Lulu Cheng Meservey puts founders in control of their narrative using one simple principle: Go Direct. This week, we’re revisiting our conversation with the CEO and Founder of Rostra, the go-to communications agency for Silicon Valley founders. Lulu joins Lightspeed Partner and Host Michael Mignano on the podcast to talk about her ​​modern communications playbook for founders of places like Ramp, SSI, Scale, Anduril, Suno, and The Free Press. They talk about why a comms strategy is just as important as a product strategy. Plus, Lulu shares her after action reports on Based Zuck, SpaceX, Tesla, and Waymo.

Episode Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction 

(01:29) Why Founder Led Communication Works 

(03:47) Challenges and Strategies for Founders

(06:49) Lulu's Career Experience

(08:34) Substack 

(12:11) Have a Clear Company Mission 

(18:01) The ‘Go Direct’ Manifesto

(23:59) Traditional Media in Communication Strategy

(24:40) Targeted Communication: Persuading Key Decision Makers

(25:54) Effective Use of Press and Media Outlets

(28:30) Lulu’s After Action Report: Tesla's Recent Event

(36:11) Apple's Strategy and Public Perception

(38:46) Waymo's Underrated Progress in Autonomous Vehicles

(40:17) Meta's Positive Feedback Loop and Based Zuck

(43:42) The Importance of Founder-Led Companies

(47:27) Final Thoughts

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