Startup Survival Guide in the Age of COVID-19
Captain Hoff discusses how entrepreneurs can keep their startup businesses afloat during the coronavirus crisis.
Vegetarian Challenge
Photo by ja ma on Unsplash
While flying to Asia and lamenting how much meat is being consumed around the world, I had an idea… One way to promote vegetarianism is to make it a personal challenge. People love challenging themselves. The reward comes in the form of that feeling of accomplishment we all crave.
Personal Motivation:
Free Legal Services for Startups – Apply by Dec 15, 2019
Every startup needs a solid legal foundation. The Startup Legal Garage at UC Hastings Law School is now accepting applications from early-stage companies to be part of its Spring 2020 cohort.
Their program matches select law students with attorneys from top-flight Bay Area law firms to provide free legal services to qualified startups, including incorporation, equity splits, terms of service, vendor, customer, and employment contracts, basic funding work, and more.
The Bleeding Edge
“The Bleeding Edge” shows how medical device companies are treating human beings as guinea pigs when testing out their new devices. Not all innovation is good, especially when it’s being done at the cost of patient safety. This film has changed how I view the healthcare system and medical device startups. Something needs to be done about the lax regulation and cronyism before more lives are destroyed.
AI & the Future of Education
A group from South Korea came to Founders Space today. We talked about how AI is going to impact education. It’s my belief that teachers and even universities won’t be necessary in the future.
Right now, we use universities to filter people. If you went to MIT or Harvard, everyone assumes you’re brilliant and companies line up to hire you. But all it really means is that you are great at taking tests.
City Lab Promises New Era in Urban Management
Steven Hoffman, CEO of Founders Space and a leading incubator in Silicon Valley, predicted some trends in AI.
“Everything is connected and personalized with autonomous AI and integrated devices,” he said.
A Future City Lab was launched by Vanke and Microsoft of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference on Friday.
The lab will generate standards for planning and management of cities in areas including the Internet of Things, smart homes and intelligent architecture.
Laptop Raido: How Can You Make Elephants Fly?
Captain Hoff explains how to get your big idea off the ground and make it fly…
Unlocking the Bottlenecks in Computer Vision + AI
Startups that succeed are those that succeed in creating value. And the value that we seek is the betterment of our human processes. We join accelerators to speed up the adventure, but entrepreneurs discover obstacles, and it’s the overcoming of those blocks that help us uncover the value of our endeavors. Here’s Chooch’s own example. (Blog post written & contributed by Chooch.ai)
Three Simple Rules for Investing in Public Companies
Here are three simple rules for investing in public companies:
1) Make sure the companies have a sustainable competitive advantage. If they don’t, they can’t win.
2) Never confuse a growth company with a profitable one. Short-term profits don’t matter as much as long-term growth.
3) Look at the future, not the past. Avoid businesses whose best days are behind them.
The Fisherman & The VC
There was a man who fished two hours a day, caught enough fish to feed his family and make a small profit, then enjoyed his free time playing his guitar, dancing with his wife, and chatting with his friends until late into the night.
Then a VC came along and told the man to spend more time at sea, catch as many fish as possible, invest the profits in more boats, then build a cannery, launch a global distribution network, dominate the seafood markets, and change the world!
The Future of Airbnb After Its IPO?
I liked Airbnb from the very beginning, and I can tell you exactly why.
First of all, Airbnb is a marketplace that connects guests with landlords. This is a very difficult type of marketplace to make successful, but once you achieve a critical mass of users, it’s incredibly hard to replicate. This is because people looking for places to stay will always gravitate towards the largest selection of spaces, and landlords with space to rent will always post their properties where there are the largest number of potential buyers. The first company to achieve this combination creates an enormous barrier to entry for their competitors. This allows them to monetize the site deeply without fear of losing their customers. Airbnb was a first-mover in opening up a new source of real estate that was untapped by competitors. This gave them a big first-mover advantage.
Founders Space Heads South, Then East!
★ We are flying to Chile this week to give a talk at the big agricultural tech conference: Hortifrut Expo.
★ After Chile, we’ll be on our way to Beijing, Hunan, and Shenzen to work with more startups.
★ We just signed a deal with Seven Stars Innovative Industries to take five top Chinese startups global for IPOs.
★ Next month, we’ll be launching a new Founders Space between Shenzhen and Guangzhou in Dongguan.
Should Facebook Be Broken Up?
Everyone knows that Facebook has acted irresponsibly with its users’ data, and people are upset. Politicians want to punish Facebook for its actions. Even Chris Hughes, the cofounder of Facebook, has advocated breaking up the company. That’s how bad things have become. But I’m not convinced Facebook should be broken up. Clearly, Facebook needs to be regulated, but breaking it up won’t solve all the problems.
Founders Space Team!
Founders Space wouldn’t be expanding without such a fantastic team and partners all over the world! I owe our success to their hard work and great kindness. They are like family to me.
Thanks,
Captain Hoff
Top 20 Coworking Spaces & Shared Offices in Silicon Valley & San Francisco
There are plenty of great co-working spaces in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Here’s a list of the top ones:
Founders Space
https://www.foundersspace.com/coworking/
Spaces
spacesworks.com
SOMAcentral
http://somacentral.com/
Galvanize
http://www.galvanize.com/
Impact Hub
http://www.sanfrancisco.impacthub.net/
Werqwise
https://werqwise.com/
Sandbox Suites
http://www.sandboxsuites.com/
Taqueria Trabajo
http://www.taqueriatrabajo.com/
Makeshift Society
http://www.makeshiftsociety.com/
Spherepad
http://www.spherepad.co/
Shared
http://www.shared-sf.com/
Workshop Cafe
http://www.workshopcafe.com/
Co-Spot
http://www.co-spot.com/
The Vault
https://thevault.co/
RocketSpace
http://www.rocketspace.com/
Nomad-a-What
http://www.nomadawhat.com/
ConnectionsSF
http://www.connectionssf.com/
Invention Hub
http://www.inventionhub.co/
Looking for a Talented Computer Science Intern?
Anyone looking for a really talented Computer Science intern this summer?
If so, contact us!
Captain Hoff
Inspired by Failure Podcast
Listen to the Inspired by Failure podcast with Michi Yamamoto. If you are a startup founder and would like to appear on the show, just contact Michi on his YouTube Channel.
The Captain’s Diet
My latest obsession is to get into optimal shape. I’m exercising 1 to 2 hours a day and determined to lose 6 kg. I’ve already lost 3 kg. My diet is very simple:
1) Eat 30% less at every meal.
2) Don’t eat sugars, junk food, or fried food.
3) Don’t go out to eat too often.
That’s it. That’s my diet, and it’s working.
I should write diet book. But it would only be one page long! No one would buy it.
Predictions for the Future
While doing research for my next book, I found a number of interesting predictions from various sources. Here are some of the highlights:
• 1 trillion sensors will be connected to the internet by 2022.
• 10% of the world’s population will be wearing clothes connected to the internet by 2022.
• The first fully 3D printed car will be in production by 2022.
• The first implantable mobile phone will become commercially available in 2025.