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
LISTEN: How this musician-turned-startup veteran is scaling with a Kansas assist
Startland News opens its new Plug and Play Topeka founder podcast series with a startup that’s making recovery easier — one pup at a time. Meet Medipups, a company combining canine compassion with real innovation in animal health, and its co-founder Sebastian Doyle. Recorded live at the Plug and Play Animal Health & AgTech Expo…
Kansas company beefs up natural qualities of meat, tallow with tech, not enhancements
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. WAKEENEY, Kan. — Plainview Beef is more than just a name for the western Kansas direct-to-consumer company, CEO Gabe Orr shared. It’s a nod to a mission rooted as much in…
Radar’s new pitch: How this Kansas sports tech startup spins data into speedier fastballs
When speed is the name of the game, data can be nearly as important as talent, said Jarrod Nichols, emphasizing the role his startup’s radar technology can play in helping baseball and softball athletes measure fastball performance, improve their stats, and swing for the fences. “Pitch speed has been captured since the early ’70s,” said…
Sacred sips: Alcohol-free bar on 39th Street creates healing space where ‘every drink is medicine’
Editor’s note: The following story was published by The Kansas City Defender, a nonprofit Black newsroom producing news, mutual aid and digital tools to keep Kansas City’s Black community informed and organized. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for The Kansas City Defender’s email newsletter. In a neighborhood built to keep them…
