Tuesday night, through its new partnership with 1776, General Assembly invited Peter Corbett to the revolutionary startup campus to speak about the Washington tech ecosystem. Aptly titled "Intro to the DC Startup Community," the event gave those new to the hub a chance to explore what makes D.C. tech and startups so special. Corbett, the always emphatic and entertaining speaker, gave an all-encompassing look at the basics of the local innovative scene, dabbling with themes like "How to get funded" and "D.C. tech social media etiquette." With tons of hands raised when Corbett asked about those fairly new to the hub, the meeting was a priceless ( literally, it was free, plus they had free beer) voyeur into the way D.C. tech works.
So rather than paraphrasing the gist of Corbett's talk, here are a couple key quotes that touch on, in a nutshell, what the D.C. startup scene is all about – filled with wit and brutal honesty.
On people who tell him that the hundreds of angel investors here suck because they won't give them funding:"There is money spraying all over the place. The investors don't suck. You suck. It's fucking you."
His attempt at math on the spread of people from the different states in our locality: "How many people live in Maryland? How about in Virginia? In D.C.? Wow 20 percent-20 percent-30 percent. I told you I was good at math."
On the importance of AngelList: "If you're not on AngelList, there's something wrong. Maybe you're shy. Maybe you think stealth is a good thing."
Emphasizing the importance of the "DC Tech Facebook group," and the even more important etiquette you must follow: "I'd advise you to join and not say anything for a couple of days. Just watch and see how people interact. Because have you ever seen a person at a dinner party with like 20 people walk in and the the first thing they say is, "DOES ANYBODY KNOW A DEVELOPER???" Don't be that guy."
Telling the crowd how selfless the D.C. tech community is: "Helpfulness is the crack cocaine of the startup ecosystem."
Advice to the audience about expansion and not forgetting the less fortunate: "Create bridges from D.C. tech to elsewhere. And I mean inside the city. Don't forget about the digital divide."
Things not to do: "This is not about you. This is not about me. I may be the CEO of a company, but that's not about me. Don't be a taker. Be a giver. These are relationship 101 things. Don't talk first and listen second. Listen first."
And: "Don't front. Don't pretend you're something you're not. People will love you... As long you're awesome. Just kidding."
On the massively popular "Lean Startup": "There should be a game where anytime you mention the words "lean startup" in this building you have to take a shot."
His opinion that it doesn't matter where you incorporate your business: "If any of you IPO or exit, you're not going to give a shit where you incorporated."
And lastly, when asked what a non-technical founder with a great idea should do: "Ideas are completely worthless. Usually with ideas I want to expose them to as many people as possible as quickly as possible so they can tells how shitty it is and I can come up with another one. It's like a lump of coal with diamond inside of it."
