As Tolstoy once wrote, “Good families are all the same. Bad families are all unique in their own ways.”
Author Archives: James Wang
Should I care about the macro environment as a founder?
Should you be keeping track of macro events as a start up founder?
The Impacts of the Omicron Variant for Startups
We aren’t public health experts, but we have seen how COVID-19 has played out just like everyone else, especially the impact the Delta variant had. With information on Omicron still evolving (and quite rapidly), it’s can be difficult to avoid guessing how Omicron itself is different in order to actually make any decisions.
What’s going to happen next in VC?
Will the flood of capital we’re seeing in VC continue? Will it all come crashing down?
One Definite Sign of a Bad Startup
Hearing bad startup ideas is an occupational hazard of working in startups or VC. There are some ideas that sound crazy but end up being massive winners. There are other ideas that sound pretty good but end up being duds. And, sometimes, it’s not really about the idea but just one’s own execution and effort—afterContinue reading “One Definite Sign of a Bad Startup”
How Does a Deep Tech Startup Differ From a “Normal” Startup?
In the world of Deep Tech, you can’t use the “move fast and break things” approach. On the bright side, neither can your competitors.
Startup Valuation Made Simple(r) – Working Backwards
There’s an easier way to understand valuation beyond the traditional, “Well, what are we worth at this stage/traction?” Here’s how:
AI: What It Can and Cannot Do
Artificial Intelligence (AI) startups are some of the most susceptible to hype and magical thinking. As a result, the reality of what modern AI can actually achieve becomes convoluted.
COVID accelerated automation labor trends
It’s an undeniable fact that the pandemic has changed a lot about everyday life. The real question now, however, is how lasting will some of these changes be?
Everyone is looking at the wrong jobs numbers
Everyone is up in arms about the April jobs report. The US added 266,000 jobs during the month, but it was a fraction of what was expected and did nothing to change the unemployment rate.
At the same time, we had a viral TikTok video of a McDonald’s in Texas apologizing for being short staffed because “No one wants to work anymore.”
Conservatives are quite loudly implicating the cause of this (and other similar anecdotes from small businesses)are caused by supplements to unemployment benefits and other pandemic aid discouraging work.
So which is it? …well, probably both.