Founder University – My Best Learning Experience in the Valley

Founder University

Earlier this week, I had the chance to spend two intensive days at the Founder University program (April ’18 Batch) in San Francisco. For those who don’t know about this program, it’s a two-day event by Launch, led by none other than Jason Calacanis. About 50 startup founders are handpicked for this program through a selection process which I am sure is one of the reasons why this program ends up being super impactful.

I wanted to be part of this last year as well. I moved to the valley from India in pursuit of more growth for my startup but also for myself. After all, if you are in tech and also doing a startup where else to be than the mecca itself! Sadly, I did not get picked last year. So, I was super excited to see the confirmation email from Jacqui – the Emmy award-winning producer of all of the Launch’s events! Well, that’s Jason’s words about her but having spent the two days at the program, I totally get it why she is so awesome!

Anyways, enough of the rant about the program. It’s needless to say that if you are a young startup with a product in the market and some early traction, this is one program you have to be part of.

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Working at a Startup Before Starting One Yourself [Is it a good idea?]

working at a startup

I started my first company when I was 19, the second one when I was 23 and my third and current startup when I was 26. In between, I worked for a little over 15 months for two different startups. Over the last few months, a few people have asked me whether working at a startup is helpful if one plans to start up soon.

The simple answer to that is, yes! In reality, the answer to this question is much more complex. There are good startups and there are bad startups. I am not referring to the business performance here. Rather, I am referring to the environment and culture. The right kind of environment and culture can teach you a lot of things that will be important when you start up on your own.

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Key Takeaway from Shah Rukh Khan’s TED Talk – Love & Compassion

shah rukh khan ted talk

Shah Rukh Khan’s TED talk video is finally here. I am not a big SRK fan but lately, I saw a few of his interviews and I think he’s becoming more interesting as he is aging. I was waiting for TED to release this video and I spent a good 17 minutes listening to this man whom millions of people consider a major heartthrob. King Khan as he is called in India is someone who led a different period in Bollywood movies with his lovely charm.

So, Shah Rukh Khan’s TED talk is roughly a 17-minute monolog where he’s tried to insert elements of satire and comedy while talking about a rather broad and sensitive topic – humanity.

In the video shot in Vancouver, Shah Rukh talks about his teenage when he lost both his parents. And a particular conversation with his mother when he was 14 and driving to the hospital with his father’s dead body in the car and his mother suddenly realized as asked, “When did you learn to drive?” “Just now,” Shah Rukh replied. Situations bring the best out of people. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. And I have seen this with many other people, some of whom are my closest friends on how certain life changing events bring out their abilities to a greater extent.

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