In this episode of FYI – For Your Innovation, ARK’s Director of Research Brett Winton sits down with Brad Feld — co-founder of Foundry, Techstars, and longtime venture capitalist — to unpack his latest thinking on startup communities, mentorship, and how founders can build better networks by giving first. After taking time away from public life to reflect, Brad returns with a new book, Give First: The Power of Mentorship, and a sharpened view on the distinction between transactional ecosystems and community-led innovation. He shares lessons from nearly two decades with Techstars, thoughts on remote vs. in-person work post-COVID, and how mentorship can be redesigned for the next generation of entrepreneurs. The conversation also explores the cultural shifts introduced by AI, the hidden friction in monetizing online engagement, and why Brad believes the best way to shape a network is to invest in others before you know what you’ll get in return.
Key Points From This Episode:
00:00:00 Why Brad Feld “hibernated” from public life and how it changed his perspective
00:04:24 From default yes to default no: Reclaiming time and creative energy
00:06:28 Navigating remote work: Company culture and post-COVID office dynamics
00:09:49 When revenue goes negative: COVID-era crisis stories from Rover and SeatGeek
00:12:25 The Give First philosophy — and how it became Techstars’ guiding principle
00:17:50 Finding mentorship as a founder: What works and what definitely doesn’t
00:19:15 The power of peer mentorship and showing up without expectations
00:23:16 How online culture’s transactional mindset erodes community trust
00:26:00 Boulder Startup Week and the importance of local founder energy
00:30:41 Brad’s Random Day tradition: 15-minute meetings, one goal per person
00:35:17 Techstars vs. YC: Origins of the mentor-driven accelerator model
00:40:27 Building startup communities from scratch: What actually works
00:46:05 Founders must lead: Differentiating between startup communities and ecosystems
00:49:00 Mentorship at scale: Applying Techstars’ playbook to community growth
00:54:08 Frictionless networks: Why “Give First” accelerates stronger connections
01:00:16 AI’s impact on software development, legal workflows, and personal productivity
01:04:07 Coding with AI: Brad’s firsthand experience building a web app with Cursor
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