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- Soapbox Issue #17: July
Soapbox Issue #17: July
sharing our takes on career, culture & capital

Hey, friends of Soapbox! Welcome to our July newsletter.
Happy 4th of July!!! We’ll be spending the long weekend with family and friends. YAY! We’re both soaking up the months when we get some nice weather in the Midwest and eating way too many hot dogs, lol.
We’ve got a great issue ahead, enjoy!🥂
What is your favorite 4th of July tradition?Select one of the below hehe |
Soapbox of the Month
The Price of Community
Written by Emily
Read & share this Soapbox Moment Here
Saw this thread recently, and it directly spoke to some of the complicated feelings I’ve had while trying to build a community over the past couple years in a city where I didn’t really know anyone at first.
being annoyed is the price you pay for community.
it means having guests when you'd rather be alone. it means letting someone live with you even when they get on your nerves. it means showing up for events that you'd rather not go to. it means turning the other cheek.
— divya venn (@divya_venn)
5:26 PM • Mar 1, 2025
This concept hits home for anyone trying to make friends, meet people in a new city, or grow their professional network.
I can at least speak for myself and the anecdotal experiences of other Gen Z friends: building new communities outside of high school and college is incredibly challenging. The rise of social media has completely shifted the norms around how we socialize. Most of us want to make new friends, but honestly, we’re not that good at it. We’re much better at isolating. It’s easier to stay home than go out into the world and risk social interaction. Risk being perceived and judged. We cancel plans or opt out, because it’s easier.
But most of us do want more connection. We want close friends, people we can text on a bad day, a network we trust.
But like anything worthwhile, like working out or learning a new skill, building community takes time, effort, and consistency. And effort doesn’t always feel good in the moment.
“At the end of the day, what people remember is who actually showed up for them. Relationships aren’t built on grand gestures — they’re built on consistency.”
As I’m entering my mid-20s (shoutout to my frontal lobe fully developing), I’m rebuilding my relationship with effort. I’m practicing the skill of showing up for the things that matter, even when I don’t feel like it.
And I have to remind myself that if I want people to keep showing up for me and showing up in my life, I owe them the same energy. I owe it to them to show up to their stuff, to be an awesome guest, to celebrate them. That’s what I’d want in return.
You can’t possibly experience the magic of a strong community if you’re not willing to show up for it . Someone in the comments said “You either deal with the problems of community or you deal with the problems of isolation.” Which problems would you rather have?
CAREER 🧑💻
Loved this recent post by Mallory Contois - she highlights some great tips on what makes a “good” resume. Of course every recruiter or industry will have a different opinion on this topic, but for folks who work in vc, startups, growth, ops, etc., her advice is strong.
Whether you are looking for a new job or just need a little resume refresher, check out these tips below!

No one-size-fits-all resume format — tailor it to your specific background, strengths, and unique experiences!
Main goal: Help the reader quickly understand your strengths and stand-out qualities.
Best practices for any resume:
Make it very easy to read.
Lead with what differentiates you.
Use numbers only when they highlight real impact.
Don’t include everything — be selective.
Clearly indicate the role or function you’re applying for somewhere in the resume.
Address any career gaps in one simple, non-defensive line (no over-explaining).
CULTURE 🌈
Money Money Money! 💵
One of my fave investor friends - Georgie put me on a list of great Substack writers (sorry beehiiv). One of my fave reads so far is “the market is down bad and so am I”
Odds are, if you’ve been on the internet or just TikTok, you’ve seen the viral NYT article “Are you the only one who’s broke or is it money dismorphia?” The article delves into Gen Z’s “frivolous” spending and poor financial habits that are becoming defining characteristics of our generation.
Instead of just speculating, Ochuko reached out to 15 of her friends across the country and asked how they felt social media has shaped their spending, how they're thinking about their finances, and everything going on in the economy. All respondents live in major cities, are college-educated, and most hold full-time corporate jobs.
She makes the argument that stories (like the one in the NYT) depicting Gen Z as carefree spenders miss the anxiety, restraint, and “money trauma” many young GenZ women actually experience. More now than ever, there is an illusion of wealth fueled by social media. BNPL blurs the definition of affordability and the “reckless Gen Z consumer” trope collapses under the weight of stagnant wages, volatile markets, and lingering economic insecurity.
“ I see TikToks and tweets that push the narrative: ‘The world’s ending—buy the treat,’ or ‘You deserve this because everything is terrible.’ There’s also content around gender roles, especially from Gen Z women, saying that if men want traditional women, they should financially support us—no questions asked. Honestly? I agree with a lot of it. I’m borderline misandrist at this point and fully believe women should take advantage of the few ways the system might work in our favor. But that mindset can also lead to reckless spending. I justify purchases by telling myself, ‘We’re living in hell, I deserve this,’ or ‘It’s fine—he’ll help me.’ That’s a dangerous loop.”
CAPITAL 💸
Conventional wisdom says venture returns favor big, concentrated bets, yet Peter Walker @ Carta is painting a different picture.
Comparing two $50M seed funds, one firing twenty $2M “high-conviction” rounds, the other scattering one hundred $400k checks, the diversified portfolio quietly pulls ahead in every outcome except the most spectacular top-5% cases.
Below his argument for “spray and pray” 🙏🏽
Key Stats:
Higher baseline returns: Diversified portfolios average a 2.6× multiple, edging out concentrated peers at 2.1×.
Capital preservation safety net: 99.7 % of diversified simulations return ≥ 1×, versus 81.9 % for concentrated strategies.
Better odds of doubling: A 77 % chance of ≥ 2× beats the 47 % likelihood in concentrated funds.
Elite upside still exists: Only in the 95th percentile does concentration (4.8×) outshine diversification (4.0×).
Bandwidth trade-off: Supporting 100 companies strains partner time and follow-on reserves—operational capacity matters.

From Our Feed to Yours
Tweets, Memes, and other things from our feed that gave us a laugh.
being seduced by the forbidden 4pm iced coffee
— allfiveofthespicegirls (@ladysplicespice)
8:09 PM • Jun 16, 2025
“building something new” hope it’s a relationship
— alli (@sonofalli)
4:54 PM • Jun 18, 2025
overheard in SF:
"i like him but he's at a very pre-revenue time"— Abril (@abruzuc)
8:45 PM • Jun 24, 2025
Holy shit, did you see the Glorp announcement? They're building the future of slop. It's basically the world's first Operating System for glorbs, reimagined for the AI era. And they're just getting started.
— Charlie Marsh (@charliermarsh)
11:02 PM • Jun 26, 2025
If she ever worked as a VC that’s a 1000 bodies
— krish (@top_jeet_)
4:08 PM • Jun 30, 2025
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