Strategy

Global expansion: How top companies reach beyond their borders

Roundup

AI Stack

Jack Kokko: Creating a copilot for market intelligence teams

Marcelo Bigal: Always putting patients first

Lenskart: A vision for <br> e-commerce success

A vision for e-commerce success

Feature

Lessons founders never forgot

Data

CFO Survey: Doubling down on R&D, despite economic jitters

Data Analysis

Trends

Building high-performing teams in the age of AI

Video

CHRO Survey: Despite layoffs, talent is still king

Despite layoffs, talent is still king

The power of getting it wrong

2022 Milken MEA Summit: Tech Investing Panel

Scaling across borders

Wes Schroll: From startup to category leader in a crowded market

Mapbox: The fastest route to success

CFO Survey: Seeking growth in volatile times

SambaNova: Dancing with AI

Venkat Sathyamurthy: A mantra for AI success

Investing in biotechnology in 2025

Podcast

CHRO Survey: Grappling with changing employee expectations

CEO Survey highlights

CEO Survey highlights: </br> A pivotal year for AI fuels </br> confidence in 2026

Inside the SoftBank Vision Fund portfolio ecosystem

CFO Survey: Capitalizing on a brighter economic outlook

CHRO Survey: AI is transforming how people leaders build winning teams

CEO Survey: AI becomes core infrastructure

Nancy Stagliano: Bringing AI to life

Whatfix: Creating a new category by making software work for everyone

Whatfix founders’ startup story: early resilience to category creation

CEO Insights: Thriving in the world of hybrid work

CEO Survey: Resilience in an age of uncertainty

CEO Survey: Prepping for a rebound

Prepping for a rebound

When experience beats advice

CHRO Survey: Cultures strengthen as flexible work models evolve

Efficient marketing that moves the needle

Deidre Paknad: Redefining success metrics

Yuri Frayman: Building application performance automation one step at a time

Shlomo Kramer: A company builder's playbook from cybersecurity's frontlines

CEO Survey highlights: Entering 2025 with optimism and caution

Growth through M&A: Learning from the successes of serial acquirers

Making responsible and ethical AI a priority

Data and machine learning are creating a golden age of drug discovery

Seizing the generative AI moment

CFO Survey: AI takes center stage as economic woes recede

Generative AI takes center stage as economic woes begin to recede

Nir Minerbi: Developing for tomorrow’s tech

Brand new: How a new identity became a unifying force for LTK

Jason Warner: A bold vision for automating software on the path to AGI

Product-market fit: How breakout startups unlock and sustain demand

Product-market fit:<br>How breakout startups unlock and sustain demand

Reimagining the road to self-driving cars

A new C-suite mandate: Maximizing the AI opportunity

How the C-suite is tackling a new mandate: Making the most of AI opportunities

Avi Meir: Why a bet on the power of human connection was key to success

TEST - Module List

Newsletter

The strategy behind the SoftBank Vision Fund

Ken Drazan: Building an LLM that speaks the language of the immune system

Larry Liu, CEO of Weee!: The history behind an ethnic grocery ecommerce success

Starting at discovery

Variant Bio: Genomic discovery on the road less traveled

Be humble and keep learning

IPO Readiness: Lessons from the field

IPO readiness: Lessons from the field

CTO Survey: Generative AI is unlocking ROI in software development

Peter Chapman: Quantum computing’s coming of age

Ensuring human values are central to AI-driven progress

CEOs brace for a new wave of challenges in 2023

Apollo: Seeding a revolution in Kenyan farming

Seeding a revolution in Kenyan farming

Leading a high-growth company through an economic downturn

Doubling down on marketing in an uncertain environment

Dave Ferguson: How agility and tenacity shaped an autonomy platform

CTO Survey: Targeting AI, CTOs pursue different approaches

CEO Survey: Diving into AI despite an uncertain regulatory environment

Job&Talent: Hacking global expansion through M&A

Aaron Tan: How AI is driving used car sales in Asia Pacific

Clearing the path for AI adoption

Thirteen countries, one culture

How to Invest in Today's Economy: Alex Clavel on AI Stack Strategy

CHRO Survey: Hybrid work statistics say it’s here to stay, and employees are in the driver’s seat

Cloudbeds: The art of <br> calculated risk

The art of <br> calculated risk

Leveling the financial playing field

COVID-19’s impact on technology

CTO Survey: AI budgets surge

Navigating toward growth

CFO Survey: Navigating toward growth

Remaking the last mile of <br> e-commerce

CFO Survey: How CFOs are navigating a changing market

Paper’s fast learning curve

Competing at the speed of AI

Scaling Enterprise AI Startups: Expert Insights

CHRO Survey: Hiring is back on the front burner — selectively

Turning IoT’s promise into reality

Eoin Hinchy: Eliminating “muck work” through workflow automation

Navigating the AI ecosystem

Gary Beasley: Finding opportunity in a cooling market

Sergio Furio: From market inefficiency to business success

Hugo de Wit: Building futuristic tools to deepen cellular understanding

Job van der Voort: The future of work is remote

CEO Survey: As economic outlook brightens, global uncertainty casts a shadow

<p>Entrepreneurial advice is both abundant and varied — everything from textbook insights and online tips to incubator programs, conference panels, business school courses, and more. Sorting through it can be a daunting task. And yet every successful founder can point to pearls of wisdom that helped them find their way. We asked the CEOs of four portfolio companies — <a target="_blank" href="/portfolio/creditas">Creditas</a>, <a target="_blank" href="/portfolio/classiq">Classiq Technologies</a>, <a target="_blank" href="/portfolio/whatfix">Whatfix</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="/portfolio/castai">Cast AI</a> — to share a piece of advice they received early on that shaped their trajectories. Their answers touch on topics like grit, identity, patience, and talent. Here’s what they told us.</p>

<h2>What’s the best advice you received as an entrepreneur?</h2><p></p><h4>Sergio Furio, Creditas: Find a way to sustain your energy and drive</h4><p>Companies don’t die because they run out of money. They die because they run out of energy. Energy is the blood of your startup. You can be running low on cash, but if everyone is pumped up, focused, and doing what they need to do, there’s a good chance you’ll get through it and emerge more resilient than ever. But the moment that, as a company, you lose your energy and your drive, you&#039;re done. Forget about how much money you have. Things are just not going to happen. </p><p>As a leader, you have a massive role to play. Besides supporting the organization in a number of technical aspects, you’re the chief cheerleader. Things are going to go up and down. And you need to remind everyone about your purpose and mission, and do it with energy and conviction. If you lose stamina, it will be hard to hide it. Everything will start being shaky. People will lose the connection to the mission and the passion for what they’re doing. </p>

<p>Two things can help a founder sustain that energy. The first is pretty obvious: <a target="_blank" href="/insights/creditas-ceo-sergio-furio-qa">Tackle a problem you are passionate about</a>. The second is more subtle. As a founder, you are pursuing a mission. But you are also building a platform for your own personal growth — the growth you get from learning something new every day. If you don&#039;t find a way of growing personally, then you better find something else to do. But if you can develop, express yourself, and improve every single day, that’s incredibly motivating. It will give you the energy and resilience that’s needed to succeed. And this is not only good for the founder — it&#039;s an inspiration for the rest of the company.</p>

<h4>Nir Minerbi, Classiq Technologies: Know your DNA</h4><p>Have a very clear sense of what type of company you are, and what business model makes sense. This advice came from a board member at our very first board meeting, and I am very grateful for it. We are a product company, obviously. But we thought that at some point it might be helpful for us to build a services team. It’s quite common in quantum computing, and it could help generate more revenue. This board member strongly advised us not to do that.</p>

<p>Why? Because the DNA of a product company is so dramatically different from the DNA of a services company. You can&#039;t play this combined game. It’s tempting for startups to pursue avenues for revenue that may look easier, especially in the short term. But if you really want to become <a target="_blank" href="/insights/classiq-ceo-nir-minerbi-interview">a long-term product leader in quantum computing</a>, or any other category, you must be product-centric and build your business and your business model around product. Focus is everything. If you&#039;re not focused as an entrepreneur, you won&#039;t succeed.</p>

<h4>Khadim Batti, Whatfix: Upgrade your talent ranks; repeat</h4><p>One of my board members told me that a startup is like a magnet: It grows in power as you scale. This is especially important to remember when it comes to recruiting talent. You always want the best people, but if you’re a startup with 20 people and $10 million in revenue, you’re a much smaller magnet than you will be in a year, when you may be twice that size. As you grow, <a target="_blank" href="/insights/whatfix-digital-adoption-platform">you’ll be able to attract more and better talent</a>.</p>

<p>That means two things. First, think about constantly upgrading your talent ranks. And second, don’t get ahead of where you are. When you are a small magnet, you may not be able to get the exact person you want. You may be looking for a VP but may have to settle for a director. But don’t hire that director-level person and call them a VP. If you scale, a year down the line you’ll be able to get that VP you wanted. And if you already put someone else at that level, it makes it harder to upgrade. </p>

<h4>Yuri Frayman, Cast AI: Marry patience and fearlessness</h4><p>Be patient. It’s not something anyone told me, but rather something that I learned <a target="_blank" href="/insights/qa-yuri-frayman-cast-ai-cloud-costs">as a seven-time founder</a>. I&#039;m probably the most impatient human being out there, and that’s not uncommon for entrepreneurs. But you have to learn how to become patient. </p><p>As a founder, you have to move fast, of course. But you don&#039;t want to rush into things. Analyze your decisions carefully. Check five times before you execute, because misguided execution can cause you a lot of grief. It can mean missing an opportunity or embarking on the wrong direction, and both are costly. I&#039;m on the board of a company where that happened — they pursued too many directions and ended up with a bunch of solutions that didn&#039;t really make sense. That put them in a really tenuous position. Think through critical decisions, do some A/B testing, and bring in your prospects to act as advisors. That&#039;s how you get a true understanding of the business problems you have to solve. </p>

<p>At the same time, you have to be fearless. If you are afraid, you will continuously make wrong decisions. Know why you’re doing what you’re doing, and be 101% committed to it. There will be hardships along the way. But nothing should take you off the road that you’re on.</p>

Explore exclusive survey data

CFO - Q2 2025

4 CEOs share tips and advice that stuck with them over the years

Terms

Privacy

Regulatory

Portfolio

Team

All Insights

Sōzō Pulse

About Sōzō

Newsletter Signup

Sōzō Insights

Work With Us

Portfolio Careers

Sustainability

Presentations

Company

Contact

<p>We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We would also like to set optional analytics cookies to help us improve our site by anonymously collecting and reporting information on how you use it. For more information on how these cookies work, please see our <a target="_blank" href="https://visionfund.com/terms#1&amp;cookie-policy">Cookie Policy</a>.</p>

Our Analysis

SoftBank Careers

English US

Lessons founders never forgot

CEOs share the words of wisdom that guided their journeys