K-Pop Startup Hunters

What a Netflix hit can teach us about Authenticity

Corny title, I know. I couldn’t help myself. But with three girls five and under, you can imagine how many times this movie (and more importantly, the soundtrack) is playing in my house.

It’s actually awesome. I’ve become a fan.

If you’re reading this and saying “what is Mike talking about?!”, you may not be alone. See below for more about the pop culture crazy that is the Netflix original movie K-Pop Demon Hunters, and check out this article for even more.

There IS actually a point I wanted to make about startups with this reference. And it’s about authenticity. If you haven’t seen the movie, the bottom line is this: K-Pop girl band saves the world from evil demons through song by accepting their authentic selves.

I’ve written about this idea of founder authenticity before, through a founder diligence lens and one about founder opportunity cost. It’s an idea that recurs. Time and again, we’ve seen authentic founders push through seemingly overwhelming odds, and inauthentic ones give up or take shortcuts when things don’t go their way. It seems to be one of the best bright line tests for whether a company will be successful in the long run.

Sorting this out can be challenging, but when you do it long enough you tend to develop a gut instinct for it.

So the moral of the story? Go listen to the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack. It will brighten your day :)