Deep vs Wide

It is a common mistake for founders to try and go after a very broad market right from the beginning. This is a product “for everyone”, “we already cater to a huge market”, there are “actually three core use cases”, you know how it goes. The argument is that “we don’t want to limit our …

Short vs Long Term

Overnight success and quick wins. Sprints and hacks. Shortcuts, yolo. We’re getting used to value hastiness as our ideal. We give things a try; then time runs out, nothing has worked and we ‘need’ to move on. Well, here it goes: High expectations cannot be met fast. Even when they do, they leave you with …

Ένα διαφορετικό αφήγημα

Το πρώτο πράγμα που θα ακούσεις από έναν ισραηλινό founder δεν είναι ότι “χαράμισε τέσσερα χρόνια από τη ζωή του στον στρατό”. Αντίθετα, θα σου πει ότι έχει την τύχη να έχει πρόσβαση σε εξαιρετικό εργατικό δυναμικό, το οποίο καταρτίστηκε στις πιο απαιτητικές συνθήκες, αυτές του Ισραηλινού στρατού. Ένας developer που κατοικεί στο Λονδίνο δε …

Openfund Concludes Investment Period, Reports Results

Originally posted in Openfund. Openfund started in 2009 to become the first startup investor in Greece and the broader region. Our first, €500k syndicate proved quite successful, giving birth to companies like Taxibeat. Jeremie Openfund II was launched in December 2012 with €15m under management to take this track record to the next level. Three …

Founders time

A startup’s most precious asset is its founders. And everyone’s most precious asset is our time. Thus, a startup’s most precious asset is its founders time. As simple as this may sound, its implications are not always straightforward. What’s more, founders time provide a clear framework that can serve you well in most of your …

Οι ελληνικές startup το 2015

*Δημοσιεύθηκε στην Καθημερινή την Κυριακή 4 Ιανουαρίου 2015. Τα όσα έχουν συμβεί τα τελευταία χρόνια στο οικοσύστημα των ελληνικών startup είναι εντυπωσιακά. Ορίζω ως startup τις εταιρείες τεχνολογίας που δημιουργούνται χωρίς δεδομένο εγχειρίδιο ανά χείρας. Κατά κανόνα, οι startups δημιουργούν αξία μέσα από καινοτόμα προϊόντα που απευθύνονται σε διεθνείς αγορές, αναζητώντας επιχειρηματικό μοντέλο για ταχεία …

On Advisors & Equity

Never give away equity to advisors. Free doesn’t look good to anyone, it also doesn’t work. Let me provide some context. Entrepreneurs often believe that they can build credibility and get significant added value by bringing in more experienced partners, under the title of advisor. It is typical for such a title to be accompanied …

Some Notes on How to Present Your Startup

Presenting in front of people is hard. Being an entrepreneur and making your idea look simple is also genuinely difficult. Here is a rough structure that may help when presenting to potential users and partners or the general public. – Maria (photo) is a (…) and spends (time/money) doing (…). {problem — it is important …