

• Expand your presence on LinkedIn and elevate your personal brand with Windmill Growth! We specialize in building influential profiles using best-in-class strategies and exceptional content. Don't miss the opportunity to consult with Ben, our founder. Book a session today and experience the impact with a complimentary test post!

• Looking to hire & pay talent abroad? Deel allows you to easily hire, pay, and manage contractors and employees in 120+ countries. Get 20% off + a free HRIS by booking a demo at the link above.

• Need a graphic designer? Celine has been a friend for 4 years and is an incredible designer. She’s worked on brands that you’ve definitely seen on Twitter.

• Figuring out how to manage your money as a founder or wanna learn how to maximize your tax return?  Sign up for Carry.

• Need an EA but can’t afford one? Howie is the fastest and most responsive scheduling assistant on earth. You can email him anytime to set up meetings and coordinate your calendar.

• Hiring as an early-stage company? Parallel is the all-in-one hiring operating system, designed to convert top talent & maximize your hiring efficiency. Sign up for a free trial.

• Want to make more money on your Shopify store? Platter is offering free website audits to identify opportunities to boost conversion rate and average order value. Grab a time while you can by clicking here.

• Wanna start a newsletter? I use Beehiiv for all three of my newsletters. Cannot recommend enough (you get a discount)

• Looking for a high profile speaker for your company's next event? The Trailblazers Agency is a speakers bureau that represents leading, diverse AAPI talent. As your companies organize events for Heritage Months, ERGs, Diwali(!), the Agency can connect you to inspiring, expert speakers across a broad range of industries. The Trailblazers Agency was born out of Z-List partnering organization, South Asian Trailblazers. The Trailblazers network has welcomed the likes of ClassPass Founder Payal Kadakia, Actor Kal Penn, Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan, and Legendary Investor Anjula Acharia, and many other top speakers. For more information, please contact South Asian Trailblazers here.

Discounts

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

Want to work with Zehra?

• If you’re interested in working with me, 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! 💥🧿✨👩🏻‍💻