Category Archives: Alumni voice

STORIES FROM THE ZZZZzzzz – How can sleep make or break a startup?

In these unprecedented times of (using the word unprecedented) uncertainty, many of us are contemplating taking the leap of faith and becoming a fulltime entrepreneur. In 2020’s final edition of the Zymurgist Diaries, let’s aim to understand why founders tend to throw caution to the wind and fall victim to “struggle porn” i.e. the perception/pretence of […]

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10 Lessons learnt from evaluating 500+ global early-stage startups

Useful and relevant insights for founders and investors  Over the past 5 years, I’ve had the opportunity to evaluate more than 500 startups around the world as part of one of the best global angel investor networks, Keiretsu Forum (as identified by the Pitchbook rankings), and also as a part of one of the largest […]

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STORIES FROM THE DRIFT – How founders drift away from their friends, family, health, hobbies and sleep

In these unprecedented times of (using the word unprecedented) uncertainty, many of us are contemplating taking the leap of faith and becoming a fulltime entrepreneur. In this edition of the Zymurgist Diaries, let’s aim to understand why most Founders (and most humans) often fall prey to the “Future-positive”, “Present-hedonistic” and “Past-pessimistic” time perspectives. And, it is […]

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STORIES FROM THE PFFFFFT: The unlikely likeness between running start-ups and raising children

In these unprecedented times of (using the word unprecedented) uncertainty, many of us are contemplating taking the leap of faith and becoming a fulltime entrepreneur. In this edition of the Zymurgist Diaries, let’s look at the similarities between running startups and parenting. While on the surface, they may seem to be worlds apart – both literally […]

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Stories from the GRIT – How can one develop entrepreneurial resilience?

In these unprecedented times of (using the word unprecedented) uncertainty, many of us are feeling rudderless and are adrift in the vast emptiness of the unknown ocean that lies around us… Many of us have never experienced such a type of existential-crisis before, where virtually all aspects of the human psyche have been stretched, tested […]

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STORIES FROM THE LIFT: How does one conquer the Market?

In these unprecedented times of (using the word unprecedented) uncertainty, many of us are contemplating taking the leap of faith and becoming a fulltime entrepreneur. A lot of people can build a product, but really figuring out what your market is and how to reach them is the biggest obstacle to LIFT your venture off the […]

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STORIES FROM THE CRYPT: When does one shut a venture?

In these unprecedented times of (using the word unprecedented) uncertainty, many of us are contemplating taking the leap of faith and becoming a fulltime entrepreneur. The 100-plus EMiR sessions over the past few months have presented me with remarkable opportunities to view the repercussions of the pandemic through the eyes of a 21-year-old management graduate/alumnus AND […]

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46% of business failures could be avoided. Here’s how.

Many new ventures, deals, investments and strategies fail because they haven’t been properly tested before launch. Applying rigorous contrarian thinking with a Devil’s Advocate or military style Red Team can save time, money and reputation by avoiding mistakes and making decisions that maximise chances of success. In the following piece, Dr. Nicholas Beecroft explains a […]

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