Founders, don’t let fear overcome you but confront it Uncontrolled fear is an insidious condition where entrepreneurs could develop due to the stress and pressure in running a business/startup. And despite the severity of this issue, it is a sensitive matter which many entrepreneurs rather not share due to many reasons Read more…
Hidden reasons why VCs reject your startup for investment Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash Asking for funding from Venture Capital (VC) investors is likened to the same statistics of getting rejections from Tinder. Okay. That’s not a good analogy, but you get the point — fundraising for your startup is tough. I wrote Read more…
Why mentorship is critical for startup founders to succeed Startup mentors based in Singapore: (L to R): Anu Gupta, Carmen Yuen and Joelle Pang Building a startup has many challenges to overcome. And with so many pitfalls and high failure rates, what can be done to improve the chances of success? Mentorship Read more…
Traits in a startup founder that VCs look out for You have made a great pitch deck for your early-stage startup, with all the necessary details of strategy, product, defensibility, market sizing and more. You meet many potential investors, angels and VCs alike, but somehow everyone nods politely in agreement but Read more…
Need an angel to back your early stage startup? Here are 5 types of investors you should look for As a tech startup entrepreneur, funding is always on the back of one’s mind in order to grow the startup and build traction. I usually do not recommend to approach an institutional Read more…
Your startup is not a democracy, so stop running it like one I’ve advised over 1,400 early-stage startups in one-to-one free advisory sessions in the last ten years, and one issue that always crops up is founder shares. Many times, all founders have equal shares in the company and are all Read more…
These signs mean it’s time to let go of your startup (but moving on is never easy) “Hey John, it is good seeing you on social media and how your company X has progressed thus far these few months,” I said encouragingly during a regular meetup with an entrepreneur I had Read more…
Mom, I’m going to be an entrepreneur “You want to start your own business? Why are you so stupid?” cried Joe’s mother. It was five years ago when I remembered hearing the personal story of an entrepreneur during one of my pro-bono advisories. Joe (not his real name), was then Read more…
In his book on Startup Communities, Brad Feld defines mentors as ‘experienced entrepreneurs or investors who actively contribute time, energy and wisdom to startups.’ While an advisor has an economic relationship with the entrepreneur, the mentor is one who gives before he gets, and has no clear outcome goals or economic Read more…
Relationships are the blood of business in Asia. Use them wisely. I remember years back, when a good friend from university was desperately looking for a high level finance job. She asked me to introduce her to my contact, Uncle E, who was a high-level senior in a local bank. He Read more…