@DiverseCityV | @AspenTechHub Fellow | @TechFundingEQ - VC accelerating positive social, economic, and climate impact through entrepreneurship. ✨🌱🙋🏾♀️💰✨
Joined August 2008
- Tweets 16,865
- Following 3,100
- Followers 2,979
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883 Photos and videos
Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
Mar 29
DoorDash started as a $9 website with PDF menus and a Google Voice number.
"We shipped PaloAltoDelivery.com — that alias was available for $9, and that's why we got it.
It was a static page where you saw eight PDF menus of restaurants we frequented in Palo Alto. The only way you could order is you'd read through the menus, call a Google Voice number that would ring the cell phones of the four founders, and one of us would pick up, take your order, place the order on your behalf, go get the order, and deliver it to you.
I used to be an intern at Square, so I had these card readers — these white dongles that could stick into the audio jacks of iPhones — and that's how we collected payment."
— @t_xu
Mar 29
My conversation with Tony Xu (@t_xu), co-founder & CEO of @DoorDash.
0:00 DoorDash MVP in 43 Minutes
1:39 How Delivery Worked in 2013
3:17 Small Business Roots and Insight
5:48 Why Restaurants First
8:24 Palo Alto vs San Francisco
11:03 Early Customers and Unit Economics
15:22 YC Summer Three Questions
19:50 The Hidden Complexity of Delivery
22:02 Competing on Invisible Details
23:54 Chaos Data and Experiment Loops
30:58 Trust Reset Every Day
31:30 Stanford Game Meltdown and Refunds
34:41 Scaling Through Experiments
37:37 Customer North Star Metrics
40:10 CEO Customer Support Habit
42:55 Anecdotes Versus Data
46:52 Eternal Mission Local Economies
50:09 Turning Data Into Merchant Growth
59:12 New Products Beyond Delivery
1:01:14 Autonomous Delivery Strategy
1:05:06 Hiring Rhodes Scholar Navy SEALs
1:12:46 Driver Switch Experiment
1:13:42 Who Delivers and Why
1:15:33 Hiring for Action
1:18:07 Earned Secrets via Experiments
1:20:01 Money vs Problem Solving
1:21:18 Thousand Days of Hell
1:26:04 Staying Sane as CEO
1:30:07 Ignore the Stock Price
1:31:44 Two Operating Systems
1:35:17 Internal Venture Stage Gates
1:38:17 Learning from Founder Peers
1:42:29 Jiu Jitsu Lessons
1:44:37 AI Changes the Loop
1:47:01 Data Needs Action
1:48:24 Closing Thoughts
Includes paid partnerships.
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
20 Aug 2025
WOW. AN HONOR !! THANK YOU !!! CONGRATULATIONS CALIFORNIANS.
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
18 Aug 2025
💡 How does innovation serve humanity?
🔥 Berkeley SkyDeck alum Natalya Lopareva built tech that helps first responders see through walls — saving lives in real time.
🎯 Apply by Aug. 22: skydeck.berkeley.edu/apply/
#BerkeleySkyDeck #TechForGood #SkyDeckApply
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
12 Aug 2025
🎉 Going from Lolita-as-a-Service (LaaS) → Lolita AI!
🤖 I’ve trained my AI agent on my work in VC, startups & community building - so founders, investors & ecosystem friends can get quick, consistent answers without waiting on my inbox or forms.
👇🏽 Try her out: superme.ai/ltaub
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
12 Jun 2025
Someone explain the plot to him.
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
9 Jun 2025
You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep.
Here they are — being forced to sleep on the floor, piled on top of one another.
If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you @realDonaldTrump.
Donald J. Trump Truth Social 06.09.25 02:47 PM EST
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
1 Jun 2025
We’re kicking off this Sunday’s #WinWithBlackWomen call with inspiration and intention.
🌟 Sister Jotaka Eaddy
🕊️ Dr. Johnetta Betsch Cole
📣 Sister Karen Finney
📌 And Sister Chantel Mullen
🗓️ Join us at 8:30 PM ET
🔗 bit.ly/WWBWSundayCall
#WinWithBlackWomen
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
27 Apr 2025
‘SINNERS’ has earned $161M worldwide so far.
The film has now projected to earn at least $300M worldwide overall, making it one of the biggest original films of the past decade.
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“Sinners” scored a massive $45 million in its second weekend of release, the rare film with a sophomore outing that nearly matched its debut. So far, Ryan Coogler's vampire thriller has grossed $122.5 million in North America and $161.6 million globally. tinyurl.com/mr2vnhku
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
23 Apr 2025
📊 Founders: Funding is up 86% YoY, but deal count is down -28%. More $$$, fewer startups getting it.
➡️ Be exceptional. A great deck isn’t enough — show real traction, tight metrics, and a sharp story.
📑Source: CB Insights
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
23 Apr 2025
Honored to be featured in @smallbiztrends’ list of top startup incubators! As @UCBerkeley's official accelerator, SkyDeck helps founders go from idea to impact with mentorship, capital, and deep tech support. 🚀
Read more, via @lelandmcfarland: smallbiztrends.com/list-of-s…
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
23 Apr 2025
We are excited to unveil the selected talks from our #CallForPapers for the 2025 #CyberCivilDefense Summit!
🧵A thread on the work being featured:
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
22 Apr 2025
Google back in court - and the DOJ's focus on AI making it clear the case is as much about Google's future as its past.
youtube.com/watch?v=43Pe46wk…
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
22 Apr 2025
Tonight, we’re bringing the real talk! Join us at 9 PM ET for Candid Candidate Conversations featuring Sadie Shaw, Arizona City Council Ward 3 Candidate.
📍 Tune in at 9 PM ET
📲 Live on SLSV & WWBW social platforms
#WinWithBlackWomen
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
22 Apr 2025
⏰ Our Getting a Job in Policy webinar is tomorrow, 4/23, at 11am PT/2pm ET! We recognize that the path to securing a job in policy is changing. Join us to understand what policy jobs are available and how you can be a standout candidate. Register here: aspenpolicyacademy.org/progr…
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22 Apr 2025
There’s still time to cruise with us for Embracing Disruption Family Office event aboard the Fantasea One Yacht in in Marina Del Rey! linkedin.com/posts/puja-sohi…
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
16 Apr 2025
💰 Black founders: Apply for $50K from Famous Amos by 4/23
🎯 Great for founders scaling their first product or business
🔗 famousamosingredientsforsucc…
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
17 Apr 2025
Join the Insider Session on SundanceCollab tomorrow at 3pm and meet @ilysemck and Lab Alum Neo Sora to learn about applying to @sundanceorg Feature Film Program!
16 Apr 2025
Want to apply to Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Track? 🎥 Get insights from Lab alum Neo Sora and Feature Film Program Deputy Director Ilyse McKimmie in this Insider Session!
📅 April 17 | 3 PM (PDT)
🔗 sndnc.org/44zSgfU
#FilmDevelopment #FeatureFilm
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
11 Apr 2025
In a recent article, @afrotech highlights some of the incredible Black inventors and entrepreneurs that have helped shape the world as we know it. Learn more about these incredible trailblazers here. bit.ly/3RdXfLG
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Mariah "Roman" Lichtenstern retweeted
7 Apr 2025
#OnThisDay in 2022, HERstory was made.
Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to the United States Supreme Court, making her the first Black woman on serve on the highest court in the land.
#WinWithBlackWomen
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