--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In their infancy, startups need geniuses…" description: "\"In their infancy, startups need geniuses who fit their current tight-knit culture and will iterate quickly as they push towards an ambitious vision - a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/880/joe-lonsdale-6699_ambitious_in-their-infancy-startups-need-geniuses_3215839.jpg" --- # In their infancy, startups need geniuses who fit their… ![“In their infancy, startups need geniuses who fit their current tight-knit culture and will iterate quickly as they push towards an ambitious vision - and they need a scaffolding of advisors, strategists, early users, and product-thinkers around these savants to guide them.” quote by Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/880/joe-lonsdale-6699_ambitious_in-their-infancy-startups-need-geniuses_3215839.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/880/joe-lonsdale-6699_ambitious_in-their-infancy-startups-need-geniuses_3215839.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/880/joe-lonsdale-6699_ambitious_in-their-infancy-startups-need-geniuses_3215839.jpg) > “In their infancy, startups need geniuses who fit their current tight-knit culture and will iterate quickly as they push towards an ambitious vision - and they need a scaffolding of advisors, strategists, early users, and product-thinkers around these savants to guide them.” [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Startups need brilliant early hires who match the close culture and rapid iteration, plus a supportive network of advisors and early users to steer them. **In simple terms:** Early hires need cultural fit and fast iteration, plus mentors and users. Key Takeaway Build a strong core team and supportive ecosystem. Themes team building culture mentorship growth vision Mood optimistic strategic Type advice strategic When to use this quote - founding team recruitment - advisor onboarding - early user feedback - product iteration - scaling strategy Key Concepts human capital network effects strategic scaffolding Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance cultural fit with diversity of thought? - What structures prevent dependency on a single advisor? A Different Perspective Risk of over‑reliance on a few key individuals can create bottlenecks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early/) [Entrepreneurship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurship/) [Infancy Startups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infancy-startups-6026618/) [Need Geniuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-geniuses-6026619/) [Startups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startups/) [Startups Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startups-need-1180677/) [Thinkers Savants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinkers-savants-6026620/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) ## Related quotes > [World-changing startups need to be premised on accurate contrarian theories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/world-changing-startups-need-to-be-premised-on-accurate-contrarian/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [North Carolina is already home to many notable blockchain and FinTech startups, and we need to do all we can to keep our state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-robinson/north-carolina-is-already-home-to-many-notable-blockchain-and-fintech/) [Mark Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-robinson/) > [You need to put the fear of risk aside. Startups need leaders who are willing to persevere through the hard times. Failure is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-huh/you-need-to-put-the-fear-of-risk-aside-startups-need-leaders-who-are/) [Ben Huh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-huh/) > [I have seen a lot of now-great companies at their earliest stages, and these early-stage startups are not built by the senior people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/i-have-seen-a-lot-of-now-great-companies-at-their-earliest-stages-and/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [A recipe I've seen work in early-stage startups is a small tight-knit group of passionate people who are obsessed with their vision of how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/a-recipe-i-ve-seen-work-in-early-stage-startups-is-a-small-tight-knit/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [“Chase the needs, and you are halfway to entrepreneurship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jagadish-varadharajan/chase-the-needs-and-you-are-halfway-to-entrepreneurship/) [Jagadish Varadharajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jagadish-varadharajan/) > [It's hard to tell with these Internet startups if they're really interested in building companies or if they're just interested in the money. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/it-s-hard-to-tell-with-these-internet-startups-if-they-re-really/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“Zen is not some fancy, special art of living. Our teaching is just to live, always in reality, in its exact sense. To make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/zen-is-not-some-fancy-special-art-of-living-our-teaching-is-just-to/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [My attitude is there are at least hundreds of interesting startups that are going to get going in every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/my-attitude-is-there-are-at-least-hundreds-of-interesting-startups/) [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) > [The thing that kills startups at some level, is the founders giving up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/the-thing-that-kills-startups-at-some-level-is-the-founders-giving-up/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [Cool innovation might happen in startups, but they often lack the resources or the deep expertise in the problems they want to address.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/cool-innovation-might-happen-in-startups-but-they-often-lack-the/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [One thing I tell startups all the time is that the best way to grow is to make their product better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/one-thing-i-tell-startups-all-the-time-is-that-the-best-way-to-grow/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [“Amidst all the hype and hoopla around this business, I wanted to emphasize the challenge—it is seductive but the failure rate is very high.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahendra-ramsinghani/amidst-all-the-hype-and-hoopla-around-this-business-i-wanted-to/) [Mahendra Ramsinghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahendra-ramsinghani/) > [“A lot of the machines that Google is built on—commodity is the polite word for them—they're regular PCs and so they're not always the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/a-lot-of-the-machines-that-google-is-built-on-commodity-is-the-polite/) [Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/) > [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/) [Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/) ## More by Joe Lonsdale > [I am not by any means a philosopher, although I have worked with some talented people in the discipline. But certain philosophical concepts deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/i-am-not-by-any-means-a-philosopher-although-i-have-worked-with-some/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [America faces a mounting transportation crisis, and the primary culprit is road congestion. Traffic makes us unhealthy, wastes enormous amounts of time, and cripples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/america-faces-a-mounting-transportation-crisis-and-the-primary/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [Savvy, competitive investors able to build, buy, and fix companies will continue to stimulate growth by allowing us to do more with less -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/savvy-competitive-investors-able-to-build-buy-and-fix-companies-will/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [I believe we live in a positive sum world and wealth isn't just taken or moved around; it's mostly created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/i-believe-we-live-in-a-positive-sum-world-and-wealth-isn-t-just-taken/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [Great leaders inspire incredible loyalty in their followers and subordinates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/great-leaders-inspire-incredible-loyalty-in-their-followers-and/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [There's no substitute for experiencing ups and downs - seeing how it's okay that things are overwhelming or broken sometimes and how companies recover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/there-s-no-substitute-for-experiencing-ups-and-downs-seeing-how-it-s/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [Entrepreneurship is, in large part, about building something from nothing, which means creating a cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/entrepreneurship-is-in-large-part-about-building-something-from/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [Engineering talent is the most precious resource for any technology company - Palantir and Addepar are successful first and foremost because of their top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/engineering-talent-is-the-most-precious-resource-for-any-technology/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [Palantir owes much of its success to the amazing talent of the first 30-40 technologists who joined the company, as well as to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/palantir-owes-much-of-its-success-to-the-amazing-talent-of-the-first/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [The inability of middle-class people to receive loans in developing countries has had a stifling effect on economic growth and prosperity around the globe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/the-inability-of-middle-class-people-to-receive-loans-in-developing/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [My experiences building Palantir and running Addepar made me aware of serious problems with government and inspired me to build a non-profit to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/my-experiences-building-palantir-and-running-addepar-made-me-aware-of/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [Being able to access that Stanford alumni network was huge - I actually interned at PayPal while I was at Stanford and learned a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/being-able-to-access-that-stanford-alumni-network-was-huge-i-actually/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [CEOs shouldn't worry about their budget all the time - on a day-to-day basis, they should work on managing their company, building an awesome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/ceos-shouldn-t-worry-about-their-budget-all-the-time-on-a-day-to-day/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [What would I advise an aspiring young entrepreneur? Certainly I'd say read the works of great entrepreneurs and investors like Ben Horowitz, Peter Thiel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/what-would-i-advise-an-aspiring-young-entrepreneur-certainly-i-d-say/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [Engineering is the art of managing scarcity - it's easy to design and build a massive bridge that will last forever if cost is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/engineering-is-the-art-of-managing-scarcity-it-s-easy-to-design-and/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) [Explore all 98 Joe Lonsdale quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) ## More Ambitious quotes > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [I want my squad to be confident, ambitious. They have to believe in big things and we have to set targets internally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-howe/i-want-my-squad-to-be-confident-ambitious-they-have-to-believe-in-big/) [Eddie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-howe/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [“Getting rich is easy, staying rich is impressive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-trip/getting-rich-is-easy-staying-rich-is-impressive/) [Don Trip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-trip/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Business is always a struggle. There are always obstacles and competitors. There is never an open road, except the wide road that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kirubi/business-is-always-a-struggle-there-are-always-obstacles-and/) [Chris Kirubi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kirubi/) > [I am ambitious to do more than what has been offered me. I want to be the best in whatever career I choose and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uday-chopra/i-am-ambitious-to-do-more-than-what-has-been-offered-me-i-want-to-be/) [Uday Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uday-chopra/) > [There are four varieties in society — the lovers, the ambitious, observers, and fools. The fools are the happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippolyte-taine/there-are-four-varieties-in-society-the-lovers-the-ambitious/) [Hippolyte Taine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippolyte-taine/) > [People who are ambitious - politicians who crave power - think that they're in control of it, but at some point, the movement that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/people-who-are-ambitious-politicians-who-crave-power-think-that-they/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [I'm not ambitious. Not a bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-m-not-ambitious-not-a-bit/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct. Men are continually applauded for being ambitious and powerful and successful, but women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-violate-unwritten-rules-about/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I understood early on that I was not the best-looking girl in the room. But I knew my advantage was a hard work ethic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-connor/i-understood-early-on-that-i-was-not-the-best-looking-girl-in-the/) [Erin O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-connor/) > [It is ordained that to the ambitious, who derive no satisfaction from the gifts of life and the beauty of the world, life shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/it-is-ordained-that-to-the-ambitious-who-derive-no-satisfaction-from/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [If Reagan and John Paul II were linked by anything, it was a grand, ambitious, and generous idea of Western political civilization, one in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/if-reagan-and-john-paul-ii-were-linked-by-anything-it-was-a-grand/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [To talk only about national security, national defense, means to be selfish, ambitious. It is discrimination, isolation. "It is just me. What do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/to-talk-only-about-national-security-national-defense-means-to-be/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) [Browse all 1,269 Ambitious quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In their infancy, startups need geniuses who fit their current tight-knit culture and will iterate quickly as they push towards an ambitious vision - and they need a scaffolding of advisors, strategists, early users, and product-thinkers around these savants to guide them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joe Lonsdale" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/in-their-infancy-startups-need-geniuses-who-fit-their-current-tight/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ambitious" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/in-their-infancy-startups-need-geniuses-who-fit-their-current-tight/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/880/joe-lonsdale-6699_ambitious_in-their-infancy-startups-need-geniuses_3215839.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/880/joe-lonsdale-6699_ambitious_in-their-infancy-startups-need-geniuses_3215839.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/880/joe-lonsdale-6699_ambitious_in-their-infancy-startups-need-geniuses_3215839.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In their infancy, startups need geniuses who fit their current tight-knit culture and will iterate quickly…” — Joe Lonsdale", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joe Lonsdale", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In their infancy, startups need geniuses...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/in-their-infancy-startups-need-geniuses-who-fit-their-current-tight/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/in-their-infancy-startups-need-geniuses-who-fit-their-current-tight/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```