4 Things I’ve Learned From Startups
(Top: Maria Del Mar Gomez’16, Alicia Tzau ’16)
(Bottom:Hannah Conley’16 , Emily Levy’16 and Leandra Grinage’16)
Co-founder and CFO Yousef Al-Humaidhi ’15, not pictured
Pictured above are team members of PICCPerfect; a bio-medical accessories company founded by Emily Levy’16
Note:
As part of the Babson SF prgoram , students take a class called Silicon Technology ventures. This class is taught by Jim Poss M’03 and founder of Bigbelly Solar. Students are given the opportunity to design and create a start up venture and present to Kleiner Perkins, a well-known venture capitalism firm headquartered in California. PICCPerfect was founded by Emily Levy’16 and Yousef Al-Humaidhi ’15. PICCPerfect aims to provide a fashioable and funcitonable solution to bringing confidence back into the lives chronically ill picc line users.
1.Risk =Reward
Many people do not want to take risks; but if you want to be an entrepreneur it’s necessary. However, it is also important to be calculating ; never make abrupt decisions when it comes to your business. Always take time to think about benefits and consequences.
2.Think Network, not Networth
Many people don’t realize how valuable their network is. Networking for startups should not just be about meeting people who will invest in your business. It should be about meeting people who you would like to learn from in the future and building genuine relationships. I have learned that every person you meet may be able to help you in the future; don’t skip anyone just because they may not be able to invest in your business.
3.You have to believe in your business or none else will
CEO of PICCPerfect, Emily Levy ’16, is the perfect example of this ! After having a picc line inserted for 6 months for treatment of chronic Lyme disease; she came up with a unique way for chronic illness patients to beautify their picc Lines and picc line scars. She designed pic line covers with spf, moisture wicking material and creative designs. Although the biomedical accessories is a competitive industry, Emily believes in her product and the value it will bring to her customers.
4. Work Hard , Play harder
Working at a startup may sometimes mean you will have to invest a lot of your time outside of your daily routine. However, just as you work hard; you can always make time for bonding events with the team. After visiting a few startups (optimizeley, Virool and 500 Startups); it is clear that fun is an essential theme in startup life and it helps build intrinsic motivation within the office. ( I have literally seen a game room or ping-pong table at every office I’ve visited so far).
Linkes to PICCPerfect:
http://www.piccperfect.com/#!tragedy-into-triumph-/c24yv
https://www.facebook.com/pages/PICCPerfect/763718717037119?ref=br_tf
https://twitter.com/PICCPerfect
https://instagram.com/picc_perfect/