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Balaji Srinivasan: The Founders With Titanium Skeletons

By Balaji Srinivasan · Investing · 1 min read

Balaji says every founder looks tough in a pitch meeting. You don't know who actually has a titanium skeleton until the pressure arrives.

Key Points

Speed, resourcefulness, and positivity are the top traits
You can't measure resilience in a single interaction -- lots of people break under pressure
The best founders have independent lift -- they'd succeed with or without your money
As an investor, you want to throw coins into a hot air balloon that's already rising

You don't really know who has titanium adamantium skeletons until that pressure actually arrives.

Fast. Resourceful. Positive.

Balaji Srinivasan has backed dozens of founders. His checklist is short.

Srinivasan: "I look at the abilities of the founders. You're really looking for people who are very fast, very resourceful, very positive. Really important. Because a startup is so hard that you need to be very resilient. Obviously high intelligence, work ethic, all that stuff. But I think the positivity thing -- it's hard to measure that in one interaction."

You're really looking for people who are very fast, very resourceful, very positive. A startup is so hard that you need to be very resilient.

The Skeleton Test

Srinivasan: "Lots of people will break if you put enough pressure on them. And you don't really know who has titanium adamantium skeletons until that pressure actually arrives."

That's what makes early-stage investing so hard. You're betting on a person's breaking point before they've been tested.

You don't really know who has titanium adamantium skeletons until that pressure actually arrives.

The Hot Air Balloon

Srinivasan: "As a VC or as an investor, as an angel, what you really want to do is throw coins into a hot air balloon. You want to have somebody who has independent lift, who's going to take off on their own and get to that destination."

Srinivasan: "The money is a help. It's not even necessary for them to do it. They would be able to do it even without you. That's a person who, as an investor, you want to bet on typically. Now, it's much easier said than done."

You want somebody who has independent lift, who's going to take off on their own. The money is a help. It's not even necessary. They would be able to do it even without you.