What are the roles in a tech startup that are hardest to hire for? Most people would probably immediately say “software engineers”, and that’s correct from an absolute point of view. Tech startups need many engineers, and everybody is competing for them. But I would argue that there are three Read more…
How can we in Europe motivate more technical people to take risks as founders? A pattern I’m hearing worryingly often from seed-stage startups is this: “We don’t have a technical co-founder yet, but we have identified a CTO who will probably join after we close the round.” Look, I get Read more…
As an entrepreneur or startup investor, should you care about the history of innovation? The answer is not obvious. Of course it’s generally crucial to learn from history, particularly in politics. The world is a more peaceful and prosperous place today because we learned from the mistakes of the past Read more…
“Our technology is so brilliant that it will sell itself. Maybe at some point we’ll hire a sales guy who can take care of phone calls and paperwork.” “Our business idea is amazing, and we really know how to sell it. Building the product is the least of our worries. Read more…
You would believe so if you observe VCs. They’re eagerly monitoring former founders’ LinkedIn profiles and Twitter bios for that “Stealth startup” or “Working on something new” popping up. Serial founders who are working on a new venture get pounded by inbound investor interest. Is that justified? According to a Read more…