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27 - From Founder to Investor: Lessons on Startup Survival and the ‘Three Dimensions of Pain
Episode 279th October 2025 • Innovator Insights • Innovator Insights
00:00:00 00:46:16

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Andrew Ackerman has seen startups from every angle, as a founder and investor.

In this episode of Innovator Insights, Andrew joins Henrik Johansson to share the frameworks, stories, and lessons that shape successful founders, and the painful truths behind those who fail.

 

You’ll hear:

🔗 Why startups are like chains, not ropes, and how one weak link can break everything

📉 The “three dimensions of pain” every product must solve to be fundable

🧠 Why storytelling sticks better than advice when mentoring founders

💵 How to validate assumptions with nothing but a spreadsheet and $100 in Facebook ads

📚 The journey behind his new book The Entrepreneur’s Odyssey, and how he turned years of startup lessons into a story that teaches better than a manual ever could

 

A must-listen for entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone looking to understand what really makes or breaks a startup.

 

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, Pandora, YouTube, Audible, and iHeartRadio.

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