Investors don’t bet on ideas – they bet on teams

Having invested in over 30 startups, including Shazam, Bolt, and Chargemaster, I know founders have just minutes to make an impression. Most ideas are good. But what separates those who succeed from those who don’t? The team behind them.

When evaluating a startup, I ask:

• Can this team execute?
• Do they have the right expertise?
• Are they serious enough about success to invest in talent?

Ideas don’t build businesses – people do. Execution is everything. Even the best ideas fail without the right team. Steve Jobs put it best: “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.”

Henry Ford understood this principle well too. A journalist once called him “stupid” due to his lack of formal education. But Ford’s genius wasn’t in knowing everything – it was in knowing who to hire. He famously kept six buttons on his desk, each summoning an expert in finance, sales, engineering, or any other field he needed. That’s how he built a company that has lasted over a century – not by doing it all himself, but by surrounding himself with the right people.

If Ford understood the power of a strong team, why do so many startup founders insist on going it alone?

Stop dating, start hiring

Many founders hesitate to commit to a team. They prefer subcontracting, believing it offers flexibility and lower costs. But this mindset signals a lack of commitment. If you expect someone to leave a job, invest their time, and take your vision seriously, you need to show commitment in return. If you’re unwilling to invest in the right people, why would they invest in you?

Pay for the best, expect the best

The saying “pay peanuts, get monkeys” is true. Many founders try to save money by underpaying, only to suffer later from inefficiency and subpar results. The best companies invest in the best talent – and in return, they get excellence. A-players deliver A-results. If you offer low pay, you attract people who lack experience or drive. If you pay fairly, you get people who go above and beyond.

Great talent doesn’t just work harder; they work smarter, faster, and more effectively. Even if their hourly rate is higher, their overall contribution to your business is worth far more.

The right time to recruit is now

The biggest mistake founders make is waiting:

• Waiting for funding
• Waiting for things to feel “more stable”
• Waiting until they can hire “properly”

Waiting kills momentum. It slows you down, keeps you small, and limits your potential.

Hiring doesn’t always mean offering a full-time salary from day one.

Be creative:

• Hire part-time or on a project basis
• Offer equity or performance-based incentives
• Bring in advisors or non-execs to fill gaps

Your success is directly tied to:

• The people you surround yourself with
• The strategy you follow
• The speed at which you take action

Building a startup isn’t about wearing every hat, it’s about knowing when to pass them on. The most successful founders aren’t the ones who do everything themselves, they’re the ones who assemble a team capable of turning vision into reality. Waiting to hire, cutting corners on talent, or hesitating to commit won’t save you money, it will cost you growth. Surround yourself with the right people, move fast, and invest wisely. In the end, businesses don’t scale because of ideas alone, they scale because of the teams that bring them to life.

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