Our Startup Grind Global Conference 2018 Diary

“Guys, I am going to #SGGlobalConference 2018”, Chidha stopped our heartbeat.

Our Startup Grind Global Conference 2018 Diary

“Guys, I am going to #SGGlobalConference 2018”, Chidha stopped our heartbeat.

And We were like-

“Whattttttt!”

“Take us with you”

“Please click a selfie with the Guy Kawasaki and Cal Henderson.”

No, Chidha did not take us with him, neither he got a frame with Guy and Cal but did collect valuable lessons and beautiful memories.

Let’s flip the pages of his Startup Grind #SGGlobalConference 2018 Diary -

It’s a Theater. It’s a Movie Premier. No, It’s The Startup Grind Global Conference 2018

Chidha went to the venue and he was floored with the settings.

“Sessions are mixed with movie halls. Running between #FoxTheatre and Cinema halls.”

he informed us and turned us green with envy with these cool pictures-

Passion dictates the Startup Success:

SG GlobalConference 2018 revisited the old startup playbook and taught us that the basic rules have not changed.

Passion dictates the success of the startup, the speakers unanimously cast their vote on hunger, inner-drive and zeal to resolve.

Talking about learning, Ian Brock a 13 year old entrepreneur from Chicago and the co-founder of two businesses (!!!) dropped many jaws at the conference with his insights.

Finance is too important in our lives to demonize it:

We are still in awe of Mihir A. Desai, the Prof at Harvard Business School and author of The Wisdom of Finance.

He discussed on the wide range of topics ranging from business to finance.

And here is the best takeaways from his speech-

“Finance is too important in our lives to demonize it”.
“Create Value and Not extract value!”
“Don’t mistake outcome as performance of your skill. It can be a product of luck as well :) watch out!”

Do Startups need to focus on building culture?

At DreamToIPO, we truly believe that all startup founders should take the onus to define their values, belief and build a culture inside.

If possible, from the very first day of their outing.

But, it’s tough.

In Startup Grind conference, Stacey Bishop from the Scale Venture Partners shared a nice strategy to resolve the confusion.

“Your first 10 employees are critical. Think about your values and the culture you’re building.”

Good Product = Great Startup:

Product consultancy and a well-defined product roadmap are playing instrumental role in defining the success of new-age startups.

The Startup Grind Global Conference 2018 has some amazing sessions on these concepts-

a)Want to build a great product? Learn to listen first:

The best takeaway from the conference came from the amazing session between Bradley Horowitz and Mary Groove.

“A great product manager is a great listener.”

b) There is no secret sauce:

More than anything, the Startup Grind Global Conference 2018 busted all the myths of something secret behind startup success.

Session of Eurie kim from Forerunner Ventures was a really eye-opener here. She underlined the need of “Having a Why” and “A Great Product” at disposal.

Takeaways from her session were-

Don’t continue showing up in investors mailbox without showing any product or progress.
Be precise on why you are a founder uniquely qualified to win your product when you pitch to investors for funding.

Success too lie in simple things. Thank you Startup Grind Global Conference 2018 for nice revision.

Process begets Progress:

How can you keep away from the concept of “failure” from a startup conference?

Welcome Kamran Elahian.

In “The Magic of Failure” session, he just stormed up the conference with his thoughts and workable lessons to dwarf failure.

He tapped on the process-

“Failure really hurts, but what to do? You get up and get back to work.”

Artificial Intelligence: Bane or Boon?

Let’s not get into the debate but if you had attended Andrew Y Ng’s session at Startup Grind, you would explore new possibilities.

His message was clear.

He is envisioning a great and fruitful future of startups when the new-age startup founders start exploring the power of AI.

We quote him him here-

“AI will change today’s world with the same level of impact that electricity did, and #startups will be largely responsible for making it happen.”

Witnessing the revolution:

Startup Grind itself was a revolution and when Tara Reed, the founder of Apps Without Code startup stormed the stage, we were like, “Thank God, we are here!”

She is a firefighter and has championed everything what startups stand for.

The Future of Startup is at Safe Hands:

Biggest takeaway from Startup Grind was the presence of youth there.

Watchful eyes, inquisitive ears and hungry souls who are ready to live the carry forward the legacy of the startups.

A Happy Soul and A Thankful Heart:

Chidha learned a lot from the conference. So does DreamToIPO. Few selfies definitely have been missed but not this one-

Thank you Startup Grind:

They call Startup Grind “The Google for Entrepreneurs”. Attending the Global Conference 2018, we understand why.

As a thriving community, the Startup Grind believes in gratitude, providing immense value and nurturing beautiful relationships. And we love them.

Thank you Startup Grind.

We are counting days for next year’s mega event. This time we will not leave Chidha alone.

Till then ciao!