NFL quarterback turned-founder Colin Kaepernick on the challenges facing disrupters

Former NFL quarterback and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 on Wednesday to speak in regards to the challenges that individuals who wish to disrupt one thing are dealing with — each inside and outdoors of the tech world.

“One of many largest challenges that you’ll possible face while you attempt to disrupt one thing — otherwise you attempt to do one thing you’re captivated with, and it finally ends up disrupting one thing in that course of is you face a variety of resistance,” Kaepernick stated. “There will likely be troublesome occasions, and through these occasions, you wish to have these folks that you may lean on, the folks that may assist you, and that’s actually what offers you that endurance.”

Kaepernick is not any stranger to disrupting the established order, as he made nationwide headlines in 2016 when he took a knee to protest racial injustice. The previous NFL star says that whereas he confronted a variety of resistance, he additionally noticed a push to create a greater and extra equitable future.

“Whenever you do this and also you see such a powerful response to it, it actually offers you perspective and perception,” Kaepernick stated. “We’ve such a protracted technique to go. However, the opposite half that I discovered throughout that point interval, there are additionally lots of people that wish to go that good distance with you, and I feel that has been the gorgeous half popping out of that’s whereas there was resistance to it, there’s additionally been a variety of organizing.”

As somebody who has had 1000’s of tales written about him, he now needs to assist creators take management of their narratives with Lumi. The startup is aiming to empower creators by serving to them independently create and publish tales and content material.

As for founders who need to disrupt and discover their passions, Kaepernick provided just a few phrases of recommendation.

“Do you do your homework and know why you’re doing what you’re doing,” he stated. “After which two, as soon as you recognize that, go after it passionately and go after it with the whole lot that you’ve and produce folks with you. I’d not be sitting right here at this time and none of you’ll know me in any respect if there weren’t a complete lot of folks that helped me alongside the way in which, and that’s everybody from my spouse to household and associates to teammates to coaches, among the buyers and advisors that I’ve had alongside the way in which. So have these folks with you, as a result of that makes us, that makes you sustainable for the long term.”