The Valley’s most valuable product is the contrarian thinking that fuels its innovation culture. World-famous companies that have never turned a profit. A sprawling homeless epidemic cheek by jowl with some of the wealthiest zip codes in the world. Techies who are more likely to bond at Burning Man than at golf courses. Silicon Valley seems to make little sense from the outside. Silicon Valley start-ups have received the lion’s share of US-based venture capital funding over the past 10 years. Yet, many visiting executives struggle to find a foothold because they can’t seem to find the magic formula that makes Silicon Valley tick. Good ideas that look like good ideas are too obvious. Others are probably working on them already. Take Airbnb, a classic good idea that seemed terrible at first pass. How do you check guests’ backgrounds? How do you insure hosts against theft or damage? How do you ensure cleanliness and safety for guests? How do you confirm the accuracy of ads. All of these questions seemed like existential threats to an online marketplace for nightly sublets. There are also flat-out rules against subletting in many cities. Silicon Valley loves to shrug off perfectly good reasons why an idea won’t succeed. Now is also the best time to set foundational values aligning with sustainability, peace and justice. Read More >>

Over the last 10 years, investment in startups focused on the areas of “elder care” and “home health care” has increased. At the same time, investors are eying new opportunities in the space. Reframing technologies so seniors can live their best life, be active and prevent health mishaps while staying in their own home is the key, say experts we interviewed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines the concept of “aging in place” as “the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently and comfortably, regardless of age, income or ability level.” Forward-thinking health plans and venture capital groups are incubating solutions in this space right now, so we will likely see interesting services being spun out of some health plans. Read More >>

72% of entrepreneurs are directly or indirectly affected by mental health issues compared to just 48% of non entrepreneurs. That’s according to a study by the National Institute of Mental Health. 49% of entrepreneurs deal with mental health issues directly while only 32% of others experienced them. Similarly, 23% of entrepreneurs have family members who face these issues compared to just 16% of others with family members who face these same types of issues. As a category – entrepreneurs are exponentially more likely to suffer from mental health problems, and yet, people don’t talk about that enough – it is fetishized and glamourized, so here’s an attempt to share some data and personal experience to show the other side. While many view entrepreneurship as a dream career full of excitement, it is a real rocky road. According to this study by Michael Freeman, entrepreneurs are 50 percent more likely to report having a mental health condition. And yet, we still struggle to talk about it. In his brilliant book, Lost Connections, the author Johann Hari makes the comment that “humans need tribes, like bees need hives”- and I think this point gets to a major crux of what causes so much of what we, as entrepreneurs, experience as mental health problems. There is the famous quote that “it’s lonely at the top” but it can be very lonely on the way there too, and even worse right back down at the bottom. In COVID times with a mix of quarantines, lockdowns, curfews and too many zoom meetings, this already large problem in our sector has just gotten bigger. Most importantly, whatever you are going through right now, know you are not alone, please do reach out to just one friend, and see what kind of difference it can make. Read More >>