T’was the night before disruption … A startup Christmas poem
December 22, 2016 | Bobby Burch

With inspiration from Clement Clarke Moore’s classic A Visit from St. Nicholas, Startland News wanted to take a creative crack at wishing our readers a merry Christmas and happy holidays. Hope you enjoy 🙂
T’was the night before Christmas when all through the land,
Not a founder was sleeping, for at work they still stand.
Their laptops of silver did twinkle and gleam.
And on gizmos and gadgets they continued to dream.
Red-eyed they remained and alert in their lair
In hopes that disruption would soon be found there.
They scoured the market to find just the right fit
With the maxim “fail fast,” the duds they’d omit.
But the creators were restless with inspiration remote
More time to researching, they’d surely devote
“The investors stopped calling,” I said to my friend.
“Perhaps a bold pivot!” she replied with a grin.
Distraught and downhearted, I slunk in my chair.
“What can we concoct for the masses to care?”
And then in an instant, with speeds near gigabit,
I heard a thunderous crash like the roof had been split!
At once I turned round to my screen on the right
And before me stood Santa made of bits and of bytes.
“What here is the problem?” he chortled with glee.
“Our startup is flailing!” and he seemed to agree.
“We tried tweaking this and we shifted to that.”
I gasped in frustration, then he showed me his hat.
“Take a look at my cap — this advice you should heed.
It’s simple yet useful and fulfills a great need!
“Your pursuits are noble and aim for everyone,
But a product so broad is really tailored to none.”
Like a big bag of bricks his note arrived with a smack!
“A narrower focus will get us on the right track!”
Pixelated and plump, his cheeks rosy with cheer,
Santa whistled to summon his team of reindeer.
But I heard him exclaim when they left quite abrupt
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all who disrupt!”


2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
KC-made card game Mixtape makes a ‘soundtrack for your life’
If your life was a movie, what song would you play in the background? A fast paced techno montage? A jazzy love story? Perhaps a dreary ballad? Regardless of the tune, music is intimately connected with the special moments in life, according to Joel Johnson, who’s set out to prove that with Mixtape, a board…
Events Preview: Most Likely to Succeed Screening
There are a boatload of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter or curious Kansas Citian, we’d recommend these upcoming events for you. WEEKLY EVENT PREVIEW The Marketing Series: Brand Resiliency When: August 31 @ 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Where: Sprint Accelerator Creating a brand isn’t easy,…
Entrepreneurs to disrupt KC’s divisions with unifying banner
The Kansas City metro area is one rife with borders. Geographically, it’s cut in half by a river that runs west and east. Economically, there’s a state border that runs north and south. Racially, Kansas City is divided by Troost Ave. Collegiately, the University of Missouri spars with the University of Kansas in a rivalry whose…
Kauffman Foundation: KC makes huge ‘startup activity’ improvement
If cities could win “most-improved” awards, Kansas City would be taking home a silver medal this year — at least as far as startup growth goes. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation on Thursday released its “Startup Activity Index” for states and metros. This year, Kansas City climbed a whopping 11 places from 29 to 18,…
