RESOURCES

From first idea to launched product.

Tools and funding paths the community actually uses, organized by the stage you're in.

BUILD RESOURCES

Claude

Brainstorming partner across ideation, planning, and thinking through problems — also strong for long-form content like articles and marketing copy.

ReadingAPI

ChatGPT

Creative brainstorming for website copy, ad copy, and content — anything creativity-driven.

Reading

Perplexity

Fast, real-time research with cited sources — great for validating facts, competitors, or market info.

Reading

NotebookLM

Brain-dump notebook for all your product info — keeps everything in one place and easy to look up on the go.

Reading

Obsidian

Local-first note-taking app — notes saved as plain markdown on your own device, extendable with plugins. An alternative to NotebookLM if you want full data ownership.

Reading

CS50P: Introduction to Programming with Python

Harvard's full, free course teaching programming from scratch using Python.

Course/Guide

Lovable

No-code/low-code AI app builder — describe what you want, get a working app.

No-codeFramework

Replit

Browser-based coding environment with a built-in AI agent for building and deploying apps.

No-codeFramework

Base44

No-code AI app builder for non-technical founders to ship MVPs fast.

No-code

Vercel AI SDK

TypeScript toolkit for building AI-powered UIs and apps — the default pick for JS/TS builders.

FrameworkAPI

Supabase

Open-source backend-as-a-service — database, auth, storage.

InfraAPI

OpenAI Agents SDK

Framework for building multi-step AI agents — a simpler starting point than LangGraph for agent orchestration.

FrameworkAPI

LangGraph

Framework for building stateful, multi-agent AI workflows — reach for this only if you need complex, multi-agent orchestration.

Framework

Continue.dev

Open-source AI coding assistant for IDEs, built in the open.

GitHub RepoFramework

OpenHands

Open-source autonomous AI coding agent — reference/inspiration rather than a plug-and-play tool.

Framework

OpenCode

Open-source AI coding agent for the terminal — works with 75+ model providers instead of being tied to one.

Framework

Claude Code

AI coding tool for actually building the product.

FrameworkAPI

VS Code

IDE for working alongside AI coding tools.

Framework

OpenRouter

One API to access 400+ AI models from different providers without integrating each one separately.

APIInfra

ponytail

Plugin/ruleset that makes AI coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, Copilot CLI, etc.) write the least code that works instead of over-engineering.

GitHub RepoTemplate

Superpowers

Agentic skills framework and methodology for coding agents — structured brainstorming, planning, TDD, and code review baked into the workflow. 273k+ GitHub stars.

GitHub RepoTemplate

Awesome LLM Apps

100+ open-source, hand-built AI agents, agent skills, and RAG apps you can clone and run. 128k+ GitHub stars.

GitHub RepoTemplate

Headroom

Compresses tool outputs, logs, files, and RAG chunks before they reach the LLM — cuts token usage 20% for coding agents, 60-95% for JSON. 66k+ GitHub stars.

GitHub RepoInfra

Gitleaks

Scans your code and git history for accidentally committed secrets before they leak — good pre-launch hygiene.

GitHub RepoInfra

Strix

Open-source autonomous AI pentesting agent — tests your code, APIs, and infra for vulnerabilities and can auto-generate fix PRs.

GitHub RepoInfra

Coolify

Open-source, self-hostable alternative to Heroku/Vercel — full control if you don't mind managing your own server.

Infra

Railway

Simple platform for deploying apps and infrastructure — the simplest path to get something live.

Infra

Render

Cloud platform for hosting apps, APIs, and databases — an alternative to Railway.

Infra

Lenny's Newsletter

Widely-read newsletter on product, growth, and career for builders.

Newsletter

Higgsfield

AI creative suite for generating and editing images/video for ads and social content.

Design

Magnific

AI image upscaler/enhancer — turns rough concepts into high-resolution, ad/print-ready images (up to 16x).

Design

Foreplay

Ad creative research tool — swipe file of Facebook/TikTok ads plus AI brief and script generation.

Design

Seedance

ByteDance's AI video generator — cinematic short-form video from text/image, with native audio and lip sync.

Design

ElevenLabs

AI voice generation and cloning — for voiceovers, ads, and audio content.

Design

Nano Banana (Gemini Image)

Google's fast image generation/editing model (Gemini Flash/Pro Image) — good for quickly iterating on visual concepts before finalizing.

Design

FUNDRAISING

Grants, accelerators, and everything else that comes with raising.

Y Combinator Startup School

Free program and library covering idea validation, growth, and fundraising.

Accelerator

Wellfound (AngelList Talent)

Connect with angel investors and early-stage hires in one network.

AngelVC

Pitch

Deck templates built for fundraising, not generic slideware.

Pitch template

Carta

Cap table and equity management once you start raising and issuing shares.

Cap table

Microsoft for Startups

Cloud credits and support with no equity taken.

Non-dilutive

Google for Startups

Credits, mentorship, and programs for early-stage founders.

Non-dilutive

NVIDIA Inception

Free program for AI startups: credits, technical resources, and investor connections.

AcceleratorNon-dilutive

Right Side Capital: Pre-Seed & Seed VC List

A living database of 100+ pre-seed and seed VC funds — check size, sector focus, and stage for each, maintained by Right Side Capital.

VC

VC Fund Database for Early-Stage Startups

Public Airtable template listing VC firms investing in early-stage startups, plus funding-round data — copy it as your own target list.

VC

YC SAFE Conversion Calculator

Model how SAFEs convert into equity at your next priced round — plug in your own numbers.

Calculator

Claude for Startups

Free Claude API credits and priority rate limits for venture-backed startups, plus founder communities and events.

Non-dilutive

OpenAI for Startups

API credits, rate-limit upgrades, and technical support for startups backed by an OpenAI VC partner.

Non-dilutive

Z.ai for Startups

Free API credits (up to 1B tokens), priority support, and early model access for AI-native startups.

Non-dilutive

a16z Speedrun

Up to $1M in funding plus $10M+ in credits, hands-on operator support, and a global founder network.

AcceleratorVC

Antler

Global early-stage VC backing founders from first check to IPO, with programs in 26 locations worldwide.

AcceleratorVC

PearX

Pear VC's 12-week, small-batch accelerator for pre-seed companies — $500K-$2M checks, ~20 teams per cohort.

AcceleratorVC

Entrepreneur First

Backs individuals before they have a cofounder or an idea — matches you with a cofounder, then funds the company you build together.

AcceleratorVC

Iterative

Invests $150K-$500K per startup, twice a year, with 3 months of hands-on founder support before a demo day.

AcceleratorVC