Artificial intelligence is shaping the future faster than ever before. From voice assistants like Siri and Alexa to recommendation systems on YouTube and Netflix, AI has already become part of everyday life. As technology continues evolving, one question many parents are asking is: When should students start learning AI? The answer may surprise man...
In a powerful commencement address at Carnegie Mellon University, Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO of NVIDIA, declared that today’s students are entering “the beginning of the AI revolution.” His message was clear: the future belongs to those who can adapt, innovate, build responsibly, and work alongside AI technologies. This vision aligns closely wit...
Do high school internships help Ivy League admissions? The answer is yes, but only when done strategically. Today, top universities don’t just look for perfect grades. They want students who show initiative, real-world experience, and a clear sense of direction. This is why high school internships for college applications are becoming increasingly ...
When students search for paid internship vs unpaid internship, the discussion often revolves around one factor. Compensation. But for high school students preparing for competitive college admissions and future leadership paths, the better question is this: What kind of internship builds depth, distinction, and direction? The difference is not simp...
Recognizing Youth Leadership & Innovation During PVSA Pause At iStart Valley, we believe that service is not just about hours - it is about impact. For years, iStart Valley has proudly nominated deserving interns and youth leaders for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA), administered by AmeriCorps. This prestigious national recognit...
High school internships in the USA are fast becoming one of the most effective ways to gain real-world experience before college. Unlike traditional summer courses, these internships allow students to work on real business problems, collaborate with startups, and develop leadership, innovation, and critical thinking skills that colleges and employe...
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education plays a critical role in preparing students for the modern workforce. As the United States continues to lead innovation across industries such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, aerospace, and data science, demand for strong STEM foundations has never been higher. The top ST...
Admission to Harvard University and Ivy League schools has become increasingly competitive. Top universities now seek students who demonstrate academic excellence, original research, leadership, and real‑world impact, not just strong test scores. Over the past three consecutive years, students from the iStart Valley internship and STEM programs hav...
Startup Snapshot, a think tank uncovering the unspoken realities of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, has released its latest report, The Untold Toll (Part 2): Navigating Stress, Wellbeing, and Burnout in Startup Teams. The emotional and mental state of startup teams has emerged as one of the most overlooked drivers of company performance. Startup Sna...
Dec 09, 2025 Category Books My partner Seth Levine has an important new book out today titled Capital Evolution: The New American Economy. I saw it last night at the Boulder Bookstore in the New Hardback Non-Fiction section (bottom left in the photo below) and am going to the launch event at Composition Shop in Longmont. Join us, say hello, and buy...
Skip to content Back to Blog Google seems a little confused. It was even confused about my age the other day, but at least it has that right now. It was a little confused on December 1st. I mean, c’mon Google. Use all those chips you have to get it right!
Three weeks ago, I tested something that completely changed how I think about organic traffic. I opened ChatGPT and asked a simple question: "What's the best course on building SaaS with WordPress?" The answer that appeared stopped me cold. My course showed up as the first result, recommended directly by the AI with specific reasons why it was valu...
My father Stan and I in our default states. lsof -ti:3000 | xargs kill -9 2>/dev/null; npm run dev I’ve been wandering up to 60 for a while. During my extreme-extroversion around Give First: The Power of Mentorship I described myself as “almost 60” a bunch of times just to try it on. It feels comfortable. Several people responded with “60 is the...
Give First is now available to pre-order in Audiobook format (it will be officially released on 12/2/26). I’m the reader, so if you are an audiobook person, you’ll have to listen to me for a few hours. It was fun doing the recording (I’ve done the audio recording for two other books – Venture Deals (Jason and I alternated chapters) and Startup Life...
I’ve been a long-time Cory Doctorow fan. His new book Enshitification is delicious. Yup – I understand that a shit emoji doesn’t inspire deliciousness. Now that I’m back in hibernation (and figuring out what it actually means), I’m reading and writing a lot. I’ll probably blog some (a little, a lot, who knows) while in hibernation because I work ou...
I love to read. I love everything about books. LLMs will not replace good writing anytime soon, although they have mastered the art of slop. Oh, and I love communities of people who love writing and reading. Authors & Innovators is a free, community-based event happening on October 30th in Newton, MA, for entrepreneurs, students, CEOs, venture ...
I recently joined Dan Caruso on The Bear Roars podcast, and our conversation brought one thing into focus: we’re living through a shift that’s not just changing what we build—it’s changing how we learn, lead, and collaborate. We talked about AI, quantum computing, and robotics, but what we kept coming back to was access. How do we make sure every ...
While “vibe coding” was a catchy phrase when I first heard it, something about it felt like a head fake to me. And, now that I’ve leveled up to “competent individual software developer” again (after 33 years of not writing any code) I think it’s the wrong phrase. Instead, I’d refer to what’s going on as AI Pair Programming. When I started playing a...
Skip to content Back to Blog Oct 01, 2025 Category Events I’m not aware if there has ever been a book launch associated with a Yom Kippur Break Fast, but we are going to have one as part of the launch of Sue Heilbronner’s excellent new book, Never Ask for the Sale: Supercharge Your Business with the Power of Passionate Ambivalence. It’ll start at 6...
Reid Hoffman’s new book Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future is spectacular and a must-read for every non-technologist about how to think about this “AI thing.” If you want the short version, the recent AI & I podcast with Reid is an excellent way to get a feel for it. Reid describes his approach as “smart risk taking” r...
