Builders & Doers Moneyball Venture, Real Outcomes: A 90% Startup Survival Rate - Adam Coughlin | 43
In this conversation, Adam Coughlin (Co-founder of York IE) breaks down why the “soft” stuff (storytelling, empathy, presence, and clear communication) is quickly becoming the hard advantage in company-building. We unpack how a journalism mindset helps founders translate complexity, why being present is the emerging superpower in the AI era, and York IE’s pragmatic model that pairs investing with an execution layer that takes real work off founders’ plates.
Discover
🟣 Why modern communication fails, and the simple “get in their shoes” fix that makes it land
🟣 The 3 value levers behind almost every product or service: save time, reduce risk, make money
🟣 How to build culture across a global team, and why remote work debates are really about outcomes
🟣 Why founders burn out trying to do 10 things at once, and how to prioritize without regret
🟣 York IE’s operator-first approach: investing plus execution support that removes bottlenecks
🟣 The “singles, not grand slams” strategy for building optionality and manufacturing liquidity
🟣 What a 90% startup survival rate actually means, and the practical choices behind it
Connect with Adam
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcoughlin/
The Searchlight is a weekly briefing on leadership, venture, and building in the age of AI. Every Friday. https://thesearchlight.com/subscribe
Timestamps
00:00 - Intro
01:03 - Journalism to entrepreneurship, and the “storytelling” skill that transfers everywhere
02:28 - Intentional communication and why you lose control once you hit send
04:40 - Gatekeepers vs personal brands, and why the individual is the new institution
08:35 - Conviction, iteration, and making the best decision with imperfect data
09:33 - Building culture across a global team and remote work as outcomes, not process
13:14 - The 3 value levers and the fundamentals humans share across cultures
23:37 - Phones, AI, parenting, and “presence” as the differentiator
27:20 - What investors really bet on, people and markets
31:15 - York IE’s advisory model: taking execution off founders’ plates
32:23 - Singles vs home runs, and manufacturing liquidity
35:24 - Founding York IE, co-founder trust, and decision-making
37:35 - 90% survival rate and pragmatic fundraising strategy
40:23 - One book every founder should read
41:12 - Where to follow Adam