I interviewed someone who created $25B worth of startup value over the past 25 years.

The "Father of NYC tech" has also raised $2B in venture capital funding.

His name is Kevin Ryan and here's what I learned:
“Don’t start an internet company right out of college.”

If you want to start a company in the future, join a promising startup and learn everything you can.
Industry expertise is overrated.

In the consumer space, being new to an industry gives you unique insight.

“If the industry experts hate your idea, you’re on to something.”

When Kevin started @BusinessInsider, everyone in media thought it was a terrible idea.
Run a fundraising process like an auction.

If you want to raise at a $25M valuation

1.Start at $20M
2.Setup 30 meetings with VCs
3.Collect term sheets
4.Use those as leverage for a higher valuation

Lower valuation = More interest

More interest make it a “hot” deal
How to structure your day

Ask yourself:

Where am I adding value?

Ruthlessly eliminate things where you don’t add value.
Networking

Less about cold-emailing Bill Gates to get a 5-minute conversation.

Keep in touch with your peers you like.

Keep in touch with people you worked with.

Strengthening your network > Growing your network
Why to set goals:

Kevin starts the year by setting 30 goals across fitness, work and personal.

The value isn’t just setting the goal.

It’s seeing how much your thinking changes over time.

1 year later, you may realize how misguided your old goals were.
If you want to help the next generation of business builders, retweet the first tweet below! https://twitter.com/chrishlad/status/1386379007894118401
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