This is inspiring! For a new grad going to a unicorn, what would you recommend as far as types of teams that would teach me skills that help me build my own startup?
Definitely take the below with a grain of salt - this worked for me thus far but there are probably paths other people have taken that worked equally well or better :) My recommendation would be:
1) A smaller/less established team where you'll be
responsible for building out key chunks of the team
2) A team where you can build expertise in a domain you find
interesting, and where you think there might be more problems
than solutions
The benefit of working on a smaller/less established team is getting the autonomy to build something that's immediately impactful to the company and its customers, while not having to worry too about how to stay alive (fundraising, revenue, resources) - I think that's pretty good training for building a startup.
Picking a team where you'll get expertise in a newer/growing field can be helpful too - think something where you'll only need a few years to become an expert and start adding value. Also be sure to pick something you like, since if you do start a company in that field, you'll likely be spending a big chunk of your life on it.
Thanks so much for the reply! I’ll use this as I go forward to hopefully make the right decisions. I wish you the best of luck with your venture, it’s an amazing idea and I believe in you both :)
The benefit of working on a smaller/less established team is getting the autonomy to build something that's immediately impactful to the company and its customers, while not having to worry too about how to stay alive (fundraising, revenue, resources) - I think that's pretty good training for building a startup.
Picking a team where you'll get expertise in a newer/growing field can be helpful too - think something where you'll only need a few years to become an expert and start adding value. Also be sure to pick something you like, since if you do start a company in that field, you'll likely be spending a big chunk of your life on it.