[ad_1]
Colin Kaepernick, the former NFL quarterback and civil rights activist, took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 on Wednesday to talk about the challenges faced by people who want to disrupt something — inside and outside of the tech world.
“One of the biggest challenges you’re likely to face when you’re trying to disrupt something — or you’re trying to do something that you’re passionate about, and you end up disrupting something in the process — is that you encounter a lot of resistance,” Kaepernick said. . “There are going to be tough times, and during those times, you want to have those people that you can count on, people that can support you, and that’s really what gives you resilience.”
Kaepernick is no stranger to disrupting the status quo, having made national headlines in 2016 when he took a knee to protest racial injustice. The former NFL star says that although he faced a lot of resistance, he also saw a push to create a better, more equitable future.
“When you do that and you see such a strong response to it, it really gives you perspective and insight,” Kaepernick said. “We have a long way to go. But the other part that I learned over that period of time, is that there are also a lot of people who want to go that long way with you, and I think that’s the beautiful part that came out of that is that there was resistance. There was also Lots of organization.
As someone who has written thousands of stories, he now wants to help creators take control of their narratives with Lumi. The startup aims to empower creators by helping them create and publish stories and content independently.
As for founders looking to pivot and explore their passion, Kaepernick had a few words of advice.
“Do you do your homework and know why you do what you do,” he said. “And secondly, once you know that, go after it with passion and go after it with everything you have and bring people with you. I wouldn’t be sitting here today and none of you would know me at all if it weren’t for the many people who have helped me along the way, and that’s everyone from my wife to my family.” And my friends and my teammates to my coaches, and some of them are investors and advisors that I’ve had along the way so, keep those people with you, because that makes us sustainable in the long term.
[ad_2]