With the NCAA basketball tournament under way, and Butler pulling out the big upset over Syracuse tonight , it makes sense to talk about startups and basketball. Basketball, when compared to other sports like baseball or football, makes a great case that a team with more camaraderie and chemistry can out perform more talented teams. Let’s look at what startups can learn from the NCAA basketball tournament:

• The team with the most talent, as defined by the largest number of McDonald’s All Americans (UNC), didn’t even make the tournament, just like when a startup gets an all-star team together, and never even brings a product to market
• The success of mid-major teams this year, especially against much wealthier BCS schools, shows that schools with limited resources, much like startups, can take on the bigger challengers and win
• Finally, the NCAA tournament really demonstrates the importance of building momentum over a long season, and peaking at the right time, in a similar manner to startups seeking out the right product/market fit, and timing the market (very important!)

Basketball and startups have a good deal in common: competition, teamwork, and hard work. What have you learned from the tournament?