Generational businesses are built by entrepreneurs who endure. How do you teach resilience and resourcefulness to help entrepreneurs outlast their competitors?
Suffiyan Malik is the Vice President of Programs and Growth at Draper University (DraperU), a private, for-profit university located in San Mateo, California. He is also an investor at DraperU Ventures, a pre-seed fund based in Silicon Valley that focuses on investing in early-stage entrepreneurs and startups that come through the DraperU programs. With his extensive experience in pre-seed investing, he works to educate the next generation of resilient startup founders while advocating for American innovation and pushing the frontiers of technology.
A Mission to Scale Every Kind of Business
Suffiyan began his career in education by leading programs for a $1 million student entrepreneurship prize that focused on solving critical global challenges. This experience showed him the value of investing in students and their future achievements, something he knew he could push for at DraperU.
While at DraperU, Suffiyan has mentored over 3,000 entrepreneurs and overseen the growth of Draper University's startup alums from 1,200 to over 4,000, a 233% increase in four years. His mission is to pay it forward, advocating for technical progress and optimism in his life and work. He preaches the importance of building relationships before you need them, why podcasts are a new medium for business development, and that everybody has an audience. The programs he designs at DraperU have been created around four pillars to help early-stage entrepreneurs build enduring businesses, equipping them for the future.
1) The "Enduring Founder Framework"
Suffiyan introduced the "Enduring Founder Framework" into DraperU programs, emphasizing that building a generational company requires remarkable resilience. His thesis is that these enduring companies often succeed simply by outlasting and outmaneuvering the competition. To achieve this, founders must become "enduring founders"—individuals who persevere through challenges and adapt to obstacles.
This framework supports Draper University's mission to equip founders with the skills needed to face the hurdles of entrepreneurship and, in turn, develop the next generation of leaders.
2) Building Communities
Suffiyan is an avid promoter for every founder who wants to build their own community. He lives and breathes this mantra through his own community-building efforts. He has created a strong network of hardware tech enthusiasts and organized events that have attracted over 6,000 technologists. Attendees have included a diverse mix of professionals, from employees at Fortune 100 companies and VC-backed startup founders to engineers, operators, and venture capitalists.
He also organized the Building Atoms Summit, which featured notable speakers like David Friedberg, host of the All-In Podcast and CEO of Ohalo Genetics; astrophysicist Professor Alex Filippenko; and Trevor Martin, founder and CEO of Mammoth Bio.
3) Engineering "Startup Mafias"
Silicon Valley has been shaped by 3–4 generations of "Startup Mafias." Suffiyan is a strong advocate for creating these "mafias" because they have the greatest impact on growing the global startup ecosystem. These "mafias" are networks of entrepreneurs, often alumni of successful startups, who continue to support each other's growth and success even after leaving the original company.
"Startup mafias are networks of driven, intelligent individuals who want to change the world. By building your own network, you're essentially creating your own mafia. Your network has the potential to scale in ways you can't imagine. A colleague today could become an investor in your next venture, and an advisor could later become an employee." Because of this, Suffiyan brings in mentors to teach founders how to network and communicate effectively.
4) "Flintstoning Growth"
At DraperU, Suffiyan teaches founders the concept of "Flintstoning growth" (inspired by Andrew Chen's Cold Start Problem). This approach involves using simple, unconventional methods to build momentum in a startup, especially when developing a product and customer base. It requires the team to be resourceful and get the job done, even if that means doing things manually in ways that don't scale. Draper University encourages students to drive growth by using their own creativity and resourcefulness rather than relying on external resources for traction.
"Technical ability is key," Suffiyan explains. "Storytelling is just as important. Making communication your superpower is the most fundamental skill an early-stage entrepreneur must develop. The power law doesn't just apply to investing; it applies to everything."
Pre-Seed Investing: Lessons from Suffiyan's Experience
Suffiyan also shares his insights on pre-seed investing with DraperU founders, offering real-world lessons they can apply to their own startups. Understanding what investors look for can help founders better position their businesses.
The first two key factors in pre-seed investing are the founding team and early traction. Suffiyan believes the founding team is the most crucial element for a startup's long-term success. "A business fails the moment the founding team quits. Does this team have what it takes to build this business for 8+ years?" He also stresses the importance of early traction. Pre-seed investments depend on understanding a business's potential, so evaluating initial traction is essential.
Next, Suffiyan assesses the target market, which provides insight into a startup's scalability. If the market doesn't have space for the product or isn't ready for it, the investment isn't viable. The final key ingredient is evaluating the intersection of market opportunity and technological innovation to determine the startup's potential for success.
Creating Startup Leaders
Ultimately, Suffiyan's work fosters resilient leadership in startups, helping Draper University equip new founders for success in their ventures. It's about living a life that compounds knowledge, growth, and focusing on the bigger picture—success will come as a byproduct.
This is the resiliency that Suffiyan Malik's mentorship imparts at Draper University, shaping successful and collaborative founders across a wide variety of industries.
