My old lab partner said we should focus on non-invasive EEG for our senior project, but I pushed for an implanted array. Three years later, his startup just got FDA approval and mine is still stuck in animal trials.

3 comments

3 Comments

A buddy of mine had a similar thing happen with a food truck idea. He wanted this crazy custom-built truck with a built-in smoker, but his partner just wanted to start with a used van and a simple grill. They split up over it. The van guy was selling burritos within a month and now has three trucks. My friend spent two years just trying to get his custom oven to work right. Sometimes getting to market fast beats having the perfect tech.

alex52423d ago

Totally agree with your buddy's story. I've seen this so many times with people starting small businesses. That first version just needs to work and make some money, it doesn't need to be your dream setup. You can always upgrade later once you know people actually want what you're selling. Getting stuck on the perfect idea before you even start is a huge trap. Momentum is way more important than a fancy custom build at the beginning.

jesse_cooper1d ago

That's one way to look at it, but the market doesn't always reward the fastest solution. Sometimes the harder path is the one that builds a real moat. Your lab partner got a quick win with consumer-grade gear, but implanted arrays are a totally different ballgame with much higher barriers to entry. Once you finally get your device through the trials, you'll have something that actually changes the field while his product might already be obsolete or commoditized.