YKC: Spring Cleaning
Welcome back YKC community… and spring is finally here (kinda).
Check out my latest article Austin’s SXSW is an Exercise in Brand Experience in GritDaily with my thoughts on how brands are effectively engaging these days through event experiences.
Community Offer: I’d like to offer complimentary phone sessions to members of the YKC Community and offer my advice in order to help you work through any digital marketing and content strategy challenges you may have. I’ve been busy building YKC Media and would like to hear your challenges when it comes to content creation, marketing strategy, and brand/community building. Click here to book your phone session.
If you enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my newsletter for curated opportunities and upcoming events here.
“The more you seek the uncomfortable, the more you will become comfortable.”
-Conor McGregor
How To Be Successful by Sam Altman: Regarding this essay, yes, there is a lot of nonsense in much of the pseudo-wisdom coming from Silicon Valley but there are definitely mindsets/ideas to learn from some of the people who have been involved in creating humankind’s fastest growing and influential companies.
I haven’t found Y Combinator’s Sam Altman as provocative as individuals such as Peter Thiel and Paul Graham, and many of the points he covers in this essay make a lot of practical sense. Granted, this essay is geared towards entrepreneurs who are building high growth startups, but some of the ideas which sound like basic common sense (ex., 7. Work hard, 8. Be bold) have application towards regular people’s business endeavors (not super-high risk ventures who have a significant rate of failure). There is also something to be said about the essayist’s amalgamation of the common traits he sees in successful entrepreneurs having done the “10,000 hours” of screening startups for YC.
I do feel that some of the startup founders I meet would benefit from reading this essay as well as Derek Lidow’s book Built on Bedrock on why maybe a startup is not the best business model when launching a business. I know a lot of unnecessary pain, wasted effort and capital would be spared if some entrepreneurs understood their own underlying intentions on they even want to start a business.
Favorite Takeaways:
⚪️ 1. Compound yourself: This reminds me of Ray Dalio’s concept in Principles and while this might be a different interpretation, both could be applied to personal growth and a business model. Organizationally, look to build a compoundable organization. Personally, I like the idea of improving yourself just 1% every day, over 365 days a year that compounds over time.
⚪️ 2. Have almost too much self-belief: We’ve all seen the flip-side of this idea, delusional people who don’t have the ability to back it up. That being said, if you’re launching a new business the odds are that you won’t succeed so you probably need to be a bit delusional. I actually think it’s OK to be like this because we self-edit so much of our lives in our minds anyway, sometimes just to get thru the day.
⚪️ 9. Be willful: Grit, determination, character, whatever the buzzword that is used these days. But I love how he mentions this trait when describing Airbnb’s founders “they managed to survive long enough for luck to go their way”. Indeed. Most people just give up way to early to really accomplish anything significant.
⚪️ Schusterman Family Foundation: They’re hiring for 10 positions across their offices and portfolios. Learn more here. I’ve been involved for some time with their ROI Community (and many of my friends have gone to Israel on their REALITY trips) and love what they do so if you’re interested in making a real impact I’d strongly recommend you check them out.
⚪️ Techstars NYC Accelerator: Three month program, $120K, mentorship for life. Over 400 Techstars founders live in NYC, working to build the next generation of game changing companies — and you could be the next one! Deadline April 7. Apply here.
⚪️ XRC Labs Cohort 8: XRC Labs is an innovation accelerator for the next generation of disruptors in the retail and consumer goods sectors. $100K funding for 7.7% equity, network of 500+ brands, retailers and mentors. Deadline April 15. Apply here.
⚪️ Barclays Accelerator New York City: Three month program, $120K plus ongoing mentorship. Over the last 6 years, Techstars and Barclays have become two of the most active FinTech investors in the world. Deadline May 12. Apply here.
⚪️ Breakfast with an Investor: Merritt Hummer, Principal, Bain Capital Ventures: Merritt joined Bain Capital Ventures in 2018 where she focuses on growth stage investments in fintech and real estate tech. Prior to Bain Capital Ventures, Merritt was an investor focused on late-stage venture and growth equity investments at Goldman Sachs. Previously, Merritt was an investor at private equity firm New Mountain Capital and a management consultant at Bain & Company in New York. Thu, April 4, 8:30 AM, KettleSpace @ Baar Baar,13 East 1st Street. Tickets here.
⚪️ XRC Labs Cohort 7 Demo Day: For 14 weeks, XRC’s Cohort 7 companies have attended workshops, classes, 1-on-1 consultations, meetings with mentors & have received introductions to retailers & brands. You are invited to see the impressive progress their Cohort 7 companies have made in this short time, as they disrupt the retail & consumer goods sectors. Thursday, April 04, 2019 at 08:30 AM. Tishman Auditorium, 63 5th Ave. Register here.
⚪️ Dor Chadash Talk: From Lebanon TO Boston — A Story of Determination and the Israeli Spirit: IAC Dor Chadsah in collaboration with AFU669-(American Friends of Unit 669) invites you to join them for a special evening of hopes, dreams, determination and the Israeli spirit. Thursday, April 4 at 6:30 PM, ZAG-S&W 1633 Broadway. Tickets here.
⚪️ Amazon AWS Building the Closet in the Cloud [Rent the Runway]: By a simple click online, shoppers can personalize and rotate their closets in the cloud with Rent the Runway. But, with over 450,000 pieces in inventory and the constant cycle of rentals coming and going on a daily basis, how does this ecommerce startup manage the logistical and technical aspects of running a successful business? AWS Loft 350 West Broadway, April 9, 7:00PM. Register here.
⚪️ Funny as Tech (“Let’s Talk about Sextech”): On April 9th, Funny as Tech will explore the issues around sex and technology and the growing NYC sextech community in its panel show, “Let’s Talk about Sextech.” Special guests for this sure-to-be-memorable night include Bryony Cole (CEO of Future of Sex), Polly Rodiguez (CEO of Unbound), and Mal Harrison (Center for Erotic Intelligence). Tues, April 9th at 6 pm at the Peoples Improv Theater (123 E. 24th Street). It will be Dr. Ruth meets WIRED by way of the NYC sextech community…inside a comedy theater. Tickets here.
⚪️ Kamatech DemoDay NYC: Meet the high-tech Haredi entrepreneurs of KamaTech and discover the future of Israeli startups. They’ll be presenting 8 Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) startups, graduates of KamaTech’s accelerator 4th batch (chosen out of 500 applicants). They’re happy to announce KamaTech’s keynote speaker Noam Bardin, CEO Waze, VP Google. Please note that space for their event is VERY limited so please make sure to RSVP as soon as possible. Thursday April 11th, 4:00pm. Apella Alexandria Center. 450 E 29 St. RSVP here.
⚪️ Economies of the Future: Disruptive Technology, the Myth of Capitalism, and Why Ordinary People Don’t Get Wealthy: In this think tank, they with guest speaker and author, Denise Hearn, who will provide much-needed perspective on what’s really happening and the root causes of our economic instability and widening income gap as a result of technological disruptions (among other factors). Max and his production team will do a live episode recording of their show, The Local Maximum Podcast, including getting certain audience feedback, and will interview Denise Hearn. THU, APRIL 11, 6:00 PM. Location TBA. Tickets here.
⚪️ UpDating: Produced & hosted by Harrison Forman & Brandon Berman, brings two New Yorkers, straight, gay, and everything in between, together for a blind date where a live audience can decide their fate.April 12 (Doors 7pm, Show 8:30pm). Chelsea Music Hall, 407 W 15th St. Tickets here.
⚪️ TechDay: The largest startup event in the US. Like every good founder, the organizers of TechDay are constantly looking for new ways to maximize growth opportunities both for the event and the exhibitors who participate in it. That’s why they’re very proud to announce that TechDay New York will make its debut at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, home to some of the largest and most successful trade shows in the world, on May 2nd, 2019. Register here.
