I almost gave up on how my ai startup almost died before we entirely. Then something clicked that changed my whole approach.
I've been in the Silicon Valley trenches for over a decade, and I've never seen a shift as massive as AI in healthcare. I'm sharing the hard-won lessons from my own startups and investments-the wins, the failures, and the counterintuitive strategies that actually work.
What I've Learned From 54 Companies
After investing in 200+ startups and running two companies to successful exits, I've developed a pretty clear picture of what works with how my ai startup almost died before we.
The biggest misconception is that you need to simplicity beats complexity every time. That's backwards. The companies that win are the ones that the data tells a different story than your gut.
I remember sitting with the Anthropic team early on and discussing how they thought about how my ai startup almost died before we. Their approach was counterintuitive but brilliant.
The Counterintuitive Truth
Here's what surprised me most about how my ai startup almost died before we: the best practitioners do less, not more.
When I was building MovieLaLa, we tried to do everything at once. We had the best technology, the smartest team, and we still almost failed because we spread ourselves too thin.
The lesson I took from that experience, and from watching hundreds of other companies, is that your team matters more than your technology. It sounds simple. It's incredibly hard to execute.
The Reality Nobody Talks About
Most people approach how my ai startup almost died before we with assumptions that made sense five years ago. The world has moved on. When I look at my portfolio companies, the ones that succeed are doing something fundamentally different.
The first thing to understand is that timing is everything in this game. I've seen this play out across dozens of companies. The pattern is unmistakable.
At RemoteTeam, we learned this the hard way. We spent months going down the wrong path before realizing that you should focus on one thing and do it exceptionally well. Once we made the switch, everything changed.
Real Talk: What Actually Matters
I'm going to cut through the noise and tell you what actually matters when it comes to how my ai startup almost died before we.
First, execution speed beats perfection. Every time. I've never seen a company fail because they moved too fast on how my ai startup almost died before we. I've seen plenty fail because they moved too slow.
Second, measure everything. If you can't measure it, you can't improve it. Set up tracking from day one, even if it's basic.
Third, talk to your users. This sounds obvious but you'd be amazed how many founders build their how my ai startup almost died before we strategy in a vacuum. Get out of the building. Talk to real people.
This connects to broader themes around biotech AI, AI mental health, healthcare automation that I've been thinking about a lot lately.
The Bottom Line
Look, how my ai startup almost died before we isn't rocket science. But it does require intentionality, consistency, and a willingness to learn from mistakes.
If you take one thing from this article, let it be this: start now, start small, and iterate. The founders who win at how my ai startup almost died before we aren't the ones with the best strategy on paper. They're the ones who execute, learn, and adapt faster than everyone else.
I've been doing this for over a decade. The patterns are clear. The companies that take how my ai startup almost died before we seriously outperform the ones that don't. Every single time.
If you're working on something interesting in this space, I'd love to hear about it. Drop me a line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all experts agree with this view?
No, and that's fine. The best ideas in business are often contrarian. I share my perspective based on my experience and data, but I encourage you to seek out opposing viewpoints and form your own conclusions.
What experience informs this perspective?
This perspective comes from over a decade of building companies in Silicon Valley, two successful exits (RemoteTeam to Gusto, MovieLaLa to Gfycat), and investing in 200+ startups including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Scale AI. I write about what I've lived.
How can I apply this thinking to my own situation?
Start by identifying the core principle behind the opinion, not the specific example. Then ask yourself: does this principle apply to my context? If yes, test it in a small, low-risk way before going all in.