Iâm Ivan Landabaso, VC at JME.vc. I also love surfing and combat sports. Welcome to Startup Riders, your bi-weekly startup caffeine â.
Summary
đ Whatâs the plan? John Doerrâs OKRs for startups.
đ§ Taming the mind: BJJ tactics for dealing with startup pressure.
đ” Recent Deals: Jeff, Bit2Me and more!
đThinking or Reading:Â MITâs communication formula.
Check out the Community Group to meet fellow riders and share your experience đ€
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Whatâs the plan? - OKRs
My ex-org @Facebook started using OKRs (Objectives & Key Results) about 2 years into my time there. We had been relying on traditional âGoalsâ and âPlanningâ up until that point, which had a number of (important) drawbacks.
Long story short, adopting OKRs was pretty transformative as it helped us:
Plan faster
Increase clarity & accountability
Increase alignment
I think John Doerrâs framework could potentially be very powerful for a startup.
What is the OKR System
The OKR System â â[is] a collaborative goal-setting protocol. [The OKR system] is the polar opposite of the conventional management by objectives (MBO) systems, which tend to be top down, hierarchical, annual, and linked to compensation. Contributors are most engaged when they can actually see how their work contributes to the companyâs success. Quarter to quarter, day to day, they look for tangible measures of their achievement. Extrinsic rewards â the year-end bonus check â merely validate what they already know. OKRs speak to something more powerful, the intrinsic value of the work itselfâ
Objectives
Objectives are the WHAT (weâre trying to achieve).
Objectives are significant, concrete, action oriented, and (ideally) inspirational.
They are typically longer lived.
Theyâre bold.
When properly designed and deployed, theyâre a vaccine against fuzzy thinking â and fuzzy execution.
Key Results
Key results are the HOW (weâre going to achieve it).
The key results are aggressive, but always measurable, time-bound, and limited in number.
Theyâre aggressive but realistic.
Theyâre measurable and verifiable. Itâs not a key result unless it has a number.
Yeah sure⊠but show me an example
FineâŠbut how do I implement this?
𧠠Taming The Mind
Iâm a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blue belt - which means:
Iâm still sh*t at BJJ
I get crushed / choked / [insert humiliation] by upper belts on a daily basis.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling and submission holds. It focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, controlling oneâs opponent, gaining a dominant position and using a number of techniques to force them into submission via joint locks or chokeholds.
Having a blue belt also means having an army of white belts - competing for a chance to prove themselves - trying to take my head off.
Why is this relevant for a startup you ask?
Something Iâm learning in BJJ is how to deal with pressure (physical & psychological).
Learn to tame your mind, and you will be (more) in control under pressure (i.e. pitches, sales meetings, all-hands etc.).
Mind-Taming Tactics
Exercise âThis is personally, by far, the most powerful and simplest way. The mind has a tendency to turn excess energy against you. Read David Gogginâs book âCanât Hurt Meâ for more on this topic. If you donât like exercise, do it anywayâââstart with the basics: put your running shoes next to your bed before going to sleep, and start running the next morning without giving yourself enough time to think it through.
Train yourself to observe the mindâââdo not identify yourself with it. There are many books on this topic, but in a nutshell, the above is really all there is to it. You can train yourself through a basic 10 minute meditation per day, by doing Wim Hofâs breathing techniques, by doing Yoga, etc. etc. Find what works for youâââas long as you are training yourself to look at your thoughts in 3rd person, and detach yourself from it.
BreatheââYou can short-circuit your sympathetic nervous system through your breath. Your breath is an anchor, meaning you can use it to alter your physiology, and in turn your mind & lizard brain. The way this works is very well documented in a book called âThe Buddhaâs Brainâ by Dr. Rick Hanson. When you slow down your breathing, you slow down your heart rate, which tells your lizard brain to take it easyâââwhich in turn tells your mind to chill out.
SleepâââBe in bed for 9 hours every day. If you want to learn more about how important this is, and it is massive, read âWhy We Sleepâ by Matthew Walker.
Eat / Drink HealthyâââGarbage in, garbage out. If you donât fuel the machine right, your mind starts jumping around. A great book on how to eat healthy (its not rocket science) = The End of Dieting (Joel Fuhrman).
Optimize for funâââWeâre only around for a little while. The humans you care about and the things you love doing have to be prioritized. Watch this Ted Talk on the longest study performed on human happinessâââitâs all about the quality of your close personal relationships, prioritize them.
Cold showersâââthis actually works. Its a great training tool, and itâs a hard thing, which makes you a better human (again, go read Gogginâs book, youâll thank me).
Go into natureâââOn average, weâre massively over-stimulated. Information overload is a double-edged sword. Make sure you and your mind take some time off. Nature is a great way of doing so.
And of course, I hope to see you all on the mats one day!
đ” Recent Deals
Jeff (omnichannel ecosystem) raised $21m in a Series B.
011h (smart buildings) raised âŹ10m.
Maskokotas (eCommerce) raised âŹ7m
Asistensi (insuretech) raises $3 million in seed funding
Bit2me (blockchain) raised âŹ1m
Invivo Impulsa (biotech) raised âŹ1.5m
AdQuiver (advertising) raised 550K.
CargaTuCoche raised 350K.
OxMotorcycles raised 300K
Epowerlabs (energy) raised 200K
đThinking or Reading
MIT on how to communicate
I came across this lecture, worth a listen.


A simple(r) path to wealth - JL Collins
I find myself recommending this book and lecture time and time again to friends who are looking to dip their toes into putting their money to work. Watch it or read it.
Time in the market > trying to time the market. Act accordingly - buy low commission Vanguard-or-equivalent investment vehicles recurrently, set and forget.
Why? Example: Fidelity investments did a piece of research when they became curious as to what group of investors, in their funds, did best. The winners?
Dead people.
People who forgot they owned the fund.
How humans spend their time
Great infographic - what segment is underserved / offers more unsolved problems to build a startup around?
If you find this interesting, please consider sharing with your friends. Iâd also love to get your thoughts and feedback on Twitter. Until the next one! đ
BJJ as a lens for the rest of world is mighty