Day 4 of 14 at Launchpad. Yesterday we sent 10 of the 30 teams home. I still remember looking each founder in the eye as they walked up to us and we told them: "You've been eliminated. Please throw your plaque in the fire." Some of them teared up. They're some of the most talented people I've met, and many crossed continents to be here. One team refused. They left their plaque by the fire and said, "You made the decision. You burn it." So I picked it up and did it for them. Making decisions is one of the hardest parts of leading. The further I get, the more weight each one carries. Yesterday I made 10 consequential decisions in 5 hours. Every one of them landed on a talented person's sense of self-worth. Who am I to do that? I don't have a good answer. I only know the decision had to be made by someone. Every founder at Launchpad needs to take two ideas to heart: 1/ No one but you decides what you can and can't do. Rejection is part of the process. You choose how far you'll go. That's what being a founder is. 2/ We live in the era of founder-led distribution. If you can't tell your story, you will be eliminated.