The second episode of "Cutting Through the Fog" is now live!
Tristan Fischer (Group CEO and Founder of Fischer Farms)× John Stapleton
The future of our planet looks like this… "Not enough land, not enough water with an increasing population, until it starts to dramatically decrease. Here is what we are doing about it."
In this episode:
The fertility cliff and how it rewrites demand, talent, and capital cycles.
How falling fertility rates shift the growth equation and where AI truly drives productivity.
Fischer Farms’ playbook for doing more with less (water, land, energy).
Lessons from scaling an unconventional business without lowering the bar (to achieve it).
The importance of purpose.
And a whole lot more.
A huge thank you to Tristan for taking the time to share his story.
Watch and Listen now!
YouTube:
Spotify:
What do VCs Really Look for?
One of the most common questions I get from entrepreneurs is:
“What do VCs actually look for?”
Most founders expect me to say market size, traction, or technology.
But after sitting on both sides of the table, as an angel investor and through two VC funds, having invested in over 15 businesses, I can tell you the real answer is far simpler:
Team.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not just about hiring smart people. It’s about how they work together. How they communicate under pressure. How they navigate uncertainty and still move forward as one.
Do they believe in your vision?
When I look at a founding team, I’m not just looking for complementary skills, I’m looking for trust. Respect. The ability to challenge each other without ego. Because a startup is essentially one long relationship stress test. And if the team can’t handle that, no business model or market opportunity will save them.
In a recent conversation with Renée Elliott (Founder of Planet Organic), she said that in Planet Organic, they don’t have physical assets. Their asset is the people. The team. And that’s true for almost every successful company I’ve seen or backed.
If you’re building right now, remember:
Investors don’t just back ideas. They back dynamics.
They back relationships that can survive the hard days.
So ask yourself not just “Do I have the right co-founders?”
but
“Do we trust each other enough to grow through the chaos together?”
This week in 2014, One World Trade Centre opened in New York City, rising from the ashes of the 9/11 attacks to reclaim the skyline where the Twin Towers once stood. At 541m, it symbolises both resilience and renewal.
Not many events can legitimately be compared to the twin tower attack given the loss of life and the shock that ensued. I remember visiting the site a few months later and looking in from high as Ground Zero – a numbing experience, given the scale of the devastation.
But both businesses and business leaders can rise from the ashes, too. Sometimes with personally comparable consequences. This is the case when business success follows failure.
I have my own version of this:
The second business I started in the States failed (Glencoe Foods).
The third was a more happy affair – Little Dish. We delivered a very good exit for shareholders and the brand is still going strong, many years later.
I’m a great believer in the power of failure. You can’t make a career out of failure – that’s not what this is about.
While success can be a lousy teacher, failure leaves you much more exposed. There’s a lot to learn from failure – if you allow yourself to. Failure hurts like hell. But it makes you make sure you never want to feel that pain again.
I’m convinced my third business was a success to a great extent BECAUSE my second one was a failure.
As always, for everyone that is new in this newsletter, you can get my FREE startup checklist in the link below.
