Jason Syversen
@JSyversen
Followers
2K
Following
19K
Statuses
12K
Husband/Dad, CEO @SportsVisioAI, GP @10XVP Founded Siege Technologies, former hacker and @DARPA PM Jsyversen on LinkedIn and Bluesky too
Dunbarton, NH
Joined August 2009
I want to share this with every investor I’ve talked to who passed on my startup or some of my portfolio companies for reasons like this. Yes, competition DOES matter. But not nearly as much as the team and execution. Google was way after Yahoo! and other big firms owned search.
I remember the exact moment I had a panic attack. Scrolling Product Hunt at 8a, double espresso in hand, when suddenly: there it was. Someone had launched our exact startup idea. They just raised $7M too. They even used the same shade of blue. My heart sank. Six months of work, countless whiteboard sessions, and endless customer interviews – all seemingly worthless in an instant. We’ve all been there as entrepreneurs. Looking back, that moment of panic was completely meaningless. Think about it: - Slack launched years after HipChat dominated workplace chat and sold for $27.7B - Figma appeared when Sketch owned design and became worth billions - Notion entered when Evernote was worth billions In 99% of cases, competitors launching doesn't matter at all. Here's why: The "same product" is never the same product. It's like thinking two restaurants are identical because they both serve pasta. Every founder has their own unique insight, their own special sauce. Your journey with customers takes you in directions you never imagined. The real tragedy isn't competitors launching. It's founders who quit because they think the race is over before it began. 1. Early competition validates your market without you spending a dime 2. Different founders talk to different customers, leading to completely different products 3. The first product is always wrong anyway – might as well learn from competitors' mistakes 4. Your "unique" idea probably has 10 competitors you don't even know about The more I keep building startups, the more I realize... While you're panicking about competitors, realistically, they're probably panicking about you. Keep shipping.
1
0
2
Just in: DMV & passport applications are processed using paper, by hand, in an old limestone mine in Pennsylvania. 700+ mine workers 230 feet underground process ~10,000 applications a month, and stored in manila envelopes & cardboard boxes. Licensing and passports take months.
0
0
2
@RLHnTX @noahweber00 @All_Things_Mavs I have read a few theories online that that’s what the new owner wants. She wants to build a casino and Dallas won’t let her. So she’s trying to move to a Vegas and that’s impossible when they’re popular. But if they suck and nobody goes NBA might support a move.
0
0
0
@JasonLeopold I’m a big fan of FOIA & probably this ruling specifically. I wonder how this works generally though… would the FBI be used to besmirch opponents? If they (FBI) can use subpoenas & wiretaps to poke around, find sensational dirt, (but nothing criminal) is it all public domain?
0
0
1
Cool use of NFX and way back machine to sample trends. (And for those that aren’t on NFX Signal you should be!) No surprise AI is up a ton, but good to see what else is happening.
Signal boosting this, Shaun went deeper and with more data found yep, pattern holds tl;dr there are more deep tech investors starting out today, YoY Prediction: more deep tech investment tomorrow! 🤖📈
2
0
1
RT @jimgeraghty: It turns out that for the past three years, the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line was funded by USAID.
0
2K
0
@EricNewcomer Well said. I was here when it was left leaning. It’s swung a lot the other way. But there have always been some normal folks and people on the other side and those are my favorite connections. I’ve had some useful/thoughtful discussions here and met a ton of random cool people.
0
0
2
@EricNewcomer I want to apply and leverage my expertise in AI to create synergies across the company that are transformative and leverage innovative thinking with LLMs to be disruptive to the status quo.
0
0
2
This is the future we were promised as kids! When do we get to see these, the @Apptronik humanoid robots, and no-human, FSD cars everywhere?
A robot named after a dinosaur! 🦖 Introducing T-Rex, a robot developed by AgileX Robotics that combines wheels and legs for a unique way to move around. T-Rex can speed at 20 kilometers per hour and easily handle bumpy terrain. ⛰️ It can run for almost two hours on a single charge and uses a smart AI camera to spot obstacles and change their path. Plus, it can even climb with just one leg. 🦿 P.S. Seems like a great patrolling robot. Thoughts?
0
0
0
@aaron_renn Your concern is that they celebrated the hire, or that they were concerned about appearing to endorse the current administration? I’m guest speaking to a Wheaton class this week so your timing is good…
10
0
12
RT @HanShawnity: If Hitler was able to look to the future and see his biggest fans in 2025 being a bipolar black guy and a gay Mexican, he…
0
5K
0
The hacker in me appreciates the approach here. The transparency, FOIA advocate part of me gets nervous. But given their approach to dismantling things I can see why they are taking this approach and aligning with the office of the President which seems a better fit.
New from 404 Media: Employees working at DOGE have been ordered to stop using Slack while lawyers attempt to transition the agency to one that is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Means DOGE will be even more secretive and unaccountable
0
0
1
@DarrelFrater I’m interested, I checked their site and looks like a potential fit for my current venture. Would love to chat sometime anyway, I also invest (@10xvp) and happy to share deals both ways and hear what you’re building.
1
0
1
@Osborne4NH I’m hear for a committee meeting I just testified at (first time, kind of boring but fun). Gonna swing over, I heard chanting/yelling
0
0
1