When an investor says
"interesting, but we want to see more progress"
they're not asking for speed
They're waiting for permission
Most founders think progress creates permission
It doesn't
That's why they keep building
and the answer never shows up
@louisanicola_ ibuprofen after lifting = slower growth.
Inflammation is the adaptation trigger;
blunt it, blunt gains.
Let it clear up on it's own or push harder the next day.
Most meaningful work starts the same way:
- no playbook
- unclear ownership
- high stakes
I stepped into it at rLoop/SpaceX (Hyperloop pod) and later at Tesla (cross-org AR/VR initiative). Progress came from listening hard, creating clarity, and helping people move when certainty was gone.
That's what draws me now: working with autoimmune biotech founders in unknown territory who value judgment, signal, and the next right move (over the loud one).
If you're building something hard + early + real and want a sharper lens on what you're proving next:
DMs open for a second set of eyes on your plan.
There's a pause -
You feel it through the screen
Because the science is weak? No.
It's because the plan doesn't hold under load yet
And in that moment,
you can't open 12 tabs
Pre-seed biotech decks rarely fail on science
They fail because this answer isn't obvious
It's early, before the day really starts
Too many tabs open
A founder’s deck I've already read three times
My notes from the founder call
An FDA guidance doc I keep reopening
I reread the same slide again
It sounds fine
A Plan Page is one page that removes ambiguity:
- what gets proven next,
- how it gets tested,
- and what outcome actually matters
Because this question doesn't disappear
It shows up later on a Zoom with an investor:
"Ok... what are you proving next?"
Don't be afraid of confusion
Confusion is not a dead end
It is the starting line
It means you're about to trade a comfortable lie for an uncomfortable truth.
- R. Feynman