Note to future self…
Should I invest in other startups?
This is a question that I occasionally think about. Right now the answer is a clear no. However, I feel that this is one of those things that I will repeatedly come back to and the answer might vary across different stages of my life. Here are my quick current thoughts on the topic:
Investing Pros
- Ecosystem Support: You support other founders with $$, signal and network
- Exposure: Maybe you want exposure to a certain market, team, co-investors.
Investing Cons
- Decreases Focus: if you’re thinking about investing this might distract you from your day job!
- Negative Signaling: if your employees see you spending time investing as opposed to working hard on your company this might generate some negative sentiment.
Notice that I don’t mention ROI or career prospects in here. That’s because those are personally not a motivation for me. I believe that founders should focus on making their startup their big pay day and their big focus. That’s it for now.
Now back to work…