Will Ahmed

This is the thing I'm going to do. a lot of people I respected, like they were all kind of telling me like, this is a bad idea, dude. Like you should not do this. And, and then of course you go try to raise capital and investors tell, you know, and you try to hire people and they tell, you know, and, and, um, and I, you know, looking back on it, I think there was good reason for that.

This is the thing I'm going to do. a lot of people I respected, like they were all kind of telling me like, this is a bad idea, dude. Like you should not do this. And, and then of course you go try to raise capital and investors tell, you know, and you try to hire people and they tell, you know, and, and, um, and I, you know, looking back on it, I think there was good reason for that.

Like I was a kid, I was starting something that is big in engineering and medicine and computer science and math and, um, You know, I'm not an engineer or a computer scientist or a doctor or a mathematician. And like, and so there's just, and I was super young and naive. And so like, I understand why I faced all that rejection, but it still was very painful.

Like I was a kid, I was starting something that is big in engineering and medicine and computer science and math and, um, You know, I'm not an engineer or a computer scientist or a doctor or a mathematician. And like, and so there's just, and I was super young and naive. And so like, I understand why I faced all that rejection, but it still was very painful.

Like I was a kid, I was starting something that is big in engineering and medicine and computer science and math and, um, You know, I'm not an engineer or a computer scientist or a doctor or a mathematician. And like, and so there's just, and I was super young and naive. And so like, I understand why I faced all that rejection, but it still was very painful.

And, and then that's where the conviction piece wavers, like your commitment and your conviction wavers. I stayed very committed to the idea, again, because I believed it was going to exist in the world. And I had deep conviction around that. But my self-belief, that's what wavered. Because when you get told no enough times, you're kind of like, well, either they're all crazy or I'm crazy.

And, and then that's where the conviction piece wavers, like your commitment and your conviction wavers. I stayed very committed to the idea, again, because I believed it was going to exist in the world. And I had deep conviction around that. But my self-belief, that's what wavered. Because when you get told no enough times, you're kind of like, well, either they're all crazy or I'm crazy.

And, and then that's where the conviction piece wavers, like your commitment and your conviction wavers. I stayed very committed to the idea, again, because I believed it was going to exist in the world. And I had deep conviction around that. But my self-belief, that's what wavered. Because when you get told no enough times, you're kind of like, well, either they're all crazy or I'm crazy.

And at some point, you're looking at numbers like 50 to 1, 100 to 1. You're like, well, okay. Yeah.

And at some point, you're looking at numbers like 50 to 1, 100 to 1. You're like, well, okay. Yeah.

And at some point, you're looking at numbers like 50 to 1, 100 to 1. You're like, well, okay. Yeah.

I just hadn't proven enough at that point in time to make it more obvious or to make it a more acceptable idea. And that was both in the form of the idea and the maturation around the idea and the capability of the tech as much as it was also – sitting there like a future CEO and entrepreneur. Dude, you're 23.

I just hadn't proven enough at that point in time to make it more obvious or to make it a more acceptable idea. And that was both in the form of the idea and the maturation around the idea and the capability of the tech as much as it was also – sitting there like a future CEO and entrepreneur. Dude, you're 23.

I just hadn't proven enough at that point in time to make it more obvious or to make it a more acceptable idea. And that was both in the form of the idea and the maturation around the idea and the capability of the tech as much as it was also – sitting there like a future CEO and entrepreneur. Dude, you're 23.

Yeah. And I didn't have great answers to the competition either. That was the sort of other variable in building the business that was quite complicated. It was just... Any sensible person was going to ask the 22-year-old or the 25-year-old, like, well, how are you going to beat Nike? How are you going to beat Apple?

Yeah. And I didn't have great answers to the competition either. That was the sort of other variable in building the business that was quite complicated. It was just... Any sensible person was going to ask the 22-year-old or the 25-year-old, like, well, how are you going to beat Nike? How are you going to beat Apple?

Yeah. And I didn't have great answers to the competition either. That was the sort of other variable in building the business that was quite complicated. It was just... Any sensible person was going to ask the 22-year-old or the 25-year-old, like, well, how are you going to beat Nike? How are you going to beat Apple?

How are you going to beat Adidas and Under Armour and Microsoft and all these sort of big gargantuan companies? So that probably played a role in an appropriate level of skepticism.

How are you going to beat Adidas and Under Armour and Microsoft and all these sort of big gargantuan companies? So that probably played a role in an appropriate level of skepticism.

How are you going to beat Adidas and Under Armour and Microsoft and all these sort of big gargantuan companies? So that probably played a role in an appropriate level of skepticism.