# Your startup will take everything you give to it. Make it count | Yan Simard | TEDxUNB Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F42HcNDHgi8 Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/F42HcNDHgi8 Generated: 2026-02-13T21:04:23.638+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Yan Simard argues that resistance to change, often manifested as passive-aggressive behavior or outright opposition, is a critical factor leading to startup failure, emphasizing that founders must actively seek out and address this resistance rather than ignoring it, as the startup will ultimately consume all resources invested if this fundamental human element is neglected. **Key Points:** - Simard, a seasoned entrepreneur with 15 years of experience, spoke at TEDxUNB on January 15, 2026, regarding startup failure. - He asserts that resistance to change—whether passive-aggressive behavior or direct opposition from employees, customers, or even family—is a major reason startups fail. - Founders often focus solely on technology (software/hardware) or business problems, neglecting the human element of change resistance. - Simard recounts an anecdote where a manufacturing client required his smart-glass company to undergo security audits and forced onboarding training for their industrial workers, citing an external protest as the reason. - Simard warns that if founders do not proactively address this resistance, the startup will consume all invested time and resources without achieving success. - He concludes that embracing and digging for change resistance is crucial for startups aiming to make a real difference. ![Screenshot at 00:20: Yan Simard stands on the red circular rug on stage at TEDxUNB, introducing his topic by mentioning his 15 years as a seasoned entrepreneur, setting the stage for his argument about startup challenges.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F42HcNDHgi8/00-00-20.jpg) **Context:** The speaker, Yan Simard, an entrepreneur with 15 years in the field, delivers a talk at TEDxUNB about the often-overlooked cause of startup failure: resistance to change. He frames this resistance as something founders must actively seek out and manage, contrasting it with the typical focus on technical aspects like product development or securing funding. ## Detailed Analysis Yan Simard explains that the primary reason many tech startups fail is not a lack of funding or a poor product idea, but rather the failure to proactively manage inherent change resistance. Having spent 15 years as an entrepreneur, Simard notes that founders often focus too narrowly on the technology (software/hardware) or the core problem they are solving, overlooking the human reaction to change. He illustrates this with a story of his company, which developed smart glasses for industrial workers; a prospective client mandated security audits and extensive training for their employees, claiming an external protest was the cause. Simard realized the resistance was actually directed at him and his company's introduction of new technology. He stresses that resistance manifests in many ways, from passive-aggressive behavior to full-on opposition, and if founders do not actively seek out and address this friction, the startup will inevitably consume all invested resources without succeeding. He concludes by stating that embracing and digging for this resistance is essential for any startup hoping to create real, positive change. ### Introduction and Context - Speaker Yan Simard has 15 years as a seasoned entrepreneur; he was invited to discuss startups and entrepreneurship in general. ### The Core Problem - The question of what hot technologies are worth investing in does not align with how the speaker's brain works when thinking about ventures; he looks at the problem first. ### Resistance to Change - Resistance shows up in many ways, including passive-aggressive behavior or full-on aggressive behavior; sometimes people explain that they fear losing their jobs due to new technology adoption. ### Anecdote Illustration - A manufacturing client made Simard's company undergo security audits and training for their workers because of a perceived external protest, which Simard realized was resistance towards him. ### Conclusion and Takeaway - Startups fail because they don't proactively manage resistance; founders must embrace and dig for this resistance, or the startup will take all resources and energy without success. ![Screenshot at 00:05: The opening slide for the event displays the theme "WELCOME TO REBORN X" scheduled for "JANUARY 15, 2026" at "TEDxUNB".](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F42HcNDHgi8/00-00-05.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:20: Speaker Yan Simard stands on the red circular rug at the center of the stage in front of large TEDx UNB letters, beginning his address.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F42HcNDHgi8/00-00-20.jpg) ![Screenshot at 01:04: Close-up of Yan Simard emphasizing a point about the common focus on AI and Internet of Things when discussing venture investment.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F42HcNDHgi8/00-01-04.jpg) ![Screenshot at 02:27: Simard gestures broadly while explaining that customers and organizations must be willing to pay top dollar to solve their problems.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F42HcNDHgi8/00-02-27.jpg) ![Screenshot at 06:10: Simard transitions to the positive aspect of change resistance, stating that change resistance is actually a blessing.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F42HcNDHgi8/00-06-10.jpg)