Technology
Six tips for startup founders from Hans Yang's Red Bull Basement keynote
The head of Microsoft for Startups opened the first day of the Red Bull Basement World Final with an inspiring talk that was packed with advice and inspiration.
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Hans Yang is not only head of Microsoft for Startups; he’s also a former startup founder himself, and one of the things he loves about his job is the opportunity to help new founders work on their own projects.
At the Red Bull Basement World Final in Tokyo, Japan, Yang is not only a global judge but also a speaker, and his keynote presentation captured the teams' attention with an analogy that compared the ups and downs of a founder's journey to the peaks and troughs of a sport he's passionate about, surfing.
01
Choose your moments
Likening startup strategies to the art of deciding how to approach a wave, Yang said, “A lot of people will tell you, ‘Choose your mission. Go do that thing you’re passionate about.’ But I’m here to tell you that while choosing your mission is important, choosing your moments is even more important.”
He continued, “I have three things in my life that matter: my family, my job and surfing. That’s my mission, only those three things. So, as a founder, think about what you’re going to do with the spare moments in your day and how you’re going to put those toward something you care about. Because every minute you spend on something that’s not meaningful is a minute that’s wasted.”
02
Get all the knowledge you can
Speaking of those moments, Yang emphasizes that the more knowledge you have, the better equipped you’ll be to seize them. Spending thousands of hours working on surfing technique enabled him to succeed when the biggest wave of his life came along. He told the Red Bull Basement teams, “You’re going to have these moments when you’re right on the cusp, and if you’ve done all your work, you believe in your product, and you’re in the right position when opportunity comes, you charge forward with 100 percent of your effort, and without fear.”
03
“Fake it till you make it” is not a thing
Yang said, “I think it’s the biggest lie founders are told: ‘Fake it till you make it.’ That’s not what you should be doing. As a founder, you should never ship a product that you don’t like. You should never go after an opportunity that you don’t think is worth it. You should never have to misrepresent what you know and pretend to be an expert at something you’re not. What you’re going to do is put in the time [learning, market testing, etc.] so that you never have to fake it till you make it. That’s how you earn your place."
More information and inspiration for startup founders
04
Don’t expect a smooth ride
And don’t judge yourself by others, either. “The founder’s journey is not a smooth one,” Yang emphasized. “As a founder, you often share your peaks, the high moments. You share that moment when you win your Red Bull Basement National Final. You share that moment when you ship your first product. But what people don’t see is the cost. So don’t get confused by social media, and don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. The job you signed up for is working your way through.”
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The challenges will keep coming
Like waves, for a startup founder there’s always another challenge on the horizon. “As a founder, you’re going to have a challenge in front of you. It might be submitting something for the Red Bull Basement National Final. It might be preparing your pitch. It might be having your first fundraiser meeting. You just keep paddling, and you solve them one at a time,” Yang said.
Hans Yang pursuing his free-time passion for surfing
© Milan Walker
You need to see those moments not as wins or losses, but as opportunities to learn
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There are no failures, only opportunities to win or learn
Sharing Nelson Mandela’s inspirational quote, “I never lose. I either win or learn,” Yang said that typically, “Successful startup founders go through multiple companies before they find the one that works. So you need to see those moments not as wins or losses, but as opportunities to learn.”
He went on to tell the innovators, “Whatever happens the rest of the week, whether you win or lose, it doesn’t matter. Because what you have here is an amazing opportunity to learn. But when it is your turn, and when you’ve chosen the right mission, you’re paddled out to the right place, you’re sitting in the perfect spot, and that opportunity comes… you’re going to paddle as hard as you can and catch the rising wave. And when you do, your supporters from [Red Bull Basement partners] Microsoft and AMD, Red Bull Basement and all the founders in this room are going to be cheering you on as you get ready to change the world.”
Learn more about Red Bull Basement and the World Final, and find inspiration for bringing your own ideas to life here.
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