Startup Culture...

I've known Ben for a long time and among all of his quirks one of the many things I love about him is that he is not a hype man. He is a very measured person and I can rely on him to challenge me (and often I ask). He's also worked for himself for a long time and reminds me that everything will be fine.

Over the years he's moved around in the Brisbane's startup scene, and connected to various groups in that scene. One of them is Inductive , an accelerator with a continuous intake that connects startups to capital. To be clear, in my mind, we are not actively looking for capital - we are bootstrapping (note: on a recent DHH interview with Lex Fridman, his number one piece of advice was "don't accept other people's money.")

I've been to one of these lunches now and there's meetings every week. Even during that lunch networking with people I could feel the "hype". It's hard for me to describe my feelings on this, but it relates to the distain; I check myself here because that's an unfair and close-minded assessment. A lot of that is rooted in not wishing to associate with the cliche stereotype, like the one Mike Judge does such a good job of writing about for a show like Silicon Valley.

A lot of noise is always being made but very little results. Something I avoid like the plague.

So- I don't always bounce off of Ben to try and crystalise these thoughts (because he would get sick of me VERY quickly). This IS something ChatGPT is useful for - a soundboard. And soundboard I did (which really led to this post).

I asked...

We're now part of this group, which i still see as an opportunity, but I need some help "getting over" elements of this startup culture that might be preventing me from being more open minded. I wouldn't mind some help crystalising how I feel into a better description.

We bounced back and forth, like an actual chat, then in classic ChatGPT fashion it was like "here, I've taken the liberty of summarising this into something you can share on LinkedIn."

...I didn't ask you mate but okay.

I’ve always struggled with certain aspects of startup culture—not because I’m against innovation or ambition, but because I’ve seen how easily those ideals get distorted into something performative. There’s a pattern I can’t unsee: spending on optics and hype before foundations are laid, chasing visibility over viability.

It’s not that I don’t understand the appeal. Energy is contagious. Hype draws people in. But when I walk into rooms buzzing with “pre-product” confidence and head-nods about investor decks, I can’t help but think: Where’s the real work? Where’s the traction?

Ben and I want something else. Something that scales because it works—not because it looks good on IG or plays well in pitch theatre. We want credibility that comes from solving real problems and being known for results, not noise.

That’s why joining a group like Inductive is a strange experience for me. I see the potential—there are thoughtful operators here, and the structure clearly benefits some ventures. But I still feel like I’m speaking a different dialect. It’s like being in a band of great musicians, but half the room thinks the gig starts when you print the posters—not when you rehearse.

So maybe this is where I need to stretch. Maybe I can be in these rooms without compromising what I value. Maybe I can filter the noise, stay open, and quietly build something that works—then let the results speak.

A couple things to unpack.

Look at this. Just look at it! Far out. Let me segue for a moment to just highlight this fucking perfect example of how banal content is becoming. GenAI has a voice and it's this! A very recognisable style. Everyone knows about the emdashes, but there are loads of other patterns I see all the time now. The sing-song-y-ness of it. Even whole sentence parts like "I can't help but think" and how about "IT'S NOT THAT, BUT IT'S THIS". Maybe short sentence. Maybe another short sentence. Boom-impact.

Maybe it means more people are able to articulate themselves more clearly and we're getting to learn things we wouldn't normally learn from those people. It does make me sad though. With just a little more time and effort, those same people could exercise that muscle and cultivate a unique and interesting voice of their own. Don't deprive us of that variety in this ever increasing derivative hellscape.

Lastly, and to my point ...fuck it nailed it though.

CJLM