Interesting fundraising jujitsu move I found recently: Company A = a tech startup with a next generation technology for textile materials. No revenue; couldn’t raise capital in this tough funding environment. Company B = an old-school textile manufacturing business with steady cashflow but not much growth Company A does a reverse merger with Company B … Continue reading Startup Reverse Merger
Founders: UI can be a game changer. Sometimes we see late entrants becoming market leaders with a re-imagined UI. (Examples include Gmail, Tinder, and Slack). But remember, what it takes isn’t just pretty pixels, it’s the whole user experience. One time, we asked teams to test-run a few different SaaS software so we can decide … Continue reading UI Can Be A Game Changer
Had a chance to talk with a Gen Z (a new college grad) recently. She said the pressure to fit into certain career types and roles is probably at all time high for her generation, with the prevalent use of social media etc. We’ve all seen Youtube vlogs from a young Googler who just graduated … Continue reading Gen Z And The Pressure Of Fitting In
For early stage founders who want to set up a strong company culture: 1/ Be consistent about your decision making. Someone said culture is how people behave when their managers are not around. In early stage startups, the founder constantly makes small and large decisions; over time, how the founder thinks and makes decisions becomes … Continue reading Startup Culture
It’s a good thought experiment to imagine (a service category) didn’t exist today, AI came first, and you’re now thinking about creating a new service that serves a specific purpose using the power of AI. For example, what if Salesforce didn’t exist today, AI somehow came first, and you’re imagining creating a software that brings … Continue reading What If AI Came Out First
I recently met a founder who had to shut down his company, and asked what he regrets the most. He said – absolutely nothing. Because he knows he did his absolute best. He poured in 120% of effort every single day, 24/7. He put everything on the field. Along the way, he learned so many … Continue reading No Regret
For those who are moonlighting to launch a startup while having a full time job: 1/ It’s a legitimate way of starting a new startup; Fubu’s founder worked at a restaurant not just when he was launching Fubu, but until year 5 or 6, well past Fubu’s initial success 2/ That being said, you should … Continue reading Q: How To Launch A Startup On The Side
First time founders – focus on productSecond time founders – focus on distributionThird time founders – focus on meaning and purpose Continue reading Product, Distribution, Meaning
The Open AI/Sam Altman saga seems to have died down for the most part – at least for now. This was another case where a TV script writer couldn’t have written a more dramatic story than what actually unfolded in the real world. Tech is increasingly becoming dramatic, and when drama happens in tech, it’s … Continue reading The EQ/IQ Balance
People who haven’t built great things: Flex with cars and watches People who built a service or a product used and loved by many people: Casually mention the product and humbly say “By the way, I built that.” Continue reading People Who Built A Great Product