The Startup Velocity Question: Inability to Explain the REAL Value Proposition

Another scenario I am encountering in my discussions is that of the inability to explain what the company does.

In the best case, the company is able to close deals.

Man and Superman: India’s Prospects in the Age of AI (Part 4)

A parallel revolution will take place in education. Today, the world struggles with finding good teachers to educate children, young adults, and even adults because so much is changing and continuous education is essential to staying on top of one’s profession.

We’re definitely moving toward AI-enabled personalized tutoring at all levels now. ALL students – even those who are below average – with the help of personalized tutoring – will perform at an above average level.

And because this is ALSO a technology-driven solution, it is completely scalable.

1Mby1M Udemy Courses with Sramana Mitra: For Educators

For educators and people who want to build thriving communities of entrepreneurs, we have designed a couple of courses that give a roadmap.

Startup Ecosystem in Kolkata: Excess is NOT a Requirement for Success

Join us on Thursday, July 20, at 8:30 p.m. IST / 8 a.m. PDT for a special roundtable program: Brainstorming on Eastern India Startup Development. Come share your perspective, sign up to Speak and we will accommodate as many as possible with a few minutes to talk, register here. In case you missed it, you can listen to the recording of this roundtable here.

Let me finish this series with a bit of personal philosophy.

Excess doesn’t always breed happiness.

It often generates arrogance, hubris, jealousy, and a host of unappetizing side effects.

Keeping your feet on the ground, preserving social awareness, a sense of responsibility towards a set of goals bigger than yourself, nurturing healthy, warm relationships – these are the true drivers of happiness.

Diversity in Tech: How can the innovators crack this code?

By Guest Author Anita M. Sands

A few months ago, I spoke about culture and microbehaviors at a tech company’s conference in San Francisco. To illustrate what “microbehaviors” are and how they can cause a feeling of exclusion, I described the difficulty I often have as an Irish person—unschooled in American sports—contending with the baseball metaphors my colleagues use all the time. >>>

Where Are the Real Leaders?

We saw Darkest Hour this week.

The year is 1940. Belgium and Holland have fallen to Hitler’s Germany. France is within days of defeat. England within days of attack. With 300,000 troops stuck in Dunkirk, Churchill becomes prime minister. No one wins by negotiating with a dictator. No nation has survived by surrendering. Churchill operates with instinct and courage, as he turns down Mussolini’s offer to negotiate peace with Hitler.

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From $100k to $1 Million: Why Founders Get Fired

We do hear stories of founders getting fired often. It might be helpful to understand why this is such a recurring issue in entrepreneurs’ lives. I categorize the causes in three key buckets:

1) Non-performance: If a founder takes investor money and then fails to deliver on the KPIs quarter after quarter, that would be a legitimate reason for getting fired.
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Meet Joanna Hoffman

Today is Steve Jobs’ death anniversary. A new film opens this weekend, based on Walter Isaacson’s biography, written by Aaron Sorkin (writer of Social Network, the Facebook biopic), and directed by Danny Boyle (also directed Slumdog Millionaire). In that film, you will encounter a character who has thus far received very little publicity, despite her brilliance and contribution. Her name is Joanna Hoffman. She was the first marketing head of the Macintosh.

Here is a charming interview of Joanna by her son, Jeremy Rossmann at Make School, which Jeremy runs:

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