I agree with Brad Feld: Most people flake. If you’re not a flake, you are far more likely be trusted, promoted, and funded. If you execute on the steps below, you’re well on your way to being a top quartile performer. I gave a presentation to Womensphere a few months ago on the most valuable...
[Continue Reading]How to lose fat and gain muscle with venture capital
Both founders and researchers in healthcare are spending far too much of their energy in areas where they’re not going to make maximum impact. Most health problems are self-inflicted, but the innovation economy doesn’t reflect the power of preventive healthcare. Dr. An Nguyen and I just completed an analysis of VC and research funding compared...
[Continue Reading]A checklist for writing code
Ever since I studied Total Quality Management in college, I’ve been a bit obsessed with documenting processes. I was particularly influenced by Dr. Atul Gawande’s “Checklist Manifesto”, which underlined for me the value of collecting, documenting, analyzing, and continually re-optimizing best practices. I wrote a while ago a 3-part series on communications: How to Write...
[Continue Reading]Ten experiments to test your new business hypothesis
You know that a new idea has gained dominance when it becomes practically a cliché. That is what I’ve seen happen with the “Lean Startup” philosophy of viewing your startup as a scientific experiment in search of a business model. This started as a new idea, then became popularized, and now people view it as...
[Continue Reading]Feedback is a gift; should you ask for it?
It’s rare to find someone who is insightful about you and your business … and rarer to find someone confident enough in their relationship with you to give you honest feedback. I treasure these people, and have paid a coach to do this for me personally. When you’re meeting with your board, I strongly recommend...
[Continue Reading]Please don’t pitch a venture capitalist without this checklist
I’m surprised at how many funding pitches I get which lack some of the basic information which investors require before funding. I think this stems from two causes: 1) Lack of basic knowledge of the information investors require. But I would hope that a reasonably competent founder could easily educate herself about what information an...
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