Omar Tawakol, Founder of Voicea: Don't be Distracted by Unicorns

Omar Tawakol is a serial entrepreneur whose latest company, Voicea, was acquired by Cisco in 2019. On today’s episode, Jon Sakoda speaks with Omar Tawakol about his journey to becoming a three-time founder and his advice to new founders caught up in the noise of the industry. Find The Creativity in Every Step of Iteration [01:48-03:19]  - To Omar, being a founder means creating value to bring to the world. While founders can lose this sentiment throughout the process of building a product, listen to hear how Omar infuses creativity in every step of the product market journey.Stay in The Game by Fostering Your Passion [12:44-13:24] - Omar has been in the game for decades and knows a thing or two about staying resilient through the startup journey. Learn about why Omar believes passion is the key to going the full distance as a serial founder.Architect a Team You Can Evolve With [13:02-13:30] - As a serial entrepreneur, Omar has built many teams that have carried their products through multiple iterations. It is impossible to be a successful founder without a team that fills the gap in your expertise. Listen to hear how hiring team members with the same love and persistence for your domain will carry you to the finish line.Surround Yourself With Experts [15:28-16:06] - While it’s important to have a vested interest in your domain, it is impossible to know it all as a first-time founder. Omar believes that even with deep knowledge of your domain, it is in a founder’s best interest to hire experts who can steer you in the right direction.Follow Jon Sakoda https://twitter.com/jonsakodaFollow Omar Tawakol https://twitter.com/otawakolFollow Decibel https://twitter.com/DecibelVC