We’ve received a lot of questions from the last few episodes. It’s time Chris and Yaniv answer them!

This Q&A episode they explore:

When should we raise? We have got advice from VCs to raise early before it gets complicated to show interest in our platform. I’m sitting on the fence whether we should raise it as it takes a bit of agility and liberty away from us but I understand the benefits that the network accelerators/ VCs could bring.

Can you identify a specific moment or experience that made you question your purpose in your professional career? How did it influence your path forward?

Is it worth registering patents as a startup when you know you don’t have the financial capacity or the time to chase up potential infringements?

Engineering and highly technical cultures are often hard to orientate towards customer impact and outcomes. How do you build a strong obsession with customers amongst highly technical organizations?

I am slowly getting stagnant from the lens of learning and growth. There isn’t enough manpower due to cost management, and I am spending a lot of my time working on low value work. There is no clear progression and I have not gotten an increment though it’s been over a year. How do I initiate a conversation with my direct report on this topic again? We have chatted about this but there is still no clear direction. How do I bring this up again without appearing like all I care about is growth and increment

Why do investors require an ESOP pool to be created that they are protected from being diluted by? Why is the dilution not shared for future hires, whose objective is to increase the value of all shareholders? Shouldn’t everyone be treated evenly from this dilution?

How do you know when it’s time to pivot? And what’s a pivot? A complete change of direction or just a change in the business model that would slightly change the product and the way you approach sales? What are the real implications of a pivot for a startup and the founders?

Thanks to Nan, Simon, Henry and anonymous submitters for your questions.

*Get your question in for our next Q&A episode:* https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A

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Key links

Learn more about Chris and Yaniv

Q&A: When To Quit Your Job, Truth About Patents, Going Global

The Startup Podcast