Learning is the essential unit of progress for startups.

When blame inevitably arises, the most senior people in the room should repeat this mantra: if a mistake happens, shame on us for making it so easy to make that mistake.

Most phenomenal startup teams create businesses that ultimately fail. Why? They built something that nobody wanted.

Meritocracy is a good thing. Whenever possibly, people should be judged based on their work and results, not superficial qualities.

There is no greater country on Earth for entrepreneurship than America. In every category, from the high-tech world of Silicon Valley, where I live, to University R&D labs, to countless Main Street small business owners, Americans are taking risks, embracing new ideas and - most importantly - creating jobs.

As an entrepreneur, I knew that if my company failed, I could always try again. So I often felt that the only real risk of true financial ruin came from the possibility of a serious illness that either exceeded my insurance plans lifetime limits, or was not covered due to rescission.

A Start Up is an institution designed to thrive in the soil of extreme uncertainty