"Startups, like the male anatomy, are designed for liquidity events." This smart, pointed conversation-starter of an essay just went live on Medium, and I'm honored to say I was asked to help bring it into the world. Highlights:
"Much is made about Silicon Valley’s culture of 'innovation.' But the model for startup venture financing, and the system of rewards driving this supposed innovation, isn’t creative — it’s masturbatory. It wastes potential. It’s uninspired. It leaves founders like us staring at the ceiling.
"Yes, we want to build businesses that succeed financially. But we also want so much more than that, and we aren’t alone. Most of the founders we know, many of whom happen to be women, are driven to build companies that generate money and meaning. And they’re in it for the long haul — not just to get their jollies, make their names, and exit." ...
"The author and commentator Rebecca Solnit, in an essay from her collection 'Men Explain Things to Me,' refers to something a friend of hers calls 'the tyranny of the quantifiable.' In such a system, Solnit writes, 'what can be measured almost always takes precedence over what cannot: private profit over public good; speed and efficiency over enjoyment and quality.' ... 'The tyranny of the quantifiable' describes the current ethos of venture financing."
Congratulations and thanks to Jenn Brandel and Mara Zepeda.
Update 2.18.16: Jenn and Mara's essay got picked up by Quartz!