Starting a startup has never been easier, yet driving your startup toward success is not. Startups have very different phases. Startups are counter intuitive, Startups require people with very specific skills.

1. Operating a Startup
@laurentm
At Holberton School
May 2016

2. Ready to have your startup?
Creating a startup has never been easier.
Huge amount of knowledge available, many
technologies available.
Many opportunities to leverage technology and
change the world.
Yet, operating your Startup is incredibly hard.

3. Operating a Startup
● Startups are managed very differently at
different stages.
● Startup processes are counter intuitive.
● Startup teams require very specific profiles.

4. The stages of a startup

5. Stages of a Startup
Founders: Exploring a space, raising money.
Startup Team: Validating a problem, finding a business.
Scaled Team: Scaling the solution, scaling distribution.
Multi-product Team: Leveraging and expanding.

6. Startup processes are
counter intuitive

7. Put Validation before Delivery
Optimise for learning not delivery
● Problem / Solution fit
● Product / Market fit
● Product / Category fit

8. An MVP is not a bad product
It's how you prove your assumptions.
Pick your definition:
● An experiment
● A great product for a niche with low
requirements

9. Juggle with
Stories

10. Close the gap and adjust direction

11. Startup teams require
very specific profiles

12. Get Shit Done

13. Growth
Mindset

14. Preparing for failure is the path to success

15. Hire at the right time

16. Co-founder(s)

17. How to Start a Startup (YC+Stanford on YouTube)
Technology-enabled Blitzscaling (Greylock+Stanford on YouTube)
SVPG Product Discovery: http://bit.ly/1TZtY2B
Running Lean (PDF): http://bit.ly/1OzTCqm
My post on Culture: http://bit.ly/1Xmq5aA
Founder equity calculator at http://foundrs.com
Recruiting: The A Method for Hiring (Geoff Smart)
Shareholder Agreement, Equity, ESOP: Venture Deals (Brad Feld)
Want to know more?