#097 Brad Feld: Founding Techstars, Giving First, and Mentorship

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:49) - Heroes

(00:10:50) - How do you know when it’s time to step away from something you started?

(00:18:37) - Len Fassler

(00:32:52) - Mentors and inflection points in life

(00:39:07) - Brad’s book - Give First

(00:47:58) - The role of books in Brad’s career

Links:

Scribe — scribemedia.com

Give First: The Power of Mentorship - amzn.to/3KT3IvF

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We discuss:

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The role of heroes and mentors in shaping Brad’s values

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How "Give First" transformed startup culture

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How to let go of control while still fighting to the end for what matters

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Key mentors like Len Fassler and the life lessons they gave him

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Why reading, writing, and coding all serve as reflective practices

Quotes from Brad:

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"The best way to fly is to throw yourself at the ground and miss." (Zaphod Beeblebrox quote that Brad uses to describe startups)

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"I love to help things get started. That’s my favorite part of the journey."

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"Fight to the bitter end. You try until it doesn’t work anymore."

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"Some things don’t end. Some things outlive you—which is delightful."

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"The future does not belong to me. The future belongs to people 40 years younger than me."

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"Give First is not a religion. It’s a philosophy."

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"Your VC’s are not in control. The board members are not in control. The CEO is in control."

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"Books are core to so many things I do. Reading and writing are how I process the world."

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"I write books to understand better an idea and work out the idea."

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"Mentorship is about ways of being, not about following a set of rules."

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"Hibernation from social media gave me the creative space to finish the book I actually wanted to write."

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"People said, 'Brad’s the king of the Colorado startup community.' I hated that. I don’t want to be king—I want to be just one of the many leaders."