entrepreneurship
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The Midwest Startup Formula Will Change The Status Quo For Building Businesses
As Silicon Valley startups continue chasing private valuations, entrepreneurs in the Midwest are following an entirely different approach. Our goal is the same — to build world-class businesses based on innovative technologies that create new wealth — but our approach is entirely different. We are proving that startup success comes from validating a real market need, then building… Read More
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The Entrepreneurial Journey Is More Darkness Than Light
Looking at startups from the outside, it’s easy to assume the startup game is just that, a game. A game with big winners and glorious and rapid rises to the top. Of billion-dollar valuations and worldwide conquests. Of apps serving hundreds of millions of people and liquidity to ensure glory for one’s heirs for generations to come. But entrepreneurship is not a game. Read More
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Milestone-Based Vesting For Startup Founders
Scott Kupor, CEO and a managing partner at Andreessen Horowitz, recently published an article on Fortune.com (titled “Your next business partner should come with a prenup”) in which he reviews several of the common pitfalls of business partnerships and wisely suggests to address them using a prenup agreement. One critical issue Kupor discusses is the vesting of founder shares in… Read More
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Advice For Higher-Yielding Agriculture Startups
With interest and investment in food and agriculture startups reaching record levels, new entrepreneurs are entering this important sector, bringing fresh ideas and perspectives on how best to feed the world. While numerous opportunities exist to make a difference in this space, I’ve noticed some common pitfalls for new entrants. Read More
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When And How To Pick Your Next Launch Country
International expansion is a challenge any globally ambitious company will face — some sooner than others. As a long-time investor in both the U.S. and Europe, I often get asked by the venture community about the difference between the two. In my opinion, one of the key elements is the market fragmentation, which is something that European companies tend to come up against sooner than… Read More
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How Early Exit Disease Stunts The Growth Of Midwest Startup Communities
There is an unnamed epidemic slowly traveling through the middle of the U.S. This epidemic goes by many names, but our venture fund refers to it as “early exit disease.” This disease spreads when founders realize sub-$20 million exits. Many of these exits could have grown much larger. Instead, early exits have been quietly devastating the Midwest region’s startup… Read More
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The Poet, Scientist, Journalist, Boxer Approach To Entrepreneurship
One of the great challenges for startups is figuring out where to start. Entrepreneurs believe that unless they build something now, their idea will become outdated or stolen by their competitor. However, that thought process is akin to running a marathon with one month of training. Yes, it can be done, but you run the risk of burning out and failing more quickly. What is needed is a… Read More
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