Startup Strategy & Value Proposition - The core of a startup should be the value it brings to society, addressing pain points and improving lives, which then leads to valuation [3] - The initial step for a startup with a brilliant idea but no market presence is human conversation to gather genuine feedback, rather than immediately building websites or funnels [4] - Asking for help and genuine feedback from potential customers is crucial in the early stages, with clear intentions to improve the product or vision [5] - Public relations (PR) is an underutilized yet impactful branding channel for startups with limited resources, as endorsements influence customers more than self-promotion [9] - Authenticity should be at the core of everything a founder does to increase personal brand and endorsements [14] Marketing & Customer Engagement - Endorsements are earned by sharing customer stories and learnings, highlighting the impact of the product on their lives [10] - In today's environment, people connect with people, so founders should focus on human interaction, using AI as an amplifier, not a voice [12][13] - The traditional "4 Ps of Marketing" are evolving to "Pain, PR & Personal Branding, Partnerships, and Personification" [15][16][17] - Personification, or humanizing the brand, is essential for earning authenticity and credibility in the market [17] Scaling & Partnerships - Partnerships are essential for scaling, as exemplified by Perplexity's collaboration with telecom providers to offer free access to their Pro version [16]