During the recent Tech Week, I met so many people new to Seattle. A number of them asked me; what the best ways are for them to become more connected to the ecosystem. So, I decided just to put a quick list together. * GeekWire events, especially the Summer Rooftop Party,

If you’re a founder, what are your 3-5 bullet points on “founder-idea fit”?  Who are your “first five”? And, what are the core attributes of your culture that set you apart from the pack? It’s worth the time to answer these questions (over and over again)!

My partner at PSL, Greg Gottesman, often asks entrepreneurs, “What will you be best in the world at?” I think this is a great prompt and forces the entrepreneur to consider not only the direct answer to the question but also what's unique about themselves, what's

A few weeks ago, I went to see Madonna. I've been a fan since college, and I'd never seen her live. At this point, she's 65 years old and still performing in some amazing ways, albeit with a knee brace. One thing that really

In my years of experience (founded five companies and been on > 20 boards…), I've found that the key to a successful board meeting lies in preparing and structuring, and running a good board meeting.  In preparation, I prefer using a Google Document vs. Deck (Google Slides/PPT)

Startups move fast and if you’re doing it right, you make a ton of progress on everything from customers, product, team, systems, press…very quickly and it’s easy to lose track. And, since most leaders are very focused on the future and what’s next, they forget to

I like to create and invest in data analytics companies. Over the years, it’s become clearer how to think about organizing the product to deliver the most value for customers. I call this organization the “data/value pyramid.”  Essentially, each layer of value builds on the one below and

Starting a company is hard. The variables of selecting the best idea, finding co-founder(s), unknown duration of customer discovery, product/market timing, and financing strategy/timing makes it even harder. And, starting a company takes skills, functional practice, and a little luck. In my experience, a good way to

With my work at PSL in starting new companies, being on boards and in my own experiences, the CEO of a startup has 5 jobs; – Set and communicate a clear, compelling, and consistent vision – this comes in the form of presentations, team meetings, town halls, 1:1s, board meetings, investor