Founder #burnout is real and serious. As a former founder myself, I've felt it. As a mentor, advisor and investor, I've seen it in others many times. But before I go further, I will say that I am not a mental health professional. Founder burnout can lead to serious mental health issues and if you [...]

Over the past 20+ years mentoring, advising, and investing in startup founders (and being one, too), I've come to believe in the principle that if you find yourself having to force things too much, then you may be on a fool's errand. Startups are so ridiculously hard even in the most favorable conditions. Even startups [...]

I don't care how many slides you have in your deck. There is no magic number. What I care about is understanding all and only what's relevant for me to figure out if this investment is a). sufficiently in my wheelhouse -- i.e., stage, sector, model, traction, team, and, b). that the story is presented [...]

Startups are ridiculously hard and success is illusive. Advice about what it takes to be a successful founder is in plentiful supply -- from founders (current and former), investors (most who have never been a founder themselves), consultants (selling the dream) and the media (parroting the rest and amplifying survivor bias.) Here's a [...]

There is no trade school or PhD program for venture-scale founders. You're on your own. Experience is the ultimate curriculum for founders. But if you're relying on learning from experience alone, you're doing it wrong. Founders need to be lifelong learners, continually and proactively expanding their knowledge and honing their skills -- to become better [...]