Ben Horowitz explains why he looks for courage in the startup founders he invests in

“Does the founder have the courage to build the company?… Aristotle said courage is the first virtue, and it’s really important in leadership. Integrity, honesty, and so forth - everybody has them in certain situations. But that’s not the question. The question is if it’s going to cost you your company, do you have your integrity? If it’s going to cost you your job, are you honest? If it’s going to completely embarrass you in front of everybody, do you have it then? The only way you have it then is if you have courage.”

Ben continues:

“Courage ends up being the foundation for a lot of what we need in an entrepreneur. I always say you need two things. You need great intelligence and great courage. And I always found as an entrepreneur my courage was tested far more than my intelligence. And I think that’s pretty universal.”

Full video: Kevin Rose “Foundation 23 // Ben Horowitz“ (Nov 2012)

P.S. We’ve put together a YouTube playlist with every Ben Horowitz insight we’ve ever shared. You can watch it here: "Best startup advice from Ben Horowitz"