Latest news with #CNBCMakeIt
CNBC
8 hours ago
- Business
- CNBC
Bosses, stop trying to flatter your workers, says leadership expert—it doesn't make them like you
Some bosses think flattering their employees is a good leadership tactic. Those bosses are wrong, says Jennifer Schielke. "Flattery is what I've seen from a lot of leaders," says Schielke, a leadership expert and CEO of Bellevue, Washington-based staffing and recruiting firm Summit Group Solutions. Bosses tend to throw excessive praise at their employees when they want everyone to like them, she says. But insincere compliments can come across as manipulative, like you have an ulterior motive. When someone is going above and beyond at work, they probably deserve some authentic praise and appreciation. But leaning on flattery too much points to "insecurity" and a lack of leadership skills, says Schielke. "I just don't see any benefit of it, truly." You probably know when a boss is giving empty compliments. Say you realize you did a poor job executing a project, but your boss tells you they were really impressed with it. Or they constantly compliment your skills, to the point where it feels disingenuous. "Leading doesn't have to be a popularity contest," says Schielke. "It's really investing in employees, being kind and addressing the hard stuff, too." Most workers do tend to like a boss who's a "people person" — someone who enjoys having genuine interactions with others, and uses soft skills like empathy, compassion and communication to create an inviting workplace culture — according to workplace culture expert Tom Gimbel. "The more authentic you are, the more people are going to connect with you and enjoy your company," Gimbel told CNBC Make It in April 2024. Schielke likes to dedicate certain days of the week to a team-building exercise, she says, like "Tell Me About Yourself Tuesdays," where employees spend minutes, or sometimes hours, discussing subjects that are important to them. Her company also has "Wacky Wednesdays," where she assigns quirky topics to her employees, who then present a workshop, training module or a simple moment of comedic relief about them, she adds. Instead of unduly flattering employees, you can make them feel valued at work simply by paying attention to their perspectives and needs, Schielke says. If your particular workplace craves hybrid work, employee resource groups or volunteer opportunities — simple policies that you have the power to grant — you'd do well to listen, she notes. These efforts are "very, very meaningful and valuable" to employees, says Schielke, no matter the business.
CNBC
14 hours ago
- Business
- CNBC
VCs use this 'power law' to decide whether to invest in startups: We want 'outsized-outcome potential'
As pitches from founders come flooding in, one investor has revealed how VCs use a historic "law" to identify the best investments. "The power law in venture capital basically means that a small number of investments generate the vast majority of returns. So essentially, one or two massive winners outweigh all other investments combined," Peter Specht, general partner at European VC firm Creandum, told CNBC Make It in an interview. He described it as "significant in decision-making for VCs." The power law originates from the work of late-19th-century Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. He noticed that 20% of the pea pods in his garden produced 80% of the peas, and applied this observation to economic conditions and wealth disparity. Specht explained that, as VCs often finance ideas that are risky and innovative, they know that some of these startups will fail. But the returns from the companies that succeed can become "massive winners," which "outweigh all other losses or smaller exits," he said. "From a return perspective, you want to really hit the outliers. We want the Spotifys, the Revoluts, the Klarnas," he said. "Outcomes at that size, or that scale, return more capital to investors and founders than five, billion-dollar exits. A $50 billion exit is way bigger than five $1 billion exits." Although the route to securing venture capital in Europe is improving, there's still some way to go, according to Atomico's State of European Tech Report 2024. In fact, the average seed round — the first official round of fundraising — in Europe was $1.4 million last year, compared to $3 million in the U.S., Atomico found. It's even harder at the growth stage, with American startups twice as likely to raise funding rounds of more than $15 million. Some 60% of respondents told Atomico in 2024 that it was harder to raise external finance compared to the previous year. Specht said one key way to convince VCs that you're building the next Spotify or Revolut is to show that your company has "outsized-outcome potential." "You need to pitch why it can become so big, why it can become a category-defining company," he said. This includes explaining how you're tackling the market and how the product can expand over time. At the seed stage, having an early product or pilot users with positive feedback can help. If you don't have the product yet, there needs to be evidence that the product is filling a gap in the market and is offering a genuine solution to customers. VCs also look for "exceptionally strong and ambitious founders," Specht said, adding that he wants to understand their motivation and drive. "One thing we obviously ... like to see is if founders have a spike in a particular area, or a skill, and shown excellence in that," he said. This could be work-related, such as having technical or leadership capabilities, or even excelling in sports or studies. Given the gap between fundraising in Europe and the U.S., Harry Stebbings, the founder of 20VC, identified a difference in the way founders pitch. American founders tend to be more bold and ambitious, Stebbings said, compared to their counterparts across the Atlantic. "I don't think Europeans are as good fundraisers [as Americans]. We need to tell better stories. We need to market ourselves better. We are too self-deprecating," he told CNBC Make It. Some founders have even been "badly" advised to include "exit slides" in their pitches, Stebbings added. "That makes me feel sick, like I'm planning my divorce when I get married." While Specht disagrees that European founders lack ambition, he thinks that startups in the region could tell better stories. "We have people and founders that dream really big and want to build massive companies," he said. "In the general culture between Europe and the U.S., I think U.S. founders and Americans are pretty good in storytelling and also pretty good salespeople." "There, we can focus on being even more bold, having an even more refined and visionary storytelling," Specht added.
Mint
2 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Indian-origin CEO, whose startup is backed by Sundar Pichai, shares ‘superpower' tip for new entrepreneurs
In a startup ecosystem driven by speed, scale, and relentless hustle, Caesar Sengupta, the Indian-origin CEO of Arta Finance, believes his biggest strength isn't another productivity tool or strategic playbook — it's stillness. Sengupta, a former Google Pay executive and co-creator of ChromeOS, co-founded the digital wealth platform Arta Finance in 2021. Backed by marquee investors including Sequoia Capital India and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the fintech firm has raised $92 million so far. Yet, Sengupta admits the transition from corporate life at Google to the unpredictable world of startups has been anything but smooth. 'There are days where you feel 100%, and there are days where you're like, 'Oh my God, what did I just do?'' Sengupta said in an interview with CNBC Make It, adding that startup life can take a toll on health, relationships, and emotional well-being. What helped Sengupta stay centred? Not a new app or workflow, but five to ten minutes of daily meditation. 'I wish three years back, somebody had sat me down and said: 'Dude… just meditate,'' he told CNBC. He now calls mindfulness his 'superpower' — a habit that gives him mental clarity amid a whirlwind of investor calls, product sprints, and high-stakes decisions. And science appears to back him up. According to a recent study by USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, even 30 days of guided mindfulness meditation can significantly improve attention span and reduce mental distractions. The study observed improved focus and reaction times across age groups, attributing the effect to changes in the brain's attention-related systems. In addition to meditation, Sengupta also uses solo cycling as a way to disconnect and recharge. 'It's one of the only times where no one can reach me,' he said. His approach signals a shift in how modern entrepreneurs view success. Instead of glorifying burnout, Sengupta is betting on inner calm as a long-term advantage. 'Ultimately,' he says, 'it's about how you confront the ups and downs of life.' As founders face increasing pressure in a volatile funding climate, Sengupta's lesson is clear: clarity, resilience, and a few moments of stillness may be just as critical as capital.
CNBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
36-year-old lives and travels in her truck full-time, spends $1,305/month: 'I'm comfortable in very small spaces'
In 2019, Ashley Kaye took a scuba diving trip to Honduras that changed the course of her life. On that trip, Kaye met someone who travels full-time, and the conversation they had helped her realize she wanted to leave her career and life in Wisconsin behind and continue traveling. "He told me he wished he had done it sooner because it's so much easier and cheaper than you think. That changed everything for me," Kaye tells CNBC Make It. "I went home and worked more and more until I quit the next year." When Kaye quit her job in 2020, she says she had about $37,000 in savings, but what she struggled with the most was not having a job to fill her time. "I didn't know how to just do nothing. The first few months were really hard and I wasn't sure if I was making the right decision," she says. "Once I got into my rhythm of traveling and growing my confidence through that experience, I've never looked back and don't have a single regret about leaving." Kaye spent the next three years traveling the world, including to South Africa. In 2022, a couple reached out to Kaye on Instagram to ask about her time there and shared their own experience overlanding in a Toyota truck with a camper. Overlanding is a form of self-reliant travel that involves adventuring to remote destinations, typically in a vehicle of some type. After doing a bit of her own research, Kaye was all-in and purchased a Toyota Tacoma truck for $42,934, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. Kaye picked up the truck in South Dakota and drove it back to Wisconsin, where she had just sold her childhood home for $320,000. In March 2023, Kaye drove to Baja California, Mexico, where she spent time arranging the necessary renovations to make the truck more livable. "My life is kind of like 'the plan is there is no plan.' Most people plan this type of adventure for years. I didn't even have a truck when I accepted the offer on my house," she says. "It was very spur of the moment, so I needed to take a pause and figure things out." She estimates she spent over $50,000 on the renovations. The costs included purchasing a camper, adding solar power, replacing the truck bed, upgrading the suspension, new tires, customizing a bumper, and installing an electric cooler. When the truck was ready, Kaye decided to journey the Pan-American highway, starting in Denver. The highway stretches from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina. "It's really an incredible way to travel because you get to set your own pace and if you find somewhere that's beautiful and peaceful you can stay as long as you want," Kaye says. "But there's pros and cons to every mode of travel and a lot of red tape and logistics crossing borders. It can be exhausting, especially when you're alone. You have to find a balance that works for you, but overall, it's definitely one of the coolest adventures of my lifetime." Kaye's time on the road is split between travel days and leisure days. On a travel day, she gets up early to break everything down and secure it all in the camper before embarking on a five- to seven-hour drive. On average, Kaye estimates that she spends $556 a month on gas and $453 a month on food. "The easiest part for me is being comfortable in very small spaces and I'm totally content. I can spend all day inside the camper and not feel suffocated or claustrophobic," Kaye says. "I'm constantly seeing so many vast spaces within nature that I'm really content." Once she reaches her destination, Kaye likes to stay for two to three nights before moving on to the next one. Since Kaye's truck doesn't have a bathroom, she uses a box toilet and a portable shower bag. "I try to organize everything in the truck and camper so that it's just the way that it's supposed to be. Powering down is the kind of goal on the second day," Kaye says. Kaye's other expenses include $96 a month for her cellphone bill and $200 a month for her Starlink internet. She's also spent upwards of $6,000 for unique experiences like a week-long scuba diving trip in the Galápagos Islands. Kaye has been living in the truck for years now, but says the most challenging part is still setting up and breaking down the camper. "Even though it is very simple, it's one of those things you have to do every time," she says. "If you are somebody who makes your bed every time, it's no problem, but if you're somebody who doesn't, it feels like a burden." While Kaye still hasn't finished journeying the Pan-American Highway, she is considering selling the truck at the beginning of next year. "Part of me wants to just get rid of it and move on and enter the next chapter of my life but then the larger part of me is like 'no, maybe just wait because I want to see some other places and just chill,'" she says. "I just want to finish my adventure. I'm not tired of living in the camper and I'm not tired of that lifestyle, but I am tired of driving." Kaye doesn't know where she'll settle if she ever sells the truck, but returning to the U.S. full-time is unlikely. If she ever does buy another house in the States, Kaye says it will be an investment and a source of income if she decides to rent it out. She's currently considering a life in the South of France, Spain or Italy. "Each one of them has their challenges. For me, it's about finding somewhere that I want to be and then I can deal with whatever the challenges and hoops are that come with that," she says.
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Jensen Huang would have ditched ‘coding' for ‘physics': Nvidia CEO urges mastering the real world for the next AI wave
Reuters Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang surprised many by saying he'd study physical sciences—not software, if he were 22 today. Speaking in Beijing, he emphasized the future of AI lies in understanding real-world physics, not just coding. During a recent visit to Beijing, Jensen Huang—CEO and co-founder of Nvidia, now the world's most valuable company—was asked a deceptively simple question by a journalist: 'If you were a 22-year-old graduate in 2025 with the same ambition, what would you focus on?' His answer didn't name AI, software, or even coding. Instead, Huang said that a younger version of himself would likely have chosen to study the physical sciences over software science. His response, as reported by CNBC Make It, may sound surprising at first. But look deeper, and it reveals where Huang believes the world—and artificial intelligence—is truly heading. Jensen Huang, who graduated from Oregon State University in electrical engineering and later completed his master's at Stanford, has built his career at the intersection of hardware and software. But his emphasis on physical sciences today isn't just nostalgic. It's strategic. 'The next wave,' Huang says, 'requires us to understand things like the laws of physics, friction, inertia, and cause and effect.' It's not just about data anymore—it's about understanding how data interacts with the real world. Huang sees this evolution as part of AI's natural journey. From the era of 'Perception AI' sparked by breakthroughs like AlexNet in 2012, to today's Generative AI, we are now entering the age of what Huang calls Reasoning AI. But looking forward, he envisions an even deeper transformation: Physical AI. This next wave of AI will require machines not only to reason and predict, but to interact with the physical world in meaningful ways. 'Physical reasoning,' Huang explains, involves abilities like object permanence, force prediction, and situational awareness—skills that are foundational to fields like physics, mechanics, and materials science. And when this reasoning AI is embedded into real-world machines, it becomes robotics—the future of work, industry, and human-technology collaboration. Huang's remarks come at a time when other tech leaders are also returning to foundational sciences. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov recently advised students to master mathematics as the ultimate problem-solving tool, while Elon Musk chimed in with his own recommendation: 'Physics (with math).' The conversation between Durov and Musk—two of tech's most influential figures—went viral not just for the names involved, but for the clarity of their shared message: real intelligence isn't just about flashy tech; it's about clear, logical thinking rooted in hard sciences. Now, with Jensen Huang adding his voice to that chorus, the message is unmistakable. The world's most successful innovators are urging the next generation to dig deeper—not just into apps and algorithms, but into the physical laws that govern our world.
