Silicon Valley Playbook Blog
Anti-Delulu playbooks for founders
Practical guides on true traction, ruthless execution and fundraising for pre-seed founders. No fluff, no delusion.
Traction
Vanity Metrics vs. True Traction: The Pre-Seed Founder's Survival Guide
Signups, 'great calls' and LinkedIn likes feel like progress. Learn how to separate vanity metrics from true traction investors actually care about.
2026-10-15 · 6 min read
ExecutionThe 14-Day Deadlock Rule: When to Kill an Experiment vs. Double Down
Stuck experiments quietly burn your runway. The 14-day deadlock rule forces a binary decision: kill it, or double down today.
2026-10-15 · 5 min read
FundraisingHow to Ace the 10-Minute YC Interview (Questions + Prep Plan)
The YC interview lasts 10 minutes and moves fast. The questions partners ask, what good answers sound like, and a 5-day prep plan.
2026-10-15 · 7 min read