Summit Guide for Investors

Startup Cairns helps investors navigate the venture landscape.

Like cairns marking a mountain path, these insights help startups achieve their summits

More insights for investors

The Power Law: Energizing Returns on Chance in Innovation and Investing

The Power Law reminds us to think bigger. People systematically misperceive long tail risk, which creates opportunity for those who manage uncertainty well. We discuss five strategies to identify and exploit long tail opportunity.

The Checklist Manifesto: Three Best Practices to Improve Venture Capital Performance

Many private equity firms rely on checklists to reinforce best practices. Venture firms earn returns on startup anomalies, yet checklists still help reduce costly oversights.

Cultivating Cohesive Startup Boards to Thrive in Crucible Moments

Building a strong, trusting startup board helps companies navigate tough times and avoid destructive conflicts.

Impact Investing: Socially Responsible Investing Reimagined

Impact Investing, long a province of development finance institutions, has moved mainstream. My framework shows how venture philanthropy is more scalable and sustainable, though more ambiguous, than grant funding.

Crucible Moments: Surviving and Thriving in a Downturn

Having invested through five downturns, Paul Asel discusses how CEOs can lead effectively and startups can survive and thrive through crises.

Founder Fit: Insight Driven Entrepreneurship

Founder Fit should focus on insights, acumen and mindset rather than experience. We offer here a Founder Fit framework and guide how to use it.

Founder Fit: Experience vs. Insight

Insight beats experience for identifying disruptive startup founders.

Product Market Fit: Six Principles That Drive Startup Success

Six practices that accelerate product market fit.

Building an Effective Board

Tips for CEOs on assembling a small, balanced, and effective Board to guide startups through tough decisions.

Startup Cairns Mission

Startup Cairns helps startups reach their summits. Cairns are landmarks that guide climbers' ascents — frameworks and mental models from two decades at NGP Capital to help entrepreneurs navigate steep, treacherous terrain.