Investor Pitch Day

Posted on January 17, 2014June 2, 2014 by David C. Brake

Start Houston We all know that deal flow, sector, size of investment & opportunity and other pre-qualifiers like market timing are considerations when making investments, but at the end of the day everyone knows that investors are usually betting on the team.

In fact, some investors believe that all team evaluation indicators can be broken down into just two categories: ability and character.

Founders and investors are dependent upon each other to effectively make a project work, so shouldn’t founders be evaluating in regards to whether investors are the right fit as well?

For example, I’ve been advised by investors who have seen MY REASONS to become profitable as a plus, and by others who have seen that mission as a minus on the same day.

In the end, as with most marketplace dynamics, isn’t it all about finding the right match?

This is why Daniel’s REVERSE PITCH EVENT is so cool, and the startup community should support it.

It doesn’t have to be simply a novelty or a promotional opportunity for the more popular investors in town.

Rather, it can be an opportunity for both sides to discuss how we evaluate compatibility beyond initial qualifiers, and what the right fit really means to optimizing success.

In my view, this is a very understudied area and it shouldn’t be.

I’m looking forward to this event.

Three Reasons Why

Posted on January 13, 2014June 2, 2014 by David C. Brake

3 fingers Welcome to 2014 everyone! I know, better late than never. Clearly my New Year’s resolution is NOT to stop procrastinating.

No, instead I’ve decided that this year my New Year’s resolution is to collaborate more often and with more people.

Although I’ve been told that two heads are only better than one when they’re the “right heads,” exponentially speaking, I still believe that you have a better chance of getting the “right heads” if you have more of them.

I also believe that communities solve problems much better together than when everyone goes off and does their own thing, and you never know when a great idea or a new perspective can make all the difference.

Besides, sharing perspectives and information is even more appropriate in our case, given that collaboration and learning from each other is at the heart of both the Lrngo concept and our company culture.

So for this reason, I’ve decided to share a couple of speech excerpts and a bit of writing on what brought us to the conclusion of LRNGO, and why we believe in the learning exchange concept so strongly.

Three Reasons Why

My hope is that these speeches and writings will spark more discussion, debate, thought, awareness, and–wait for it…collaboration.

Feel free to offer your ideas, or even contact us directly if you are inspired to help further discussions on the learning exchange concept. We would love to hear from you.

Here’s to a great 2014!

Learning Exchange & the Holiday Spirit

Posted on December 18, 2013June 2, 2014 by David C. Brake

Happy Holidays from LRNGO! I had just finished giving a presentation on the learning exchange concept at Start Houston for the Houston Lean Startup Circle Meetup Group, when afterward someone came up to me and said it was great timing for this going into the holidays.

I didn’t really get it at first, but as she continued with her analogy, it became evident how appropriate that statement was. It’s just that I was so used to talking about learning exchange year-round that I hadn’t thought to see the connection.

What she was referring to was how I closed my talk. I emphasized something that people who use LRNGO already know: when you practice the learning exchange concept to learn, you can’t help but get better at teaching.

Either you get better at teaching and helping others, or no one wants to trade with you—and as they continue doing this, often people begin to see the world differently.

When they meet other people, questions like “What do you do?” and “What service do you provide?” start to become “What do you know?” and “What can I learn from you?”

Eventually, we stop seeing people in terms of what they do, and instead start seeing them in terms of what they know. It’s a complete re-thinking of social economics.

But what really invoked the holiday spirit for her was the dynamic of the exchange itself.

Do you see the connection?

In a learning exchange, teaching and learning (giving and receiving) are completely dependent on each other. You can’t do one without also doing the other.

No matter what religion you believe or which holiday you celebrate, I doubt you receive without giving.

Even if it were possible to receive without giving in return, imagine how hollow it would seem.

You would only be participating in half of the system, and would never benefit from the results that giving brings.

Partly as a result of that conversation, the team and I are now making plans to change the user terminology and graphics on LRNGO from the keyword “Trade” to “Exchange.”

Learning is a gift, and as with the exchange of gifts, the “exchange” of learning is a more appropriate term than Trade or Barter, which simply insinuates an item or a service.

We’re looking forward to making this update along with many others, and adding a lot of exciting new features soon in 2014.

As we close out the year with users in over 200 countries, here’s wishing everyone a Happy Holiday Season. May we all celebrate worldwide the exchange of giving and receiving together.