Two TechCrunch interviews about StartUp Health and our class of Healthcare Transformers within a week. So inspiring and energizing to work with all these amazing entrepreneurs everyday...Here's the video from last week where we explain our mission and what we are building with StartUp Health Academy:
Here's the interview with our entire first class of Healthcare Transformers:
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Friday, March 09, 2012
Show Me the Money Panel at SxSW
If in Austin today, pop by the Social Health Bootcamp. My panel is at 3:30...
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Come to our party at SXSW! StartUp Health and Health 2.0 Celebrate Health Tech
Come party with StartUp Health and Health 2.0 at SXSW!
Register to be put on our VIP Invite list here
StartUp Health and Health 2.0 are teaming up to throw a party to celebrate all of the innovators, entrepreneurs, developers, clinicians, investors and angels, thought leaders and people who are dedicating their time, resources, and passion to changing healthcare! Come party with us on Monday March 12th at SXSW!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Breakdancing at its Best (Video)
I officially retired from breakdancing last summer in France after waking up way too sore the day after doing The Windmill on a very hard stone floor during an impromptu dance party with friends.
But watching this video of this year's Breakdancing Championships makes me want to get back in shape, lace up my Adidas and bust out the parachute pants for one more battle...
But watching this video of this year's Breakdancing Championships makes me want to get back in shape, lace up my Adidas and bust out the parachute pants for one more battle...
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Crowdsourcing street art - Paste up collage in da 'burg
Wonder what the cultural anthropologists of the future would say about this wall? So many artists contributing to the story by layering onto this spot just up the street from my place. 
Monday, August 01, 2011
The Power of Feedback Loops
A great article in Wired outlines well the power of Feedback Loops, something I've been focusing a lot on in recent years, especially as it relates to incremental behavior change and the Quantified Self:
Read the full article in Wired here.
A feedback loop involves four distinct stages. First comes the data: A behavior must be measured, captured, and stored. This is the evidence stage. Second, the information must be relayed to the individual, not in the raw-data form in which it was captured but in a context that makes it emotionally resonant. This is the relevance stage. But even compelling information is useless if we don’t know what to make of it, so we need a third stage: consequence. The information must illuminate one or more paths ahead. And finally, the fourth stage: action. There must be a clear moment when the individual can recalibrate a behavior, make a choice, and act. Then that action is measured, and the feedback loop can run once more, every action stimulating new behaviors that inch us closer to our goals.
Read the full article in Wired here.
Friday, July 01, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
9 ways to attract world-class board members
(I published this guest post earlier today in VentureBeat. Click here to see the original article.)
One of the most important things you will do as the founder of a start-up is assemble your board. And if you take the proper time and care to assembled a knockout collection of members to fill those chairs, there’s a lot to gain. The question is: How can you attract world-class board members to your start-up, especially if you’re in the very early stages?
Before my partner Steven Krein and I started the process of searching for investors and board members to join our digital health and wellness company, we set out to build a world-class board of directors with whom we could flourish. This was an important transformation from previous businesses we created that focused entirely on product development and sales.
This time around, we committed to building a world-class board from Day 1 – and challenged ourselves to establish a group of advisers to serve not merely as deep pockets to catalyze our business, but rather as partners working towards our mission. For entrepreneurs currently building your board, consider these key lessons learned that can help you attract world-class board members.
Start early – Identifying the ideal board members may start well before you even begin building your company. We began meeting and nurturing relationships with potential investors early so that we would have a chance to get to know our prospective partners well. Always be on the lookout for great partners, advisers, and mentors.
Define your mission – Record the answer to this question into an audio recorder: Why am I building this company?
You need to be able to clearly and succinctly communicate the purpose of what you are doing and why it matters to you. If your mission is inspiring and can be communicated easily, then you are more likely to attract others to join you.
Ask yourself big questions – Take out a pencil and sheet of paper and ask yourself three big questions:
* Is there someone whom you most admire within your industry or the business world in general?
* What’s your mission, business philosophy, and can you clearly state the key characteristics of a partner most valuable to you and your team?
* Why do you want to add great board members?
Put together your dream list – Write down 10-20 people you would love to join your board and circle the most important one. This list should serve the roadmap for assembling your board. By identifying the people you’d like to work with, you know who you need to meet. For us, we were determined to add someone who was not only passionate about our mission, but who also had previously scaled a company to over a billion dollars in revenue. Ultimately, we landed Jerry Levin, former Chairman and CEO of Time Warner.
Leverage existing connections – After you’ve identified a dream list of board members, it’s time to tap your connections and establish the auspices that will put you in the same room with those people. Look at your list and tap into your network to figure out how you can get within one or two degrees of separation. It may be easier than you think.
Build a relationship first – Most people are not simply won over by an introductory lunch or product demonstration. Assuming you are well-aligned on mission and vision, what matters most are trust and credibility. A great way to foster those is to create a personal connection, getting to know someone before talking business. Rather than asking for something right off the bat, create a meaningful dialogue about your business and let the connection build over time.
Ask questions that matter to you – The interviewing process is not a one way street. You can interview your potential board members too. In initial meetings, seize the opportunity to ask him or her questions, such as:
* Why do you want to advise start-ups?
* What interests you in this company?
* How do your personal interests and other investments align well with this company?
Avoid “No” – It’s easy to get discouraged when your presentation is met with skepticism or an investor that tells you “it’s not the right time”. Don’t give up the first time you hear the word “no”, and use your passion to convince the investor that it is the right time.
Don’t give up – Persistence matters. People are busy. Trust takes time to foster, so make sure to keep in touch with your dream board members after the first and second meetings.
One of the most important things you will do as the founder of a start-up is assemble your board. And if you take the proper time and care to assembled a knockout collection of members to fill those chairs, there’s a lot to gain. The question is: How can you attract world-class board members to your start-up, especially if you’re in the very early stages?
Before my partner Steven Krein and I started the process of searching for investors and board members to join our digital health and wellness company, we set out to build a world-class board of directors with whom we could flourish. This was an important transformation from previous businesses we created that focused entirely on product development and sales.
This time around, we committed to building a world-class board from Day 1 – and challenged ourselves to establish a group of advisers to serve not merely as deep pockets to catalyze our business, but rather as partners working towards our mission. For entrepreneurs currently building your board, consider these key lessons learned that can help you attract world-class board members.
Start early – Identifying the ideal board members may start well before you even begin building your company. We began meeting and nurturing relationships with potential investors early so that we would have a chance to get to know our prospective partners well. Always be on the lookout for great partners, advisers, and mentors.
Define your mission – Record the answer to this question into an audio recorder: Why am I building this company?
You need to be able to clearly and succinctly communicate the purpose of what you are doing and why it matters to you. If your mission is inspiring and can be communicated easily, then you are more likely to attract others to join you.
Ask yourself big questions – Take out a pencil and sheet of paper and ask yourself three big questions:
* Is there someone whom you most admire within your industry or the business world in general?
* What’s your mission, business philosophy, and can you clearly state the key characteristics of a partner most valuable to you and your team?
* Why do you want to add great board members?
Put together your dream list – Write down 10-20 people you would love to join your board and circle the most important one. This list should serve the roadmap for assembling your board. By identifying the people you’d like to work with, you know who you need to meet. For us, we were determined to add someone who was not only passionate about our mission, but who also had previously scaled a company to over a billion dollars in revenue. Ultimately, we landed Jerry Levin, former Chairman and CEO of Time Warner.
Leverage existing connections – After you’ve identified a dream list of board members, it’s time to tap your connections and establish the auspices that will put you in the same room with those people. Look at your list and tap into your network to figure out how you can get within one or two degrees of separation. It may be easier than you think.
Build a relationship first – Most people are not simply won over by an introductory lunch or product demonstration. Assuming you are well-aligned on mission and vision, what matters most are trust and credibility. A great way to foster those is to create a personal connection, getting to know someone before talking business. Rather than asking for something right off the bat, create a meaningful dialogue about your business and let the connection build over time.
Ask questions that matter to you – The interviewing process is not a one way street. You can interview your potential board members too. In initial meetings, seize the opportunity to ask him or her questions, such as:
* Why do you want to advise start-ups?
* What interests you in this company?
* How do your personal interests and other investments align well with this company?
Avoid “No” – It’s easy to get discouraged when your presentation is met with skepticism or an investor that tells you “it’s not the right time”. Don’t give up the first time you hear the word “no”, and use your passion to convince the investor that it is the right time.
Don’t give up – Persistence matters. People are busy. Trust takes time to foster, so make sure to keep in touch with your dream board members after the first and second meetings.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
The Stockdale Paradox - A Great Lesson for Success
Former MySQL CEO Marten Mikos outlines the Stockdale Paradox and how it applies to entrepreneurs in this amazing video interview.
For those who want to survive/thrive: You must believe that one day everything will be perfect but at the same time face the brutal facts.
Another comment I'm very in sync with from this interview: I think that offices are so last century...The human being is very good at working at home or where they enjoy their life...It's not for everybody but when it works it's the best model."
For those who want to survive/thrive: You must believe that one day everything will be perfect but at the same time face the brutal facts.
Another comment I'm very in sync with from this interview: I think that offices are so last century...The human being is very good at working at home or where they enjoy their life...It's not for everybody but when it works it's the best model."
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Are You A Faucet or a Drain?
Reflections on Faucets and Drains and My Big Wish
One of my guiding beliefs in life is that in this world there are faucets and there are drains.
There are those who fill the world with solutions and dedicate their lives to making contributions that move the ball forward; And there are those who suck the oxygen from the room and try to kick the ball out of bounds.
For good or bad, we all come into contact with various faucets and drains everyday. That’s life right!
But on a great day, we get to spend most of our time surrounded by faucets...the ones who provide the fresh water, the added energy, or the extra bit of pressure that helps to fill your glass more than half full.
Every once in awhile we all come across a real drain. Growing up these were the bully’s in the school yard. For some it’s a Carnival Barker like Donald Trump. In the age of Twitter, it’s someone you don’t even know who libels and misrepresents all that you are doing for the purpose of “link-baiting”. Sadly, it’s a fact of life that drains exist everywhere.
As a serial entrepreneur in the digital health space I’m used to dealing with lots of types of drains and luckily it doesn’t much effect my flow. But when you invest nearly every waking hour in life (and the ones filled with dreaming too) trying to solve a really big challenge that you know has the potential to help millions of people, wouldn’t it be great to not have to spend even an hour of your time dealing with drains...
POSTSCRIPT
My wish as I head to sleep is that when I wake, if you are one such drain you will reflect on how you might channel your negative aggression into doing something more useful. Obama said it best this week: we don’t have time for the circus. We need to unite and focus all of our energy on solving the problems of our time.
One of my guiding beliefs in life is that in this world there are faucets and there are drains.
There are those who fill the world with solutions and dedicate their lives to making contributions that move the ball forward; And there are those who suck the oxygen from the room and try to kick the ball out of bounds.
For good or bad, we all come into contact with various faucets and drains everyday. That’s life right!
But on a great day, we get to spend most of our time surrounded by faucets...the ones who provide the fresh water, the added energy, or the extra bit of pressure that helps to fill your glass more than half full.
Every once in awhile we all come across a real drain. Growing up these were the bully’s in the school yard. For some it’s a Carnival Barker like Donald Trump. In the age of Twitter, it’s someone you don’t even know who libels and misrepresents all that you are doing for the purpose of “link-baiting”. Sadly, it’s a fact of life that drains exist everywhere.
As a serial entrepreneur in the digital health space I’m used to dealing with lots of types of drains and luckily it doesn’t much effect my flow. But when you invest nearly every waking hour in life (and the ones filled with dreaming too) trying to solve a really big challenge that you know has the potential to help millions of people, wouldn’t it be great to not have to spend even an hour of your time dealing with drains...
POSTSCRIPT
My wish as I head to sleep is that when I wake, if you are one such drain you will reflect on how you might channel your negative aggression into doing something more useful. Obama said it best this week: we don’t have time for the circus. We need to unite and focus all of our energy on solving the problems of our time.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Perhaps the Greatest Dance Scene on Film? Shadow Dancing with Fred Astaire
Just listed to great interview with Werner Herzog (one of my favorite film directors) on Fresh Air with Terry Gross. During the interview about his new documentary "The Cave of Forgotten Dreams", he mentioned this film scene with Fred Astaire dancing with his shadow as being the greatest moment in film history. His comment inspired me to watch the scene in it's entirety on YouTube. The shadow dancing takes place in the second half of the clip so do yourself a favor and watch the entire 7 minutes. Genius at work:
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
People with PASSION can change the World (Steve Jobs Video)
Steve Jobs believes that people with PASSION can change the world for the better. I couldn't agree more. In this masterful presentation introducing Apple's Think Different campaign, he posits: Those people who are crazy enough to believe they can change the world are the ones who actually do.
He hits the nail on the head with this powerful statement: Values and core values. Those things shouldn't ever change.
And then he shows us Apple's core values by showing the first THINK DIFFERENT commercial.
If you haven't seen the original TV spot he plays it at the end of his speech so don't flip the channel too quickly or you will be missing out.
He hits the nail on the head with this powerful statement: Values and core values. Those things shouldn't ever change.
And then he shows us Apple's core values by showing the first THINK DIFFERENT commercial.
If you haven't seen the original TV spot he plays it at the end of his speech so don't flip the channel too quickly or you will be missing out.
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