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Leadership calendar    Sep 02, 2026

Electrifying Growth Episode 80: The Founder Mistakes That Can Derail Growth

After 30 years of building businesses, Kevin Chern shares lessons on hiring leaders, choosing investors, using AI, and avoiding the mistakes that can derail growth

Chris Sugden
Chris Sugden

 

 

After more than 30 years of building businesses, Kevin Chern has learned that entrepreneurship isn’t about avoiding mistakes altogether, but rather knowing which mistakes you can recover from—and which decisions can fundamentally change the trajectory of your company.

On this episode of Electrifying Growth, CEO of Sanguine Strategic Advisors Kevin Chern joins Managing Partner Chris Sugden for a candid conversation about the lessons he learned the hard way: choosing the wrong capital partner, hiring an outside CEO, navigating regulatory battles, and bringing more rigor to high-stakes decisions. They also explore how Kevin is applying those lessons today, including using AI to rethink executive hiring and scale his latest ventures.

Tune in for a conversation about what experience really teaches entrepreneurs, and why sometimes the most valuable lessons come from the decisions you wouldn’t make twice.

 

 

Interested in guest-starring on Electrifying Growth? Apply Here to be a guest!
Chris Sugden

Chris is Managing Partner and Chairman of the firm's investment committee. A leading fintech executive and investor for over 25 years (before fintech was fintech), Chris' investment expertise and exits span payments, capital markets and wealth management segments, and track record includes leading dozens of new investments and over 60 rounds of financing.