๐ From Gmail to 50+ Unicorns: 10X Startup Wisdom from Aydin Senkut What do Gmail, Canva, Shopify, and Notion have in common? They were all touched by Aydin Senkut, Googleโs first PM and founder of Felicis Ventures, one of the most successful VC firms of the last decade. Here are 10 takeaways every founder (and funder) should know: Adversity is Jet Fuel (00:00) Rejections? Setbacks? Use them. Aydin turned career roadblocks into compounding returns by betting on himself..and on others like him. Felicis = 50 Unicorns & Counting (02:27) With 17 IPOs and massive wins like Shopify and Notion, Aydinโs approach proves itโs not just about tech, itโs about timing, people, and scale. The Gmail Days (03:21) As Googleโs first PM, he helped launch Gmail and drive monetization by ranking ads by CTR, an early masterclass in user-first growth. 10X or Donโt Bother (04:15) From Larry Page: think uncomfortably big. If your product isnโt 10x better/faster/cheaper, youโre not building for escape velocity. Bet on Big Markets (07:04) Felicis looks for massive markets with a global pulse. Small ideas donโt excite. Big, painful, and everywhere..thatโs the criteria. Team Over Everything (09:04) Aydin brings psychologists into investment meetings to evaluate founders. Product changes. People donโt. Shopifyโs Underdog Playbook (10:30) Undervalue yourself early. Build trust, grow channels, and layer in value, like embedded payments but only when timing is right. Persistence > Perfection (13:15) Success isnโt linear. Say no to distractions. Say yes to the hard, boring, repeatable things. Charisma is a Founding Requirement (15:53) Can you inspire world-class talent and early believers with just a pitch deck? If not, rehearse harder. Great Storytelling Starts with Empathy (17:27) Investors donโt reject you because your idea sucks. They reject you because you didnโt make them believe it mattered. ๐ Full talk here
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