I rarely talk about investments as I focus on career advice.
But in continuing my collaboration with fellow LinkedIn Top Voice, Grace Gong, I addressed her questions on angel investing and market trend topics.
Enjoy our 7-question text Q&A below.
A message from Grace:
“I cold DMed an Amazon VP years ago.
That exec helped me with job search advice and referrals.
Later on, when I started Smart Venture Podcast, he said yes when there were no guests on my show. Later, he became a content creator who helped many tech enthusiasts navigate job searches.
Watching Ethan transform himself from a prominent tech company executive to a top content creator on LinkedIn is super inspiring.
Since I recently started angel investing, I asked Ethan how he would pick the best company to invest in.”
Q1: Characteristics of the next big company: Team and Known Market.
Q2: Indicators a startup has high disruption potential: Easiest disruption is to change one variable and the easiest change is when the customer does nothing and it is just better.
Q3: Specific market trends or emerging technologies: Climate Impact, Aging, Travel and Wealth.
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Q4: Qualities to look for in a founding team: Scar tissue, Humility, Driven.
Q5: Gauging a company’s ability to thrive in a fast-changing landscape: Pivot examples from Prime Video and Twitch Subscriptions.
Q6: Advice to young entrepreneurs: There is less than one true unicorn a year, realize that a smaller, simpler market of people with money and a problem is a good market.
Bonus: Ethan’s creator experience.
Audience Insights
Additional ideas worth considering from my LinkedIn audience:
Grace is a powerful example of how one DM (cold email) can turn into a win/win relationship and collaboration. If you don’t ask, the answer is already no.
Team > Idea. Startups constantly pivot, it’s the team that determines whether those pivots succeed.
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