Insights / Research Archives - Startup Economist

Universities Aren’t Commercializing Innovation, They’re Taxing It

Friday, 19 December 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Everywhere I go lately experiences at some point, the same conversation. Different city, different state, different accents and startup hype, but the same whisper once the doors close and University administration is out of the room. I was just in Phoenix, sitting with startup operators and ecosystem builders, and within minutes we were right back

commercialization innovation ip patents reseach tech transfer universities

Published in Insights / Research, Startup Ecosystems

No Comments

The Great Startup Delusion: What Web3 Failures Teach About Confusing Business with Innovation

Monday, 15 December 2025 by Paul O'Brien

There’s a nasty little lie that keeps getting passed around the economy like a like a VC quote on LinkedIn: that every new business built on a new technology is a “startup.” It’s how we got here, misunderstanding the difference between a startup and a business. The bloated graveyard of Web3 ventures, now being backfilled

business disruption funding innovation

Published in AI, Insights / Research, Quantum, Social Media, Startups

28 Comments

Lean Startup Is Wrong… or You Are

Wednesday, 12 November 2025 by Paul O'Brien

This is an article I have been sitting with for years. Incessantly pointing out to founders that they’re getting the MVP wrong or that Lean Startup misled them, I want to throw out provocative notion to challenge us all to ask why, with the clarity of what to do in Lean Startup, and so many

customer validation Lean Startup mvp product market fit startup ideas validation

Published in Insights / Research, Startups

34 Comments

Fixing Startups’ TAM/SAM/SOM: Why Your Market Slide Sucks

Wednesday, 08 October 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Every pitch deck has it. Every investor rolls their eyes at it. It’s that pastel-colored inverted pyramid labeled TAM, SAM, SOM, stuffed with fake numbers you copied from a McKinsey PDF you didn’t read. If your “market slide” claims your startup is chasing a $300 billion opportunity, congratulations, you just told investors you don’t know

competition go to market marketing pitch deck slides

Published in Insights / Research, Startups

14 Comments

How Marketing Got Rewritten by the Ignorant and Why Startups are Paying the Price

Monday, 29 September 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Having sat through a few events and cohort launches this past week, I keep hearing people refer to Marketing as Advertising and Promotion. A little history explains how we got into this mess and why advertising and promotion are merely two things you might do when marketing determines that you should and how. Go back

customer discovery customers growth leads marketing sales

Published in Advertising, Insights / Research, Startups

26 Comments

Why Incubators Make You Practice the Pitch: Founder First Impressions Send the Loudest Message

Tuesday, 16 September 2025 by Paul O'Brien

With the fall season of cohorts starting, I’m reminded that most founders will be asking of advisors why there is so much emphasis on practicing the elevator pitch. In every cohort I’ve mentored, a founder invariably raises their hand and asks why so much time is spent on the 60 seconds, with a look in

elevator pitch first impressions fundraising pitch deck pitching startup pitch

Published in Insights / Research, Startups

4 Comments

“I’ll See It When I Believe It,” Entrepreneurs and Startup Investors Put Conviction Before Cash Flow

Thursday, 11 September 2025 by Paul O'Brien

That tired phrase has been responsible for more missed fortunes than bad timing or bad luck. It’s the refrain of cautious uncles, small-town bankers, and risk-averse executives who prefer their innovation the way they prefer their wine: aged, tested, bottled, and priced at a predictable markup. But in the world of entrepreneurship, that order of

angel investors belief funding mindset raising capital startup investors

Published in Insights / Research, Raising Capital

20 Comments