#39 Angelinvesting.it - From idea to Series A - Weekly Newsletter

Iron man focus

Oct 14, 2023

If life were a journey, my father’s trip had three notable waypoints I have observed.

During my adolescence, I saw him as akin to Iron Man, an infallible superhero. He was an entrepreneur clad in an impenetrable armor, more intelligent and capable than anyone else.

Later on, I watched him grapple with adversity. He lost focus, became distracted, and settled, gradually making errors that ultimately led to the demise of the company he had founded.

Finally, I witnessed him in a state of vulnerability and anger, lacking clarity. Desperately seeking a comeback for which he no longer possessed the energy or the right cards.

My affection for him has remained unwavering; I miss him immensely. He occupies my thoughts every day. For me, supporting talented entrepreneurs is a way to find a piece of my father’s spirit in someone else.

Amid these experiences, I’ve come to believe that for entrepreneurs, the lack of focus is a more formidable adversary than any competitor, market condition, or unforeseen circumstance. Nothing is scarier than losing the drive that pushes you to keep going.

Losing what you’ve diligently built over the years breeds profound anger.

Whether driven by the relentless pursuit of greater success or the fear of losing what you’ve achieved, use every resource at your disposal to stay unwaveringly focused on your goals.

Keep your eyes on the target.

2 Resources to pro

The North Star. Lessons from Facebook (oops Meta)

For startups that play the venture capital game, the focus should naturally come from the fact that money is limited and time is inherently short. However, sometimes founders, either due to distraction or placing too much emphasis on the financial aspect, lose sight of what truly matters.

Contrary to what one might think, founders have the advantage of knowing in advance what the goal is to move to the next level. From pre-seed to seed, from seed to series A. Each new round requires milestones. These milestones can be known by speaking with no more than 3 investors in line for the next round.

Once the target is understood, the name of the game becomes reverse engineering: how to reach the target, with as much money in the account as possible, in the shortest time possible.

In the '90s in Silicon Valley, this concept was popularized with the idea of the North Star metric (NST). That parameter which the entire company optimizes. In the link, you'll find some history, practical advice, and examples from Facebook and Airbnb.

Check it out.

OKRs

An exceptional tool that I like to introduce in the companies I manage is the OKR: Objectives and Key Results. It's a managerial tool that seems simple on paper but is initially challenging to implement. However, once mastered, it becomes an invaluable management instrument.

Here are two links to books that discuss this topic, as well as a blog article that provides a summary.

Measure what matters and Radical Focus