Ask NFX: James Currier on When to Pivot, What to Ignore, and How to Move Faster

• Ignore macro; find your technology window instead.
  • Macro conditions irrelevant for early-stage; windows close fast.
• Pivot trap: founder attachment to original vision blocks necessary change.
  • Market signals matter more than internal conviction at this stage.
• Saying “I don’t know” to investors builds trust, not weakness.
  • Counterintuitive: uncertainty admitted > false confidence projected.
• Best teams moving back to in-person; co-location drives execution speed.
  • Remote correlates with slower iteration cycles in high-velocity environments.

James Currier, NFX (serial founder, 4x unicorn builder, GP at NFX) · 2026-01-14 · Read on nfx.com