This essay was first published in 2009 and has been lightly edited. Entrepreneurs solve chicken and egg problems. I believe that any business worth doing has at least one significant chicken and egg problem. Sometimes multiple or more complicated ones. A typical example is that you feel that: Investors Depend on Product Product Depends on […]
Read the postWe started Higher One as college students in 2000. I believed in the potential of fintech but was naive about the regulatory landscape. We grew the company to serve millions of college students and became a public company. And we experienced regulatory pressures firsthand. Despite our best intentions to follow the rules, we ended up […]
Read the postThis essay was first published in 2009 and has only been lightly edited. Starting a company? Talk to customers. When I talk to entrepreneurs in the early stages, I strongly advocate for talking with potential customers as early as possible. I believe this to be true in almost any situation or industry, although there may […]
Read the postA friend recently asked me for the best books I would recommend to a startup founder. Here is my list. I’d be curious if you have any additions or changes. If you could only read one book, read The Great CEO Within. If you could add a second, make it Lean Startup. All Time Top […]
Read the postI interrupt your scheduled programming to let you know about an exciting new project. I want to tell you about my new podcast, Startups for Good. Where we explore high-growth and high-value ventures. Join us to learn about how startups can be a force for good not only profit. Guests on Startups for Good include […]
Read the postI’ve wondered before about the cause of founder/CEO outperformance. While it wasn’t always believed, there has been more research and more vocal advocacy over the last decade that the best CEO of a startup is the founder. Some assert the best CEO of any company is the founder. And there are lots of convincing arguments […]
Read the postStartup founders should have a vision of failure. That may sound like a radical idea. After all, advice to founders generally focuses on having a plan for success, not failure. Planning for success is important. And it is critical to avoid giving up too early. But, founders should recognize failure if it comes. Too often, […]
Read the postFor decades the VC world has been captured by an anthropomorphized notion of artificial intelligence. Much of this was aided by the ways in which AI innovators represented their technologies—for example, AI designs that intentionally looked like humans or animals when there was no technological reason for that design. By making AI seem akin to […]
Read the postNational public attention has appropriately shifted focus toward race inequality. Efforts to promote inclusion along lines of race and gender are at new heights today, and there is a pervasive sense that greater inclusion of minority voices in spaces of power and leadership can bring in perspectives that are necessary to building a better and […]
Read the postIn a previous post, we asked what the qualities of a successful entrepreneur typically are, whether those qualities can be learned, and whether environmental forces play a large role in entrepreneurial success. One piece of research that post discussed is an economics report titled “Who Becomes an Innovator in America?”, led by Harvard University professor […]
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