The thing that kills startups at some level, is the founders giving up.

The thirteenth search engine- and without all the features of a web portal, most people thought that was pointless.

Most investors are obsessed with the market size today and they don't think about how the market is going to evolve.

Really dig into projects people have worked on and call references; that is another thing that first time founders like to skip.

There are exceptions of course, but most companies start with a great idea - not a pivot.

You should be able to describe any employee as an animal at what they do.

So you should always stay on top of people's vesting schedules.