#17 – Overcoming Failure and Surviving Entrepreneurship | Derek Andersen, CEO of Bevy and Founder of Startup Grind

Ventured Growth with Hercules Capital

The challenges of launching a startup can seem endless when you are just starting out. Truth be told, the magnitude of these challenges will only grow as your business grows. But don’t let this deter you.
Derek Andersen understood that the obstacles he was facing in entrepreneurship were not unique to him. This notion led him on his quest to create a community for entrepreneurs to share their advice and inspirations with others, proving that entrepreneurs are in fact, stronger together.
In this episode, Hercules Capital host Eddie Lopez and Derek talk about his path to working in the tech industry, habits that create a CEO, how creating solutions to your own problems is an avenue for success, advice for founders looking to raise capital in the current environment, being a customer of your own product, and much more…
Topics Include:
- The impetus for Startup Grind and Bevy
- Freedom and creativity in entrepreneurship
- Bootstrapping companies
- Servant leadership
- Dealing with failure
- The responsibility to help others
- Managing relationships with investors
- Taking advantage of slingshot moments
- And other topics...
Derek Andersen is the co-founder and CEO of Bevy, a SaaS product that helps companies like Salesforce, Atlassian, Google, Snowflake, and Adobe build virtual and in-person communities. Derek also co-founded Startup Grind, a community of 600 Chapters in 125 countries educating, inspiring, and connecting startup people. Since 2012, Startup Grind has hosted 10,000 events for more than 500,000 people. In 2010, Derek co-founded Commonred which was acquired by Income.com. Derek previously worked as a product manager at Electronic Arts. He currently lives in Palo Alto CA with his wife and four children.
Books Mentioned:
The Innovator’s Dilemma, by Clayton Christensen: https://www.amazon.com/How-Will-Measure-Your-Life/dp/0062102419
How Will You Measure Your Life, by Clayton Christensen: https://www.amazon.com/How-Will-Measure-Your-Life/dp/0062102419