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Andreessen: Graduating students should prioritize team quality over market or product

Marc Andreessen · a16z Podcast | Startups and Pendulum Swings Through Ideas, Time, Fame, and Money · Jan 2, 2019 · at 2:51

Marc Andreessen advises Stanford engineering students on how to choose startups to join or found upon graduation.

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“In terms of where, if you're here as a student, or if you're going to be graduating, my personal recommendation would be to focus much more on team. And the reason is just because I think we struggle from a distance to evaluate market, and we also actually struggle to evaluate product. But if you can get yourself in business with really good people, I think, number one, like, if it works, it's great, because those are really good people to be in business with, and they can, they, with you can build something great. But even if it doesn't work, even if it's the wrong market or the wrong product, you'll still learn so much working with the right people, and you'll build such a valuable network for whatever you do next.”

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