The Secret of Greatness

Toby from Shopify talks about them hiring for spikes. You don't really want a perfectly well-rounded generalist. What you really want is somebody with crazy spikes. We were the first company ever in history to have both Andre Horwitz and Sequoia both co-lead around. And like that is very rare. And we're about as atypical as you could possibly get from like A6Z and Sequoia backed founders, right? They're normally Stanford grads who did a PhD, who worked in a lab, worked at this big company, and we're like went to the University of New Hampshire, like dropped out of school. But it really was that like spikiness. I think we were completely convinced of the thing that we were doing. We didn't care. We didn't need them to write a check. They wanted to be involved cuz they saw that we were like driven in a direction. People are really drawn to passion. And so, one of the things I love about conviction, having conviction, is naturally you're you're more passionate about the thing that you're doing because you know, you're not questioning, you don't need approval from anybody else. Know that you believe that a thing is right, should exist in the world, like is the right way to solve the

Why do the world’s top Venture Capital firms invest in dropouts instead of PhDs? In this video, we break down a rare moment in Silicon Valley history: the first time Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Sequoia Capital co-led a funding round for a team that didn't fit the "Stanford Mold." While most founders come with Ivy League resumes and lab experience, this team succeeded because of one thing: Spikiness. Inspired by Tobi Lütke (CEO of Shopify) and his philosophy on hiring, we explore why you shouldn't look for "well-rounded" generalists. Instead, the most successful companies and individuals focus on "Crazy Spikes". Extreme talent in specific areas driven by absolute conviction. Key insights from this Short: Hiring for Spikes: Why being "okay" at everything is a disadvantage in a competitive landscape. The a16z & Sequoia Strategy: How atypical founders convinced the world's biggest VCs to break their own rules. The Power of Conviction: Why believing your solution must exist in the world is more attractive to investors than a perfect resume. Passion vs. Approval: How to stop looking for external validation and start leading with driven direction. If you’re a founder, an employee, or an aspiring entrepreneur, this is your sign to double down on your unique strengths rather than trying to fix your weaknesses. EO stands for Entrepreneur& Opportunities. As we're looking to feature more inspiring stories of entrepreneurs all over the world, don't hesitate to contact us at partner@eoeoeo.net LinkedIn | @EO STUDIO X | @eostudi0