Hello, hub!

At proEgo, as residents of Astana Hub, we see every day how much effort goes into creating breakthrough products. We are discussing product-market fit, unit economics, and preparing for pitches. But there is one variable that is not written about in business textbooks, but which, in our experience, determines 90% of success or failure. This is the psychology of the founder himself.

Your startup's most dangerous competitor is not another company. These are your own, unconscious "blind spots" and mental traps.

As psychotherapists and founders of the HealthTech platform, we have identified the 5 most common traps that founders fall into, and we want to tell you how they directly affect business performance.

• Psychological root: Deep distrust of the world, perfectionism, or fear of losing control. Every released task feels like a step towards disaster.
• How it kills a startup: The founder becomes a bottleneck. All processes close on him, the team does not develop, key employees leave because their initiative is punishable. A startup cannot grow more than the physical capabilities of one person.

• The psychological root: Chronic feeling of "I'm not good enough", fear of being "exposed". Success seems to be an accident, and any criticism is a confirmation of one's incompetence.
• How it kills a startup: The founder unconsciously hires people weaker than himself in order to look smarter against their background. He avoids bold, breakthrough solutions because he is afraid of failure. The company chooses the path of "safe" stagnation instead of risky growth.

• The psychological root: Faith in an idea is the fuel for a startup. But sometimes it turns into a defense mechanism against encountering harsh reality — the fear of hearing "no" from the market.
• How it kills a startup: The team ignores the negative feedback from the first users, "burns" investors' money on invalid hypotheses and lives in a bubble of illusions until the money runs out. A culture is being created where talking about problems means being "disloyal."

• The psychological root is a deep-seated fear of being dependent on others, often originating from childhood. It manifests itself in the "I'll do everything myself" attitude.
• How it kills a startup: Relationships with co-founders are being disrupted (they are perceived as a threat to autonomy). The founder is not able to build partnerships with either investors or key employees. The company is turning into a one-actor theater, rather than a strong, complementary team.

• The psychological root: Loss of one's own identity outside the scope of the project. The success of a startup is equal to personal success, and its failure is equal to personal death.
• How it kills a startup: The founder is unable to make a pivot on time or close an unprofitable project, because for him this is equivalent to admitting his own collapse. He will pour resources into a dying idea to the last, dragging the whole team with him.

Technologies can be copied, and the business model can be repeated. The only thing that cannot be copied is the personality and psychological maturity of the founder.

Working on your "blind spots" and understanding your unconscious drivers are not "soft skills". This is the most important and most profitable investment you can make in your project.

As residents of the hub, we at proEgo understand these challenges firsthand. Our professional space was created, among other things, so that the founders and leaders of technology companies could work on their main asset in a safe and confidential environment.

You can find your accredited specialist who will help you avoid falling into these traps on our platform.