Over the last 30 years Howard Love has founded 15 companies and invested in over 50 early stage startups. His new book "The Startup J Curve" organizes his experience into the 6 phases startups go through as they grow. Howard also is the Founder & CEO of LoveToKnow, a digital publishing firm with over 30 million monthly visitors. With Coal Magnates and Aviators as his ancestors, entrepreneurship has been in Howard's bloodline for generations. In this episode, Kevin speaks to Howard about what he has learned from sitting on both sides of the table, both as a founder and an investor. We also discuss the 6 phases all startups go through according to Howard's new book The Startup J Curve. We also hear about the value of getting a formal education versus learning directly from the real world and much more: + Growing up in a family that encourages and breeds entrepreneurial spirit. + Dropping out of college to get real world experience. + Being resourceful in the startup space. + The grit it takes to get your company off the ground. + The knowledge and insight gained from writing a book. + Advancing the dialogue of startup culture through understanding of the J-curve. + The phases of a company: create, release, morph, model, scale, and harvest. Ambition Today Question of the Day™: "When you think about the younger version of yourself, how do you reconcile where you are now, and where you thought you would be?" Having built a portfolio of over 100 early stage technology companies, Kevin Siskar is a highly ambitious investor with a vision for a futuristic tomorrow. He is the Managing Director of the Founder Institute New York, host of the Ambition Today podcast, Venture Partner with Outbound Ventures and a co-founder of the NYC Innovation Collective. He is married to his wonderful wife, Colleen, who is a licensed Art Therapist, Teacher, and Fashion blogger at https://www.colorsofcolleen.com