5 Quotes: Reddit Cofounder Alexis Ohanian Visits
October 30, 2013 / Share:
5 Quotes: Reddit Cofounder Alexis Ohanian Visits the South
Alexis Ohanian visited the Nashville EC and shared some of his insights into entrepreneurship with us. Here are five quotes from the event. More to come!
1. Life changing moment: “I went to Waffle House.”
After making himself miserable trying to become an immigration lawyer, he went to Waffle House and decided to do something different and hatch his first company, My Mobile Menu.
2. “I saw the cliché first-hand, that investors bet on people not ideas.”
After being rejected from Y Combinator, he got a call from an investor who was willing to back his team—but only if he’d throw out his current idea.
3. Mission: “Making the world suck less.”
The millennial generation is interested in their impact on the world, and conscious of the dangers of following the status quo and taking on student loan debt and buying a house.
4. “Give so many damns into the product you’re building.”
People want the human element online. Some of Reddit’s early users stuck around to see the logo get redesigned almost every day for months. Also, mascots and branding sell merchandise.
5. “Your first users are golden.”
For first-time entrepreneurs, initial traction is the most important thing to nurture.