3. Learn from every "no," w/Walker & Company's Tristan Walker

Rejection and being laughed out of the room is a common experience for successful entrepreneurs. Kathryn Minshew, founder of The Muse, pitched her career development website to investors 148 times before finally raising her seed round. Tristan Walker, founder of Walker and Company, didn't start off as a typical Silicon Valley geek, but it didn't stop him from pursuing entrepreneurship. The lesson here is to not take "no" for an answer, expect rejection, and look for other signs that you're onto something. The best business ideas may seem laughable at first, but with perseverance and hard work, they can become successful ventures.

To succeed in the tech industry, you don't necessarily have to be a geek or an expert in coding. All you need is a sense of curiosity and enthusiasm for new ideas. Tristan Walker, a successful entrepreneur, was exceptionally curious and had a passion for every technological shift around him. When he saw the potential of Twitter before it became popular, he reached out to people and offered to work for free to help build the company. His enthusiasm, knack for spotting ideas before they take off, and willingness to take risks led to his success. So, if you love a product, try to help build it, and don't be afraid to take chances.

Tristan Walker's success story of landing a job with Foursquare and building their business development team from the ground up shows the importance of persistence and prescience in spotting undervalued ideas. It's crucial to target teeny, early-stage companies with 20 people or less to increase your chances of success. However, not all CEOs are as responsive as Dennis Crowley, so building meaningful connections and getting a positive reference is essential. Tristan's time at Andreessen Horowitz taught him the importance of finding a space to think big and focus on neglected problems. Great business ideas do not always have to solve huge problems but should tackle unnoticed issues.

Tristan Walker realized that the shaving industry had been overlooking a huge demographic of men with coarse or curly facial hair, who had been living with razor bumps and burns for a long time. The solution of adding more blades to razors didn't work well for people with curly hair, particularly African-American men. A dive into history revealed that black men 100-120 years ago didn't have razor bumps or irritation on their faces, and this was because of the tools they used. This led Walker to develop the Bevel, a single-blade razor specifically designed for coarse or curly hair. Walker & Company aims to create a health and beauty company on par with global brands, focusing on men and women of color.

When pitching to investors who are not your product's target audience, it can be difficult to convey the urgency of your idea. Tristan Walker, the founder of Bevel, faced this issue when pitching to a room full of mostly white, mostly male investors. Most of them thought his idea was niche and unscalable. However, there was one lone champion in Ben who believed in the idea, proving that a single endorsement from an investor can outweigh a crowd of investors telling you "no." As Abby Falik, founder and CEO of Global Citizen Year, notes, "no"s are actually a gift, pushing entrepreneurs to improve their ideas and gather feedback.

Successful entrepreneurs listen to rejection and use it as a tool for growth. Kathryn Minshew, founder of The Muse, received 148 rejections but learned to mine them for clues. Investors commonly told her that her business was not scalable or that it was a "fool's errand". However, by holding on to what she knew about her business, she was able to prove them wrong. Kara Goldin, founder of Hint Water, also learned from rejection when a bigwig in the beverage industry told her that "Americans love sweet". Instead of seeing this as a roadblock, she saw it as a path to success and now earns $90 million a year. Pay attention to the quality, not the quantity, of rejections to learn from them effectively.

In the world of pitching to investors and seeking funding, it's important to recognize that not all questions are created equal. While some investors may ask half-hearted questions just to fill the time, others may lack the necessary context to fully understand the importance of your idea. As an entrepreneur, it's important to recognize when the quality of questions drops and move on to the next investor who truly understands your vision. Additionally, investors themselves may struggle with finding the right balance of positive and negative feedback among their partners when considering a potential investment. It's important to seek out polarizing reactions to truly gauge the potential success of an idea.

Venture capitalists like David Sze and Josh Kopelman are known for their ability to invest in successful companies such as Facebook and LinkedIn. However, despite their success, they experience a range of emotions when turning down entrepreneurs. Kopelman advises being upfront and transparent when passing on an opportunity and not dragging it out in a long “maybe” response. He also encourages founders to not take rejection personally and to move on to other investors. Every VC has an “anti-portfolio,” a list of companies they could have invested in but didn’t. Entrepreneurs should remember that investors' past experiences do not define their future decisions.

When starting a venture, it's important to have a solid theory of competitive differentiation. This means understanding what makes you uniquely qualified to tackle a certain problem or industry, and being the best person in the world to do it. It might not mean you are the only person with all of the necessary attributes, but rather that you have a unique ability to take a unique shot against competition. Understanding your competitive advantage can give you the confidence and drive to face rejection and continue pursuing your goals. Chase the best ideas and focus on what you know best.