#10 Part 1: Startup Playbook Silicon Valley Doesn’t Want You to Know

May 7

Most founders follow advice that sets them up to fail.

In this episode of Divot, we sit down with one of the most influential minds in startup history — Steve Blank.

Before reshaping modern entrepreneurship, Steve co-founded E.piphany, a CRM company that went public in 1999 and soared to an $8 billion valuation. After multiple startups and hard-won lessons, he created the startup playbook that changed how companies are built — from customer discovery to the Lean Startup.

Steve’s teachings are used at Stanford, Columbia, and Berkeley, adopted by Y Combinator, and taught in U.S. national security programs through his Hacking for Defense initiative. He’s helped thousands of founders avoid failure and build with truth instead of hype.

This conversation is a masterclass in resilience, innovation, and clarity for any builder, founder, or operator.

Follow Steve – X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/sgblank
Follow Derek – X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen

Timestamps:
6:30: After 21 years of doing startups, deciding what was next
10:39: What makes startup founders different
14:11: “Adventure Capital” and how the entrepreneurial ecosystem has evolved
18:43: Origin of the Lean Startup method and why it changed everything
22:33: Why customer discovery is key to startup success
29:34: How to choose what kind of startup to build
32:45: Failure is the greatest teacher a founder can have
35:29: Hubris and other company killers
37:42: Why showing up more than most people counts for a lot
39:17: Entrepreneurship is not a job. It’s a calling
44:38: How AI is changing everything about how startups are built
46:56: Making a dent in the universe with Lean LaunchPad, I-Corps, Hacking for Defense
50:21: The three pillars of Lean and how they work together to drive entrepreneurial success
52:58: Why smart founders don’t outsource customer discovery

Episode Partner:

Salesforce
No matter your team size or industry, Salesforce Starter Suite is your scalable CRM solution for growth.
https://www.salesforce.com/form/signup/freetrial-salesforce-starter/?d=701ed000007ZTPhAAO

Follow Divot:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Divotpod
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/divotdotorg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divotdotorg
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divot.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divotdotorg/

#SteveBlank #LeanStartup #E.piphany #StartupAdvice #CustomerDiscovery #Entrepreneurship #DivotPodcast #StartupFailure