NVIDIA Founder Offers Entrepreneurs Advice

Last night I had the pleasure of being entertained and educated by one of Silicon Valley's local success stories -- Chris Malachowsky, Co-Founder of NVIDIA. The event was part of the Fall Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Speaker series at Santa Clara University where my mother teaches, and I attended briefly as both an undergraduate and graduate student. The reason I say "pleasure" is that Chris is that rare combination of both success and grace. Though NVIDIA has become a multi-billion dollar a year company, Chris still knows the value of individuals, and can make anyone feel appreciated. His coaching seemed to come from a genuine desire to help, and I'm delighted to be able to summarize it here.

From Chris Malachowsky -- "What I learned"

• Don't jump in the foxhole with just anybody.
• Have a Vision -- there's was "to be one of the most important technology companies in the world."
• Recognize your competitive weapons -- every director of every function needs to be constantly thinking and acting to make that function a competitive weapon.
• People invest in people -- the VC's asked lots of questions, but in the end, Chris believes they invested because they believed in the management team.
• Focus, Focus, Focus -- take risks where you're differentiated, get to market as quickly as you can, then learn and adapt.
• Who you hire matters -- if you do it well, you'll always be the dumbest guy in the room.
• Stand for something, and don't be afraid to be useful -- people like working for someone willing to chip in and get things done.
• Know when to get off the train -- disasters don't usually happen in one moment, they are usually the product of a long chain of events, so it's better to recognize when things are going badly, and adjust earlier.
• Don't underestimate what you don't know -- 'nuf said.
• The only shame in failure is not learning from it -- "Experience leads to good decisions, and bad decisions lead to experience." Don't wait to be sure. Do something.

Like I said, it was a pleasure, and I hope others will find some value in this. Pass it along.