Man, I’m having a hard time doing this blogging thing! My updates are very sporadic, but that’s probably fine since I don’t really advertise this blog anyway. I really just want this to be a repository for some lessons that I learn, so I can always come back to them
So again, I’m working for Topsy Labs, Inc and I’m learning a lot. As I mentioned in my previous post, I am working in a PM role, and I’m largely trying to understand how users are interacting with our search engine via usability studies and data analysis.
I was sitting down with my mentor, Gary Iwatani (COO), going over some work I had done when he started talking to me about his experience in startups (he has been involved with a number of them) and why he is currently still involved with a number of projects. His message was this: venture capital firms have the distinct advantage of diversifying their ventures–that is to say that they invest in a numerous startups and only need/expect one of them to “make it.” By contrast, entrepreneurs don’t have that luxury. For them it’s all or nothing based on a single startup. For that reason, Gary told me how he still has his hands in a few startups/projects. His main focus is definitely Topsy, but he’s still advising other startups and working on some small side projects.
Gary also imparted another lesson on me:it’s never too early to start something. In the world of startups, it seems that you really learn by doing. Why not try a small entrepreneurial project you can sink your teeth into and get started? For this reason, I’m trying to get something going this summer / during my master’s degree next year. I’ll keep you posted…
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