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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