FountainBlue's June 11 When She Speaks women in leadership series program, on the topic of 'Start-ups Changing the World'. Please join me in thanking our hosts at Coupa and our esteemed panelists.
Our panelists were passionate about start-ups and have supported them as entrepreneurs, funders, founders, advisers, and leaders. There were many reasons why they each opted to support start-ups.
Many Start-ups focus on solving specific real-world problems and focus on getting things done.
Many start-up build close relationships with their teammates through the intense and exciting activities around the launching and building of companies.
Working at start-ups provide many opportunities to learn and grow faster.
But working at start-ups is not always a bed of roses.
Many start-ups can be too chaotic, inconsistent and ineffective because of lack of leadership, lack of communication, lack of process.
Many start-ups lack the funding to realize results.
It's hard as a start-up to get customers to engage because the service and solution is unproven.
But it's worth it to work for start-ups! Here's some advice for selecting the right start-up.
Choose a start-up that's focused on solving a problem you're passionate about.
Choose a start-up that's well funded, in a market that's growing.
Choose a start-up which creates partnerships and alliances to help the start-up overcome obstacles and grow fast.
Choose a start-up that's nimble enough AND stable/funded enough to succeed.
Choose a start-up that does well (from a business sense) and does right (from a sustainability and world-changing perspective).
Below are some hot opportunities identified by our panelists:
Look at the data and how the data can drive everyday business opportunities.
Sustainability initiatives will both support the Earth and its people and build business opportunities as well.
Healthcare opportunities abound, and creating successful solutions help people live better, healthier and even longer lives.
Choose to be more efficient and more effective, regardless of whether you work in a start-up or a big company.
Choose quality over quantity.
Measure what matters.
Focus on the north star - the WHY. Then talk about the WHAT and the HOW.
Keep reaching for stars.
Choose continuous learning. Fail often, but fail forward.
Make the time to do things you're passionate about.
Don't over-think.
Support others of all genders and backgrounds in being confident and courageous enough to do all of the above.
The bottom line is that we need both start-ups and corporates to partner with others across the ecosystem to build innovation and leadership opportunities while solving real-world problems.