Noah Lackstein

The best way to describe a startup’s people culture is use the words “collegial” and “collaborative”. In my mind, these are essential foundational ingredients.

Culture is like an organism. It’s the company’s immune system and its very core. It’s untouchable, once it gets past its formative stage. Just like an immune system rejects organs that are foreign to it, the company culture will reject a bad hire that doesn’t fit.

So, don’t make the mistake to rush into hiring decisions because the skills are there and you needed them yesterday. The culture fit is as important as the skills/experience you’re looking for, yet more job descriptions are filled with skills/experience requirements and tell little about the company’s culture. I still recall the newspaper job posting that got me hired at Hewlett-Packard in 1982 was 3/4 about the company and its values and 1/4 about the job itself.

There is a WAR FOR STARTUP TALENT out there. And your CULTURE is a WEAPON you have,- all other things being equal. Create that environment that will attract the best talent, and you’ll have an easier time finding it.

William Mougayar’s comment on company culture — A VC: MBA Mondays: Culture And Fit

each additional complexity you add before you’re ready decreases your probability of being truly excellent at the things you want to do extraordinarily well

The Scarcest Resource at Startups is Management Bandwidth

Do something small well. Get insanely good. Then do more.

Rohan comments on A VC: What If Web And Mobile Apps Are Like TV Shows?

Today, the primary threat by far to internet freedom is government filtering of political dissent. This has been far more effective than I ever imagined possible across a number of nations. In addition, other countries such as the US have come close to adopting very similar techniques in order to combat piracy and other vices. I believe these efforts have been misguided and dangerous.

Sergey Brin

Sergey Brin - Google - I believe the internet has been one of the greatest forces…

(via fred-wilson)

(via fred-wilson)

Internet freedom is an understatement.
It’s the freedom to find better work. It’s the freedom to open your own gig. It’s the freedom to buy without intermediates that take 50% of the value. It’s the freedom to speak to a doctor and know what the hell he is talking about. It’s the freedom to talk to a lawyer and know what the hell he is talking about. It’s the freedom to get education without mortgage your next 20 years for college fees and textbook publishers. It’s the freedom to follow politicians real actions and not their spin doctors.
It’s the freedom to exchange goods, services and needs instead of being milked for the next marketing driven nothing. It’s the freedom of artists to spread their art directly to fans, and to fans to get the art. It’s the freedom of never ending creativity. it’s freedom. Period.

Aviah Laor comments on A VC: Life Liberty and Blazing Broadband

If people are complaining, that means you’re doing something rather than sitting around, which is the first step. And if they’re driven to such empty forms of complaint, that means you’ve probably done something good.

The Power of the Marginal

Find the community that cares and will work with it. Discover the simple behavior that connects like Pinterest or FB early and that gesture will bind regardless of the annoyance. First rule of marketing….bring those who matter and are the most critical into the fold and part of the process. First rule of community…create an environment that collects discussion and interaction. If you have that you have tolerance and a group.

Arnold Waldstein comments on A VC: Feature Friday: People Tagging

[JZ] Hahahh I like your style
[MB] Nah, I like YO’ style
[JZ] Let’s drive around awhile

A VC: Coming Of Age

It’s not always easy to get the various parties of your deal to agree to be in a room all together at one time. But if you can make it happen I promise it’s a much faster way to get a deal done.

A Quick Hack for Speeding up Term Sheet and other Negotiations