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Davender

@coachdavender.bsky.social
72 followers 72 following 121 posts

Guiding visionary innovators to prosper in unpredictable times #momentumscaling @coachdavender Thoughts on entrepreneurship, startups, technology, scaling, economics, leadership, writing, books and politics Opinions are my own.

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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Writing my next essay on the topic "We're stuck in the Steampunk era of AI", inspired by thinkingmachines.ai/blog/the-fut...
thinkingmachines.ai
The Future Worth Building Is Human
AI built for autonomy crowds people out, making us passive observers of what’s coming. We’re building toward a different future.
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Reposted by Davender
ChrisInParis @chrisinparis.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Fewer people are posting on social media, for understandable reasons. Most sites are algorithm-focused, pushing garbage into your feed instead of what you want to see. Social media companies only have themselves to blame for this boring, toxic mess. ca.pcmag.com/social-media...
ca.pcmag.com
The Death of the Status Update: Why 55% of Americans Stopped Posting on Social Media
If scrolling feels more exhausting than entertaining, you're not alone. I feel the same way, and a recent study backs up the sentiment: Social media is losing its fun factor.
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Stories like this still hit me hard. But they also sharpen my resolve: to keep supporting the development of homegrown Canadian companies who build to stay. That work only gets more important from here. 🇨🇦🇨🇦 www.ctvnews.ca/politics/art...
ctvnews.ca
Companies ‘no longer in the wait and see mode’ as experts predict manufacturing exodus from Canada
On Monday, Toyota said it will build a new US$3.6B plant in San Antonio, Texas, and move some production of its Tacoma pickup truck out of its Mexico plant over a four-year period.
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Canada should definitely make a serious bid to host the UN Headquarters. Of course, Montreal would be an amazing choice, even if I am biased.
theglobeandmail.com
Opinion: Why Canada should make a bid to host the United Nations headquarters
The United States has lost any moral claim it had to play host to the UN’s headquarters as it withdraws from internationalism
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Vision isn’t a luxury for founders who have time for philosophy. It’s the mechanism by which you claim territory in a noisy world.
coachdavender.substack.com
Vision Isn't A Luxury
Why hiding behind your product is a losing strategy
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
It's January 1st. Most resolutions fail by February. Not because of willpower. Because people are trying to become someone new instead of recognizing who they already are. Your permission to act isn't ahead of you. It's already there, in your story. Here’s how to find it:
coachdavender.substack.com
Who Gave You Permission?
Your history holds the authority you’re looking for.
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
In 2008, Shopify's founder feared his startup would collapse. Instead, the recession became rocket fuel. Here's what most founders miss about surviving (and thriving in) a crisis. On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/when-adver... #strategy #effectuation #antifragility #momentumscaling
coachdavender.substack.com
When Adversity Becomes Opportunity
Will the next economic crisis break your startup, or make it stronger?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
When change accelerates, rigour becomes more valuable, not less. The companies that thrive through disruption aren’t the ones that cut corners fastest. They’re the ones that build operational foundations strong enough to adapt as conditions shift. coachdavender.substack.com/p/every-gene...
coachdavender.substack.com
Every Generation Thinks They Invented Urgency
Does the pace of change justify cutting corners?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
AI doesn't automate what you do. It makes your entire business model obsolete. The question isn't whether this happens. It's whether you lead the transformation or get displaced by it. coachdavender.substack.com/p/why-you-ne...
coachdavender.substack.com
Why You Need to Bet Against Yourself To Win The Future
How do you evolve your business model when AI makes it obsolete?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Founders fixate on runway, or how long before the money runs out. But burn rates accelerate as you scale. Instead, think "hurdle rate". Stop trying to extend your runway and start figuring out what it takes to actually take off. coachdavender.substack.com/p/the-runway...
coachdavender.substack.com
The Runway Trap: Why Breaking Even Isn't Enough
What if your "successful" business is actually costing you a fortune?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
What gets you to your first million in revenue won’t get you to ten, and what drives growth to ten won’t engineer profitability at fifty. Your business model must evolve, or it will quietly sabotage everything you’re trying to scale. Today's Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/how-your-b...
coachdavender.substack.com
How Your Business Model Canvas Evolves As You Scale
Are you trying to navigate to tomorrow's business with yesterday's map?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
@kyla.bsky.social 's piece on America's "casino economy", where the house keeps changing rules mid-game, should make you question whether the institutional foundations for cross-border business are still solid. Right now, I'd say they're not. Gift Link: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | It Is Trump’s Casino Economy Now. You’ll Probably Lose.
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
What will you do when the AI bubble pops? Because it will... coachdavender.substack.com/p/ais-subsid... #strategy #momentumscaling
coachdavender.substack.com
The Subsidy Trap
What will you do when AI's hype balloon pops?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
How many untested assumptions are costing you deals right now? Most sales strategies are expensive guesswork dressed up as plans. Build a go-to-market engine that gets smarter with every test. Stop guessing. Start testing. coachdavender.substack.com/p/stop-guess...
coachdavender.substack.com
Stop Hacking And Start Testing: Applying the Experimental Method to Sales
How many untested assumptions are sabotaging your go-to-market processes?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
What are your constraints telling you? On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/your-const... #momentumscaling #growth #strategy #startups
Momentum Scaling operates through three strategic principles. The first, managing uncertainty, teaches you to thrive in unpredictable environments. The third, maximizing execution, transforms operational capability into competitive advantage.

But the second principle, leveraging constraints, is where most successful founders discover their scaling breakthroughs.
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 04/10/2025
In 2017, I spent three weeks in Buenos Aires learning about the local startup scene. What struck me is how a once-prosperous country squandered its wealth and power. I felt I was seeing the USA 20 years or so in the future. Today, that "20 years" is probably 5 years away. medium.com/@umairh/what...
medium.com
What Collapse Destroys, or How the Wealth of Nations (and People) Dies
Hi! How’s everyone?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Imagine if the country next to where you live created a “Department of War”, and just instructed all of their generals and admirals: "We're going to go on offence, not just on defence. Maximum lethality, not tepid legality. Violent effect, not politically correct." Now consider how Canadians feel
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
On my Substack this morning: coachdavender.substack.com/p/the-empath...
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Are you building the perfect product for a market that might not exist tomorrow? Your biggest disruptor isn't your business model—it's the world itself. My latest Substack:
coachdavender.substack.com
Of Black Swans and Grey Rhinos
How can you scale your venture when the rules keep changing?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
What if the money you raise is actually working against you? I got a $30K loan for my new startup, felt validated, bought dream equipment... then discovered nobody wanted what I was selling. Read the rest of the story on my Substack:
coachdavender.substack.com
Between The Dream And The Dollar
What if the money you raise is actually working against you?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
If your growth strategy depends on AI tools that are currently priced below their true cost, what happens when the subsidy phase ends, and prices adjust to reality? My latest Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/ais-subsid...
coachdavender.substack.com
The Subsidy Trap
What will you do when AI's hype balloon pops?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
As you conduct your market research, are you seeking insight or just reassurance? My latest Substack: open.substack.com/pub/coachdav...
open.substack.com
The True Goal of Market Research Is Surprise
Are you seeking insight or just reassurance?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
"Quebecers who claim English as their first language still total more than a million. Not an insignificant community. When we forget their contributions, we betray Canada’s identity and historical conscience. And we turn Quebec’s history into fiction." www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
thestar.com
Quebec without anglophones? That’d be like a poutine without cheese curds
For almost 300 years, English-speaking Quebecers have been a nation-building force for both province and country.
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Why qualified leads don’t convert: It’s not your pitch or product. Successful conversion needs three conditions to align: Right Time (urgency), Right Place (budget/authority), Right Fit (matches their success criteria). Don’t blame yourself. Diagnose what’s missing.
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
Building influence isn’t about better storytelling—it’s about better follow-through. When your actions consistently outpace your story, trust compounds. Real influence grows through underpromising and overdelivering, not hype. #momentumscaling
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
What if startup success isn't about moving faster, but building smarter? Startups don't die from lack of product-market fit. They die from fragility: one shock can end everything. Reserve some resources to strengthen your core. Survivors don't grow fastest. They grow strongest. #momentumscaling
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Just signed off from my writing group check-in and learned two concepts: - Writers are “porous” = highly receptive to our environment, where we draw our inspiration; - “being in limerence with my first draft” = obsessed / thinking about it morning, noon and night… yes this is me! #booksky #writing
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
This week's excerpt from my book draft explores the unpredictable nature of reality and how it interferes with your sparkling pitch deck. On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/excerpt-re... #momentumscaling #uncertainty #risk #strategy
coachdavender.substack.com
Excerpt: Reality Is Unpredictable
How many unforeseen events have blindsided you that never appeared in your original projections?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Are you dancing with the tension between risk, reward, and effort, or getting trapped by it? open.substack.com/pub/coachdav...
open.substack.com
Thot: The Power of Strategic Imbalance
Are you dancing with the tension between risk, reward, and effort, or getting trapped by it?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
A deeper dive into the difficult topic of sunk costs. This Substack is also a sneak peek into my book draft. On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/the-high-p...
coachdavender.substack.com
The High Price of Sunk Costs
If you keep chasing a promise that never arrives, at what point does persistence become stubbornness?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
When projects aren't creating results, persistence can become stubbornness. Sunk costs multiply—adding interest, lost time, missed opportunities. Investors only care what you do next, not what you spent. Ask 'Is this still worth it?' not 'How much have I spent?' Be your own most demanding investor.
Sunk costs compound quickly — be clear-eyed and cut your losses before they cut your momentum. @coachdavender #momentumscaling
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
"Goodbye to the age of consumer websites and mobile apps. A.I. has ushered in an era of what insiders in the (U.S.) nation’s innovation capital call 'hard tech'” NYTimes (Gift Link): www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/t...
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
Successful entrepreneurs are arbitrage hunters—they spot market inefficiencies others ignore. Instead of chasing fancy tech, they find real pain points: manual processes, outdated spreadsheets, clunky software. Build solutions for actual problems, not tech for tech's sake. #momentumscaling
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
Real scaling looks like a staircase, not a hockey stick. Growth happens in 3 horizons: Credibility ($0-3M), Capability ($5-10M), Cashflow ($20M+). Each takes 3-4 years with preparation, growth, and consolidation phases. Ditch the tired unicorn-or-bust narrative. Scale at a disciplined, human pace.
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
What happens when what you don’t know about what you don’t know catches up with you? This is the “Invalidation Horizon” -- the moment when what was true yesterday is no longer true today. On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/the-invali... #strategy #validation #uncertainty #momentumscaling
coachdavender.substack.com
The Invalidation Horizon
What happens when what you don’t know about what you don’t know catches up with you?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Nine out of ten startups are *expected* to fail, with the financial cost falling most heavily on the founders themselves. betakit.com/are-canadian...
betakit.com
Are Canadian founders getting a raw deal? | BetaKit
Plus: The pressure to adopt AI has created a “Wild West” for corporate cybersecurity.
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Analysis paralysis kills more ventures than bad decisions. Use the H.A.R.D. (hypotheses-assumptions-risks-dependencies) framework to control your decision process, readiness for execution, and response speed, and feel more empowered in the process. coachdavender.substack.com/p/thot-dont-...
coachdavender.substack.com
Thot: Don't overthink it
It isn't H.A.R.D.
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Even uncertainty is evolving. Exit VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous). Enter BANI = Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear and Incomprehensible. More than ever, the ability to manage uncertainty is a vital leadership skill. www.forbes.com/sites/kevink...
forbes.com
Forget VUCA: Why BANI Is The New Framework For Today's World
Explore why VUCA is outdated and how BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible) offers a more accurate lens for understanding today’s unpredictable world.
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Startup-corporate partnerships fail more from unmet expectations than bad tech. Success needs: internal champions with real authority, clear decision timelines, risk-appropriate projects, and starting small to build trust before scaling. coachdavender.substack.com/p/thot-succe...
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
Every early hire is massive opportunity + existential risk. Ask: Do you need capability or capacity? Can they pay for themselves in 60-90 days? Build your hiring playbook before pressure hits. Your first hires define your DNA.
coachdavender.substack.com
Thot: To Hire Or Not
How can you hire with confidence?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
What I'm reading on this 4th of July... 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 #notthe51ststate
Ebook cover of Ultimatum by Richard Rohmer
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
When you integrate AI into your product, be aware that you are creating a “single point of failure” dependency. What is your backup if the model you choose is updated to the point where it is no longer reliable, especially where you have highly tuned the model for a specific purpose?
scientificamerican.com
Yes, AI Models Can Get Worse over Time
More training and more data can have unintended consequences for machine-learning models such as GPT-4
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Ventures don't fail due to lack of ideas or funding—they fail because of weak Leadership Capital. To scale, focus on building the foundation, systems, and skills to execute. It’s your most controllable lever because no one but yourself can provide it.
coachdavender.substack.com
Thot: Invest in your Leadership Capital
How healthy is your ability to execute?
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
The economics of software deployment and scaling change fundamentally with AI, to the extent that you need to rethink your pricing strategy, or you risk scaling yourself to bankruptcy. Thanks @chevan.info chevan.substack.com/p/from-saas-...
chevan.substack.com
From SaaS to COGSware: Why the AI cognition economy changes everything about software margins
Back at the turn of the century, when I was a product manager at Lucent Technologies building xDSL models (does anyone remember what those were?), my favorite part of the job was sitting at the inters...
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
Too many founders mistake traction for momentum. Traction proves people want what you’re building. Momentum is your ability to deliver it reliably at scale. Build systems where today’s growth makes tomorrow’s growth easier. 🚀 #momentumscaling
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Don't compete with giants—find the Edges they ignore. Incumbents have resources & distribution, but startups have agility. Look for underserved niches too small for big players to care about. Own the Edge—that's where the future gets made. 📈
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
A SWOT analysis can create false confidence by listing predictable threats or opportunities. However, predictions hold little value in an unpredictable world. Analysis only provides the illusion of control. The most valuable opportunities lie beyond what you think you know. #momentumscaling
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
What decision are you putting off? Analysis paralysis kills more ventures than bad decisions. Understand uncertainty by mapping your hypotheses, assumptions, risks, and dependencies. Control only those things that you can. Build confidence through action, not perfection. #momentumscaling #leadership
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
What I'm reading just as I hear that today (21 Jun) could be a "fateful" day... www.amazon.ca/Bomber-Mafia...
amazon.ca
The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War: Gladwell, Malcolm: 9780316296618: Books - Amazon.ca
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Davender @coachdavender.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Google & Microsoft are missing the mark with their aggressive #AI integration. They second-guess my workflow, inserting AI where unwanted, like a modern Clippy. Don't push email rewrites or doc summaries. Give me smarter search & a simple AI toggle instead. www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/21/1...
technologyreview.com
By putting AI into everything, Google wants to make it invisible
Its annual I/O showcase demonstrates that the frontier is no longer about AI models’ capabilities. It’s about turning them into slick products.
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