Smart People Should Build Things: How to Restore Our Culture of Achievement, Build a Path for Entrepreneurs, and Create New Jobs in America

by Andrew Yang

Another consistent thread we saw among applicants was an archetype I’ll call “the planner.” An essay would say something like, “First I’m going to do Venture for America. Then I’m going to get my JD and MBA so I understand law and business. After that I’m going to do something international so I understand globalization. And then I will start an international business or go into economic development.” In a way, all of the ambition and desire for self-development was admirable. But you got a sense that they didn’t really know what they wanted to do and had come up with a string of abstractions and badges to fill the void (while also seeking a credential for each step). On the opposite end of the spectrum were people who had already been working on businesses and were looking to Venture for America for a helpful framework and mentorship. They had concrete ideas of the business they’d want to start. They had experienced enough of the million micro-steps that are required in building something that they understood what they were getting into. They were people who, if they didn’t know how to do something, were smart and determined enough to sit down and figure it out on their own. They had demonstrated some grit and action orientation, not just accomplishment. Some were going to hustle their way to a startup with or without Venture for America. We were looking for people who would be commercially valuable from day one—they could sell, acquire customers, engineer and improve a p...