Everywhere I look everyone has amazing programs to support ideas, accelerate ideas, invest in ideas, fund ideas, mentor ideas. No matter how good the idea, it is worthless without the right people.
I challenge everyone to look at the programs around them and identify the ones that prioritize ideas over people. They are everywhere. From business plan competitions to US economic policy, there are billions of wasted hours and dollars around supporting ideas instead of people. It’s not that their intentions aren’t genuine, it is just the wrong approach.
People have passions, interests and experience that lead them to generate ideas. Great ideas come from real people sharing real problems and connecting over real passions. Startups cannot just be industrialized, but we can invest more time and energy unleashing human potential by connecting individuals around passions and interests and real problems that lead to great teams that can execute on great ideas.
Ultimately, just be skeptical about the mass commoditization of ideas and the energy pouring into them right now. It’s about the people, not the ideas.
Tweet