Foundry is a premium business intelligence publication featuring 551 articles from the best founders and investors. Topics cover leadership, strategy, fundraising, growth, AI, and more.

What topics does Foundry cover?

Foundry covers leadership, investing, AI and technology, product development, founder stories, mindset and career, marketing, hiring, fundraising, strategy, and more. Articles feature insights from founders like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman, and Jensen Huang.

Can I submit a story to Foundry?

Yes. You can submit a story at thefoundrybrief.com/submit. Foundry publishes articles featuring insights from founders and investors across all industries.

Jensen Huang Started NVIDIA With a 1-Year-Old and a 2-Year-Old at Home

By Jensen Huang · Founder Stories · 1 min read

His kids were one and two. That could make you risk-averse. But Jensen was never concerned about being able to do something else if it didn't work out. The decision was probably less than a dinner conversation.

Key Points

I wasn't risking anything — if it didn't work out, there'd be an even better job someday
The decision was less than a dinner conversation. Maybe even less than that.
So long as you love the work, you'll be able to keep carrying on through the pain and suffering

So long as you love the work that you do, you'll be able to keep on carrying on. That's 100% of the wisdom.

Not Really Risking Anything

Huang: I believed in them and I believed in myself. Our kids were young — just one and two — and that could cause us to be quite risk-averse. But I was never concerned about being able to do something else if it didn't work out.

I felt like I wasn't risking anything. Maybe that's too careless by some standards. But I really believed in it. I believed we weren't putting our family in harm's way. If things don't work out, there'll be an even better job for me somewhere someday.

I felt like I wasn't risking anything. If things don't work out, there'll be an even better job someday.

Less Than a Dinner Conversation

Huang: The opportunity to do something great with people I really respected — and confidence that we'll be able to do something great — not really feeling that we're losing anything. We were young. Lori and I were young.

It wasn't a decision that was so difficult. It was probably less than a dinner conversation. Maybe even less than that.

It wasn't so difficult. Probably less than a dinner conversation. Maybe even less than that.

100% of the Wisdom

Huang: I don't think starting a company is a horribly difficult life decision. The only thing that really matters — are you going to love the people you work with? Are you going to love the work?

Are you going to love it so much that all the pain and suffering that's going to come — which I promise you will be lots — the setbacks, the disappointments, the list of bad days — so long as you love the work, you'll be able to keep on carrying on. That's 100% of the wisdom.

So long as you love the work, you'll keep carrying on through the pain. That's 100% of the wisdom.