In this lesson, we are going to talk about how you can find future startup team members in the alumni
network.
So I will tell you another personal story.
After working ten years in Silicon Valley, I founded a tech startup.
It was ranked the 36th most innovative startup nationally.
I personally closed five investment rounds and form an international team.
Excellent international team.
It was a very interesting story to live.
If you ask me.
What are the most important things in order to create a tech startup, I would tell you these four things.
First, to adopt a trial and error attitude.
Second, to focus on providing value.
This is in my opinion, this is the key.
If you want to be successful as an entrepreneur or as a startup member, you need to focus on providing
value.
Because when you when you are in that space, in the space of startups, you know, incubators, accelerators,
investors, business, angels, venture capital, etc., it is easy to get distracted with other things.
My advice is focus on providing value.
Focus on your product.
On your service.
Uh.
Your customers must love what you do for them.
That's the key of success of any business and any startup.
My third advice would be build a solid initial team.
And this is very difficult.
This is not easy.
And, uh, this is one of the occasions in your life where you need to take your time and you need to,
uh, try first.
So this trial and error attitude is especially especially recommendable, advisable when you are building
your startup team.
It is important I would recommend you to start working with your potential team members before you incorporate
any company.
So just try first.
It's like you know, when you when you, when you, when you are, uh, into a relationship, you know,
so you, you don't get married, uh, the first day you start taking your time to know the other person
and, and, you know, uh, live with this person in different situations and environment in order to
see if this person is the right person for you.
So with your startup team members, I would advise to behave in the same manner.
Do not get rash.
Do not run.
So take your time.
Try first.
That's why I think it is very interesting to find a environments like the alumni network, where you
can know other people you know that share the same interest than you do, that they are interested in
generative AI, they may be interested in startups as you are, and this is a possibility to start doing
things.
It years ago, you know, geography was a problem.
If these people are not in your city, then you cannot think about forming a startup with them today.
That doesn't that doesn't work that way.
You can start working on a startup or in a pre startup, you know, from everywhere and with people
from everywhere.
So geography is not important.
If you do things right, if you organize yourself properly, eh.
So I think the alumni network is a good opportunity to meet these people.
That can be your future startup partners, startup co-founders.
So I think this is a good opportunity.
The the, the fourth advice I would give you is do not rush into seed capital once you, uh, get investment,
eh, uh, your reality is going to change dramatically.
Uh, once you have money in the bank and the pressure from the investors, uh, the reading of your,
uh, activity and your priorities are going to change dramatically.
So my advice to you is take your time.
Take your time to cook your startup.
Well, slowly, you know.
So no fast food.
This is a slow food.
Take your time.
And I think that the alumni network can be a good environment for you.
And here you are going to find a possible future startup team members.
And also if you if you think it can be a good help for you, you can also find premium coaching from
people that have been, you know, a in startups before in the tech startup field that have been, uh,
experiencing, you know, closing investment rounds in, in dealing with business angels, venture capital
firms, etc. that can be valuable as well.
But in the initial stages, the advice is also very important and can be very valuable.
So this you can find in the alumni network as well.
In the next lesson we will talk about the structure of this program myself.