What seems like just a couple of dozen words, took us five [super fun] workshops with Sherali Karimov and countless hours of discussion and word-crafting to formulate. This vision reflects more than 15 years(as of 2024) of community building and entrepreneurship experience, and offers guiding principles for the future. Here, we unpack our vision statement.
"We are a community of like-minded, open-hearted, playful, and imperfect entrepreneurs."
It started in 2008, when three friends and roommates opened the doors to their apartment at Shmitvosky Lane 16 to like-minded individuals. With no reputation, agenda, motivation, or means to impress, we naturally welcomed others to spend time with us. Over time, we realized we had unintentionally built a community. Without formal rules or memberships, shared values and like-mindedness kept us together, and people began calling themselves members of our unofficial tribe. For years, even after hundreds of people started calling themselves members of the s16 community, when asked how to join, we honestly replied that we didn't know.
Upon reflection, we saw that our "members" were broadly entrepreneurs—people with a strong sense of ownership, actively contributing ideas and leading initiatives. Not surprisingly, most became successful founders or reached C-level roles in their careers.
Lacking the means to impress, we discovered the value of imperfection—a paradox for perfectionists. At our business clubs and events, guests naturally jumped in to help with organization and small tasks, fostering a sense of equality, participation, and belonging. This imperfection extended beyond our apartment to create collaborative co-livings and conferences, where nearly everyone became a co-creator. Embracing imperfection equalizes and unites us all. And it helps to explain the dirty dishes at the apartment :)
As our community and businesses matured, more accomplished founders and operators joined us. However, when we started gathering at an apartment in 2007, almost everyone was as green as a frog. Over time, a statistically improbable number of early members built large companies or became partners and GPs at various funds. I recall that when we all met, the most funded startup among s16vc co-founders had raised just $50k. Reflecting back, we believe the community was the common denominator behind the high success rate.