Hustler Hipster Hacker

The startup shorthand for the three complementary talents a founding team needs — mapped, in Kyle’s margin note, onto Scott Berkun’s “three kinds of people who are rare in this world” from The Myths of Innovation:

• Hustler — those who are excellent communicators (sells, raises, recruits).
• Hipster — those who find interesting and useful ideas (design, taste, product).
• Hacker — those who can convert an idea into a realistic plan (builds it).

Berkun’s point is that it is “exceptionally rare for one person to be good at all three” — the reason so much innovation is a team sport, and why founders who assume they are the exception “are probably wrong.” Relates to Idea Execution (the hacker’s domain) and the trust that lets the three actually collaborate.

Where this appears

• The Myths of Innovation