Serial Entrepreneur Chris Lynch Talks to Sci-Tech Students

AtScale CEO and Executive Chairman, Chris Lynch opened up with IE School of Science and Technology Dean Ikhlaq Sidhu and Sci-Tech students on How to Build Successful Tech Companies.

“What it [entrepreneurship] represents to me  isn’t money and material things, it represents freedom,” he said. “It’s about doing work. It’s about believing in something bigger than yourself, and knowing that it takes a team to do that.”

Federico Castanedo, Academic Director for the Bachelor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence moderated the conversation between the two experts who talked about the pillars of successful entrepreneurship and innovation.

Sidhu, formerly the Founding Director of UC Berkeley’s Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, emphasized the importance of starting of the narrative when convincing others to help in an entrepreneurial project. 

“I learned to start with a story. So many times, you want to build something, create something, and you’re such in a rush to go make a prototype, write some code,” he told the attendees. “But learning to develop that story, you know, three sentences, five slides of a story that you make – the reason it’s so important is because that’s how you get other people to help you.”

Sidhu said working in a start up offers variety and stimulation.

“You get a lot of experience and knowledge from working in ventures as opposed to working in a large company where you’re too focused on one thing,” he said.

Lynch, serial entrepreneur himself, made a point that failure is a prerequisite for companies’ success.

“What’s more important is that behind those five successes and bunch of investment successes, every single one of those companies failed, multiple times before ultimately succeeding,” he said.

He distinguished between having a great idea and knowing how to execute it, emphasizing that success is about the latter.

“If it’s a great idea, other people have it, so I wouldn’t get paranoid about that. I can tell you, it’s going to be about the execution of the idea,” he pointed out.

Lynch highlighted diversity and chemistry as the key ingredients for a successful team. 

He also explained what archetype he looks for when employing new people, stressing that being nice is just as important as certain technical skills.

“We look for people that are nice. I don’t care if you play the violin with your feet, or if you graduate in the top of your class. If you’re a dysfunctional person, if you’re an egomaniac, if you’re a narcissist, I want you working for my competitors,” he said. “Those skills are super important in my mind as important as your technical ones.”

Ayah El Barq, a student in the Bachelor of Data and Business Analytics said the talk pushed her to step outside her comfort zone.

“I learned about the importance of putting yourself out there and being a people’s person, as Lynch expresses the importance of it,” she shared.

Lynch ended the conversation underscoring both discipline and focus in any life pursuit.

“I think any pursuit that requires discipline, requires focus, is a worthy endeavor,” Lynch said.