I was on a panel at FounderCon last week with Noah Pittard from Cooley and Service Provider Capital. Something Noah said on that panel was so insightful that it really stuck with me. Someone asked about the types of founders we want to invest in and the types of people we want to surround ourselves with, and the conversation meandered …
There’s a phrase that I’ve been using more and more with startups that I’m working with closely. That phrase is “assume good intent.” I first heard this phrase in my office at Techstars and i’ve found it useful, so I wanted to share it. In any team or customer dynamic, if you start off assuming …
Of course nobody wants their startup to fail, but the fact is that it happens and it’s a completely normal part of company building. Investors understand this and realize that failure is often a part of the process. If your company has failed, make sure you go out of your way to let all of …
These are troubling times, not just for the United States, but for the world. To be sure, there has been tremendous progress over the last 50 years with regard to human rights and equility. But today the remaining factions that support racism, hate, sexism, and other-ism have grown more vocal, more frustrated, more visible, and …
It’s an unfortunate fact in our industry that people (mostly women) still regularly deal with harassment and assault in the workplace. Not only is this tragic for the individuals involved, but it is also driving talented women away from what is often a male-dominated tech and startup culture. Adding to the problem is that the victims …
There’s a lot of advice out there for new (and experienced) investors, and it can be hard to sift through it all to find the best stuff. So when I find something particularly helpful, I like to pass it along. Paige Craig, a founder and managing partner of Arena Ventures, has some excellent blog posts in …