Rich Fahle’s Post

Very interesting thoughts Vincent Zhu From my time here in NYC, I experienced: Culture: The conversations can be about whatever you want it to be about. At founder / investor networking events, I have heard people start conversations anything from: "So what trends are you seeing in the cybersecurity space right now?" (VC to VC) "Are you in NY only for Fintech Week? If so, where are you from originally?" (VC to Founder) "What does your fund focus on?" (Founder to VC) Connectivity: I feel surprised. I find that the only people I know in the entire city are industry people (in my case, I just keep running into #VCs) History: I don't know - I am new here so perhaps when people name drop, it is possible I just don't know who they are sometimes. I do agree that NYC is such a land of opportunity and I am excited to see your series!

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Open to ALL Virginia startups in the ideation, early-stage, or growth-stage. Startups must demonstrate innovative solutions with potential for significant impact. This is a unique opportunity to showcase your business to investors, industry leaders, and fellow entrepreneurs, with the chance to advance to the grand finale in San Francisco where you will compete for a $1,000,000 investment prize. More details in the link below. #Entrepreneurship #PitchCompetition

One of my favourite things is chatting through difficult product ops concepts with brand-new startups. Today I popped down to Ipswich to chat to the Creative East cohort about MVPs - that oft-misunderstood idea of your first delivery of a product out into the market. My favourite thing is the chatter afterwards between folks at these events, though. I love hearing some of the ideas that people are working on. Plus, everyone always has different thoughts on how their MVP should work and as always, the answer is *it depends*. I like to think an MVP should be "just enough to evaluate my assumptions". *Just enough*. Not "all the stuff I want", or "just a few things that we reckon people need". Anyway, thanks for having me today at Innovation Labs University of Suffolk (ILABS)!

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The above is all true, and I'd like to add a really important point. In the Bay Area, I observed that startups collaborate, partner, meet, etc - all in the spirit of the best possible user experience as an end in itself. The startups work together more. It's easy to get a meeting, you can basically show up to someone's office, just walk in, and you're welcomed. Founders work on "cool" experiences or tech first, and worry about financials second. In NYC I found the reverse to be true. It's harder to get a meeting with a founder. When you get one, it's like going to the dentist; the EA schedules a meeting with you 6 weeks in advance, upon arriving you sit in lobby and you wait until you are called. The meeting is transactional, a "novel" user experience or excitement around a technical breakthrough is rarely a main topic. It's much more transactional. This isn't a criticism in any way, it's just an observation that I believe explains why there are less household tech names coming out of NYC. Because if you look at the household tech names in the world - they always put the user first.

Arizona is our start-up company’s virtual home. Two of our original 7 co-founders are based here. SkyThread is almost three years old now and has a $4 million blockchain solution called SkyThread for Parts focused on part authentication, and validation and sharing of part ID data for aircraft parts. I’ve spent 25 of my 40 years of my professional service life focused on Honeywell and Boeing in Arizona and around the world. You’ve read many of the stories about fake aircraft parts coming out of London and being installed on CFM engines powering major aircraft platforms. With SkyThread in the mix, we significantly reduce these risks. We launched SkyThread after I retired from PwC where I ran all of A&D from Arizona. We’ve generated $1 million of ARR at SkyThread and signed KLM Engineering as a launch customer supporting their Boeing 787 parts pool for 20 airlines. We will be part of the robust history of Arizina startups supporting one of the deepest group of A&D companies in the world. #plugandplay #arizonacommerceauthority

End of Year Recap: Draper University Blasts Off in 2023! This year, Draper U wasn't just firing on all cylinders - it was launching rockets! A huge shoutout to our incredible team, inspiring partners, and supportive friends who made it all possible. We couldn't have done it without you! Here are just a few of the highlights from our stratospheric 2023: 11 Major Programs Launched: We ignited the entrepreneurial flames of 656 future changemakers, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to chase their dreams. $80M Raised by Draper U Entrepreneurs: Our ventures are taking the world by storm, proving that Draper U grads are more than just dreamers - they're doers! Global Events That Grew the Draper U Galaxy: From Startup Grind with Derek Andersen to fireside chats with Y Combinator's Surbhi Sarna, A16z's Andrew Chen, and Floodgate's Mike Maples, Jr, our Draper U stages hosted some of the brightest minds in the startup universe. Pitch Competitions and Programs Ignited Around the World: We brought the Draper U magic to Paris, Seoul, Amsterdam (with LUMO Labs!), Austin, Leipzig, Washington DC, Singapore (with She Loves Tech!), Riyadh (for an epic Alumni Reunion!), New York, Bangalore (another Alumni Reunion!), Milan (with techchill), Buenos Aires, Lisbon, and Sao Paulo. Every corner of the globe felt the Draper U spark! New Government Partnerships: We're joining forces with incredible government agencies to empower even more entrepreneurs and fuel innovation on a global scale. Watch this space for exciting developments! Next year, we're not just aiming for the stars - we're headed to the moon! ₿ Buckle up, Draper U family, because 2024 is going to be a wild ride. 🚀 See you on the other side! A special thanks to JETRO Startup Sequoia Blodgett Wakana Fukuda Meet the Drapers Draper Startup House Jiwon Park Anna Korc and our incredible leadership! Asra Nadeem Tim Draper Andrew Tang

Isn’t a bit scary what is going on in European startups ecosystem? I meet so many early stage entrepreneurs every year. I know many of them who last two years moved to Silicon Valley at the first year of their startups and raised over a million quickly. Now accelerators which are moving to #sanfrancisco ! Even less investment opportunities for startups in Europe or to stay in Europe? Have you ever considered or thought about moving your startup to Silicon Valley? #startup #investment #venturecapital #europe #entrepreneurship #siliconvalley