You need a sticker wall

Every accelerator or incubator or tech hub needs a sticker wall. This was ours at the original Techstars Boston in Kendall Square. This is the last photo I snapped leaving the office in December 2013.

Stickers are to startups what a flag is to a nation.

Aside from our laptops, stickers were the first thing we bought... even before we raised a dime of venture capital.

Each sticker represents the story of a few crazy folks with an even crazier idea, each day trying to balance rational optimism and delusional optimism. It's a collage of dreams, midnight oil, and iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts.

Some companies reached unicorn status ( 👋 PillPack), while others just tried to stay alive and build another day. It serves as a reminder that ideas are easy; the execution is the hard part.