Rebellions (and Companies) Are Built On Hope
By: Sonny Mayugba
Tags: Founders, Venture Capital, Spero Ventures, Startup, Founder Resources

Rebellions (and Companies) Are Built On Hope

Star Wars IV: A New Hope

I’ve been a Star Wars fan since seeing the first release in theaters, so basically my whole life. It was Episode IV, called A New Hope. The movie’s plot mirrors something startup founders face every day. It goes like this: Outmanned, out-weaponed, and out-sized, the Rebellion looks to have no chance of prevailing over the much larger and more established evil empire. All hope seems lost. But one brave action and a refusal to give in keeps the dream alive. Princess Leia, a leader of the Rebellion, hides information in a droid, and that risky move sets off a series of events that ultimately results in the Rebellion overcoming the evil empire. The startup wins and good triumphs over evil.

Today, we need more believers who start rebellions built on hope. What I mean by that is, we need founders who create great companies that make the world just plain better.

Rebellions aren’t the only thing built on hope. Companies are, too.

When you have the founder flash, you ask, “Why is it done this way? What if we did it this new way?” The very act of starting a company or creating a new way of doing things is an act of rebellion. And every great founder starts with an idea. And if the seed of the idea takes hold, they build a team and make a product. And it takes hope and hard work to make it happen. And when it does, it’s magical. And no founder walks alone: the people surrounding them matter deeply.

The people at Spero Ventures are true to their mission of betting on founders who are working to make the world a better place. They support founders who are innovating to improve the planet, so all of us can live better lives. Spero supports those hopeful rebels, and that’s why I’m proud to join the mission as entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR).

Jyn Erso, the Rogue One, and founders, keeping the dream alive

Translated, Spero is Latin for hope. Nothing could be more fitting. The amazing leadership and team know this firsthand. Silicon Valley has long been a place where rebels and misfits changed the world. Steve Jobs celebrated this in the now infamous 1997 manifesto, saying, “Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently.”

What could be more rebellious than that?

Spero leads the rebellion by investing in the things that make life worth living. Once I understood the focus of Spero, I realized I wanted to join.

I love working with founders and helping them solve problems. I love analyzing new companies and seeing the dream of where the founder could take it. And through it all, I’m at a stage where I want to share all I’ve learned through my journey of winning, losing, and going from napkin to Nasdaq and beyond. At Spero Ventures, I’ll be doing these things and more.

If you’re a founder and you’re reading this, at times, hope is all we’ve got. I’ve known those days and nights throughout my entire founder life. And it’s hard to carry on when hope feels like all that is left. But know this — every great founder has been right where you are. Stay hopeful. Keep doing the work. You’ll get there.

In many ways, our world is in crisis and we need a rebellion to fix what is broken. If you are one of us, join the rebellion and let’s build the things that make life worth living. Let’s change the world.

The rebellion needs you and if you’re doing great things, I’d like to learn about it. Let’s connect. Reach out to me: sonny@spero.vc