Ryan Rouse

MALK Organics

President

Self Employed

Growth Advisor

HighKey 

Chief Executive Officer (acquired)

Board Member

Chief Marketing & Ecommerce Officer

Tasseo Consumer Ecosystem

Operating Partner

Serenity Kids

Head of Growth

Factor_

Co-Founder (Acquired by Hello Fresh)

Chief Marketing Officer

Chief Operating Officer

Merrill Lynch

Vice President of Sales

Growth advisor to consumer businesses with a focus on every line of the P&L | Previously, Co-Founder at Factor Meals (acquired), CEO at Highkey

Growth-minded CPG leader with deep experience across finance, brand building, and operational leadership.

After more than a decade in finance—culminating in an eight-year tenure at Merrill Lynch—I co-founded Factor_, a ready-to-eat meal delivery company that went on to be acquired by HelloFresh for $277M in 2020.

I joined HighKey Snacks as Chief Marketing Officer and later CEO, guiding the low-sugar snack brand through rapid expansion and an acquisition in 2024.

I'm currently the President of MALK Organics, a fast-growing, near nine-figure brand redefining the plant-based milk category with its commitment to clean, organic ingredients and uncompromising quality.

And I write a newsletter about what it really takes to grow—your company, your mindset, your tolerance for chaos:
​
​• The unfiltered truth about building a brand
• Why “strategy” isn’t always strategic
• What to do when everything feels on fire
• Mindset shifts that keep you sane(ish)​
• Founder mistakes, market moves, and lessons I’m still learning​
​
​Part playbook, part perspective shift.
For anyone trying to grow something—and keep their head on straight.

Sign up using the link here (or below my profile pic above): https://ryanrouse.me/

Vice President | Partner

Data driven investors in early stage consumer brands. 

We've normalized something insane.

Two people typing at each other for 35 minutes.

Typing gives us time to be clever. To craft the perfect comeback. To sound right while being wrong.

Talking forces us to be human.

No edit button. No screenshots for later. No audience watching you perform.

Just two people working it out in real time.

The friction you feel before picking up the phone and calling?

That's your ego protecting itself.

It knows the keyboard is safer.

But relationships aren't built in safety.

They're built in the messy, unedited moments when you actually hear someone's voice.

Next time you're about to send that long message?

Pick up the phone instead.

You'll be shocked how fast "enemies" become teammates when you remove the screen between you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

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Never Been on a Forbes List | President at MALK Organics | Daddy at Rouse House | Previously: Co-Founder & CMO at Factor_, CEO at Highkey

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The startup world worships charisma.

Big personalities. Bold promises. Slick pitches.

But I've watched too many charismatic founders flame out.

And too many quiet operators build empires.

Here's what I learned:

Charisma opens doors. Character keeps them open.

Charisma raises the round. Character delivers the returns.

The market rewards charisma in the short term. But it pays character in the long run.

Use your charisma to sell the vision.
Use your character to build the business.

I'm curious: Think about the best leader you've ever worked with.

Were they the most charismatic person in the room, or did they have something deeper that made you follow them?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

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The more polished your corporate language, the less your employees believe a word you say.

Early in my startup career, I'd craft these perfect all-hands emails. 

"We're excited to announce strategic realignment initiatives that will optimize our organizational effectiveness."

Translation: We're laying people off.

My team saw right through it.

And it created distrust and disengagement.

So I changed my approach.

Instead of "pursuing growth opportunities," I started saying "we're trying something new and honestly, we're not sure if it'll work."

Instead of "navigating headwinds," I said "this quarter sucked and here's why."

It was uncomfortable at first.

But the team started asking real questions instead of nodding politely.

And they started to trust me more when things got hard because they knew I wouldn't sugarcoat it.

I remember the first time I told my team "I don't have a good answer for that yet" in a meeting. 

Someone was brave enough to say "thank you for not making something up."

People don't want perfect messaging from their leaders.

They want honest communication about what's really happening and how it affects them.

Even if you don't know. 

Your team can handle the truth. 

What they can't handle is being treated like they're too naive to see through corporate BS. 

Every euphemism you use is a withdrawal from the trust bank.

And that account doesn't have overdraft protection.

There's no finish line where suddenly you feel like you made it.

No magic number that makes the doubt disappear.

No age where you finally stop comparing yourself to the 28-year-old who just raised $50M.

We're all out here pretending we're on schedule while secretly terrified we're falling behind.

The woman who sold at 32 thinks he peaked too early.

The guy grinding at 50 thinks she started too late.

The kid raising millions thinks he's a fraud.

None of us know what we're doing.

We're just making different mistakes at different speeds.

Your career isn't late.

It's not early either.

It's just yours.

And the only way to lose is to stop showing up because you think you missed some imaginary deadline.

Keep building.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

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Every morning at 5:30 AM, my alarm goes off.

And I have a choice.

Hit snooze and skip my workout, or get up and move.

That's the first battle of the day.

Success isn't some climactic moment where everything falls into place.

It's winning thousands of these small fights. Day after day.

The decision to kill a product you spent 18 months developing because it clearly doesn't work. 

The discipline to skip the third glass of wine at dinner so you can think more clearly in tomorrow's meeting.

The courage to fire someone who's good but not great.

There is no one final battle.

No last job.

No riding off into the sunset.

These micro battles never stop.

And the moment you accept that?

The pressure to "arrive" disappears.

You stop waiting for some future version of success.

You start finding it in the discipline of showing up when it's hard.

In choosing the right move over the easy one.

In winning today's battles so you're ready for tomorrow's.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

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What if choosing not to be offended was the most powerful decision you could make today?

Most leaders don't realize they're handing control of their day to people who don't matter.

I've spent 15+ years in executive roles. Built teams. Navigated acquisitions. Raised 3 kids.

Many years ago, someone's criticism would completely derail me.

I'd stew on it for hours.  

But that person? Living their life. Completely unbothered.

The only person suffering was me.

It made me recognize that offense is a choice.

Not a reflex. A choice.

Now when someone tries to push my buttons, I pause and choose whether or not to engage. And how to engage if I choose to. 

I'm protecting what matters: me.

Your reaction gives other people control over your day.

Your non-reaction or calm reaction gives you back your power.

So here's my question:

Who are you letting live in your head that doesn't deserve to be there?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

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Being late to every meeting isn't a personality quirk. 

It's a character flaw. 

And it's costing you more than you think. 

It's like your friend who couldn't handle their alcohol and had to be baby sat every night. At first everyone's like "Oh, that's just Jeff/Julie."'

But you know what happened over time? Less and less people hung out with Jeff and Julie. 

Same goes here. 

Every time you're late to a meeting, you're showing showing people you can't be trusted with the small things.

Trust with the small things leads to trust with the big ones.

The opportunities that require trust:
- Leading a team
- Managing a budget
- Representing the company
- Taking on a big project

None of those happen if people don't trust you with the basics.

And being on time is the most basic thing there is.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

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The higher you climb, the lonelier it gets.

I learned this from 25 years of chasing the top.

It's odd though. The higher you get, the less people you can talk to about it. 

Can't vent to your team about the pressure.

Can't ask your boss the "dumb" questions ('cause you don't have one).

And you definitely can't admit when you're figuring it out as you go.

So I started writing.

Not corporate memos. Not LinkedIn humble brags.

Real talk about what it's actually like to lead.

The messy product launches.

The budget fights that keep you up at night.

The people decisions that haunt you.

The wins that nobody sees coming.

Look, I know how this sounds.

Another exec with a newsletter.

But if you're tired of feeling like you're the only one struggling with this stuff, I write about it every week in my newsletter.

No BS. Just truth.

Link in the comments if you're interested.

I've watched good companies crumble from the inside out.

Not because of market conditions or bad products.

Because they let weak leadership linger.

Your team sees it before you do.

And every day you wait, they lose a little more belief.

Not just in that one leader.

In you. In the vision. In whether any of it matters.

The damage compounds faster than you think.

And by the time it's obvious to you, half your best people are already mentally checked out.

So when you know someone isn't cutting it, act.

Yes, transitions are messy.

Yes, there will be short-term pain.

But nothing restores faith in a team faster than watching leadership actually lead.

I've never been the smartest person in the room.

But I have been the most dangerous.

Not because I know more.

Because I know less.

My first few months at MALK, I was like a broken record.

"What's the reason for that?"
"Who decided this?"
"What happens if we skip it?"

I've done the same thing at business I get involved with. 

Turns out, most companies run on autopilot.

Someone built a process years ago because they needed something fast.
It stuck.

Not because it was good.

Because it was there.

Your processes aren't best practices.

They're fossils.

Fresh eyes see the waste you've gone blind to.
Here's what works:

Hire people with fresh eyes. 

Give them permission to be annoying.

Let them question everything.

Document every "why?"

Most answers will be "I don't know" or "that's just how it's done."

That's your gold mine.

Each "I don't know" is money left on the table.

Each "that's how we've always done it" is a process begging to be killed.

What process exists at your company only because "that's how it's always been done"?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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The cost of handing out fancy titles too soon is real. 

Early on at Factor_, we couldn't afford top talent.

So we did what a lot of founders do.

We gave people VP and Director titles to make up for the salary gap.

Seemed smart at the time.

They got the prestige. We saved cash.

But a title doesn't teach someone how to do the job.

It doesn't give them the reps. The pattern recognition. The instincts that come from years on the job.

And when you realize someone isn't ready for the role they're in, you've got a real problem.

Because now you can't just adjust their responsibilities.

You have to demote them or move them out.

Which is brutal for everyone involved.

The title that was supposed to solve a problem becomes the problem.

Looking back now, I wish I'd been straight with people about where they actually were.

Not where I needed them to be.

Give them a role they can handle today. 

Let them earn the next one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Everyone's building a personal brand. But personal credibility should be the goal. 

I see it every day.

People obsessing over their LinkedIn banner design while their actual work speaks nothing.

Crafting the perfect thought leader bio while delivering mediocre results.

Posting motivational quotes they don't live by.

Here's what they don't get:

Personal brand is what you tell people you are.
Personal credibility is what you prove you are.

One is manufactured. The other is earned.

You can buy a personal brand. Hire a ghostwriter. Use AI to pump out content. Get those vanity metrics up.

But credibility?

That comes from one place: Doing.

Delivering on promises when nobody's watching.
Admitting when you're wrong instead of doubling down.
Sharing real failures, not just humble brags disguised as lessons.

The most credible people I know barely think about their "brand."

They're too busy actually building things. Solving problems. Creating value.

Their reputation spreads through whisper networks, not viral posts.

Want to stand out in 2025?

Stop polishing your image.
Start delivering results.

Because at the end of the day, your personal brand is just marketing.

Your personal credibility is your actual product.

And people can smell the difference from a mile away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Being a 6/10 across many functions will serve you more than being a 10/10 in one.

But you typically have to get to a 9/10 in one area to earn the opportunity to oversee the others. 

The hard part for most people is being comfortable going from a 9/10 in something down to a 6/10 in order to create time to go from a 2/10 to a 6/10 in the others.

They can’t let go of being best in class at the one thing. 

Which limits their ability to to lead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Congrats to all who made the Forbes list. 

I did not. Therefore, my headline remains in tact.

You survived the launch. You got early traction.

So why does year three feel harder than year one?

Because in year one, you'd work 24/7 and love it.

The adrenaline was real. Every win felt like validation.

You didn't need sleep. You didn't need breaks.

You had rocket fuel in your veins.

But years 2-5...

The adrenaline runs out.

And when it does, the grinding reality sets in.

34.4% of founders experience burnout.

Not in year one when you're supposed to be struggling.

In years 2-5, when you're supposed to have it figured out.

Year one, you're running on pure excitement and fear.

That combination keeps you moving even when you're exhausted.

But years 2-5? That's when the wheels come off.

The excitement fades. The fear becomes background noise.

What's left is just the grind.

No finish line in sight.

Revenue looks healthy. Team is growing.

But you're running on empty.

And you don't realize it's happening.

You think you're just tired. You think it's a rough month.

You tell yourself you'll take a break soon.

But soon never comes.

Because now you've got:

• A team depending on you
• Investors expecting growth
• Customers needing support
• A reputation to protect

You can't just stop anymore.

The thing about founder burnout is it doesn't announce itself.

It shows up in small ways first.

You start dreading Monday mornings.

Emails sit unread for days.

Decision-making gets harder.

Your patience with your team gets thinner.

Then one day you wake up and realize: You don't remember the last time you felt excited about this.

The data backs this up.

Founders in their middle years report higher rates of anxiety and depression than in year one.

Not because things are going worse.

Because things are going exactly as expected.

And that's somehow harder to handle than the chaos.

If you're in those middle years right now, here's what I'd tell you:

The 24/7 hustle isn't sustainable.

It never was.

Year one, you could get away with it because the adrenaline covered the cost.

But you can't run a marathon on sprint energy.

And building a lasting company is a marathon.

Take the break. Build the boundaries. Protect your mental health.

Not because it's nice to have.

Because your business won't survive if you don't.

I spend my days analyzing consumer behavior, market trends, etc.

But my wife always points out something I completely missed.

Last month, we were arguing about why the kids kept leaving their water bottles everywhere.

I said it was a discipline problem.

She said it was a design problem.

The bottles were too heavy when full. Too awkward to carry. The lids leaked in their backpacks.

So they just... stopped using them.

I had been so focused on the behavior, I missed the product failure.

We do this in our industry. 

Blame "disloyal" customers instead of asking if our packaging is annoying to open or if our product fits in their pantry.

My wife doesn't work in CPG.

She doesn't know (or care) what a P&L is.

But she sees a ton of things I don't.

The tiny annoyances. The small frustrations. The gap between what we promise and what actually works in real life.

Here’s hoping you all have a "Lindsay" involved in the product development process.

I used to think talking about anything besides work was a waste of time.

As a founder, my life was the business.

Every minute counted.

So when team members wanted to chat about their weekend, their kids, their hobbies?

I'd nod politely and steer us back to the agenda.

I thought I was being efficient.

I was actually building walls.

Because my team had lives outside work.

Just because I had no other interests didn't mean they didn't.

The shift happened when I started asking questions. Actually listening to the answers.

Turns out, people open up when you take genuine interest in them.

The trust runs deeper. The feedback gets more honest. The work gets better.
And they stop leaving.

Relationships aren't built in conference rooms.

They're built in the margins.

The random detours in meetings that are completely off topic.

The walk to the parking lot.

The random Slack message about their kid's soccer game.

That's where teams become more than just people who work together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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You can't be great at everything.

And that's actually the point.

The bell curve is undefeated. Small percentage who are elite. Small percentage who are terrible. Large percentage in the middle.

It applies to everything - career, relationships, fitness, hobbies.

Where it gets interesting is when you stack bell curves on top of one another.

Elite in one area almost always means average or terrible in others.

The math doesn't lie.

Which means you have to pick.

Which areas of life you want to be on the upper end of the curve?

And how far down that curve do you want to go?

All those choices have trade offs. 

Personally, I want to be in the 90th percentile in family, career, and health. 

That's above average, but not elite. 

Being in the 90th percentile in all of them means I can't be in the 98th percentile in any. 

It also means I can't even be in the 60th percentile in other things that aren't on my list. 

Some people choose differently. They go all-in on one thing. Become truly elite.

They accept being below average everywhere else.

Neither approach is wrong.

What's wrong is pretending you can be elite at everything.

The trade-off is real whether you acknowledge it or not.

So pick your bell curves.

And stop lying to yourself about the ones you didn't pick.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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The DTC era taught founders a dangerous lesson.

You could skip the hard work of understanding your category.

Build a brand, tell a story, sell direct.

No need to obsess over shelf placement, competitive sets, or how retailers think about your space.

But shoppers still compare you to everything else in the category.

They always have.

Whether your product sits next to competitors on a shelf or shows up alone on your website doesn't matter.

A lot of digitally native brands tried to move into retail and got crushed. 

Because they never did the foundational work.

They didn't know their category cold.

Didn't understand how it's priced, how it's merchandised, how it's managed, how decisions get made.

That knowledge used to be non-negotiable.

Before DTC, founders had no choice but to become category experts first.

It was the only path to market.

Now it's optional.

And that optionality is killing brands.

You can't win in CPG without being obsessed with your category.

Not just your product.

The entire space you're competing in.

That's table stakes.

Jeremy Prasetyo

TRUSTBYTES (Techstars Web3 '25)

Smart Treasury for Internet Capital Markets (ICM)

TRUSTBYTES turns behavioural analytics into capital efficiency for wallet-based businesses.
‍
☑ Capture opportunities
☑ Comply effortlessly
☑ Command your crypto treasury operations

We believe that internet/institutional capital markets (ICM) should be proactive, not reactive.
‍
In 24/7 crypto markets, your treasury, compliance and operation teams can't be awake around the clock fighting fires.
While traditional finance sleeps, crypto never does.
Why losing money on idle capital, failing compliance checks, and burning out their teams with manual processes, when there is a different way?
‍
The cost of inaction is measured in Billions per month.

We replace static rules with intelligent, dynamic policies.

Instead of threshold-based systems that trigger alerts at 3:11 AM, we use predictive intelligence to:

☑ Anticipate liquidity needs before they become urgent
☑ Automatically rebalance wallets during the most optimal time windows
☑ Maintain compliance ratios proactively, not reactively
☑ Transform your existing wallet infrastructure into a smart, learning system 

TRUSTBYTES works 24/7 so your team doesn't have to.

CEO & Co-Founder

QUIP - Quantum Technologies at Fraunhofer ITWM

Mentor

Keynote Speaker to National and International Audiences

Jeremy is able to tailor short talks, long presentations or workshops for any specific audience whether the focus is to inspire to perform and outperform, break patterns to innovate, empower leadership, increase sales or overall business. As a high-performance trainer, he presents his ideas extracted from interviews and individual coachings with industry icons, world champions and thought leaders of multiple disciplines with eye-opening facts, humor and easy-to-follow, practical concepts and applications that any audience member can immediately apply and achieve results.

Personal and Professional Performance Specialist

Diverse Organizations, incl. NobleProg, Innolea, Letuja, DOSB, DTV, ADTV, Masai, etc.

Trainings and Workshops on Artificial Intelligence, Business Applications, Cybersecurity, Leadership, Communication, Sales & Marketing

Independent Trainer

AI Strategy Consulting 

Innolea Institute

Mentor for post-graduate studies “Certified AI Consultant”

LETUJA GmbH

Linkfluence - a Meltwater company

AI-enabled consumer intelligence for global brands

+ Enterprise AI SaaS solution used by 200+ global brands for Trend Detection, Consumer Tribes segmentation/profiling or Brand Equity tracking in Real-time.
Key customers include Nike, Danone, General Mills, Estée Lauder, Kering, LVMH, Porsche, Toyota,...

+ Built and managed a team of professionals including Key Account Management, Business Development, Marketing, and Demand Generation to successfully meet and exceed sales targets and corporate goals

+ Designed and owned a strategic plan to grow the account portfolio and acquire new logos aligned with the company’s vision and roadmap

+ Collaborated with product, insights, and solution teams to improve customer experience
Developed and implemented a comprehensive demand generation strategy including Account-Based-Marketing, resulting in acquiring new global enterprise organizations

+ Conducted market research and developed a comprehensive competitive intelligence strategy to fuel repositioning with a new Go-To-Market

Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Blockpool

Business advisory for Blockchain Startups

European Blockchain Expert

E-Learning Startup

Our company is a next-generation ecosystem made up of a leading education platform for people in AI, Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, combined with a powerful marketing platform with a comprehensive set of tools for independent business owners.
The ecosystem is continuously expanding, subsuming new technologies, products and services in order to offer a one-stop space for those dedicated to learning and growing.

Jeremy's philosophy of education and self-empowerment is woven into the fabric of the company. As CEO and co-founder, Jeremy was taking the start-up from a compelling idea to a truly global company. Serving over 32,000 entrepreneurs, and powered by Blockchain and AI technology, it is enabling a new generation of learners and independent business owners within a single ecosystem of EdTech Platform and integrated Apps.

CEO and Co-Founder

World Champion turned Cyberpreneur | Building an AI SaaS company to $1M ARR and sharing my insights along the way | Co-Founder & CEO, TRUSTBYTES

While everyone's talking about AI, the Agentic Web and Web3,
few understand how to turn them into competitive advantage, 
even fewer into institutional advantage.
That's where I come in.

I'm a former World Champion turned Tech Founder and Emerging Technology Strategist who decodes tomorrow's tech for today's leaders. 
Through my unique ability to break down complex technologies into actionable strategies, I help organizations transform uncertainty into opportunity.

As CEO of TRUSTBYTES and an internationally recognized keynote speaker, I bridge the gap between cutting-edge innovation and real-world implementation. 

My expertise spans:

→ Emerging Tech Translation
- Transforming AI and blockchain complexities into clear strategic advantages
- Converting technological uncertainty into market-leading opportunities
- Building innovation flywheels that compound over time

→ Leadership Acceleration
- Mentoring the next generation of tech-savvy leaders
- Guiding institutional transformation with practical frameworks
- Creating bridges between legacy systems and emerging technologies

→ Strategic Innovation
- Designing AI-driven business flywheels that scale
- Developing institutional-grade technology strategies
- Engineering frameworks for sustainable growth

Through high-impact keynotes, executive mentorship, and hands-on leadership, I empower decision-makers to turn technological complexity into market dominance. 

My approach merges deep technical insight with battle-tested business acumen, helping organizations thrive in rapid change.

Tech moves fast.
Markets move faster.
But institutional transformation?
That's where most leaders get stuck.
I'm here to change the game.

Follow me for actionable insights on emerging tech, leadership, and exponential growth. 

Let's build tomorrow's advantages today.

FIGHTING CYBERCRIME LIKE IT'S 2030
Find more bugs in less time while saving up to 80% of cybersecurity resources.

HOW IT WORKS
TRUSTBYTES secures exponential technologies like Web 3.0, AI or Quantum TECH with its advanced AI that delivers unparalleled accuracy. By deploying self-learning AI agent swarms that adapt to evolving threats we protect systems with superior vulnerability detection and mitigation.

THE PROBLEM
$8 Trillion in Damages
Cybercrime Damages did cost the world $8 trillion USD in 2023.
Until now, global cybercrime costs grew by 15 percent each year.
But this number will grow exponentially, as hackers start using AI or even Quantum TECH.

Threat to Humanity
Warren Buffett calls cybercrime the biggest problem facing humanity - a threat exceeding nuclear weapons.
The answer lies in fighting fire with fire through AI counterforce.
TRUSTBYTES is that enabler for CISOs - an advanced AI system augmenting human experts to proactively remediate cyber threats before damage occurs.

OUR SOLUTION - SECURING EXPONENTIAL TECHNOLOGIES

➝ Web 3.0 - Smart Contract Auditing Suite

➝ Securing AI Systems

➝ Securing the Quantum TECH era


For more details visit: trustbytes.io

Nobody's betting on you - until you make it impossible not to.⤵


1/
➠ You don’t get funded. You get noticed.

➝ Markkula wasn’t hunting startups.
➝ Jobs hounded his way into a meeting.
↳ 150 calls to Valentine forced the door open.

➝ Most founders wait to be discovered.
➝ The bold demand to be seen.
↳ Obsession always beats talent waiting quietly.

➝ Investors chase proof of belief.
➝ Hustle is the first product.
↳ Persistence is louder than pitch decks.


2/
➠ The garage wasn’t a liability. It was proof.

➝ They had traction - six stores already.
➝ Apple II wasn’t vaporware.
↳ Launch was close enough to taste.

➝ Resource-starved but progress-rich.
➝ Not built to impress.
↳ Built to ship.

➝ The myth: start perfect.
➝ The truth: start moving.
↳ Results raise eyebrows, not resumes.


3/
➠ Markkula didn’t just invest - he calculated.

➝ $90K seed at $300K valuation = serious skin.
➝ Asked for a $250K credit line.
↳ 10% interest. Paid post-revenue.

➝ Investors protect upside.
➝ Smart money isn’t charity.
↳ Terms matter as much as dollars.

➝ Founders focused on “enough.”
➝ Markkula focused on “what’s next.”
↳ He knew scale eats capital.


4/
➠ The pitch didn’t win the day. The look did.

➝ “I’ve seen that look. I had it myself.”
➝ Markkula bet on the fire.
↳ No spreadsheet for conviction.

➝ Investors sense belief.
➝ They smell desperation.
↳ Vision makes you unforgettable.


5/
➠ Build something that makes “no” look stupid.

➝ No one believed in Apple.
➝ Until one man saw the future.
↳ Then everyone saw it.

➝ Don’t just get in the room.
➝ Make the room remember you.
↳ That’s how legends are built.


Think it through...

▶ What if they never made those 150 calls?
▶ What if the garage was enough?
▶ What if no one said yes?


That's the mindset you have to have.
That's the mindset we as founders are adopting at TRUSTBYTES (Techstars '25).

Let's go! 🚀 


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World Champion turned Entrepreneur | Follow me for emerging tech, leadership and growth topics | Co-Founder & CEO, TRUSTBYTES (Techstars '25)

Life moves fast. Most people notice too late.⤵


We spend years chasing what looks good,
then regret ignoring what truly mattered.

The real cost of success?
Sacrificing your health and relationships for metrics that don’t last.

It’s St. Nick’s Day - time to show up where it counts.


1/
➠ Life doesn’t wait

➝ You chase - and end up alone
➝ You grind - your health is shot
➝ You blink - the kids are gone

Time moves fast.
Priorities drift quietly.


2/
➠ Burnout isn’t a badge

➝ Dollars don’t hug
➝ Likes don’t heal
➝ Hustle is glorified nonsense

Burnout isn’t success.
It’s exhaustion with a PR team.


3/
➠ Rewind doesn’t exist

➝ Priorities slip quietly
➝ Regret compounds
➝ Time doesn’t refund

You don’t get to hit reset.
And regret always shows up late.


4/
➠ Two things matter most

➝ Everything else? Temporary
➝ Your relationships
➝ Your health

Lose either,
and nothing else will matter.


5/
➠ Stop chasing. Start choosing.

➝ That’s the real metric
➝ Check your people
➝ Check your body

You don’t need balance.
You need better priorities.


You’re not too busy.
You’re just distracted by things that won’t matter when it’s over.

▶ What if the validation isn’t real?
▶ What happens when your success isolates you?
▶ What’s worth sacrificing your health for?


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Unpopular opinion:
Work should fit into Life - not consume it.
⤵

You’ve been sold a lie.
"Work harder. Hustle longer. Sacrifice now."

But here’s the truth:
You don’t get a trophy for burning out.

Work is a tool - not your identity.
It belongs inside your life, not wrapped around it.

 
1/
➠ When Work Becomes Life

When work takes over, life gets boxed in.
➝ Rest feels wrong
↳ You see it as lazy

➝ Loved ones feel intrusive
↳ You call it "distractions"

➝ Joy gets postponed
↳ Always chasing the next win

You’re not fulfilled.
You’re just drained.


2/
➠ When Life Is Bigger Than Work

Now flip it.
Make life the frame. Let work sit inside it.

➝ You still care about work
↳ But not at life’s expense

➝ You rest, recharge
↳ And show up sharper

➝ You celebrate wins
↳ With people who matter

You’re no longer sacrificing.
You’re thriving with clarity.


3/
➠ Why This Matters More Than Ever

Everything changes fast.
Your title isn’t forever. Your wellbeing should be.

➝ Careers shift
↳ Roles vanish

➝ Companies change
↳ Titles fade

➝ Health, peace, love
↳ That’s the real legacy

Invest in what actually lasts.


4/
➠ Two Simple Power Moves

Don't overthink balance.
Build it into your daily routine.

➝ Guard your "Life anchors"
↳ Treat them as sacred meetings

➝ Create a daily work stop
↳ Define your off switch

Discipline in boundaries
creates freedom in life.


Final Thought:
Work is part of your life.
Not the point of your life.

If your life is a circle,
Make sure work isn’t the whole thing.

▶ What if burnout is self-inflicted?
▶ What if rest is the cheat code?
▶ What if “balance” isn’t soft, but strategic?

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Growth happens in the space between who you are
and the person you were meant to be.
 ⤵

Before anything else, here’s the angle most people miss:

You’re not competing with the world.
You’re competing with the next version of you.

And that competitor never gets tired...

That’s why the chase matters more than the milestone.

That's what Matthew McConaughey knew well an led to more than "just" an Oscar win:


1/
➠ The future self that never stops moving

 ➝ Your hero stays ten years ahead
 ↳ Always further
 ↳ Always better
 ↳ Always out of reach

We start here because this is the foundation: the future version of you isn’t a trophy. It’s a target that refuses to stand still.


2/
➠ Time reshapes who you want to become

 ➝ Growth shifts your definition of “ideal”
 ↳ New standards
 ↳ New clarity
 ↳ New goals

And as time moves, so do you.
Your definition of “better” evolves because you evolve.


3/
➠ Self-reflection keeps you honest

 ➝ Checking progress reveals the truth
 ↳ What’s working
 ↳ What’s missing
 ↳ What’s next

This is where the internal audit comes in.
No sugar-coating. 
No excuses. 
Just a clear view of where you stand.


4/
➠ The unattainable target is the useful one

 ➝ You’re not meant to catch your hero
 ↳ It stretches you
 ↳ It humbles you
 ↳ It disciplines you

The point isn’t arrival.
The point is pursuit.
The chase creates the growth.


5/
➠ Who you chase shapes who you become

 ➝ Aim at a version worth becoming
 ↳ More aligned
 ↳ More intentional
 ↳ More fulfilled

Because in the end, the future you becomes the architect of your present decisions.
And that’s where real transformation happens.


The standards of your future self
slowly become the standards of your current life.

If the person you were meant to be is still ahead of you,
what does that demand from you today?


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8 Small Shifts That Will Solve 80% Of Your Problems
⤵


Sometimes, we look for big solutions when it’s the small tweaks that unlock the biggest doors.


These shifts aren’t radical. 
They’re practical. 
And that’s why they work.


Let’s break them down - one shift at a time:


1/
➠ Assume People Have Good Intentions
➝ You can’t read minds
↳ So stop acting like you can

➝ Bad assumptions drain peace
↳ Good ones open connection

➝ Choose belief over suspicion
↳ It hurts less


2/
➠ Avoid Using Negative Words
➝ “I can’t” is mental trash
↳ Stop repeating failure

➝ Language programs mindset
↳ Every word counts

➝ Talk trash - live trash
↳ You’re better than that


3/
➠ Celebrate More Frequently
➝ Wins deserve space
↳ Big or small

➝ Acknowledge before you rush
↳ Growth needs pause

➝ Clap for yourself
↳ Even quietly


4/
➠ Decide You Must Achieve Your Goals
➝ “I’ll try” gives you a backdoor
↳ Close it

➝ Use “I must” instead
↳ Power lives there

➝ Remove wriggle space
↳ Clarity follows


5/
➠ Define “Failure” as “Failing to Take Action”
➝ No action = real failure
↳ Movement matters

➝ You control effort
↳ Not outcome

➝ Stop fearing results
↳ Start moving


6/
➠ Don’t Waste Energy on Hate
➝ Hate is self-harm
↳ Drains your life

➝ Fix it or drop it
↳ No middle

➝ Forgive. Forget. Move.
↳ Heal faster


7/
➠ Don’t Take Yourself So Seriously
➝ Laugh at yourself
↳ Or others will

➝ Humor builds influence
↳ People follow lightness

➝ Lighten up
↳ Power lives here


8/
➠ Don’t Try to Win Every Argument
➝ Not every battle is worth it
↳ Let some go

➝ “Winning” is ego
↳ Choose strategy

➝ Ask what’s next
↳ Then lead


Big shifts start small.
Start here. Start now.


▶ What shift have you avoided the longest?
▶ What would change if you only applied one?
▶ What would happen if you applied all eight?


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