David Dabscheck

https://lnkd.in/eWC4SgN3 In Episode 5, I start a three-part series on corporate innovation by focusing on the foundation most companies miss: system design. Before org charts, roles, or pilots, innovation depends on clear authority, mandate, executive sponsorship, and the right success metrics. When those are vague, teams stay busy but impact stays limited. This episode sets the groundwork for the next two, where I’ll cover operating models and ecosystem design. #corporateinnovation #innovation

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AI denialism isn’t just a tech issue — it’s a polarization issue that accentuates and delays mitigation. When people encounter rapid, unsettling change, denial shows up before curiosity or problem-solving and hardens quickly: • Facts become identity markers • Skepticism turns into dismissal • Disagreement turns into moral judgment What starts as uncertainty becomes tribal certainty — and polarization deepens. Organizations like Braver Angels help build the civic and relational skills people need to stay engaged without sliding into denial or demonization: • separating identity from belief • listening across difference without surrendering conviction • strengthening our capacity to hold complexity instead of rejecting it We don’t reduce polarization by winning arguments. We reduce it by strengthening the human infrastructure that makes disagreement productive again. Thank you Louis Rosenberg, Alvin Wang Graylin and Big Think for highlighting how #AIdenialism isn’t just a tech problem — it’s a polarization problem. If you’re interested in how we can leverage AI for good while mitigating its polarizing effects, leave a comment and let’s talk about what that looks like for leaders, teams, and communities. Article in the comments. #Depolarization #AI #CivicCulture #Leadership #Dialogue #BridgingDivides #BridgingDivides

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“Hey DC — I’m raising a pre-seed at a $50M cap. Interested???” I ought to ignore the cold outreach like everyone else, but I can't help myself from replying, “Not at a $50M valuation!” “But we did a discounted cash flow analysis and calculated the valuation at $50,874,392.66.” DCF is the perfect answer to the question: tell me you know nothing about startups without telling me how you’re going to fail. But how should this founder determine the valuation of his startup? There’s a lot of methods to value startups. DCF. Berkus Method. Discount off next round. Cost to duplicate. Scorecard. Comparable transactions. Blah blah blah. None of them work. Valuation is not a calculation. It’s a negotiation. The only method that works is what I'll call the Palter Valuation Process. It's a process rather than a formula, with the following simple steps: 1. Determine your stage. Honestly. Based on customer traction rather than wishful thinking. Is this raise a friends & family & network (no traction yet), pre-seed (initial sales), seed ($100K+ ARR), or Series A ($4M+ ARR)? 2. Find typical valuations for your stage, sector, and geography. Look at both the median and ranges. Use the incredibly helpful data from Carta (thank you Peter Walker and Carta) plus whatever you can find from Pitchbook, Crunchbase, investment banks, and VCs that follow your sector. 3. Adjust within the ranges based on your traction and risk factors. 4. Check with a few trusted advisors who invest regularly at your stage to see if they think your proposed valuation will be attractive to investors in their network. 5. Begin pitching to potential lead investors. Negotiate the valuation and other investment terms. 6. See if the valuation attracts follow-on investors to fill the round. If not, renegotiate with the lead investor and other investors to set the final valuation. Keep in mind that valuation is just one piece the investment puzzle. Liquidation preference frequently determines how much (if anything) founders and employees get in an exit and is arguably more important than valuation. Investment vehicle (preferred shares, common shares, SAFE, convertible note) make a big difference to investors and will affect the valuation we find attractive. Full details on the Palter Valuation Process in the following article: http://bit.ly/3UAIwMw

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I'm happy to announce that Founder Institute is bringing on Paul O'Brien as our first Head of Public Affairs. Paul joins FI with decades of experience tackling the systemic reasons startups and local ecosystems fail due to misaligned policy, underperforming startup programs, or institutional neglect of the realities of launching endurable businesses in today's economy. From Austin to Silicon Valley and beyond, Paul has championed the idea that education is infrastructure, and that cities should treat entrepreneurial development as essential as roads, broadband, and water. At FI we couldn't agree more, and as AI transforms our economy I believe the future of our society will be found at the convergence of how we teach, how we govern, and how we serve entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, I speak to government and economic development officials every week that are completely neglecting the education and development of new entrepreneurs in their regions. In his new role, Paul will help us push FI's mission to empower communities of entrepreneurs forward through Policy Engagement, University and Civic Integration, and Ecosystem Accountability. If your city, university, or organization is ready to integrate structured entrepreneurial incubation and acceleration with policy and capital strategy, now’s the time to connect! 🔗 Read the full announcement - https://lnkd.in/eenwHujW (and welcome on board, Paul! 👏 )

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Harvard Innovation Labs' Ventures in Business Services. (This round-up is for informational purposes only and in alphabetical order) 1) Base Operations: Led by Cory Siskind, Benjamin Gibert, Jesse Olson, PhD, PhD, and the team, Base Operations is aggregating, visualizing, and interpreting threat data to help organizations anticipate disruptions around the world, keeping their people, assets, and operations safe. Know More At: baseoperations.com 2) CerberusAI: Led by Griffin Potrock and Sarah Casella, CerberusAI is applying intent-based analysis to code and user behavior to stop API attacks and AI-agent abuse that other tools miss. Know More At: cerberussecurity.ai 3) Citable: Led by Maria Gorskikh and the team, Citable is helping brands show up in AI answers by revealing exactly where and why models mention them across personas, markets, and models. Know More At: getcitable.com 4) ComplyLab Inc.: Led by Ceyhan Yildiz and the team, ComplyLab is providing a B2B SaaS platform delivering compliant AI and human-generated content and communications. Know More At: complylab.ai 5) Luron AI, Inc.: Led by Mert Kaan Atan and the team, Luron AI is developing AI-powered voice receptionists that answer calls, qualify leads, and book appointments 24/7 in more than 30 languages. Know More At: luron.ai 6) Orthogon Design: Led by Trey Malik Cruz and the team, Orthogon Design is offering interdisciplinary design solutions to Boston-area companies via a subscription service model. Know More At: orthogondesign.com 7) PoChat AI: Led by Mario Pochat and others, Pochat is streamlining school administration with an AI assistant that automates workflows, reduces overhead, and supports educators and staff. Know More At: pochat.ai 8) Process Intelligence and Dynamics: Led by Sameer Phadke and others, Process Intelligence and Dynamics is building the world’s first agentic enterprise intelligence platform to solve complex operational and process challenges across manufacturing, inventory, and supply chains. Know More At: processintelligence.co 9) RapidSOS: Led by Michael Martin and the team, RapidSOS is securely linking life-saving data from connected devices, apps, and sensors to safety agents, 911, and first responders globally. Know More At: rapidsos.com Post: https://lnkd.in/gaqv4JVF X: https://lnkd.in/gu_s6NSu Source: https://lnkd.in/gF-mjYZw

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"A startup is just a temporary organization... designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model." - Steve Blank Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of keynoting and leading the first day of the Optica Startup Meeting in Washington, D.C. Fellow speaker Tareaz Pegues led Day 2 of the event. One of the main activities during my keynote and workshop sessions was completing a one-page Business Model Canvas (BMC). A BMC is a strategic management and entrepreneurial tool developed to help organizations visualize, design, and innovate their business models on a single page. The now open source tool was introduced by Alexander Osterwalder with the goal of creating a simple, common language for describing business models. The canvas is a visual framework for mapping how a company creates, delivers, and captures value in 9 building blocks: 1. Customer Segments 2. Value Propositions 3. Channels 4. Customer Relationships 5. Revenue Streams 6. Key Resources 7. Key Activities 8. Key Partners 9. Cost Structure The BMC replaced lengthy business plans with a concise, visual, and collaborative tool. Today, it’s used worldwide by entrepreneurs, corporations and educators as a foundation for business design, innovation and strategy. Have you used a BMC before?

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