What do you think about the "science" of LeanStartups (metrics, hypothesis, testing, "data") vs. a more artistic view? Feel the tension? Can one inform the other or is that part of the problem? Thinking of Steve's recent blog post: http://steveblank.com/2011/03/31/entrepreneurship-is-an-art-not-a-job/

I think there is definitely a duality between the art and science of entrepreneurship. Between vision and execution. You can’t have one without the other and yes they should feed into each other.

From Steve’s post, while I agree that tools do not make artists, they can make better artists.

Founders who are talking

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What do you think of "teaser" landing pages to sign up beta users?

Answered by Benjamin Yoskovitz – Partner, Year One Labs

I think they work to attract people and get people signed up. There's a bit of fatigue already with them and making them or attempting to make them viral, but they do work.... (more)

Lots of people talk about how investors evaluate startups (I'd love to hear what you look at specifically) but I don't hear a lot of people talk about how investors evaluat...

Answered by David Hornik – Partner, August Capital Posted in Management Money

When evaluating entrepreneurs, VCs do two things: 1) they spend time with them and get to know them. Sure, some of it is a gut feel. Do you like the person? Do you thin... (more)

Since you're a TechStars mentor what do you think about the recent Y Combinator Start Fund announcement?

Answered by Micah Baldwin – Founder, Graphic.ly

wrote a post about it: http://learntoduck.com/startups/making-it-rain I think it puts a lot of pressure on Paul Graham to pick better companies, and potentially, fail out t... (more)

How do you pick blog headlines, and which ones do you find get the most traction?

Answered by Benjamin Yoskovitz – Partner, Year One Labs Posted in Marketing

I spend a fair amount of time on blog post headlines, although less than I used to. But they're critical to getting attention. Lists work very well. I'm a discipline of Cop... (more)

What do you feel is the single most important quality in an entrepreneur? What sort of founders do you like to fund? Hustlers? Technical? Balanced teams?

Answered by Benjamin Yoskovitz – Partner, Year One Labs

There's a difference between an entrepreneur and a team. I do think teams need to be balanced, but I don't believe in putting founders into silos. http://www.instigatorb... (more)

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