Kirk Falconer Interview with Brightstar Capital Partners Founder

In a recent Buyouts “Off-Duty” feature, CEO & Co-Chair Andrew Weinberg shares perspectives on the experiences that shaped his career and the mindset and principles behind building Brightstar. From launching the firm and navigating the responsibility that comes with it, to his views on AI as a defining force for this generation, Andrew offers a look at both the professional and personal influences that continue to shape his approach. Swipe through for a few highlights from the conversation and read the full piece to learn what keeps him grounded outside of work, including time with family, travel, authentic Italian food, and a long-standing appreciation for 1980s films and music. More here: https://lnkd.in/esz5Ewyn

"I was probably building the company completely wrong for the first three to four years." Deon Nicholas , Co-Founder & CEO of Espa Labs , on learning your own superpowers as a founder: "Every CEO has their own superpowers and their own blind spots. Being extremely in tune with what those are is how you build a great company around yourself. Every company culture is a reflection of both the strengths and weaknesses of the CEO." "I come from a deeply technical background. When I first went to fundraise, investors kept asking, 'You're an engineer, your co-founder is an engineer — who's going to sell the product?' I weirdly internalized that a lot." "For the first couple years, I assumed we had to hire other people who could sell. Eventually I started realizing — I'm closing this deal, I'm closing that deal. My teammates are bringing me in to pitch and storytell." "The ability to connect with people, to storytell, to sell, to fundraise, to recruit — that's one of my superpowers. Knowing that teaches you where you actually need to hire."

Founders have the ideas, the instinct, the experience…but everything is still sitting with them. And that’s usually where things start to slow down. I spend a lot of time in this space; here's what I see.

New companies are starting to build in our space. I love it. Understanding what's actually moving in entertainment, in tech, and where both collide takes more than general competence. It takes specialized knowledge built over time, in the room. Since mid-April, the growth team and I have closed 5 world leaders in the industry. That's the floor, not the ceiling. While others are still figuring out what to build, the language we've been speaking and the space we've been building in for the last year and a half is becoming the norm. We've been living at that frontier. We're not reacting to the moment. We built it. A lot is uncertain. What isn't: we will outwork anyone who steps into this space. Come try to catch us.

“Those aren’t high standards. They’re just choices.” That line stopped me. In this clip, Simon Dixon breaks down why DixonBaxi has spent 24 years resisting things most studios normalize: — pitching — chasing awards — trend hopping — hiring fast — taking every client Not because they think they’re above it. Because they made deliberate choices about the kind of company they wanted to build. A lot of founders carry things that quietly drain the business… and call it commitment. But sometimes growth starts with deciding what not to do. Full conversation on The Fabulist — link in comments.

The Art of the "Unfair Advantage" Aspirational: Case Studies & Success Story Breakdowns Look at the trajectory of the most successful founders of the last decade, and you’ll see a recurring pattern: they didn't just have a good idea; they had a "narrative monopoly." Take the rise of companies like Stripe or Palantir—they didn't just sell software; they sold a philosophy of how the world should work. They transformed boring infrastructure into a cultural movement. The lesson for early-stage founders is clear: don't just build a better mousetrap. Build a story that makes the old way of catching mice look prehistoric. Success isn't just about the product-market fit; it’s about "founder-story fit." When your personal mission and your company’s output are indistinguishable, the market stops comparing you to competitors and starts treating you as a category of one.

Excited to be speaking at Accelerate Summit, an exclusive event hosted alongside Startup Grind Conference, bringing together some of the most promising startups and scaleups from around the world. Accelerate Summit is designed for founders and senior leaders building tech-enabled, scalable businesses across AI, SaaS, FinTech, HealthTech, and more—many at the critical Seed to Series A stage, focused on raising capital, acquiring customers, and forming strategic partnerships. I’ll be representing Microsoft and Lenovo and sharing perspectives in my session: “The Next Era of Scale – Hybrid AI, Agents, and the Windows Platform.” We’ll explore how founders can think about: Scaling AI responsibly across cloud and on-device environments Leveraging hybrid AI and agent-based experiences to drive differentiation Using the Windows platform as a foundation for secure, scalable innovation Looking forward to the conversations, connections, and learning from so many builders who are shaping what’s next. See you in San Fran! #AccelerateSummit #StartupGrind #Founders #HybridAI #AIStartup #Scaleups #WindowsPlatform #Microsoft #Lenovo #VentureEcosystem

Last week, Chloe Paramatti, Early Stage People Lead at EQT, hosted an intimate dinner for Chiefs of Staff from some of Europe's most exciting companies, together with Gaby Byrne at Robin Advisory. We brought this group together because it's one of the most fascinating roles in tech right now. 🧩 They hold multiple sides of a business together 🗝️ They unlock founders ⚡ They make companies actually work Shelby Rhodes, Chief of Staff at Strava, joined us to talk about how she deliberately built her path at Google and YouTube, stepping into roles that led her to become Chief of Staff first at Google, then at Strava, and how she continues to evolve the role as the company grows. Thank you to everyone who joined us, and to Gaby for co-hosting. 🧡 Jo Barrow, Arundhathi Desai, Grace Stecuła, Hannah Smith, Rhea Kumar, Shriya Anand, Ally O'Donohoe, Holly Simpson, Pierrick Cudonnec, Kelly Adam.

Spent last night at Antler’s Next-Gen event speaking with operators seriously considering the move into founding.   From my side, supporting founders on leadership hiring and team build-out, it’s always interesting to see this pre-founder stage up close.   Because this is where the foundations are quietly set.   Not just: “What problem should I solve?” 🤔💭   But: ❔Who do I trust to build with? ❔What kind of team do I actually need first? ❔What leadership gaps will I have as a first-time founder?   The fireside with Leonard Picardo (Deliveroo no.2) and Sean Mullaney (Seapoint, ex-Stripe, Algolia, Zalando, Google X) brought this into focus. And notably, the very first question in the Q&A was about talent 😅 Not product. Not fundraising. Talent. Behind every breakout company is a set of early decisions: 🔹Who you partner with 🔹Who you hire first 🔹How those people work together under pressure and navigate ambiguity   The strongest future founders in the room weren’t just thinking about ideas. They were already thinking about: 🔹people 🔹complementary skillsets 🔹and how to build a team that can move fast from day one   Kudos to Antler & True. for curating this space 🙌🏻   If you’re on that operator on the founder journey and starting to think about team and leadership, always happy to exchange perspectives.

We didn’t add a Co-Founder. We upgraded the system. Nexvva is built on one principle: 📌execution through structured systems. And to scale that, we needed someone who doesn’t just “build a brand”… 📌but engineers how perception converts into demand. That’s why Sarah Noor is joining as Co-Founder. Her focus is clear: → Positioning founders as the premium choice → Turning brand into a conversion system → Making visibility work with execution, not against it Because attention without structure is noise. And systems without positioning stay invisible. This is where both align. We’re not here to grow for the sake of growth. 📌We’re here to build controlled, Scalable systems that win. 🔥 Let’s build.