“Lessons as a founder” After our recent Q3 board meeting, someone asked me what was the biggest lessons I’d learnt this year. There is literally no end to them, but let me share three of them here. 1/ Delegating doesn’t work No founder wants to do everything, nor be a micro-manager. But the reality is that if you have 10 key people, you can’t delegate things to them and expect them to get done like you’d get it done. “Hire great leaders who make great decisions” is only partly right. That’s not an ego-boost, it’s just reality, because founders can make fast and hard decisions. You can also lean harder into risk. It’s not that my leaders aren’t 8-9/10, its not that they don’t do most things by themselves, but you have to squeeze yourself into things that generates the extra 0.5 from each area, that keep you winning 98/100 vs 95/100 or 90/100. When you compound the extra squeeze, it means 10% MoM growth vs 8% MoM growth - and that in three years is double the size of company, and then magnified for fundraising prospects and ability to scale product velocity, really decides the winners vs losers. As a founder, just own that in the early stages it’s on you, don’t shy away from it. Elite sports teams have the championship winning players, and the rest of the championship team. It’s just how it works. It’s why you get paid the big bucks (and also get blamed if you don’t win). 2/ F*ck the niceties There is absolutely no secret, that I don’t hire MBAs, don’t hire from banks, or big tech or consulting. I also don’t hire people with 4 lines in their LI title. They’re not ready for KAST-level company, because no one will mollycoddle you here. Each founder will have their views on what will work and what won’t. Maybe they’re right, maybe they’re wrong. But it works for them. What I’d say is, don’t change it for anything. Many will come along, question it, and maybe make you question yourself. But honestly when you stray from your views, it comes back to bite. Today if anything I’m hardening on my views, not softening. At the end of the day, you didn’t go and start a company so you have to tippy-toe around saying nice things. 3/ Everyone will hate on you Customers will hate on you, because of some product or service issue. Employees will hate on you, because you made tough decisions around re-organising the company or their role. Investors will hate on you because you’re growing fast, but not fast enough. Competitors will hate on you, if you start winning. If you’re worried about this, you’re in the wrong game. My good friend R—-l once told me very early “Raags, startups are a blood sport”. That never left me. If you don’t accept it for what it is, you’re in the wrong game. Be ready to be punched over and over, and to come back and keep fighting. The good news is that history is written by the victors, so as long as you win, all is forgiven and forgotten. —- Many more lessons, but that’s the big ones from 2026. Happy founding, founders!