I’ve been in the startup ecosystem for over a decade now, wearing multiple hats from a software engineer and data scientist to a three-time startup founder – serving as a user researcher, CEO, and CTO. Achieving success in this realm is undeniably challenging, but if it were easy, everyone would do it.

My fascination lies in individuals who achieve extraordinary results against all odds. For inventors and pioneers like those behind the FIRST car, airplane, or self-landing rocket, the ultimate challenge is not the development of groundbreaking innovation but finding paying customers and sustaining a livelihood. This struggle is not exclusive to pioneers; it’s a universal challenge for startups.

I have experienced this challenge repeatedly until my mindset and worldview completely shifted:

»Love the problem, not the solution!«