Shane Battier
Retired NBA star turned philanthropist
Discussion
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Shane Battier
@shanebattier · philanthrophy
Good Afternoon - I'm Shane Battier, angel investor and co-founder of the Battier Take Charge Foundation. I've seen the impact of smart investments and social do-good and I am thrilled to share my knowledge. I'm passionate about the art of the ask - come with your questions! Let's move!
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Ben Tossell
@bentossell · Community Lead, Product Hunt
What are your favourite questions to ask founders?
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Shane Battier
@shanebattier · philanthrophy
@bentossell I always ask founders, "Why are you asking me?" As someone who is just beginning this career, I know a handful of people see the best deals out there. Most deals that trickle down to me probably has some red flags associated with it. If a founder can convince me otherwise, I'm in. But I always start off as a skeptic and say 'prove it'
Andrew Ettinger
@andrewett · Product Marketing, Twitter (ex-PH)
As a Heat Lifer, I'm thankful for your role in 3 of my favorite seasons as a sports fan!
What do you think will be the biggest tech advancement to the game of basketball? What was the biggest you saw in your career?
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Shane Battier
@shanebattier · philanthrophy
@andrewett biggest tech advancement will come in the ability to isolate and maximize health (in a non-steroid way obviously). Quicker recovery, more load potential, longer careers, will raise the level of the athlete playing the game and we will see a level of athleticism never seen before. The advance of analytics was obviously the biggest I saw in my career. People 'knew' what won and what lost before, but now it's measurable in a way that previously impossible.
Thomas Stöcklein
@tomstocklein · FoundersFundersFuture.com
On being an angel investor:
1. What's your approach to angel investing?
2. Do you have any favorite sectors?
3. What are your top questions for founders seeking funding?
4. What are some red flags that make you pass on a potential investment?
5. What other angel investors do you admire or have you learned from when you first started out investing?
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Shane Battier
@shanebattier · philanthrophy
@tomstocklein 1. invest in what you know and like (Buffett) 2. Sports Tech is an area of interest that I know a little about 3. I always ask "Why do you want me? and how many people have rejected you before you came to me? 4. Red flags? Always look at the inventors shoes, tells a lot about a person. 5. Bill Gurley is my guy. Heck of a basketball player (a little better as an investor :)
Corey Hubbard
@corey_hubbard · Founder - DreamHighr
Hello Shane! Thanks in advance for taking our questions and I wanted to ask, how do you stay grounded?
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Shane Battier
@shanebattier · philanthrophy
@corey_hubbard You stay grounded by focusing on the 'next play' all successful people focus entirely (mentally, spiritually, emotionally) on the task at hand, whether it follows success or failure. If this is your habit, you will win.
Thomas Stöcklein
@tomstocklein · FoundersFundersFuture.com
Hey Shane,
Great to have you on ProductHunt!
Have you considered partnering with other retired NBA players and/or large corporate sponsors to increase the size, reach and endowment of the Battier Take Charge Foundation?
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Shane Battier
@shanebattier · philanthrophy
@tomstocklein as director of development, my job is to grow @shanetakecharge. There are so many wonderful causes out there, we just want to Do Well. Do Good. The challenge is to find like minded companies, individuals, and foundations that believe in our mission and want to join us on our journey. If you feel this way, we always have a seat for you on our boat.
Moksh Jawa
@mokshjawa · High School Student
Hey Shane, I've grown up watching you :) I'm a 16-year-old high schooler working to spread computer science education and have made an online course and published a book on CS, helping over 5,000 students and providing over 25,000 hours of computer science education. I was recently featured in many news outlets including CNBC (http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/19/h...) and now I need financial support to continue improving education for undeserved youth. Do you have any advice for raising money or would a foundation like the Battier Take Charge Foundation be open to supporting me? Thank you so much! :)
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Shane Battier
@shanebattier · philanthrophy
@mokshjawa my advice is to put your running shoes on and start knocking on doors. There are a multitude of people who want to help education initiatives, but there is still a layer of separation that technology does not break down. Face-to-face is still the most powerful sales trick, people want to see and feel your passion for your product and how it will transform the world.
Brent Summers
@brentsum · Founder, Code-Free Startup
What do you think about the current "advanced analytics" debate in basketball?
Ben Tossell
@bentossell · Community Lead, Product Hunt
If you could swap lives with a Tech CEO/founder for a week, who would it be and why?
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Shane Battier
@shanebattier · philanthrophy
@bentossell Elon. While I'm sure there are stresses that are otherworldly, he is dealing with issues that are, well, otherworldly...........literally!
Daniel Lee
@dleesta · Product Manager
Hey Shane, much respect for your years of lock down defense! My question is, why did you choose to play professional basketball? You were a rhodes scholar, clearly had a ton of career options to choose from, why basketball?
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Shane Battier
@shanebattier · philanthrophy
@dleesta my earliest memory was reading the USA Today where I saw the odds of becoming an nba player (they weren't likely odds), I felt in my heart that I was the 1 out of a million that could make it. That was my dream and that's what I worked towards.