competition Archives - Startup Economist

Founders and Policymakers Need Us at the Table— Before They Decide the Future for Us

Monday, 21 April 2025 by Paul O'Brien

With my work increasingly entrenched in Washington, D.C., state capitols, and the public policy battles shaping entrepreneurship and venture capital, I’ve found myself staring down a familiar name in tech: Google. Again. For many of us, the latest antitrust accusations is déjà vu, about privacy, about data, and control – whether it’s Apple, Microsoft, X,

Published in AI, Economic Development, Search

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Startups: Avoid Competition (don’t neglect it)

Sunday, 03 May 2020 by Paul O'Brien

Years ago, Peter Thiel provocatively proclaimed in the Wall Street Journal that “Competition Is for Losers” and I recall loving the headline not for the negative connotation implied, but for the play on words that you’re going to lose if you set out to compete. “The airlines compete with each other, but Google stands alone.

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Published in Startups

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How do you compete with a startup doing the same thing as you?

Tuesday, 19 March 2019 by Paul O'Brien

Also known as Cheaper / Better / Faster, you get to pick two. How do you compete with a startup doing the same thing as you? You study them. It’s called Marketing. That’s what Marketing actually is, too many think it means promotion or advertising. see: Is Advertising Marketing? The Best Marketing Advice to Give a Startup

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Published in Advertising, Featured, PR, Search, Startups

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Might it be Said that the Purpose of an Entrepreneur is to Create Problems?

Tuesday, 18 September 2018 by Paul O'Brien

The Problem Solution Statement; a core tenet of Lean Startup and Customer Development. A phrase that conveys to founders and investors alike that the purpose of a startup is to solve a problem; an idea that leads many to believe that a pitch should lay out how the problem is being solved. With most new

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Published in Startups

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The Pitch Deck Slide That Can Make you Look Like a Moron

Tuesday, 17 February 2015 by Paul O'Brien

Okay so perhaps implying that you might be a moron is a bit harsh but let’s be realistic, as a startup in need of funding, if you fail to secure that funding simply because you haven’t done your homework or your failure to communicate effectively, you’re a moron. I’ve explored in the past, quite a

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Published in Raising Capital, Startups

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