Any great startup idea is exciting because it hasn’t been solved. If it were easy, it would already exist.

We have met hundreds of founders. It’s not until around the 30 minute mark that the conversation becomes most productive. There are some introductions, pleasantries, then there's a pretty hard pitch. "We've built this, it's going to do that, it’s going to be awesome, and it’s going to be huge."

You can have some great early wins. But from there, it’s about identifying opportunities and testing ideas to see what works. It won’t be perfect the first time. The exciting business is one that identifies an opportunity, builds from a hunch, then releases with energy. The ‘energy’ refers to critically examining when a release is going as expected, or when it is not. The journey is a little like dropping a leaf into a flowing creek. You want it to flow, but it won’t move forward without some deviation. You can still reach the end. But if you try going straight, you’ll get snagged on a rock.

We are keen to meet new founders and hear your ideas. But let’s go with a transparent conversation:

• You’ve built a thing
• You’re really excited because some of it’s working well
• There’s a few things that are hard. But you’re learning from those and they’re informing next steps
• There’s a nugget of gold you’re deep diving on
• Is there a fit? Can we help each other achieve great things?

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