Over the summer we sat down with Adeo Ressi, the CEO of the Founder Institute, a startup accelerator program that operates in nearly 200 cities worldwide. Throughout his time as a founder, Adeo has pioneered innovations in the protection of founder rights, the raising of early-stage capital and the scaling of new businesses. Previous to the Founder Institute, Adeo has helped to create nearly $2 billion in shareholder value by founding or running nine businesses, including TheFunded, Game Trust, Xceed and Total New York. Adeo previously served on the Board of the X Prize Foundation to pursue his interests in space exploration and techniques to motivate human achievement. Throughout this episode it is clear that Adeo is passionate about mentoring Founders, space exploration, inspiring people to achieve their greatness, and more which includes: + The personality traits of the best founders + How The Funded improved transparency in the VC industry + The role fluid intelligence plays in entrepreneurs + How Adeo helped 2,700 plus founders grow through the Founder Institute + Managing your investors and protecting your equity + How to build startup ecosystems + Why maintaining focus and avoiding distractions is mission critical + How do you give meaning to your life's work Ambition Today Question of the Day™: "What is the end game? Where do you see Founder Institute and all your life’s work going?" Quote Of The Episode: "There are a lot of shiny things in the sand, that look very appealing to you and may be a cause for you to think about pivoting or adjusting the business model. I can tell you that most of the shiny things in the sand are not diamonds, they are knives waiting to kill you. You have to be very, very, very diligent to remain focused on your core mission"