Andrés León

Startups & Innovation. Nomading around Eastern Europe ‘24

[Andrés León @andresfelt]

Un Startup No Es Un Negocio Que Está Empezando. 👉🏽 https://t.co/DhIUSb349k #Panama #startups #innovation @CiudaddelSaber @innovaCDS

[David Samudio @davidsamudio14]

Sobre el Decreto Ejecutivo 10.

Soy usuario. No tengo carro. Vivo de las plataformas, del Metro, y de caminar. Desde ahí escribo este hilo.

No como gremio, no como plataforma. Como ciudadano que depende de este servicio todos los días.

Estoy en desacuerdo. Hilo 🧵

[Andrés León @andresfelt]

@MarcElizalde3 @scrobro2 @M4X_CHILLAX @wettoasterlace @luis_gj @ITEOTWAWKI_ @PopBase Right? Thinking how South Africans don’t call themselves Africans. They call themselves South Africans, because Africa is the continent. They did it right.

[Illegitimate Scholar🧭 @ill_Scholar]

A Culture's Drug Use Explains the Culture

They Change Over time, marking greater cultural shifts

Thread🧵on the Culture of Drug Use, starting with Hallucinogens

[Ethan Evans @EthanEvansVP]

At Amazon, Jeff Bezos told us to "not compromise for the sake of social cohesion." I saw him tolerate lengthy, exhausting arguments as a result.

When I was a director, my VP constantly argued with Jeff and refused to back down.

[Ethan Evans @EthanEvansVP]

At Amazon I led some very large technology projects. I'm compiling a list of all the super-common mistakes that derail them.

This comic exemplifies one of them, which is over promising to get a deal which then leads to frantic hacking to meet a date.

[Andrés León @andresfelt]

@nikitabier What do you value when traveling?

[Ben Lang @benln]

Paul Graham one-pager on how to start a startup:

[Jonathan Swanson @swaaanson]

1. Elon runs his companies with a strict no BS policy. No BS meetings, teams, processes, rules, or projects.

Removes all excess so teams can focus on the only thing that matters - building a great product.

[David Samudio @davidsamudio14]

If you follow your curiosity, your career path will choose you

[The Culturist @the_culturist_]

Today in 1521, Spanish forces captured Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), thus ending the Aztec Empire.

They had discovered a city of unimaginable wealth and beauty — but harboring a dark secret.

Here's what they found... (thread) 🧵

[La Estrella de Panamá @EstrellaOnline]

Presentan una propuesta de ley para etiquetar los alimentos con exceso de grasas, sodio y azúcar.

El Movimiento de Alimentación Saludable y la Alianza Panamá por la Salud impulsaron la iniciativa.

https://t.co/yQksqSYKVi

[Andrew Yeung @andruyeung]

All the startup accelerators you can apply for:

1. PearX ($250k-$2m)
2. Accel Atoms ($500k)
3. Antler ($200k for 8%)
4. Soma Capital ($100k)
5. Sequoia Arc (Variable)
6. a16z Speedrun ($750k)
7. LAUNCH ($125k for 7%)
8. OpenAI Converge ($1m)
9. Techstars ($20k for 6%)
10. Alchemist ($25k for 5%)
11. NEO ($600k Uncapped)
12. AngelPad ($120k for 7%)
13. The Mint ($500k for 10%)
14. AI2 Incubator ($50-$150k)
15. HF0 ($125k for 7% + $375k)
16. AI Grant ($250k Uncapped)
17. Betaworks AI Camp ($500k)
18. 500 Startups ($112.5k for 6%)
19. Entrepreneur First ($125k for 8%)
20. Y Combinator ($125k for 7% + $375k)
21. Conviction Embed ($150k Uncapped)
22. Founders Fellowship ($150k for 5-10%)
23. SPC Fellowship ($400k for 7% + $600k)

(More info below)

Who am I missing?

[Andrés León @andresfelt]

100% de acuerdo. Creo que el “me merezco” es un dangerous growing trend. En la vida real, hay que salir a ganarse las cosas con esfuerzo, quieras o no. Además, creo que trae consecuencias psicológicas negativas por no calibrar bien las expectativas vs la realidad. Good tweet!

[David Samudio @davidsamudio14]

Mi problema con “me merezco” algo es que ignora que no todos pueden tener todo lo que quieren. Myself included. Ofrece resultados detached del esfuerzo.

Me gusta más pensar que “quiero” algo, hence I go get it. Quiero adrenalina y salto de un avión. No pq lo “merezco”.

[GREG ISENBERG @gregisenberg]

I was part of startups that raised billions of VC in my 20s in Silicon Valley and didn't make much money:

1. VCs tell you to dedicate your life to the business, but they take August off.

2. VCs tell you that you need to go big or go home, but their business is a collection of many bets

3. VCs tell you it's all about team, but it’s common to replace a founder/ceo.

4. VCs tell you to be lean and agile, but they’ll drown you in cash if it means a big exit.

5. VCs tell you to maintain a work-life balance, but smile when you send emails at midnight.

6. VCs tell you to own your niche, but often nudge you towards mass markets before you're ready.

7. VCs tell you to measure everything, but their decision to fund often hinges on intangible 'gut feelings'.

Am I wrong? Be honest.

Now, I don't think all VCs are the same, just like all entrepreneurs aren't the same.

But the problem isn't in VCs, it's two things:

1) Some businesses need venture funding to thrive. The SpaceX type businesses or Uber type businesses

2) VCs aren't 100% aligned with founders (especially first time founders).

Let me break it down.

They are incentivized for you to grow valuation. And sell or go public one day.

But if you get an M&A offer that might be life-changing for you and your family? They might say don't do it.

That happened to me.

I had an M&A offer that was life changing when I was 22 years old.

I would return 3x the amount I raised. Not bad right?

I brought the deal to my lead VC. And he wouldn't sign the paperwork.

"I'm not thinking big enough. Imagine what I can get in 5 years. Forget 3x, think 30x".

I'll write about that story in a future newsletter post (link in bio).

So, for most entrepreneurs, I say make your money doing bootstrapped.

Support your family. Buy your first house. Retire your parents. Do whatcha gotta do.

That "makes a ding in the universe" in a different way.

It makes a ding in your universe.

Don't be shy to share this.

Let's have an honest convo about this.

[Andrés León @andresfelt]

In honor to one if the greatest.

[Giuliano @Giuliano_Mana]

Clayton Christensen is the best business thinker I've come across.

Many of his ideas changed my view about investing. Let's go over some of them:

[Andrés León @andresfelt]

Un año desde que tomé la decisión de hacer backpacking por el este de Europa. Trabajando remoto y tomando un ‘career break’ también. Aún no lo creo, pero sin duda una experiencia que transforma.

[Andrés León @andresfelt]

@davidsamudio14 You will.

[Ash Maurya @ashmaurya]

Your true job as a founder is to systematically de-risk your business model over time.

[Harry Stebbings @HarryStebbings]

From making 160 investments over 9 years the two single biggest reasons companies do not work:

1. They never find true product market fit.

2. The founding team breaks up.

99% of failure is because of one of these two.