Bartek Pucek
Founder - The Thinking Company · Angel Investor (ElevenLabs, Wordware, ZetaLabs + 20 more) · Co-author (AI_Managers) · Stanford GSB
Bartek Pucek amplifies founder and investor narratives by curating high-signal insights from his portfolio companies and thought leaders, then wrapping them in founder-origin-story hooks that create permission for readers to engage. His most distinctive move is the 'borrowed authority' pattern: he lets famous founders and investors speak first, then frames their insight as validation of a larger trend.
5.2/wk
67 posts in 30d
169
avg per post
7%
comments / total
3.8%
reposts / total
mixed
Fri · 11 AM CET
Voice & tone
Bartek writes like a curator with insider access, not a commentator. He's calm, confident, and rarely self-promotional. When he does speak directly, it's in short declarative sentences: 'Go where the action is. Then get to the center of it as fast as you possibly can.' He treats his audience as peers who want signal, not noise, and he delivers exactly that without hype.
Signature phrases
- “wouldn't be what it is if it were founded in [location]”
- “The job is not actually the atomic unit”
- “Go where the action is. Then get to the center of it as fast as you possibly can.”
- “as both an early supporter and investor”
- “aligns closely with our mission”
Top 3 posts, dissected
Their highest-engagement posts, broken down line by line. Steal the structure.
Matthew McConaughey has been part of the ElevenLabs story since 2023, as both an early supporter and investor. Today, he becomes a creator with ElevenLabs. Lyrics of Livin’, McConaughey’s newsletter and audio series, is expanding with a Spanish-language version powered by ElevenLabs. McConaughey’s belief in the power of storytelling and voice aligns closely with our mission to make AI voices more natural, personal, and accessible. By powering Lyrics of Livin’, ElevenLabs enables the same stories, in Matthew’s own voice, to reach audiences across languages and cultures.
The hook stacks two credibility signals (Matthew McConaughey + investor status) and creates temporal narrative momentum with 'Today, he becomes a creator.' This makes readers want to know what changed and why it matters. The specificity of 'since 2023' adds believability.
Opening hook (2 sentences) establishes the news. Middle section (3 sentences) explains the product expansion (Spanish-language version) and why it works. Closing section (2 sentences) ties McConaughey's values to company mission, creating alignment narrative.
- Stacked credibility: early supporter AND investor, not just one
- Temporal anchor: 'since 2023' and 'Today' create narrative arc
- Mission alignment: 'belief in storytelling and voice aligns closely with our mission' bridges celebrity to company values
- Outcome framing: 'reach audiences across languages and cultures' shows scale, not just feature
No explicit CTA. The post ends with outcome (reach across languages), which is self-contained and doesn't require action. This works because the post is designed to be shared as news, not to drive clicks.
When announcing a partnership or milestone, lead with the credibility of the person involved, then explain the product benefit, then show how their values align with yours. This three-part structure makes the news feel inevitable.
Marc Andreessen: "The job is not actually the atomic unit of what happens in the workplace. The atomic unit of what happens in the workplace is the task." "A job is a bundle of tasks." “Everybody wants to talk about job loss, but really what you want to look at is task loss.” …
The hook is minimal: 'Marc Andreessen:' followed immediately by a provocative claim about jobs vs. tasks. This works because Andreessen's name carries enough weight that readers stop to see what he said. The hook doesn't need to sell the insight; the source does.
Single-source quote structure. Opens with attribution (Marc Andreessen), then delivers 6 connected quotes that build a thesis: jobs are bundles of tasks, tasks are changing, therefore jobs will change. Closes with source attribution (Lenny's Podcast). No additional commentary.
- Minimal framing: just the name, then the quote. No 'Here's what Marc said about...'
- Quote stacking: each quote builds on the last, creating a logical chain that feels like an argument
- Source attribution at the end: 'Source: Lenny's Podcast' adds credibility and gives readers a place to go for more
- No editorializing: Bartek lets Andreessen's words do all the work
Source attribution doubles as a soft CTA (people can find the full podcast). The post ends with a forward-looking statement ('Whatever that job is called, it's going to be incredibly important'), which is thought-provoking and doesn't require action.
When you have access to a high-signal quote from a famous thinker, strip away your commentary and let the quote speak. Stack related quotes to build a thesis. Readers will engage because they want to share the insight, not because you convinced them.
ElevenLabs wouldn’t be what it is if it were founded in San Francisco or the US. In Poland, where founders Piotr Dabkowski and Mati Staniszewski were raised, one-voice dubbing strips meaning from movies. That frustration became an edge in AI voice: models tuned to emotion, accent…
The hook inverts the Silicon Valley narrative: 'ElevenLabs wouldn't be what it is if it were founded in San Francisco or the US.' This is counterintuitive and stops the scroll because it challenges the reader's assumption that all great tech comes from the Valley. The specific detail (one-voice dubbing in Poland) makes it concrete.
Opening hook (1 sentence) makes the counterintuitive claim. Second sentence provides the specific constraint (Polish dubbing strips meaning). Third sentence connects constraint to product edge (emotion, accent, language tuning). Final sentence is a soft CTA linking to a16z article. The post is short (4 sentences) but information-dense.
- Inversion: 'wouldn't be what it is if founded in [Valley]' flips the expected narrative
- Specificity: names the founders and the exact problem (one-voice dubbing), making the origin story credible
- Constraint-to-edge bridge: shows how a local frustration became a global competitive advantage
- Third-party validation: references a16z General Partner Jennifer Li, borrowing her credibility
Soft CTA: 'Read more here:' with a link to the a16z article. This works because the post has already made the reader curious about the full story.
When telling a founder origin story, lead with the counterintuitive claim (constraint as advantage), then provide the specific local detail that proves it, then show how it became a product edge. This structure makes readers want to share because it challenges conventional wisdom.
What drives their engagement
Comments are rare (7% of engagement) because Bartek's posts are designed to be shared, not debated. When comments do happen, they're usually from people asking for more context or tagging others. The posts are statements, not questions.
Reposts (3.8% rate) spike when the post contains a quote or insight that readers want to attribute to the original source (Andreessen, McConaughey) or when the post announces news about a well-known company. Readers repost to signal they have insider knowledge or access.
High savability on quote-heavy posts and founder origin stories. Readers save these to reference later or to share with founders they're advising. The posts are designed to be evergreen reference material, not time-sensitive news.
Content pillars
Portfolio Company Milestones
35%Announces major product launches, partnerships, or funding news from his invested companies (ElevenLabs, Wordware, etc.) by tying them to founder philosophy or market insight.
Founder Origin Stories
25%Explains how geography, constraint, or early frustration shaped a founder's competitive edge and company culture, positioning location as a feature not a bug.
Borrowed Wisdom from Thought Leaders
30%Extracts and frames quotes from Marc Andreessen, Lenny Rachitsky, and other macro thinkers on AI, jobs, and task-based work, letting their authority do the persuasion.
Career and Impact Advice
10%Short, punchy posts on how to build leverage, find the right market, and position yourself at the center of action.
Hook patterns
Celebrity + Company Alignment
[Famous person] has been part of [company] story since [year], as both [role 1] and [role 2]. Today, [new milestone].
“Matthew McConaughey has been part of the ElevenLabs story since 2023, as both an early supporter and investor. Today, he becomes a creator with ElevenLabs.”
→ Stacks credibility (celebrity + investor status) and creates narrative momentum by announcing a new chapter, making readers want to know what changed.
Geographical Constraint as Edge
[Company] wouldn't be what it is if it were founded in [Silicon Valley]. In [founder's origin], [specific local frustration] became an edge in [product category].
“ElevenLabs wouldn't be what it is if it were founded in San Francisco or the US. In Poland, where founders Piotr Dabkowski and Mati Staniszewski were raised, one-voice dubbing strips meaning from movies. That frustration became an edge in AI voice.”
→ Inverts the Silicon Valley narrative and makes readers curious about how constraint breeds differentiation, which is counterintuitive and memorable.
Authority Quote Drop
[Famous person]: [provocative quote about jobs, AI, or work]. [Source attribution].
“Marc Andreessen: 'The job is not actually the atomic unit of what happens in the workplace. The atomic unit of what happens in the workplace is the task.'”
→ Borrows credibility and frames the insight as so important it deserves to be shared verbatim, triggering saves and shares from people who want to cite it.
Imperative Career Directive
[Action verb] [where/what]. Then [second action] [how/why].
“Go where the action is. Then get to the center of it as fast as you possibly can.”
→ Simple, memorable, and actionable. Reads like advice from someone who has done it, not someone theorizing.
Mission Alignment Bridge
[Person/Creator]'s belief in [value] aligns closely with our mission to [company mission]. By [action], [company] enables [outcome].
“McConaughey's belief in the power of storytelling and voice aligns closely with our mission to make AI voices more natural, personal, and accessible.”
→ Connects celebrity credibility to company values, making the partnership feel inevitable rather than transactional.
Top-performing hooks
“Matthew McConaughey has been part of the ElevenLabs story since 2023, as both an early supporter and investor. Today, he becomes a creator with ElevenLabs.”
“Marc Andreessen:”
“ElevenLabs wouldn’t be what it is if it were founded in San Francisco or the US. In Poland, where founders Piotr Dabkowski and Mati Staniszewski were raised, one-voice dubbing strips meaning from movies. That frustration became an edge in AI voice: m”
“Go where the action is. Then get to the center of it as fast as you possibly can.”
“Forbes just published an interview with me on angel investing.”
“Every CEO I talk to says their employees are using AI. Copilot in every IDE. personal ChatGPT in every browser tab. Individual productivity is up.”
“SalesPatriot (YC W25) has raised $5 million in seed funding to modernize procurement for the defense and aerospace industry.”
“new site for all things angel investing: https://www.pucek.capital/”
“MotionVFX (🇵🇱) just joined Apple. I've been a fan of 🎬Andrzej Basiukiewicz and Wojciech Korpal for years. They spent years doing what they do best - running the company with passion, investing in product, and turning it into one of the most import”
“a16z put forward-deployed AI consulting on their Big Ideas 2026 list. Most AI benefits have gone to Silicon Valley-connected companies. The 99% of the economy that runs on legacy systems hasn't been touched enough.”
What works
- Borrowed authority pattern: Posts featuring Marc Andreessen or Matthew McConaughey quotes average 1200+ engagement because readers trust the source more than the curator. Cite the original thinker prominently in the hook.
- Geographical constraint framing: The ElevenLabs origin story (870 engagement) works because it inverts Silicon Valley narrative. Readers engage because it's counterintuitive and challenges their assumptions about where great companies come from.
- Medium-length format dominance: 46% of posts are 80-180 words and average 262 engagement, 2.7x higher than long-form (180-350 words, 87 avg). This suggests Bartek's audience wants signal density, not depth.
- Friday posting: Best-performing day is Friday at 10 UTC, suggesting readers engage with curated insights when they have time to reflect and share with their networks.
- No explicit CTAs: Top posts end with outcomes or source attribution, not asks. This works because the posts are designed to be shared as-is, not to drive clicks to a landing page.
Steal this for your own LinkedIn
- Start your next post with a counterintuitive claim about your industry, then provide one specific detail that proves it. Use the formula: '[Thing] wouldn't be what it is if [conventional assumption were true]. In [specific context], [local frustration] became [product edge].'
- When you have access to a high-signal quote from a famous thinker, lead with their name and the quote verbatim. Strip away your commentary. Let readers share the insight because they want to attribute it to the original source, not to you.
- Keep posts between 80-180 words. This is long enough to deliver insight but short enough to read in one scroll. Avoid long-form unless you're telling a detailed founder story.
- Post on Friday at 10 UTC if your audience is in Europe or US East Coast. This is when readers have time to engage and share.
- End posts with outcomes or source attribution, not asks. Design posts to be shared as-is, not to drive clicks. This increases repost rate because readers feel like they're sharing news, not promoting your content.
Compare Bartek with…
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Posting patterns
Bartek posts 5.2 times per week with 100% consistency over the last 90 days, suggesting a planned content calendar or a daily curation habit.
Friday at 10 UTC performs best, which aligns with when readers are winding down their work week and have time to engage with longer-form content.
Medium-length posts (80-180 words) perform best with 262 avg engagement, likely because they're long enough to deliver insight but short enough to read in one scroll. Micro posts (under 30 words) average 98 engagement, suggesting they work for announcements but not for teaching.
