Ask HN: How do you deal with depression being kicked out of your startup

3 points by dantetwc 8 years ago | 1 comment

Hi HN,

I have confounded a startup seven years ago when I was still a student at the university. I joined Startup Weekend and met my cofounder there. Fortunately, we have won the pitch and the global startup battle. When we were forming the company, other two co-founders agree that I can work as part-time tech lead until I graduated from university. However, things changed when we are trying to raise series A. They played tricks to remove me from the director board at first, then forced me to sell my share to them at ridiculously cheap price (3k USD for shares that value around 100k USD) by giving me two choices: either sell my shares to them or they will liquidate the company. At last, I sold my shares to them at a very cheap price and I feel angry and regret after this. It is because I am the one who took the idea from shitty prototype to production ready product. A few years later, I still got the same feeling when I come across the company. They erased me from the history of the company, for example, they are the only cofounders who found the company. Therefore, I wonder how do you guys deal with the depression like this?

WheelsAtLarge 8 years ago |

The best revenge is success. My advice to you is to laser focus on a new venture. It can be a new startup or working your way up in a big company.

At this point what's passed is passed, there's nothing to be done to change it. But you can focus on the present and future. There you have the ability to make a difference.

So be a greater success than what you had been at the old startup. Learn from your experience and move forward.

Take an honest inventory of your skills, find someone that compliments them an move forward. You gain nothing by dwelling on the past. Force yourself to move forward, so start. Good Luck.