When assessing a startup, I look for the founder's passion and resilience, as these traits are crucial for overcoming challenges in building a company.

When evaluating investments, I focus on three criteria: market potential, the caliber of the founding team, and the ethical nature of the founders.

Great investors develop intuition to judge people and founders, and they advise founders to be honest and direct.

A great founder should possess superpowers such as being a good product person, having leadership skills, and the ability to recognize if they're on track with their investment thesis.

If a founder is willing to do something unfair to make me happy, that's a red flag. Integrity is about having core values that transcend financial incentives.

The most important quality you can have as a founder is determination; many smart and talented founders fail because they can't stick with it when things get tough.

The most crucial qualities for early founding teams are passion, resilience, and grit, especially when facing challenges without clear data to validate their path.

The founders are critical to a startup's success; I evaluate them based on their communication skills and depth of understanding.

I once had to convince my co-founders to fund a startup because I believed in the founders' passion and scrappiness, even if the idea wasn't great at first. In early-stage evaluations, I look for founders who demonstrate hustle and a strong passion for their ideas, as the idea often evolves over time.