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" There's no law that says you have to do what your mentor suggests. And the sooner you learn how to say 'no' confidently, the easier it will be to manage these key relationships. "

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" The two big startup killers are when there's just no market for what you are doing, and team problems. "

" I'm often asked what it takes to be 'Series A ready' in terms of metrics, progress, and traction. Unfortunately, there's no easy answer. "

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" Consumers have zero time for products that are not simple, intuitive, and attractive to use. This is especially true with Internet products, where clean and useful design is a prerequisite to keeping anyone on your site for more than 30 seconds. "

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" In innovation, you're trying to create something from nothing. "

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" In the rare cases where I've had to cut a company loose, I just tell them why and wish them luck and hope they learn something from it. I don't spend more mental energy on it than I have to, and I try very hard not to hold a grudge or try to negatively affect them either. It's just done for me. "

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" Focusing on the right priorities can help you do more faster. "

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" In Boulder entrepreneurship circles, there is a genuine desire to see others succeed and a general belief that karma matters. There's a sense that together we're building something here, and that we're all a meaningful part of it. "

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" The more you're real with people, and the more you let people help you, the more they get to understand how you operate as an entrepreneur. The stronger that relationship is, then the more likely there's a future together in that relationship. "

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" My attitude is there are at least hundreds of interesting startups that are going to get going in every year. "

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" What Techstars is fundamentally a global ecosystem in which entrepreneurs are enabled and empowered to bring new technologies to the market. "

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" The best mentors present their opinions simply as data and not as direction. "

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" I think there are ways that perhaps organic partnerships can occur in local geographies with groups that are extremely focused on their communities. That's really how Techstars began, as a grassroots movement in Boulder, Colo., that happened to catch fire and expand around the world. "

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" For most people, their home is their most valuable asset. Yet most of us don't take care of it. "

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" The Internet is full of choices, and nobody is going to make the choice to use a product that is hard to use or unattractive. "

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" Because Techstars is an intensely productive three-month program in which product development and iteration are primary goals, we're constantly looking to streamline our program to help entrepreneurs avoid recurring obstacles. "

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" To have a diverse set of perspectives and backgrounds enables you to understand the market at large much more effectively. "

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" Techstars is truly global; you'll see us continue to expand all our programs worldwide, including accelerators, our venture capital, as well as the UP Global programs including Startup Weekend, Startup Next, Startup Digest, etc. "

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" Twilio is a great example of a company executing tremendously well on its vision and delivering a beautiful set of products that solves real problems. "

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" Strong community and mentorship are the lifeblood of any successful entrepreneurial ecosystem, and it's exciting the Boulder is showing the world just what sort of impact these things can actually have. "

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" There will always be a capital shortage from the perspective of entrepreneurs. "

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" I've just always been interested in moving past the keyboard and mouse. "

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" Aspiring entrepreneurs are often advised to work at a startup for a couple of years first, to understand what's involved. But often, each company's approach to success is very narrow. So my advice is, 'Just do it.' "

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" Entrepreneurship transparency, I think, is important because there are so many problems that you just have to be real about them. There are so many ways for a startup to die, so the transparency attitude is key. "

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" I was lucky to have amazing mentors like Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson. "

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" We think of the Techstars product as not really the accelerator but the network. That's what entrepreneurs should be valuing here. I think it's the most undervalued thing that many entrepreneurs don't get. "

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" If you look at the history of innovation, the innovations coming through the defence department have been some of the most important innovations ever. Little things like drones, sensors, and the Internet of Things are defence-type initiatives, but the big one is the Internet itself. "

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" I'm an investor in a lot of things that have to do with human-computer interaction. "

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" Techstars has done a great job accelerating and providing venture capital to the most promising companies to make the biggest long-term economic impact. "

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" Part of the thing that's magic about TechStars is it's about a community that wants to make itself better. "

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" Ultimately, even if you follow the advice of a mentor or board member, it's still your fault if they were wrong! "

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