What A CEO And Co-Founder At Gaiascope Wishes They Had Known Before Starting A Startup
Lauren, CEO and Co-Founder at Gaiascope, candidly reveals that the reality of the role is "everything is harder than you think it's gonna be," a continuous struggle where "there has not been a day where I don't [think], I don't know if we're gonna exist in a year." This unexpectedly challenging experience, while daunting, ultimately underscores the normalization of struggle and the iterative nature of startup success.
Executive/Leadership, Overcoming Challenges, Resilience, Hard Truths, Industry Realities
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Lauren Kuntz
CEO and Co-Founder
Gaiascope
MIT
Harvard, PhD 2018
Biology & Related Sciences, Engineering - Mechanical
Energy & Utilities
Data and Analytics
Scholarship Recipient, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. The reality of being a CEO is significantly harder than it initially seems.
2. Struggling and not meeting every metric is normal in the startup world.
3. It’s okay to not excel at everything; the journey involves continuous learning and adaptation.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you entered the industry?
One thing I wish someone had told me is that everything is harder than you think it's going to be. I wouldn't have done this if I'd known from the start how challenging it would be.
For the past five years of running this startup, there hasn't been a day where I haven't wondered if we'll exist in another year. We might not make it.
On paper, things look easy and fun, but they are always harder. I do wish I'd known that, because I wish I could have normalized the idea that struggling is normal. It's okay not to excel, and it's okay not to hit every metric you expected. That's part of the process.
But at the same time, it's been so hard. I don't know if I would have done this if I'd known.
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