Startups Archives - Page 2 of 41

The Art of Coming Down the Mountain: Why Founders Must Master Recovery

Monday, 15 September 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Founders love the sprint. I do. The next release, the hackathons, pitch days, and product launches; we thrive on speed, the release, and feedback. We glorify the rush of deadlines, the late-night breakthroughs, the caffeine-fueled wins that light up LinkedIn. The problem is that we often confuse motion for momentum, and in doing so, neglect

Published in Startups

2 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

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Published in Insights / Research, Raising Capital

20 Comments

Bootstrap or Raise Capital: How to Decide What’s Right for Your Startup

Monday, 01 September 2025 by Paul O'Brien

If you’re like me, it might have been Labor Day in the U.S., and it was a beautiful one here in Austin, not putting in any work is more or less impossible; besides, entrepreneurs throughout the world were working and so with the focus on work, I couldn’t help but put thought to this frequently

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Published in Raising Capital, Startups

29 Comments

The Missing Infrastructure of Entrepreneurship: A Policy Guide for Cities and States

Tuesday, 26 August 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Governments keep insisting they’re “supporting entrepreneurship,” yet the tools they fund are usually the bureaucratic equivalent of a pep rally: innovation hubs with free Wi-Fi, pitch competitions, and motivational speakers who read the same three startup books as everyone else. These things create the appearance of activity but deliver outcomes only for the handful of

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Published in Economic Development, Startups

48 Comments

Innovation Lessons from Quantum Leap, Doctor Who, and Star Trek: Why Every Startup Needs Its CEO, CTO, and CMO

Monday, 25 August 2025 by Paul O'Brien

As someone who grew up on MacGyver inventing solutions from chewing gum wrappers and paperclips, I’m ashamed I never put thought to my second favorite hero of the week, Sam Beckett. I’m a huge fan of what pop culture teaches and inspires in future entrepreneurs because like startups, innovation is never the clean, linear story

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Published in Startups

13 Comments

Predicting Startup Success with Personality Data

Tuesday, 19 August 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Entrepreneurial DNA: The Science in Startup Success The mythology of entrepreneurship has always been convenient for investors and romantic for founders: anyone with grit, an idea, and caffeine can succeed. But data is increasingly cutting through the myth. A growing body of research confirms that personality traits, psychological wiring, and the composition of the founding

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Published in Insights / Research, Startups

31 Comments

Why and How a Venture Determines It Is “Uniquely Better”

Thursday, 14 August 2025 by Paul O'Brien

In business strategy and marketing, “Uniquely Better” is more than a slogan, it’s the distillation of why a venture deserves to exist. The term sits alongside other well-known ideas such as competitive advantage, differentiation, and “moat,” but with a crucial twist: it forces you to define why customers should choose you over all other options.

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Published in Insights / Research, Startups

7 Comments