Hungry judge effect (from Wikipedia): “Judges were more inclined to be lenient after a meal but more severe before the break.” I guess being hangry is a real thing. Humans are spiritual, but we’re also mammals. Founders and leaders – don’t let the hungry judge effect get to you in a bad way. Before important … Continue reading Hungry Judge Effect
Do VCs need to explain why they passed on a deal? No, they don’t – and I’m saying this as a founder. VC is a “default no” game. They’re not in charity. They pass on most deals by default and only invest in small # of companies they can be excited for the next 10 … Continue reading The “Default No” VC Game
Between idea and incorporation, founders should spend as much time as possible on talking to potential users to understand their real needs and doing experiments (without building any product) to test the initial assumptions. They shouldn’t spend too much time on things like interviewing 3 CPAs to find the best CPA in town or looking … Continue reading Do The Work
If there’s one thing I’m recommending ~all founders I meet, it’s running. (I actually converted a few founders around me into lifelong endurance runners which I’m super proud of.) Running is good for everybody but IMO it’s particularly great for startup founders. Why? Because their head is always full of thoughts. There are always a … Continue reading Running
2016 was the year of video: If you can go back to 2015, you should start a video platform related business 🙂 What will be the thing in 2026? We don’t know yet, but whatever it might be, it will be huge. Continue reading 2026: The Year Of?
Heard this from two different sources: Non-technical aspiring founders: It’s best to learn how to build a product yourself; next best is at least learn how to define product specs really tight, so that other people can build it for you. Continue reading Learn Tech
In December 2009, I was in Paris. One day it snowed a good amount (a rarity in Paris) and the whole city was in gridlock. People in our group started complaining as we couldn’t get a taxi. Some people even said (seeing all those empty seats in the cars that weren’t moving anywhere) what if … Continue reading Some People Act
Overheard from someone who worked at a startup incubated in a venture studio founded by a successful well-known figure (let’s call him Mike): It’s a cautionary tale for strong/famous but absent leaders. You should either live in the trenches together with your team from beginning to end, or trust the team completely and get the … Continue reading Lead Or Get Out Of The Way
Our family has recently seen some tragic, distressing events happening with other families we know. Without too much details, one family witnessed a family loss by suicide, and another family is in deep financial trouble. One common aspect we could see: someone was in deep trouble but didn’t seek help from others. They were strong-willed … Continue reading Learn To Ask For Help
Marketing can only accelerate the sales of a product or a service that’s so good that it’s bound to sell anyway. Marketing is like oxygen – it can make the flame bigger but can’t start the fire in and of itself. “We failed because we couldn’t secure a bigger marketing budget” is the biggest lie … Continue reading Startup Marketing