How can big problems get solved?

May 5, 2024

I think that big problems in the world (like chronic homelessness, loneliness, depression, poverty, underrepresentation of groups, risks from A.I., global warming, etc.) are ridiculously complex - way more complex than the narratives about them suggest. The only approach I know of that I think has a meaningful shot to help solve such huge problems, which you might call “Scientific Entrepreneurship,” combines two methods into one: (1) Rigorous science to deeply understand the causal struct...

What countries have the most billion-dollar startup companies per capita?

June 28, 2023

What countries have the most unicorns (i.e., billion-dollar startup companies) per capita (i.e., per person)? Oddly, I couldn't find this anywhere, so I calculated it. The winners: Singapore Israel the United States Estonia Ireland Here's the full chart I created: Interestingly, the top of the table pretty closely follows the amount of startup investment per capita according to this chart from Crunchbase:

Four types of “designers” for software start-ups

May 17, 2023

I've often heard software/start-up folks say they need a "designer." Few realize how hopelessly vague this is. I think there are at least four different (unrelated) start-up "design" skills that are rarely all found in one person. Four types of "designers" for software start-ups: 1) Artist Designers (a.k.a., Graphic Designers) They usually know Adobe Illustrator, can draw by hand beautifully (and perhaps also animate), and often have gone to art school. If you want custom art, logos, ...

13 Ways Some Companies Make Money While Causing Harm

October 17, 2017

I’ve often heard it said that if people buy the product a company or startup is selling, then the company must be creating value in the world. After all, why would someone buy a product if it were not creating value? It would be really nice if this were a valid argument (since then more units sold means more societal benefit). Unfortunately, it’s not. I like entrepreneurship a great deal and think on net it has added huge amounts of benefit to the world. In fact, I'm an entrepreneur myself. But...