How To Properly Evaluate the Risk and Rewards of Startups

February 29, 2024 by Stephen Hallgren in nonfractional, How-To

As of March 2022, within the first 5 years of a startup’s life 48.4% fail. If you stretch that timeframe out to 10 years, 65.1% will fail (Source: LendingTree). Interestingly enough, Y-Combinator claims that 90% fail[§] and then says that “more than 50% of YC companies are still alive 5 years later.” If you read between the lines, YC’s success rate is no better than the industry average’s success rate (Source: Y-Combinator)…

Doing Scary Risky Things

July 05, 2023 by Stephen Hallgren in Life, nonfractional

I’m 43, going on 44. It’s surprising how many of those years I look back on with regret. I’ve been a person, son, husband, dad, friend and employee, each with varying responsibilities, expectations and roles. I have definitely not lived up to who I’ve wanted to be or even who my family has needed me to be. Possibly one of the greatest things I’ve learned in the previous few years is that despite how I feel about my past, none of that dictates my future. Change is possible.