Don't get caught up in the current fads and "doing what's cool."

Market Timing & Competitive Advantage:

• Startups founded immediately after the onset of COVID faced a disadvantage compared to companies like Zoom that had developed technology years in advance.
• Early movers possessed a "head start" in technology and market positioning, allowing them to be ready for the surge in demand without needing to build from scratch during the crisis.
• Founders launching post-COVID optimized for long-term trends (post-COVID reality) rather than the immediate 3-to-12-month market conditions.

Founder Strategy & Market Cycles:

• Trend Observation: A significant number of remote and video conferencing startups emerged immediately following the COVID lockdown.
• Common Pitfall: Entering a market at its peak popularity often results in missed opportunities, as the "cool" factor typically signals the market is nearing saturation or decline.
• Strategic Imperative: The optimal entry point for founders is before a trend becomes mainstream; entering at the peak usually coincides with the beginning of a downturn.

Specific Insight:

• "The peak of everyone thinking [it's] cool is usually right before everything [turns negative]."