Slides from my presentation at GeekWire Startup Day 2015, where I dive into the importance of company culture and values on team and business longevity. Video of presentation: http://youtu.be/3HWuasiDE7o

1. THEHARDESTTHINGTOGETRIGHT,
HOWIGOTITWRONG,
ANDWHATILEARNEDFROMIT.
Jordan Ritter
FOUNDER & CEO, IVY SOFTWORKS

2. MYBACKGROUND
A quick semi-illustrated primer

3. GROWIN’ UP

4. HIGHLIGHTS
Paid Hacker
Netect
Company acquired »
Golden handcuffs » Boredom
Founding Developer
Napster
Summer ’99 » Bay Area » Craziness
Founder, CEO » CTO
Cloudmark
Anti-spam » Messaging Security
CTO
Columbia Music
Music2 – Built a software incubator
inside a big Record Label
Founder, CTO
CloudCrowd » Servio
Modern crowdsourcing on
steroids
Founder, CEO
Ivy Softworks
A better model for building early
stage startups

5. • Tons of open-source stuff
• Nominated, Software Designer of the
Year, WIRED Rave Awards
• Interviewed in Playboy Magazine
• Taught a class at Harvard
OTHER FUN FACTS

6. THAT ONE TIME
A brief story about
(IT WAS ONLY ONCE, I SWEAR.)

7. • First true time off, thinking about
what’s next
• Random reconnect from a prior investor
• Beers, crowdsourcing,
and an instant vision
• He’d run the business,
I’d build the tech & team
BACKSTORY

8. Well…
SOUNDS PERFECT,
RIGHT?

9. • Dysfunctional culture
• Atmosphere of fear and mistrust
• Imbalance of power at BOD
• Tragic miss of a bigger opportunity
BIGGEST IMPACTS

10. FIRST, THE LOGIC OF
NOTACCEPTINGDEFEAT
Why I stuck with a bad partnership
OR,

11. Why I left
THEN, THE DECISION TO
ACCEPTDEFEAT
OR,

12. THELEARNINGS
And now,

13. • Will the tech work?
• Will anyone use the product?
• Will anyone pay for the product?
TYPICAL PROBLEMS I’M USED TO

14. DIAMONDMAKING
MACHINES
Startups are like…
+ ≈

15. MARRIAGES
Startups are like…

16. EMOTIONAL
ROLLERCOASTERS
Startups are like…

17. YOUWILL
SUFFER
(And boy does it suck to be alone in your suffering!)

18. • Raise money
• Find talent
• Engineer the product
• Market the products and company
“Ugh, if only I could find someone to…”
• Run operations

19. But…

20. ITISBETTERTO

21. ITISBETTERTO
SUFFERALONE

22. ITISBETTERTO
SUFFERALONE
THANTO

23. ITISBETTERTO
SUFFERALONE
THANTO
SUFFERWITHFOOLS

24. But…

25. WITHTHE

26. WITHTHE
RIGHTPEOPLE

27. WITHTHE
RIGHTPEOPLE
YOUWILL

28. WITHTHE
RIGHTPEOPLE
YOUWILL
SUFFER HAPPILY

29. • Always interview for values first
• Critical Thinking > Problem Solving
3 C’s: Culture, Capacity, Craft
• Capacity for Mastery > Current Skills
ALRIGHT THEN, HOW?

30. IN CONCLUSION

31. • Make peace with doing it all, by yourself
(at least once)
• Define values early & stay true to them
• Master how to evaluate values in others
THE HARDEST THING: PEOPLE
• Suffer happily, or choose to stop suffering
(IT CAN BE THAT EASY)

32. THANKS
FOR
LISTENING
jpr5@ivysoftworks.com