Why Pre-Founder?

In this book, you'll hear the founders' stories in their own words. Here, I want to share some of the patterns I noticed. When you're interviewing a series of famous startup founders, you can't help trying to see if there is some special quality they all have in common that made them succeed. What surprised me most was how unsure the founders seeme

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An ideal start-up has a gifted founder. What does it mean to be a gifted founder? Well, they are coming from a unique situation that allows them to perceive an opportunity in a way that is different from other people. They can turn that perception into a vision of what they are trying to build. They can communicate that vision to others and then ge

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Authenticity: Some worry that studio teams, “hired guns” won’t be able to build an authentic startup. They argue that if you aren’t working on your own idea, then you won’t be fanatic about it and able to put in all the needed work. As I see it, this is only true if you are dealing with one-trick ponies. I know many talented and experienced entrepr

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There are two types of founders.

Those who do lots of research, validate ideas, test many prototypes, and iteratively get to a product. This is a more technical and user-focused approach.

The other is where the product vision emerges fully-formed in the founder’s eye before it is brought to existence. Here, the founder zeroes in on their self express... See more

As a seed-stage investor at First Round Capital, I get to meet a lot of founders who are exploring and validating their ideas. It’s an exciting time for them and, as a former founder myself, I relate to the thrill and anxiety of just getting started. You believe you’re onto something and feel ready to bring your idea to life, but there’s also a lot... See more