Culture and Company Building with Sam Corcos

Embracing Failure

Sam Corcos, CEO of Levels Health, shares his insights on embracing failure as a crucial part of the startup journey. He emphasizes the importance of being comfortable with delivering imperfect products, citing the initial version of Levels that humorously displayed all logged food as "pork tacos." This approach allowed the team to gather valuable feedback and iterate quickly, turning early disappointments into learning opportunities.

I think the biggest thing is to be comfortable with delivering something that's bad.

--- Sam Corcos

Sam's perspective highlights how accepting failure can lead to eventual success, as some initial users returned to the improved product months later 1.

   

Decision-Making

Sam discusses his strategic approach to decision-making in startups, focusing on projects that align with personal values and societal impact. He reflects on the importance of choosing endeavors that would not feel like wasted time, even if they fail, which led him to prioritize healthcare over other lucrative opportunities. This mindset is evident in his commitment to understanding market needs before product development, as demonstrated by his proactive efforts to sell the concept of Levels before it was fully developed.

The thing that caused me to really take the leap was one it fit within a category that I cared about that. I knew I wanted to work on the second was I immediately started trying to sell it before the product even existed.

--- Sam Corcos

Sam's decision-making framework underscores the importance of aligning business ventures with personal convictions and market demand 2 3.