Building a #startup is tough. Picking a right co-founder isn't easy either. 7 tips that might work: 1. Find a co-founder within your inner network. The best co-founder relationship is based on deep trust, and that's based on the history of the relationship 2. Before choosing a #business partner, have frank, direct, and difficult conversations with them. Discuss who will own how much, each other's roles and responsibilities, and who gets to have the final say on what, among others 3. You and your potential business partner should have a common vision, work ethics, and goals setting 4. Discuss each other's strengths and shortcomings 5. Pick someone from a different background and with different strengths to complement you 6. Disagreements and differences are inevitable, but you must respect and support each other. Your startup's #success will immensely depend on your ability to make necessary compromises that are in the better interests of the business 7. Have a mentor or a go-to advisor or board member that you both trust #Startups …see more

First demonetization and now #Covid19 , both have resulted in digital payment startups upping their game in the #fintech landscape over the last few years. Glad to see #Startups from #India claiming top spots. Via CB Insights and Business Insider India …see more

General Stan McChrystal was the Commander of The Joint Special Operations Command under President Obama and is the author of Team of Teams. He has had a colorful and distinguished career, but what I wanted to talk to him about is how he has lived a life of Quiet Service. Listen to our conversation on this week's episode of A Bit of Optimism: apple.co/simonsinek (or anywhere you like to listen to podcasts) …see more

“The UN forecasts that by 2050 feeding the world will require a 20% expansion in agriculture’s global water use.” An interesting read on how lab-grown food could help save the planet: https://lnkd.in/dY3TWG4 #ReadByRichard

My little brother would have turned 19 today. This is one of the only photos I will ever have of him & I as adults. The morning after everything happened I drove back to Minnesota. I stopped to get coffee early. The world just looked different that day (and has ever since). People looked different. Not better. Not worse. Just different. It was like every day up until that point was lived in black & white. And for the first time I was seeing color. The meaning behind the expression on the barista's face. The man sitting in the back corner typing profusely. The person in front of me impatiently waiting to order. They all had lives. I didn't know the context of theirs. And they didn't know the context of mine. But the signs were there. The body language was there. And neither of us said a thing about it. "Hey, how are you doing?" the barista muttered. "I'm doing okay. How are you?" I responded. "Good. What can I get you today?" __ I see the flaw in that now. It's okay to not be okay. It's okay to say it out loud. It's okay to say it to strangers. To friends and family. It's okay. Happy birthday buddy. Thank you for showing me what it's like to live in color & for pushing me to do something meaningful with my life. I miss you. #justQ 🖖🏽🖤 …see more

The film #JustMercy , Destin Daniel Cretton’s deeply moving criminal justice drama released this weekend, is a powerful reminder of the injustice that is America’s death penalty https://virg.in/5pQ

Why we need to test kids around the world on empathy, creativity and resilience – an interesting look at the 2018 OECD - OCDE 's PISA assessment results: https://lnkd.in/dtxEx-j #ReadByRichard

I wasn’t aware of the fascinating story of Mr. Vijay Bhatkar, the man who made the extraordinary possible by giving India its first indigenous Supercomputer – PARAM. In the turbulent global political environment, India needs to focus on #innovation to spur growth and become self-reliant, for great nations are not built on borrowed technology. #India #AtmanirbharBharat #WeekendMusings …see more

On her podcast, The Long and The Short of It, Optimist Jen Waldman reminds us all that a big part of building a new normal is accepting things for what they are and learning to look past them anyway. #Optimism #JenWaldman

Respect people who find time for you in their busy schedule but love people who never look at their schedule when you need them.

The last time the Envision Virgin Racing Formula E team competed in Santiago Sam Bird won – he’s hoping for a similar result this weekend. Good luck! https://virg.in/5T3 #SantiagoEPrix

Psychedelic medicines could become a VERY BIG market and its just getting started... FDA clinical trials of psychedelics are federally compliant and offer hope to millions of Americans suffering from #addiction and #depression . As an investor I look for trends that can transform industries and attract institutional capital. Psychedelic medicines could solve the #opioidcrisis and retool the mental healthcare system. I was an early investor in MindMed that just raised $24 million and went public yesterday. …see more

Find out what happened at Virgin Atlantic 's Business is an Adventure event in Tel Aviv https://virg.in/iWH

What happens when someone who is obsessed with human behavior, instead of becoming a psychologist, chooses a career in entertainment? Mentalist and illusionist, Derren Brown, has mastered the ability to tap into our motivations and biases to uncover some remarkable things. These days, he’s interested in how we can all be just a little bit happier. This is…A Bit of Optimism Listen at apple.co/simonsinek or anywhere you listen to podcasts. …see more

Holly Branson introduces the new project partners at Big Change who are providing a blueprint for global education transformation: https://virg.in/5P3

Peju Adeosun, the Virgin Group’s Sustainability Manager, shares her story: https://virg.in/aht #VirginFamily

Studies show 70% of #startups have cash for less than 3 months. Here are my thoughts for startups on dealing with this new normal. - Look at all possible avenues to increase your runway to six months first. Buy yourself time. Then adopt strategies to generate recurring cashflow that can get you to a longer runway. - Also explore #strategicpartnerships and all M&A options on the table. Now is not the time to hold grudges. Look at old opportunities with fresh eyes and do what is best for your customers, employees and stakeholders. There is no shame in exploring an M&A. Make survival the most important goal and work forward from there. …see more

Last week I linked up for a long chat with George the Poet. George and I met through Big Change, an organization working to do something we both care about: to transform the potential of education so that it's really about learning, not just school. #NewEducationStory Big Change …see more

2020 could bring one of the largest acts of environmental protection in history - protecting nearly 4 million sq km of Antarctica’s Southern Ocean #CCAMLR #Antarctica2020

RIP, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. #women #womenleadership #womenleaders #womensleadership #womenempowerment #womeninlaw …see more