Jarie Bolander

Thousands of companies get started each year to buck the trend, disrupt the market, change the paradigm, and put their own dents in the universe. Friends, family, and others often ridicule the people who start these companies because they don’t believe they have what it takes to succeed. Who are these people who dare to believe they are creating the next Facebook, Twitter, Tesla, or insert your favorite unicorn (a company with > $1B valuation) here? Most of these new companies will fail, but thousands will try anyway, even though the odds are stacked against them.

The thing to realize is that, without entrepreneurs, many of the greatest and most significant innovations we rely on daily would not exist – mobile phones, streaming audio and video, online software, electric cars, self-driving cars, etc. Even corporate “failures” like AltaVista, Webvan, and Pets.com paved the way to make our lives better. That’s why it’s critical to set forth an Ethos that provides a framework to enable all entrepreneurs to not only have a shot at success but to also encourage inclusive and ethical behavior so that the entrepreneur community can remain resilient to the challenges of the 21st century.