Rejection by accelerators? Check. Failed product? Check. Still standing? Check. October 2023: I was at my lowest. Cicero—the product I poured months into—was a mess. Integrations? Failing. Content curation? Horrible. And after endless rejections from VCs and accelerators, we had one Hail Mary: Go viral, fast. Spoiler alert: We didn’t. By November, I had to pivot. Fast. We built Cynthesis, which eventually became Dediro—a product I’m proud of today. But that pivot was ugly. A lot of people don’t talk about the dark days of failure, and here’s my truth: I felt like I let my CTO and team down. I let myself down. → Yet, fast-forward to today, and that failure was the seed for everything that’s working right now. Success? Nah. It’s the struggle that makes it count. Stay in the game, even when you feel like quitting. PS → Ever had a project that fell apart? How did you bounce back?
Farzad Khosravi’s Post
More Relevant Posts
-
🌟 A Start-up where! 🚀 No spam, no fake promises: We're all about real talk and genuine solutions. No fluff, just results! Listening is our superpower: Your feedback fuels our innovation. We're all ears to make sure we're hitting the mark. We walk the talk: When we say we'll do something, consider it done. Reliability is our middle name! Impact > valuation: We're not here for the numbers; we're here to make a difference. It's all about leaving our mark, not just chasing the zeros. Bootstrapped and badass: No fancy investors, just pure grit and hustle. We're the underdog with a big bite! Simple is stunning: We believe elegance lies in simplicity. Our solutions? Beautifully straightforward. 🌱✨
To view or add a comment, sign in
-
Alan Kay has this famous quote, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” Huzaifa Nazir and I are building a SaaS platform with a mission to redefine global standards, and we need a technical co-founder with the drive, passion, and skills to take us there! We have one motto (for now) that is build fast, scale fast, fail fast. So we are looking for: - passion to build a great product - experience with CRMs and SaaS (ideal but not a deal breaker) - a hunger to learn new things every day - startup mindset (building great products means lots of iterations and pivots) What’s in it for you? We would like to build this SaaS part-time till we hit revenue. So, you can join us part-time, and build this product with us in the shadows. So, if you’ve ever dreamt of doing something for yourself, of stepping out of your comfort zone, of DOING EPIC SHIT, and get rich obviously, let’s connect! Drop me a message and/or fill out this quick form ( https://lnkd.in/eTHbYfxK ) so that we can discuss how we can build the next big thing together!
To view or add a comment, sign in
-
I once worked at a startup where everyone was obsessed with speed. I pushed myself and my team to work faster, harder, and longer. But we were just spinning our wheels. We weren’t making real progress. Then, I learned about velocity. It’s not just about how fast you go, but where you’re going. That shift in mindset transformed our results. Lesson: Speed is a myth. Velocity is the truth. Are you still chasing speed, or have you embraced velocity? Which story resonates with you the most? Share your thoughts below! #velocity #growth #product
To view or add a comment, sign in
-
Developing an MVP means facing glitches, bugs, and unexpected errors head-on. These setbacks are part of the journey, and overcoming them is key to refining your product and achieving long-term success. 💪 #MVPDevelopment #TechChallenges #StartupLife
To view or add a comment, sign in
-
𝐏𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐕𝐂 𝐚𝐭 𝟐:𝟎𝟎 𝐀𝐌. Stop over-analyzing and start executing. I’ve spent too much time reading, watching, and searching for answers. But the truth is, no amount of content can replace hands-on experience. Focus on your product. Build, iterate, get feedback, and repeat. Don’t wait for the perfect moment – create it by taking action. Start approaching investors, clients, or partners yourself. The only way to grow is to get out there and do it. Your product is your loudest voice. Make sure it’s heard. #Founders #StartupLife #BuildAndLearn #ActionFirst #ProductFocus
To view or add a comment, sign in
-
As November begins, there’s an energy shift. Many are already feeling the weight of the year’s end approaching only two months left, and suddenly the to-do list seems overwhelming. I get it. I used to feel that pressure too, watching the clock tick and thinking of all the goals I hadn’t yet reached. But one day, I realized I was doing myself a disservice by constantly focusing on what was left to achieve instead of recognizing all that I’d already accomplished. Here’s a thought: Rather than rushing to finish the year, what if we shifted our focus to acknowledging progress, learning from setbacks, and savoring each step of the journey? These last two months don’t have to be about panicking to accomplish it all, they can be about reflecting, regrouping, and celebrating how far we’ve come. So if you’re feeling the pressure, remember, there’s value in slowing down and breathing. Accomplishments don’t always come in a sprint. Sometimes, they’re best nurtured in a steady pace. So tell me, what steps are you taking to make the final months of 2024 meaningful and not rushed. #productmanagement #techstartups #fintech
To view or add a comment, sign in
-
Attended a GrowthX® session with Vikram Aditya. Beautiful session - crisp, solid, very friendly for early stage founders. I’m generally very low key on speaking out on what we’re doing and what we’ve achieved with Galli - but yesterday’s session help me shift a view. This post is for my connections. If y’all are building startup’s or interested in the eco-system. Follow the guy and even the platform for that matter. Less chatter, help talk more. Cheers!
To view or add a comment, sign in
-
Want to unlock your startup's growth? At Iron Key, we've distilled our expertise into eight critical recommendations for seed-stage founders: ♻️ Focus on One Product: Prioritize refinement before expansion. Avoid splitting attention, resources, and energy. 💡 Nail Product-Market Fit: Ensure your core offering resonates with your target audience before attempting to find fit twice. 📈 Efficient Resource Allocation: Double your workload strategically, aligning resources with growth objectives. 🚀 Scalable Growth: Reach $10M ARR with your core offering before diversifying. 🤝 Strategic Expansion: Only expand when your core product has reached its full potential. 📊 Measure, Learn, Iterate: Continuously refine product, marketing, and sales strategies based on data-driven insights. 👥 Build a Strong Team: Surround yourself with talented, dedicated individuals sharing your vision. 🤝 Network and Seek Mentorship: Leverage experienced mentors, peers, and industry connections. By embracing these strategies, you can enhance product-market fit, optimize resources, drive scalable growth, mitigate risks and accelerate success. #SeedStageSuccess #StartupGrowth #ScalingStrategies #ProductMarketFit #ResourceOptimization #ScalableBusiness #StrategicExpansion #TeamBuilding
To view or add a comment, sign in
-
𝐌𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 TechCrunch 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 - 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭-𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬! 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 Wesley Chan 𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 🦄 𝑩𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 Former Google executive, VC by accident 🤷🏻♀️, MIT by accident 🤷🏻♀️, now leading FPV Ventures - this one is intentional 😉 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒇𝒔 ➡️ Success relies on timing ⏳, luck 🤞🏻, and a clear vision🫡 𝑩𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑭𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒔 ➡️ Understanding why and how their product will change the world ➡️ Resiliency to loneliness and ability to embrace contrarian ideas ➡️ Product-first mindset and deep conviction of its ability to transform industries ➡️ Capital-efficient growth, PLG strategy wins most of the time ➡️ No ego, ability to step down when the time is right for the new CEO 𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔: ➡️ Embrace low-cost mistakes but don’t miss billion-dollar opportunities ➡️ Maintain a strong network; the best referrals come from other founders ➡️ Keep an open mind and explore all sectors to spot category-defining companies ➡️ Passing on unicorns is part of the game ➡️ A “2-3x return is a failure”, VC game is either all-or-nothing 💪 #VentureCapital #techcrunch #Startuplife
To view or add a comment, sign in