Shoot for capturing the world

VCs don't want to hear what you can do, they want to stretch you

Entrepreneurs shouldn't think conservatively about goals because it may only serve to make them lazy. Moreover, they'll fail to realize their abilities. This is a lesson we've heard from entrepreneurs and one underscored in this "Lessons learned" segment with Keith McCurdy, CEO and founder of Vivaty, a 3D platform backed by Kleiner Perkins and Mohr Davidow - to invest $9.2 million in his company. Keith advises entrepreneurs to "think big" mindset, even though he came from a culture where promising what you can't do wasn't acceptable. "I worked at Electronic Arts and I was trained to promise what you can do. We were a company of execution," he explained. " The problem is that VCs "don’t want to hear what you can do," said Keith. "VCs want you to shoot bigger than even you can believe you can do. They want to stretch you. You have to think what could this do, and shoot for that."

The reality is that if you hit 70% of a big goal, you're 30% ahead of your conservative objective. 

When it comes to pitching VCs, "it's unlikely you'll capture their imagination or enough excitement" with a conservative plan, he said.

One of my favorite pieces of advice from Keith was about money and working at a startup. 

Being at a startup shouldn't be about the money. "If you do a startup because you think it's going to be a good money maker, then you're just a hired person working for yourself," said Keith. Finally, Keith warns entrepreneurs that sometimes the road is very lonely. 

"The classic entrepreneur mistake is to expect that anyone is going to save you," he said. "You’re on your own. There’s no safety net."