The Kinetic Energy of Startup People
I’ve been pretty busy lately - work, travel for work, moving to a new apartment, meetings, maybe a few beers with buddies, too - and I really felt like it was going to catch up with me yesterday after we moved into our new office and I settled down at my desk or sat in a long meeting .
But to my surprise, I have been entirely energized without stop and I think I figured it out…
It’s not coffee. It’s not Red Bull.
It’s people… High. Energy. People.
Today was the same. I didn’t sleep much or anything, but man oh man, I was just on the move all day - meeting awesome new people, catching up with some old contacts - connecting with startup people left and right and I swear every handshake is like a shot of adrenaline for me.
We may all work online, but at the end of the day, business is about people and the kinetic energy in the air around the best ones makes life a lot of fun.
I’m super lucky. Gotta love it.
The key thing to remember about me is that I’m still a student. I’m still in boot camp. If anyone is reading any of my thoughts, I’d keep that in mind. Don’t take it all too seriously. If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have to be willing to take whatever you’ve done and whoever you were and throw them away. What are we, anyway? Most of what we think we are is just a collection of likes and dislikes, habits, patterns. At the core of what we are is our values, and what decisions and actions we make reflect those values. That is why it’s hard doing interviews and being visible: As you are growing and changing, the more the outside world tries to reinforce an image of you that it thinks you are, the harder it is to continue to be an artist, which is why a lot of times, artists have to go, “Bye. I have to go. I’m going crazy and I’m getting out of here.” And they go and hibernate somewhere. Maybe later they re-emerge a little differently.
I read this quote from Steve Jobs among many others in this article.
I think Steve is absolutely right here. It’s very easy to get hung up on your past successes/failures/residual self image.
The greatest artists, or creators, rather, are never afraid to make changes. In startups, the term is “pivot.” In life, it can be a “sea change.”
Call it what you want, just don’t be scared to make moves.
NYCEDC Startup Exchange: My 2 Cents
In early December, I attended the NYCEDC Startup Exchange - a networking event/party/whatchamacallit at the IAC building.
I don’t know how I got on the invite list, but the email said my boy Fred would be there and I assumed there’d be some free food for this starving founder, so I planned to attend.
The event itself was… “eh” and according to this NYConvergence post in which I was quoted recently, I’m not alone.
Sure - put a bunch of vaguely relevant industry people in the same room with some booze and you’re bound to create some interactions that go somewhere. I met one associate VC that may prove to be a useful connection, so +1 there.
But I honestly didn’t understand the point of the event, I didn’t feel as though it showed an understanding of NYC startup culture and I certainly didn’t recognize many of my peers from the NYC startup scene (Not that I want to see the same people all the time, but hell, I learned more at the Hashable 100 Party held earlier that week and it was WAY more fun).
Now, in the wake of the NYConvergence article, I was contacted by a reporter from Crain’s. So before any of this gets spun out of context, or the NYCEDC smites me for criticizing them, I’ll lay it down simply…
NYC is a great community for startups, but it is still nascent. As such, it CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE. Therefore, the NYCEDC would do well to lay the groundwork for solving some of the real problems excellently outlined by Fred here:
1. Creating excellent lines of communication. [If they’re already doing great stuff - as it’s been pointed out to me - then why haven’t I heard about it?]
2. Work from the “bottom up.” Get out on the street and really understand the major issues facing startups. [Big hairy monster - how do we get top talent to join startups instead of Wall Street?]
3. Help NYC get a BIG HIT. [We need a couple homeruns that spawn many other angels/advisors into the community in order to keep this momentum going.]
This list is incomplete, but the point is there is room for improvement and it seems there is a genuine interest on BOTH SIDES - startups and politicians - to help each other, and make NYC a fantastic, enduring destination for innovation.
I’m in. NYCEDC - ping me anytime you want to chat and I know plenty more people with great ideas.
UPDATE: I just got a great email from David Lombino, EVP of the NYCEDC. In it, he thanked me for my feedback, informed me of a number of the initiatives they have lined up and opened the lines of communication for the future. That’s effing awesome. GO NYC!
If you’re looking for a career change, trying to get a startup idea going, starting a blog, really to just make anything happen you’ve simply got to start moving forward—even if you don’t know where it will take you or how to complete the project over the long term. Short term milestones to keep you in check are important, but too often people sit on the sidelines waiting, when opportunity favors people in motion.
Charlie (via brycedotvc)
Absolute gold from Charlie.
5:07PM Friday, December 17, 2010
As the exodus of big company workers stampeded out of the building for the weekend and upcoming holiday last night, my team was working late - debating usability results, new feature sets and platform changes for HomeField…
Here’s to dedication…
TechStars For A Day
Last Saturday, I was really lucky to attend TechStars For A Day in NYC with one of my teammates. I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. I mean… HomeField has applied, we’ve met David, David and Brad. We’ve read Do More Faster (you should, too). We went to TechStars happy hour. We’ve talked to some of the mentors. We’ve talked to some of the alumni. We get it… what the hell could TechStars possibly have left to show us, right?
Wrong.
[Gary V. killin’ it on stage. Photo by awesome TechStars alum @mg.]
The list of mentors for NYC is stacked. Hands down. But as most of us startup-hustlers know, people like Gary Vaynerchuck, Mike Yavonditte, and Chris Dixon are really busy dudes. And yet, there they were, spending their Saturday with us, spittin’ startup advice, and hearing pitch after pitch. That’s impressive and it’s a testament to the work that TechStars has done to get amazing people really involved.
If it’s any indication of how the TechStars NYC program will be, then the 10 companies that are accepted are going to have a great experience in 2011.
And I’ll tell you what, there are some cool companies in the applicant pool (579!). Best of luck to all the other applicants - but as Gary said, “I want to beat the fuck out of everybody in this room!” ;)
In the spirit of doing more faster, I’ve just got a few highlights from the day below, but it was really great to also hear Hilary Mason, Ben Lerer and Tim Shey speak as well. Thanks all for sharing…
I know… I know. We’ve all seen Gary’s intensity, but it’s seriously too good and it gets better each time. Gary had the entire audience in stitches as he rattled off lines like, ‘Where’s that kid with the good idea I talked to earlier? … yeah, I want to fucking beat the shit out of you, bro!’
His competitive fire is just awesome, but it’s heartfelt, too. When he retold the story of his childhood, the hardship his family dealt with, you really get to understand what makes him tick. Thanks for sharing, Gary.
2. Chris Dixon
Again, Chris is a star in the NYC tech scene, but this was my first time seeing him speak in person, so I was psyched. While his Twitter stream constantly pokes the bear that is ‘Big VC,’ there was clarity in his opinion while speaking live that I hadn’t gleaned from his blog.
And while Chris has openly knocked sports (my startup’s current focus), he’s exactly the type of entrepreneurial mind I’d love to have think through our business.
3. Avner Ronen
I’ve been a fan of Avner’s for a while. Sure, Boxee itself is awesome, but it’s Avner’s story that is inspiring for me…
As he told the audience at TechStars For A Day, when Boxee was raising money they wanted specific investors on board. While their approach to the market changed a few times (from hardware device, to software, and back to hardware again), Avner was simply committed to “turning no’s into yeses.” That led to USV as a lead investor. Badass.
Thanks again to TechStars for having us. Awesome day all around.
