Startup Cairns helps startups reach their summits. Cairns are landmarks that guide climbers' ascents. Entrepreneurs begin ascents when launching a business. Advisors and investors offer perspective and pattern recognition to guide startups. Startup Cairns curates mental models relevant to entrepreneurs and investors as guides to position and expand businesses. May you achieve all your summits!
Read moreFor startup ascents from basecamp to summit…
Frameworks to navigate uncertainty and make better decisions.
How to spot when a company is ready to scale.
Strategies and mental models to expand your business.
Product Market Fit progresses through three phases: product, business and financial validation. We discuss six practices that improve startup success by accelerating progress through these three stages.
Achieving escape velocity is essential for startups to deliver venture returns. Escape velocity is a compelling image for an entrepreneur, as it refers to the speed required to exit the earth's gravitational pull.
The above want ad applies as well to startups as the Antarctic: hazardous journey, small wages, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful.
Apple Vision Pro, released in February, presents a bold vision for augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR).
Understanding paradigm shifts in science illuminates much about disruptive innovation.
We're preparing a podcast series featuring founders, startups, and investors. Stay tuned for stories, lessons, and behind-the-scenes insights.
Coming soon
Interviews and insights from the Startup Cairns community.
Startup Cairns is authored by Paul Asel, a global venture investor and long-time student of pattern recognition in innovation. Over decades of investing, Paul has partnered with founders from early concept through global scale, helping them navigate inflection points, market shifts, and the uncertainty that comes with building something new. Startup Cairns reflects his belief that insight compounds when shared — and that founders, startups, and investors all climb farther with a clearer map.
Frameworks to navigate uncertainty and make better decisions.
How to spot when a company is ready to scale.
Strategies and mental models to expand your business.
Product Market Fit progresses through three phases: product, business and financial validation. We discuss six practices that improve startup success by accelerating progress through these three stages.
Achieving escape velocity is essential for startups to deliver venture returns. Escape velocity is a compelling image for an entrepreneur, as it refers to the speed required to exit the earth's gravitational pull.
The above want ad applies as well to startups as the Antarctic: hazardous journey, small wages, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful.
Apple Vision Pro, released in February, presents a bold vision for augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR).
Understanding paradigm shifts in science illuminates much about disruptive innovation.
