Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021!
Each year, I like to write a short post for the New Year. Turns out my last one was in 2019 and I didn’t write one for 2020. We all know how that went, so I figured it was probably in the world’s collective interest for me to write a post for 2021.
Each year, I like to write a short post for the New Year. Turns out my last one was in 2019 and I didn’t write one for 2020. We all know how that went, so I figured it was probably in the world’s collective interest for me to write a post for 2021. 🥳
I think we can all safely say that 2020 did not go how any of us planned. When we started my new company Finta, we certainly did not anticipate doing so during a global pandemic. When Colleen went into labor with our first child, I had certainly not expected to be kicked out of the delivery room. It has been a wild year. Even with all the unpredictable events of 2020, when I look back on the year, I think there is still a lot of beauty to be seen.
We welcomed Siena into our lives, and I can honestly say, fatherhood was hands down my favorite part of 2020. Watching her explore and learn about the world around her is fascinating to experience. And the smiles she gives us are pretty epic too!
This year we spent a lot more time with family, immediate and extended. Taking a small step back from the constant grind of work & meetings to find a more stable work-life balance is something I am very grateful for this past year.
Speaking of work, we put our heads down at Finta this year, talked to hundreds of founders, and built, built, built product! I am incredibly excited about where we have arrived with the company (and where we plan to go)!
2020 was a year of change for sure. Change that I feel confident has set a strong foundation for 2021. A year which I am looking forward to quite a bit!
I wish you and your family a happy, healthy, and fortunate new year! Thank you so much for being here, and I look forward to sharing some of the exciting work going on behind the scenes, with you very soon! - Kevin
Text Me +1 (646) 907-6669 🥳
Text anything to +1 (646) 907-6669 right now to join! And I will text you back! As a reader of my blog, I am super excited to get to know you better!
As some readers might recall, last year I played around with having a text journal. The whole experience was a total experiment, but I walked away being more comfortable with sharing more deep and honest thoughts than I would on a traditional social network or my blog. Today I am excited to have the opportunity to be starting a new text community!
Text Me at +1 (646) 907-66699
Text anything to +1 (646) 907-6669 right now to join!
And I will text you back! As a reader of my blog, I am super excited to get to know you better!
A few years ago, I started asking my podcast guests the question: "What is the single greatest piece of advice you have ever received in your life?" The answers I have received have been better than I ever could have imagined! I am now sharing these answers with anyone who joins this new text community.
I’ll also be sharing my more immediate thoughts and even some unique opportunities there too. See you there!
The Next Chapter: Finta for Fundraising
Finta helps early-stage start-ups raise capital faster. Automating the fundraising process and streamlining the tedious, manual, step-by-step operations of a fundraise, while securing all of your important diligence documents in one place. Helping companies save time, raise more, and increase efficiency.
Anytime you close a chapter, you must always turn the page to a new one. In my next role, I am building Finta to continue my mission of helping founders.
Ten years ago, finding the information you needed to know about how to start a company, was not easy to find. A locked box of sorts, that only a privileged few had knowledge of, especially as it related to the business style of Silicon Valley tech companies.
Over the past decade, in order to be “value add” to their potential investments, many Venture Capitalists started to share company building information on their personal blogs. Then some organized that information into three-month-long programs and called them accelerators. Others gave their companies office space and called those incubators. Investments were layered in to further help these companies. Free podcast interviews with founders started to provide insight directly into the minds of business leaders. And on and on it went. The Silicon Valley mindset went global, and once-rare company building information has now become widely accessible to anyone online.
As a result, I have recently seen a shift in what the founders are looking for when starting a company. Information is wonderful, but now that it is widely accessible it is only a piece of the puzzle. In order to be true “Value Add” in this next decade, investors will need to help founders in new ways, beyond just information and money. I believe the best investors will do so by building software for founders.
I put an emphasis on “for founders” because some investors are already building/investing in software for investors. Widely missing the mark when it comes to how they perceive founder pain points. This is due to the fact that founders and investors live on two opposite sides of the traditional venture capital transaction. Resulting in investors becoming much better at buying equity, then founders are at selling it.
Going into this next decade, I believe building great software and platforms to truly help founders is going to be an important part of the puzzle when finding success as an investment firm. This is our motivation behind building Finta. Starting with fundraising, one of the most manual, tedious, and step by step process a founder has to execute. At Finta, we are automating the investment process for companies and issuers. They just set up their company and deal once on our platform. Share it with prospective investors and we will take care of the rest for them.
Finta helps early-stage start-ups raise capital faster. Automating the fundraising process and streamlining the tedious, manual, step-by-step operations of a fundraise, while securing all of your important diligence documents in one place. Helping companies save time, raise more, and increase efficiency.
I am extremely excited to build Finta. It’s a new chapter in my story, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Check out Finta for yourself on our website!
Closing A Chapter
After almost five years as Managing Director of Founder Institute New York, I will be moving on to my next adventure. I first became involved with Founder Institute back in 2012 as a founder in the program, before signing on as Director of the New York program in 2015. I am very proud of the growth Founder Institute has had over that period of time, both on a global level, and across New York.
Queue the music! It’s time to turn and face the strange. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.
After almost five years as Managing Director of Founder Institute New York, I will be moving on to my next adventure. I first became involved with Founder Institute back in 2012 as a founder in the program, before signing on as Director the New York program in 2015. I am very proud of the growth Founder Institute has had over that period of time, both on a global level, and across New York.
On a global level we have scaled Founder Institute to almost 200 cities around the world and I have been very fortunate to meet amazing founders, mentors, and ecosystem leaders from every corner of the planet. Last year we managed to bring Founder Institute back to my hometown of Buffalo as well, a feat which I am immensely proud of.
In New York in particular, I feel fortunate to have worked directly with over 150 founders as they launched their companies. Watching a person manifest something out of nothing, based on purely will, has always been a fascinating & rewarding process for me. It has been an amazing experience to get in the trenches and help with the day to day problem-solving founders have to face. Digging in on team formation, branding, customer development, revenue models, legal, go-to-market, product development, scaling growth, fundraising and more. I loved every minute of it and can not wait to see how these founders evolve alongside their companies.
These past few years would not have been possible without some of the amazing people around me, especially those who went to bat for me when I was starting out, to allow me this incredible experience. Many of whom I have previously featured on this blog and my podcast. You know who you are, and I just want to say thank you! And of course, a massive thank you to the founders and global team at Founder Institute who I had the amazing experience to work with. Rest assured, I am not going anywhere though! You all know how to reach me.
My personal mission is to “Help founders improve the lives of one billion people” and I have no intention of stopping now!
I have some very exciting announcements coming shortly regarding my next chapter!
🎊 🎉 Happy New Year 🍾 🥂
Life is what you make of it and being as I only have a limited number of years to live I refuse to declare one of them sucked. So with that I wanted to reflect on the wins of 2016!
The consensus on 2016 seems to be the same everywhere you look. After a year of campaigns, Zika, Brexit, exploding batteries, the loss of greats like Muhammad Ali, Prince, David Bowie, Harambe and more; many people (so many people) have said 2016 sucked. Negativity has become rampant across society, but in my opinion; Sic Vita Est (Thus is life).
Life is what you make of it and since we all only have a limited number of years to live, I refuse to declare one of them as having sucked. So with that I wanted to shed the negative and reflect on the wins of 2016!
The biggest win of the year is that I had the most incredible woman in the world say YES when I asked her to marry me in July! We recently set the wedding date in 2017 and I couldn't be more excited.
This year I was also blessed to be able to work with 35 great founders and help them start new companies as they joined the Founder Institute New York family. We launched the new FounderX program this year and Ramphis Castro and I were awarded Best Ecosystem Builders of the Year for New York City across Founder Institute's 150 cities.
Last but certainly not least, I got to share my story and thoughts with you. There are now thousands subscribed to this blog. The Ambition Today podcast has shared numerous journeys to success over 25 episodes. Hopefully this has helped you, as that is always my goal. As 2016 comes to a close I am grateful that you are each a part of this community.
Even when it feels the world is not always so great, is important to still see the greatness out there, and within yourself.. So upward and onward into 2017! I am excited for the next year and hope you are as well! I can't wait to see where we take it.
Happy New Year! - Kevin
A Product Hunt Live Chat Interview With Me
The wonderful folks at Product Hunt have asked me to do a live chat with them on September 20th at 1:00pm EST. Product Hunt LIVE is a series of informal, Q&A style chats with entrepreneurs, authors, investors, entertainers and makers from all industries with the Product Hunt community.
The wonderful folks at Product Hunt have asked me to do a Product Hunt Live Chat on September 20th at 1:00pm EST (10:00am PST). You can click the link below to sign up a head of time or submit a question now! You will be reminded before the event starts if you sign up now. Then on September 20th be sure to join and ask me anything you'd like.
You can ask me what my time as Managing Director of the Founder Institute New York helping and advising dozens of startups, teams and founders has been like. Why I started the Ambition Today podcast. Or ask me about the time in college I sent the worst e-mail of my life to one of the top VC's in the country, when I worked for Jason Calacanis, how I pitched Arianna Huffington, my degree in Cognitive Neuroscience, my time as an actual King, or anything else on your mind!
Product Hunt LIVE is a series of informal, Q&A style chats with entrepreneurs, authors, investors, entertainers and makers from all industries with the Product Hunt community. They are all an hour long and are open to anyone who signs up on Product Hunt. Sign up now!
Remembering Today
Memorial Day Weekend has always held a special place in my heart. As a Volunteer Fireman in my hometown, for eight years I marched in the local Memorial Day Parade. At the end of the parade everyone would congregate for a Memorial Day service. We would pay tribute with a gun salute from the local Veterans Organization and a few words in memory of those in the service who have passed before us.
Memorial Day Weekend has always held a special place in my heart. As a Volunteer Fireman in my hometown, for eight years I marched in the local Memorial Day Parade. At the end of the parade everyone would congregate for a Memorial Day service. We would pay tribute with a gun salute from the local Veterans Organization and a few words in memory of those in the service who have passed before us.
And while Memorial Day itself was always a Monday the weekend around it was always more then that for me. The 30th of May was my Dad's birthday. Shortly after his, my brother's birthday followed. Memorial Day Weekend as long as I can remember meant spending time with my family as well as my brother's in Fire Department. I was always surrounded by family this weekend.
And so on this day I remember and thank those who served this country. And on his birthday I remember my Dad, who we also lost too soon. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone that has had to show resilience over the years and overcome the tragedy of losing a loved one. God Bless You & God Bless America.
Major Key Alert: Add Krsiskar On Snapchat
If you have been paying attention to the pathway to more success then you know Snapchat is a Major 🔑Key . According to the 5 minute mini documentary video above, DJ Khaled is now getting between 3-4 million views per every single 10-second snap he sends out.
If you have been paying attention to the "pathway to more success" then you know Snapchat is a now a Major 🔑Key in the world of social networks. According to the 5 minute mini documentary video above, DJ Khaled (djkhaled305 on snapchat) is now getting between 3-4 million views per every single 10-second snap he sends out. That is two times as many views as a normal episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians, proving that snapchat is no longer just for sending pictures of food to your friends.
With that I have decided to open up my Snapchat to the public. You can now get more of New York City and Startups by adding "krsiskar" on Snapchat. I'll make it even simpler for you. You can click the button below on your mobile device to add me on Snapchat with one click. And below that is also my Snapcode which you can screenshot and add me by as well. Lastly, if you know any other interesting snapchat accounts that are must adds, go on Snapchat and send me a snap telling me who else I should be checking out!
Follow Kevin Siskar on Snapchat
Moving To New York City
New York City. The Big Apple. The Nexus of the Universe. Whatever you call it, it is one of the most unique places on earth and 8.4 Million people call it home. Many of those people moved here from other places in order to pursue their dream. New York City is the promise land of opportunity in the United States. However, moving to New York City is hard.
New York City. The Big Apple. The Nexus of the Universe. Whatever you call it, it is one of the most unique places on earth and 8.4 Million people call it home. Many of those people moved here from other places in order to pursue their dream. New York City is the promise land of opportunity in the United States. Moving here however is no easy task. Getting a job in New York City without living here makes it next to impossible to get called in for an interview and securing an apartment in the cities crazy real estate market is a whole new world within itself. The city is expensive, the city is unforgiving, and the city is challenging.
While living in Buffalo I knew that I wanted to move to New York City and that I wanted to get involved with startups there. I applied to jobs for months before actually moving to New York City. The call's I got back for an interview were to come into the office in a day or two, but I was still 600 miles away in Buffalo. I needed to be closer if I was going to make any progress. I flew to New York City on a day in July with Colleen to try and get us an apartment, but we quickly learned we couldn't get approved in a nice building without a job. After viewing a dozen apartments with a broker we finally got approved by a building. We were quickly educated that being as this was July, where apartments can come on the market in the morning and be immediately off the market after lunch we had to decide fast if we wanted an apartment or not. We took it; real estate broker fee, deposit and all.
A month later we moved to New York City. After struggling just to get into the city I still had to find a job though. I ran out of money shortly after moving to New York City and ended up having to sell my car, which I had payed off while working bartending jobs during college. That only bought me a few more months of runway though. So I took a bartending job that I was able to get through a friend of a friend in Buffalo who happened to do some business in New York City (See Buffalo really is the "The City of Good Neighbors"). The bartending job was part time and still wasn't enough. Again, I was slightly better off than before but not by much. So I took a second job freelancing and working remotely online in the early mornings, writing for a tech website. I was still applying to potential full time jobs and taking interviews in my spare time. The cycle became that I would work bright an early in the morning, then apply to jobs and interview during the day, and finally bartend at night. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
I remember distinctly getting down to $20 in my bank account at this time while I would be waiting for my next paycheck to come in from either of the jobs. I was very close to having to move back to Buffalo. After months of this I finally got a full time job offer out of one of the interviews. I still remember being out to lunch. Colleen and I had company in town visiting us. We were talking about how life in New York has been treating us so far while eating cheeseburgers and I got a phone call. It was my future boss saying that the company would love to hire me and asked when I could start. It was an entry level job but it was enough that I could break even, pay my full rent, student loans, and live in New York City. Since that day, there have been hardships and challenges of course, but I am here. I live in New York City. Casey Neistat last year told a very similar story of his struggle in moving to New York City. How moving here can eat you alive and strip you of all your resources in the process. That even just getting set up to live in New York City is one of the greatest challenges people face.
He explains at the end of the video how it has all been worth it though. How for him the opportunity has out weighed the tremendous cost of moving to New York City in the first place. I have to agree. The opportunities the city has afforded me since then have been tremendous. I get to experience new products, stores, movies, foods, services, and crazes in New York City long before people in other parts of the country. So many experiences. I am always surrounded by ambitious and motivated people here. I feel privileged and love what I get to do now with startups. It was not easy though. So as you can see there is a reason Sinatra once said if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.
Jason Calacanis Answers My Question On "This Week In Startups"
I asked Jason Calacanis on the This Week In Startups Ask Jason segment how Apple Watch will deal with glanceables and this is his answer.
I asked Jason Calacanis on the This Week In Startups Ask Jason segment how Apple Watch will deal with glanceables, a new form of UI intended to deliver a user a notification and then return them back to their day as fast as possible. Jason answered and here is what he had to say:
Getting Featured On BGR.com
Last week I was walking down 5th Avenue in New York City and noticed that people were already outside in line waiting for the iPhone 6s to come out more than a week before it's release.
Last week I was walking down 5th Avenue in New York City and noticed that people were already outside in line waiting for the iPhone 6s to come out more than a week before it's release. So I snapped a quick pic, tweeted it out, and kept walking. That was it.
Then I Friday I saw on a mention on Twitter that the photo I took last week was featured on BGR.com, Boy Genius Report. Thought that was pretty cool. It goes to show the importance of always creating and putting something out there, can pay off even when you don't expect it to. The link to the full BGR.com article is above and a screenshot of the mention in the Boy Genius Report article is below.
About Kevin Siskar
“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” — Albert Einstein
Short Bio: Kevin Siskar is director of the start up accelerator, The Founder Institute, in New York. He is also the Founder of Brinkway. He applies his degree in Cognitive Neuro-Science, the analytical combination of Neuroscience, Philosophy, Psychology, Linguistics, and Artificial Intelligence, to enable the capacity for innovative problem solving and insights to unique challenges. He has energetic passion for creating new alternatives to identifying hidden obstructions that negatively impact growth. Inventive analytical perspectives from cognitive science have allowed him to pursue multiple aspects of data for innovative outcomes. Previously Kevin worked as a Technology Researcher for Jason Calacanis' Launch Ticker, which served as the inspiration for the new Inside.com.
Long Bio: http://www.siskarsolutions.com/about/
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RT @bchesky: Today, we’re announcing that Airbnb employees can live and work anywhere. Our design for working at Airbnb has 5 key features: