Gokul Rajaram: First Question To Ask

1. I have been trying to find the best "first question" to ask a startup when I meet with them. After many iterations, I think I have it. Here it is, and here's why it works.

— Gokul Rajaram (gokul.eth) (@gokulr) May 6, 2022

2. The question is "Tell me your founding story".

Here's why it's a good first question.

— Gokul Rajaram (gokul.eth) (@gokulr) May 6, 2022

That is not a question. That sounds like a command.

— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) May 6, 2022

3. It puts the founders at ease. Instead of being quizzed upfront about market size, competition, or business model, they get to tell a story. And who doesn't like story telling? It helps ease into the conversation.

— Gokul Rajaram (gokul.eth) (@gokulr) May 6, 2022

4. It gives insight into how the founders encountered the problem they are trying to solve. The more first-hand their experience with this problem, either at life or work, the better. Authenticity of founder-problem fit should lead to unique, non-obvious insights.

— Gokul Rajaram (gokul.eth) (@gokulr) May 6, 2022

5. It sheds light on the depth of the founder relationship. Did they just meet up a month ago, or have they known and worked with each other for a decade? Founder breakup or general lack of alignment is a top reason behind early startup failure.

— Gokul Rajaram (gokul.eth) (@gokulr) May 6, 2022

6. Ultimately, this is the analogue of "Tell me about yourself", which IMO is an excellent first question for interview candidates. A simple question that reveals a ton about the company and founders, their motivations and relationship, and sets the stage for deeper exploration.

— Gokul Rajaram (gokul.eth) (@gokulr) May 6, 2022

7. Finally, it also shows how well the founders communicate. A rambling story makes me doubt that the founders can communicate and inspire employees, investors & other stakeholders. So much of a startup success is Narrative, and the founding story is the foundational narrative.

— Gokul Rajaram (gokul.eth) (@gokulr) May 6, 2022

8. Startup founders: do practice telling your founding story crisply and in a way that highlights the authenticity of your mission, speaks to the depth of your founder relationship, and showcases your ability to inspire.

— Gokul Rajaram (gokul.eth) (@gokulr) May 6, 2022

What if I write it for you? Here goes: https://t.co/XazOfdPt28 Please listen to the audio on @rarible

— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) May 6, 2022

https://t.co/4PLW95F6JK

— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) May 6, 2022

News: May 6

As someone who recently just took this exploration, Ethereum.

An issue I ran into, happy to hear feedback on, is most ideas are simply not viable due to TX fee costs.

If each operation I do is $2-15, a significant number of use cases go out the window.

— Cole Murray (@_ColeMurray) May 6, 2022

I would build a writing, podcasting and video community where Creators could monetize with NFT integration, with major partnerships from brands that will integrate NFTs into their business like Walmart, Starbucks and so forth. These creators would own at least 95% of the theirrev

— Michael Kevin Spencer (@MichaelKevinSp2) May 5, 2022

This is me and I chose to build first on Ethereum.

It seems like the best way to cut my teeth and learn how things should work. Plus, starting with Ethereum means I can, in principle, expand to other EVM compatible chains. Longer term, I'd like to launch on Solana too 🙏

— Eric Forgy (@EricForgy) May 6, 2022

If I had no idea, in #Ethereum, because it is popular.
If I did the right research, on #Cardano. It has PoS, low gas fees and the same security as BTC. And an amazing community of course 😉#Web3

— $jehrhardt (@derjan) May 5, 2022

#tezos is the easy answer. Low enough fees to actually deploy to main net, lowest programming learning curve with being able to use Python on @SmartPy_io. And the ability to get involved with governance and vote on proposals

— maxemitchell (@maxemitchell) May 5, 2022

Unpopular opinion: BSV

- Original fixed, Bitcoin protocol
- Actualy scales on-chain
- Largest mined blocks
- Most energy efficient PoW chain
- Highest PoW transaction throughput
- NFTs can actually be stored on-chain (e.g @rarecandyio)
- Been 51% attacked, yet survived all

— George Siosi Samuels (@GeorgeSiosi) May 5, 2022

Ethereum because no one just coming in will be able to first learn/hear about another ecosystem. Maybe solana but highly doubt it

— Eda 🎈 (@edatweets_) May 5, 2022

learning solana is like trying to tunnel out of a prison with a plastic spoon

— Pluto 🔺 (@homeslashpluto) May 5, 2022

Ethereum.

Security, liquidity, community.

— MORBID-19 (@JuhyukB) May 5, 2022

Great question. Made me scroll through the answers.

— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) May 6, 2022

Everyone post a pic of their CEO. I’m trying to see something.

— Shondra.eth (@shondradanielle) May 5, 2022

Our CEO at @pregamemag 😎 pic.twitter.com/ZbOHCeY092

— Ciara Pressler (@themayoress) May 5, 2022

reading pic.twitter.com/5mqFKzJtjI

— Andy Weissman (@aweissman) May 5, 2022