"Given that the UK had been part of a single market which allowed for enormous freedom of movement, its access to all that talent in Europe is now in jeopardy."
I don't think UK Govt will jeopardise access to talent with unprogressive immigration reform. UK tech startups need not worry on this front. And just look at USA as an example. Despite VISA issues for foreigners, Silicon Valley still thrives and still has reasonable access to a global pool of talent.
More people need to read Nick Bostrom's Superintelligence book. I'm not involved in computer science academic circles but I wonder how seriously everyone else takes this topic?
Let's also not forget that there's a bunch of rewiring that goes on in the brain when someone becomes addicted to drugs, gambling, alcohol, or whatever it is. 'Unwiring' that change is really difficult and can take a very long time.
So I think the key takeaway from the article is this: addiction is not just about the chemical hook, there's a social angle that's generally underestimated. But doesn't mean we should forget about the (1) chemical hook and (2) neurological changes that happen when someone becomes addicted.
I really like the point on sales. So many people look down on sales, or think it's some sort of dirty word, but I have a lot of admiration and respect for sales people. They don't seem to get enough kudos in the tech world. But they have really thick skin and their persistence can pay great dividends.
Thanks for sharing and highlighting the runway point. Follow-on funding shouldn't be an after thought once sh*t hits the fan. It should be baked into forecasts/plans from the get-go, if it's something that will be needed either for growth, or as a margin of safety.
Bootcamps sometimes get a bad rap and there's a general feeling that everyone's jumping onto the bandwagon but as a recent full stack graduate of Bloc, I am not surprised at all that they've been able to raise this kind of money. It's a great platform!
The mentoring angle certainly adds a lot of value when you are learning something new and it can also be motivating since there's accountability (I had sessions with my mentor twice a week!)
Hopefully they expand a little more internationally but that said, I am based in Birmingham, UK and I had no issues scheduling sessions with my mentor in another country.
I like the idea of it. In fact, as an ex-musician myself i have a few ideas of building something using the Soundcloud API. More work definitely needs to be done in the 'music discovery' space and I am glad you've done something with it :)