The hockey stick Counter-Strike

Hello techies. Please take a look at the left linear graph of Coronavirus Cases in Italy, This is how Pandemic growth rate looks like. Now look right, at WeWork past valuation.

Corona is a wakeup call, hopefully, we can use it to go through a rehab program.

Hyper-Growth, Scaling is the bitting heart of the digital economy. A startup revenue over time is expected to be presented as a Hockey stick graph. Venture capital-backed companies are under constant pressure to grow at unnatural rates. 

Calls started earlier this year. The $4.6 Billion Hit SoftBank took from WeWork, and the questionable business culture and shaky revenue model of Uber. In a little over a year, pizza-making robot startup Zume has gone from getting $375 million from SoftBank, raising at a reported $4 billion valuation, to laying off 80 percent of its employees.

 Also before Corona times, just a couple of weeks ago, news broke that Ty Haney, the founder of the hot athleisure-wear startup Outdoor Voices, was abruptly stepping down. It turns out that behind the scenes, the company — with $64 million in venture backing — was drowning in unsustainable customer acquisition costs. In DTC, Venture-baked Direct-To-Consumer e-commerce startups reveal some very serious problems. Acway, Harry’s, Casper, and shuttered Brandless are just a few examples. Go and read  Maya Kosof (Medium, Marker) analysis “Why All the Warby Parker Clones Are Now Imploding.

As an entrepreneur, I’m optimistic.

I still believe in an ambitious vision and rigorous execution. 

We will overcome this crisis. 

I just hope we will remember that hockey sticks are Double-edged.