Welcome back to the Sunstone Way!
The time for talking is almost over – Division 1 Football kicks off this Saturday. Fight on!
My beloved USC Trojans are ranked either No. 14 or No. 15 in the preseason polls, depending on what story you read. But I dug a little deeper, and found out the pundits are projecting the team to finish a dismal eighth in the Big 10. That might have something to do with the top three teams in the nation – defending national champion Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon – all playing in the Big 10 as well. USC plays all three of those teams this season, along with perennial power Penn State.
But all those stories and prognostications fall by the wayside when the whistle blows and the game begins. It’s performance on the field that matters!
Changing Landscape
As anyone who follows the sport knows, college football is a far different thing than it was just five years ago. Athletes now can earn money for their name, image and likeness (NIL), and can transfer easily from one university to another.
Colleges across the country scrambled to be the most attractive possible – usually through alumni willing to put up big bucks to “sponsor” players. At the same time, a seismic shift of universities moving to different conferences in order to make the most money possible from television contracts, etc., reshaped that landscape as well.
The Pac-12, once the prestigious conference where USC played, now has only eight football-playing members. USC (as well as UCLA, Oregon and others) have become part of the Big 10 – once a middle-of-America conference that now has 18 members stretching from Pennsylvania to LA.
But no matter what conference title a school is seeking, the games are what will determine the outcome. You have to win to win, if you know what I mean.
Business Parallels
I’ve always seen sports as a metaphor for life, particularly life in business. It takes plenty of preparation, you have to have talent, progress is essential, and resources are necessary.
That last necessity – resources – translates to investment in our world. And attracting investment means plenty of talk.
Founders come up with an idea and, often with help from university programs or accelerators, a plan to turn the idea into a business. Then it takes talk – a pitch – to convince someone to support the plan with enough money to make a prototype, figure out if there is a market for the product or service, and the rest.
Lots of folks can talk the talk. But we believe only the winners can walk the walk once the game begins.
Providing Support
In football, only 11 players can be on the field at any one time. But the team’s success depends on support from many more people – teammates, coaches, trainers, equipment managers, even cheerleaders.
It takes the same sort of support in the startup world of innovation and entrepreneurship. Here at Sunstone, we do our best to provide that support both directly and indirectly. We connect entrepreneurs with talent, partners, and investors. We support the universities and accelerators that coach and train.
That support doesn’t stop once the players take the field, either. The Sunstone Venture & Innovation Center is designed specifically to help founders take the next steps on their path to success.
Play Every Game
All of the preparation, all of the support, stands on the sidelines once the game begins. Sure, there can be some help (calling plays, offering insights), but the result ultimately depends on the players.
That’s true of our founders, too. We can train, we can provide resources, we can cheer them on (Fight On!), but they are the ones that make it happen.
When they win, it’s a triumph. When they lose, it’s time to regroup and try again. We are there beside them, just like the Trojan Nation is there.
Because that’s the Sunstone Way!
Remember, always be a Sunstone.
John Keisler
CEO & Managing Partner
Sunstone
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Sunstone Investment Group, headquartered in Southern California, is the holding company for the Sunstone family of entities, including: Sunstone Investment Management Services, responsible for administrative services; Sunstone Advisors, an SEC-registered investment adviser, which oversees Sunstone Venture Partners LLC, a private capital fund manager; Sunstone Cities, a government economic development consulting firm; and Sunstone Community Fund, a charitable organization that supports entrepreneurship. Sunstone is dedicated to enriching lives through investment, entrepreneurship, and community.
The information and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the Sunstone Investment Group and are provided for informational purposes only. This content is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, a solicitation, or an offer to buy or sell any security or financial product. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice and should not be relied upon as the basis for any investment decision. Readers are encouraged to consult with their own legal, tax, and financial advisers before making any investment decisions.
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