(1) Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Praveen Shanbhag, and I’m the founder and CEO of NameCoach Inc. I used to be teach philosophy, and enjoy applying principles of creative, analytical, and contrarian thinking to entrepreneurship.
(2) In two sentences or less, describe how you participate in the startup ecosystem.
Our team has had the privilege of joining startup accelerators including StartX, GSVLabs, Michelson Runway, and AWS EdStart. Through these and other networks, we are continuously sharing ideas and learning from other teams.
(3) What are you currently reading right now and would recommend to others?
An adviser loaned me ‘Search Inside Yourself,’ by Chade-Meng Tan, a Googler with a passion for personal well-being. I’d highly recommend the read for any founder looking to stay sane, find peace in the midst of chaos, and practice empathy with teammates, customers, and investors.
(4) What makes you stay in the startup ecosystem?
In 500 years, people will look back on the innovation and excitement of modern day Silicon Valley as we think of Renaissance Florence. Being part of a key technological and cultural moment in human history is more than enough to make the startup ecosystem a thrill.
(5) What drives your passion about the startup ecosystem?
Building things quickly and seeing people get value from them is quite different from the slowly progressing and theoretical world of philosophy. It’s exciting. But doing that well requires learning from the insights and experiences of others in the startup ecosystem.
(6) Where do you see the startup ecosystem in 5 years?
My hope is that less founders and teams will bluster their way to glory, and that investors will increasingly support genuine innovations and frank discussions with founders. We’ve been fortunate with our investors, but I think trust is the key to this ecosystem’s success (not necessarily any one company’s success), and every player should really attend to that.
(7) How has failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?
At some point in our journey, sales slowed with our initial product in the Higher Ed space. This forced us to innovate both the business model and product, and not only are sales now strong, but we have a product that can deliver value in many industries.
(8) What do you do to refocus yourself when you feel overwhelmed or unfocused?
Morning tea meditations
(9) What’s one piece of advice you would give someone trying to break into the startup ecosystem?
Warm intros are key – create networks and leverage them as much as you can.
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