Startup

Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers. — “Is the Double Diamond still fit for purpose? The answer: probably not. The ascendance of fast-paced digital design and the complexities of the challenges designers are currently addressing with services and systems have left the Double Diamond a bit short of breath.” Double diamond v4.1: An operating manual for designers…

Introduction: When seeking investments for your startup, every interaction with potential investors is crucial. Early stage venture capitalists can be especially intuitive, moody, and picky (unfortunately) so even the slightest mistake can raise eyebrows and cost you a valuable opportunity sometimes. These types of investors often pay close attention to a…

Formal financial inclusion is high in Kenya and has consistently increased over the last few decades: 84% of adult Kenyans in 2021 (vs 27% in 2006) had access to financial services and products from formal institutions (e.g., microfinance institutions, savings unions, banks, and mobile money providers). However, while financial inclusion…

When Is a Side Hustle a Scam and When Is It Just Sketchy? — I usually write these posts to dispense strategic and tactical startup and business advice, the kind that’s difficult to follow. As you can imagine, advice that’s difficult to follow doesn’t exactly burn up the Internets. On the other hand, I feel like I could write about startup scams and sketchery…

Entrepreneurs have to meet lots of people, but some of them need to learn better ways of asking for meetings. — I’ve got eight unanswered emails in my inbox — all from last week. Each email was sent by an enthusiastic entrepreneur who wants to meet for coffee. I know I should reply to the messages, and I know I should meet with the entrepreneurs. But they’ve written something in their…

Assisting US and UK military veterans in finding meaningful civilian work opportunities is the primary focus of our startup. With a personalized approach and leveraging their military expertise, we aim to help veterans explore various career options. This blog post highlights the reasons behind our decision, the challenges veterans face…

Introduction In today’s fast-paced environment, increasing productivity is crucial for reaching our objectives and experiencing fulfillment. Your time, environment, and mindset must all be carefully considered when designing your life for maximum productivity. In this blog article, we’ll look at four essential ideas that were drawn from the top productivity tools…

The COVID-19 global pandemic forced businesses and individuals to adapt to new ways of working, including a significant rise in remote work. People are able to work from anywhere with an internet connection, and as a result, led to a growing interest in a ‘digital nomad lifestyle’. This lifestyle allows…

The 2022 Annual Report from Tech Coast Angels contains valuable insights for founders and investors — Tech Coast Angels in an angel investment group based in Los Angeles. With 410 angel investors across 5 separate chapters, the group is one of the largest and most active angel investment groups in the country. I’ve been a member since 2010 and am on the executive committee of the…