A few words about being a startup — and the art of disruption, and how your disruption is a part of your story and all of our stories, really. Write this down because it matters to your efforts and, really, ultimately, to your success.

Disrupting for the sake of disruption is never a good idea. It creates chaos and confusion. We see it all the time and it is almost always a universal failure.Why? Because it lacks authenticity. True disruption comes from a place of honesty and, more importantly, curiosity. It’s a raw experience, but it is critical to those of us in the creative industries. Anyone can disrupt anything with a new perspective.

The act of disruption comes from interrupting known ways of thinking and from challenging how we see and experience new things. Think of Jackson Pollock. Think of Steve Jobs. Think of Jeff Bezos and Amazon.

Disruption. That’s something we can get behind here at CBC. It’s what separates good startups from great startups. It’s what will separate you from your competitor.

It is your voice.

This sort of disruption is why we are proud to announce the keynote speaker for this year’s CBC Finals — Nadya Tolokonnikova. Yes, that Nadya. She of PussyRiot. She’s our keynote on Novemeber 16. So hold on to your butts because we are not messing around here.

For us, Nadya represents the voice of the artist and the creative — and the disruption of known ways of thinking. She brings not only the voice of the dissident, but the voice of the artist. We could not be more honored to have her.

Looking forward to seeing you all in November

— Rasmus