Mike Krieger
Instagram
Michael Krieger graduated from Stanford University, where he studied Symbolic Systems with a focus in Human-Computer Interaction. During his undergraduate studies, Krieger interned at Microsoft's PowerPoint team as a PM and at Foxmarks (now Xmarks) as a software developer.
Krieger wrote his Master's thesis on how user interfaces can better support collaboration on a large scale. After graduating, he worked at Meebo for a year and a half as a user experience designer and as a front-end engineer before joining the Instagram team doing design and development.
Related Links: http://instagr.am/
Last Updated: Wed, May 11, 2011
Page: 1
Building an incredible product or service is just part of starting a company, according to Instagram Co-Founder Kevin Systrom. In this clip, he explains how much legwork is involved in filing paperwork, understanding regulations and taxes, and other operational issues. Systrom also identifies recruiting and gaining funding as areas requiring a great deal of focus from founders.
"The hunger to build stuff and put it in front of people is really valuable in entrepreneurship," says Instagram Co-Founder Kevin Systrom. In this short clip, Systrom recalls a story related to this idea, from his days studying abroad as a Stanford student. He also encourages entrepreneurs to start right now to build out their ideas.
Instagram Co-Founder Mike Krieger explains how the best startups are born from combining a number of ideas into something new. The best idea won't come as an "a-ha" moment, but from exploring the entire solution space to discover where your idea fits. Krieger also describes the entrepreneur's journey as being a series of ideas connected by a consistent theme.
Instagram Co-Founder Kevin Systrom is confused as to how equity distributions are handled by other startups. Here he advises founders to be as fair and generous as possible, throughout the different stages of startup growth. Fellow Co-Founder Mike Krieger also articulates why equity shares should rightfully be based on the level of risk involved, when a founder or early employee decides to join the startup. 
Instagram Co-Founder Kevin Systrom explains it's difficult to get vital customer feedback, particularly in the consumer Internet space, if your startup is in stealth mode. He also emphasizes the importance of building minimum viable products and pushing them out to customers. According to Systrom, "Don't build past what you need to build, to answer the questions." 
"Seeking venture capital is like hiring people for your team," says Instagram Co-Founder Kevin Systrom. Here he encourages aspiring founders to find funding from individuals that truly believe in what you are trying to achieve, rather than those seeking immediate boosts in valuation. According to Systrom, "Rather than optimizing for valuation, it's far better to optimize for people." In this clip, he recounts Instagram's ability to launch with limited expenses and discusses the importance of working on prototypes rather than company slide decks. 
Instagram Co-Founder Kevin Systrom believes building solutions for most problems is the easy part; the hard part is finding the right problem to solve. Here he opens up about how he and fellow Co-Founder Mike Krieger identified the problems they wanted to solve around sharing photos through mobile devices. He also reminds entrepreneurs to embrace simple solutions, as they can often delight users and customers. 
In response to a question from STVP's Tina Seelig, Instagram Co-Founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger describe their working relationship. Both Systrom and Krieger explain the stages of their relationship, and how the partnership respects each other's areas of specialty, while also providing a tremendous opportunity to sound out ideas. Because of this benefit, Systrom explains the co-founder relationship needs to be cherished. Krieger also believes honest and direct communication of expectations can prevent the relationship from wearing down over time.
Co-Founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger were able to launch Instagram without being computer science graduates. Krieger is proud of this fact, as it shows students from other disciplines can start companies in the technology space. He recalls his most valuable Stanford courses as the ones that taught him to define questions and then allowed him the freedom to seek the answers. In this clip, fellow Co-Founder Kevin Systrom also talks about the importance of connecting with other members of the entrepreneurial community.
Instagram Co-Founder Mike Krieger encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to avoid following trends. He explains founders deal with uncertainty everyday, so you should pursue ideas that you truly believe in. Krieger also believes it's important to collect experience, including the completion of side projects on nights and weekends. Fellow Co-Founder Kevin Systrom also warns against becoming caught up in entrepreneurship as a lifestyle choice.
Instagram Co-Founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger challenge many of the myths surrounding startups and the lives of entrepreneurs. Both former Mayfield Fellows with the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, Systrom and Krieger share their first-hand experiences of the entrepreneurial process, including identifying good problems to solve and the value in building simple solutions and minimum viable products. Systrom and Krieger also discuss aspects of their co-founder working relationship and their efforts to maintain a balance between work and life.
Instagram Co-Founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger challenge many of the myths surrounding startups and the lives of entrepreneurs. Both former Mayfield Fellows with the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, Systrom and Krieger share their first-hand experiences of the entrepreneurial process, including identifying good problems to solve and the value in building simple solutions and minimum viable products. Systrom and Krieger also discuss aspects of their co-founder working relationship and their efforts to maintain a balance between work and life.