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SaaStr 799: The Series A Landscape in 2025: Insights from Chemistry VC's Ethan Kurzweil SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin and Ethan Kurzwiel, previously partner at Bessemer Venture Partners and now founding partner at Chemistry VC, took us through a deep dive of exactly where Series A funding is right now in 2025. Current State of Early-Stage Venture Market The early-stage venture landscape has experienced significant shifts since the peaks of 2021. We're seeing: Deal activity decline: From the highs of 2021 (around 3.5B raised in Q4 2021), we're seeing a return to baseline levels but still below pre-zero interest rate era volumes. Longer funding timelines: Seed to Series A timelines have stretched from approximately 12 months to 25 months on average, requiring founders to plan for longer runways. More capital into fewer deals: While total capital deployment is returning to pre-2021 levels, it's being concentrated in fewer companies, making the environment more binary and competitive. Graduation rates plummeting: The percentage of seed companies successfully raising Series A has dropped significantly across all industries, creating a “crunch” for many startups. Listen in for more! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alright everybody in SaaS, this is it. The biggest, best, most action-packed SaaS + AI event of the year—SaaStr Annual 2025—is coming this May. Three full days. 10,000+ SaaS and AI leaders and more tactical, no-fluff content than you'll find anywhere else. If you want to scale faster—$10M, $50M, $100M ARR and beyond—you need the right playbooks, the right connections and the right people in your corner. And SaaStr Annual is where it all happens. We'll have 100's of Legendary speakers from companies like Snowflake, HubSpot, OpenAI, Canva, and more. More networking than you can handle—meet your next investor, co-founder, or biggest deal. A New AI Demo & Pitch Stage— with your chance to win up to $5M in funding! So don't wait—grab your tickets now at SaaStrAnnual.com with my code jason100 to save $100 on tickets before prices go up. That's jason 100 at saastrannual.com See you in May! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you know what would make your customer service helpdesk dramatically better? Dumping it and switching to Intercom. But, youʼre not quite ready to make that change. We get it! Thatʼs why Fin, the worldʼs leading AI customer service agent, is now available on every helpdesk. Fin can instantly resolve up to 80% of your tickets, Which makes your customers happier. And you can get off the customer service rep hiring treadmill. Fin by Intercom. Named the #1 AI Agent in G2ʼs Winter Report. Learn more at : inter.com/saastr --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kyriakos is joined by Ethan Kurzweil, a founding partner at Chemistry and former managing partner at Bessemer Venture Partners.He's led early investments in Twitch, Twilio, Intercom, and PagerDuty — and in this conversation, he shares what separates good founders from iconic ones.In this episode, we discuss:- Why the best founders are like cult leaders- What makes a startup idea truly contrarian- How to build a focused, high-conviction VC fund- The future of AI-native companiesWhether you're raising, investing, or building— This is a must-listen for anyone serious about startups.Follow Ethan on X: https://twitter.com/@ethankurzFollow Kyriakos on X: https://twitter.com/@kyriakoselChemistry VC: @chemistry_fund | [https://chemistry.vc](https://chemistry.vc/)TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro02:10 - What Makes a Cult-Like Founder05:20 - Why the Best Startups Start in SF08:30 - The Origins of Ethan & Chemistry VC10:20 - How He Spotted Twilio Early13:45 - What Great Founders Have in Common18:00 - Contrarian vs. Consensus Thinking21:00 - Lessons from Bessemer + Transition to Chemistry26:00 - Why Chemistry Focuses Only on Early Stage30:30 - Building a High-Conviction VC Fund35:00 - What Chemistry Invests In38:00 - How to Build a Durable AI Company43:00 - Why AI Will Reshape Healthcare First47:10 - Ethan's First Healthtech Investment50:00 - Building Strong Startup Culture52:00 - Advice for Founders Moving to SF54:40 - Ethan's 50-Year Future Vision58:00 - The Future of Creativity & Learning1:01:00 - Are Elite Universities Still Worth It?1:03:00 - How to Reach Ethan & Final Words
Rami Tamir is no stranger to the startup world. A seasoned entrepreneur with multiple successful exits, he has honed his ability to build, scale, and navigate acquisitions like a veteran baseball player hitting home runs with each venture. Rami's latest venture, Salto, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Bessemer Venture Partners, Accel, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Salesforce Ventures.
Rish Gupta has had a long, winding journey filled with unexpected turns, painful challenges, and exhilarating wins. He has built and exited companies and is currently riding the incredible momentum and hype in the artificial intelligence world of AGIs. Rish's latest company, Spot AI, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Redpoint Ventures, Scale Venture Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, and StepStone Group.
In this bonus episode, Bessemer Venture Partners' Healthcare and Life Sciences team shares the top industry developments they anticipate in the year to come.We cover:⚖️ The future of Obamacare under Trump
Healthcare startups using artificial intelligence are securing substantial investments in 2023. Qventus, a startup based in New York that specializes in healthcare automation software, raised $105 million, led by KKR, which includes $85 million in equity and $20 million in optional debt, bringing the company's valuation to $400 million. Investors involved in this funding round include Bessemer Venture Partners, Northwestern Medicine, HonorHealth, and Allina Health. Qventus addresses operational inefficiencies in healthcare by utilizing generative AI, machine learning, and behavioral science to predict challenges, offer solutions, and automate workflows. Since its founding in 2012, Qventus has raised over $200 million. Other startups also received significant funding: Innovaccer, based in San Francisco, raised $275 million to enhance patient experience and reduce administrative tasks, attracting investors such as B Capital and Kaiser Permanente. Hippocratic AI in Palo Alto raised $141 million in Series B funding, focusing on a safety-oriented large language model for healthcare, with a valuation of $1.6 billion, led by Kleiner Perkins.Learn more on this news visit us at: https://greyjournal.net/news/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this week's podcast episode, Steve Kraus and Sofia Guerra of Bessemer Venture Partners joined us to discuss the trends and predictions outlined in their second annual State of Health Tech report. Key takeaways include: AI: Health tech dollars invested in AI-focused companies have increased 1.5x in just two years, reaching 38% in 2024 to date. Private market recovery: Mega rounds of $50M+ for later-stage companies with strong fundamentals, alongside a surge of seed and Series A companies scaling to $1M-$10M ARR within three years. 2025 predictions: Adoption of in-house services-as-software, AI enhancing doctors' capabilities, AI streamlining value-based care, and more companies blending cutting-edge technology with deep healthcare expertise. About Steve Kraus: Steve Kraus is a partner at Bessemer in the Cambridge office and a world-renowned healthcare investor. He is the author of Bessemer's 10 Laws of Healthcare, Benchmarks for Growing Health Tech Businesses, and co-host of the podcast Heart of Healthcare. Kraus currently sits on the boards of Bright Health Group, Headspace Health, Groups, Qventus, AspenRx, HouseRx, Oshi Health, Folx Health, Mural Health, and Alcresta. About Sofia Guerra: Sofia Guerra is a vice president at Bessemer Venture Partners, where she invests in seed to growth healthcare and life sciences companies. She is the co-author of State of Health Tech report, Benchmarks for Growing Health Tech Business, and How to Scale Health Tech Businesses to $100M and Beyond, a study of 100+ best-in-class companies to understand key metrics relevant for scalability in healthcare software and tech-enabled services. Listen in for the complete chat with Steve Kraus and Sofia Guerra and learn about the key trends shaping the future of health tech. Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world's biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot Community Showcase Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you're mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit. Learn more and apply today. Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.
In this episode, Vishal Gupta, a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, talks about his career as a VC investor in India, and gives us an overview of the opportunities he sees on the basis of what Bessemer calls roadmaps that the firm develops for various sectors. In this conversation, recorded on November 26, Gupta also talks about how, from among today's privately valued unicorns and those that have recently gone public, will arise the next generation of blue-chip companies and large-scale wealth creators in the country.
Origins - A podcast about Limited Partners, created by Notation Capital
Stephen Bluestein has had an impressive career in Venture, beginning at Bessemer Venture Partners before moving to TCV, Light Street Capital, and the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, before landing in his current role as a partner in the primary investment team at Adams Street Partners. He sits down with Beezer Clarkson, LP at Sapphire Partners, to discuss what makes a fund a franchise. They discuss the importance of building and maintaining a brand that stands for something in the market, making investments that are consistent with your philosophy, and together, they zero in on the tipping point of when a fund can be officially considered a franchise. Learn more about Sapphire Partners: sapphireventures.com/sapphire-partners Learn more about OpenLP: openlp.vc Learn more about Asylum Ventures: asylum.vc Learn more about Adams Street Partners: adamsstreetpartners.com Subscribe to the OpenLP newsletter for a monthly roundup of the latest venture insights, including the newest Origins episodes, delivered straight to your inbox. CHAPTERS: 0:00-Welcome to Origins2:15-Digging into Franchise Funds: Stephen's Background 6:48-What Defines a Franchise? 15:30-How Long Does it Take to Become a Franchise? 21:06-The Minimum Viable Performance Metric to be Considered a Franchise 27:13-Pivoting From One Exceptional Fund into a Franchise 33:21-How to Inculcate Exceptionality 39:55-Diligencing Franchise Funds 45:28-“Know Thyself”: A Message for Aspiring Franchise Funds
Cody Coleman is the cofounder and CEO of Coactive AI, a multimodal AI platform to accelerate metadata generation. They recently raised their $30M Series B co-led by Cherryrock Capital and Emerson Collective along with participation from Greycroft, Andreessen Horowitz, and Bessemer Venture Partners. He has a masters degree from MIT and a PhD from Stanford. Cody's favorite books: - The Inner Game of Tennis (Author: W. Timonthy Gallwey) - Gettine More (Author: Stuart Diamond)(00:01) Introduction: Setting the Stage for Metadata(00:21) What is Metadata? Structure in Unstructured Data(01:37) Metadata in Real-World Visual Data Analysis(03:01) Automating Metadata Generation: Challenges and Approaches(06:57) Introduction to Multimodal AI: What and Why(11:25) Managing Trade-Offs in Multimodal AI Systems(13:31) Labeling Challenges in Multimodal Datasets(16:23) Characteristics of an Ideal Metadata Language(18:22) Linking Metadata Quality to Model Effectiveness(20:56) Measuring Efficiency of Metadata Extraction Engines(22:55) Role of Synthetic Data in Metadata and AI(25:30) Evolution of Data Labeling and Future of Metadata(27:27) Exciting Technological Advancements in AI(29:29) Rapid Fire Round--------Where to find Prateek Joshi: Newsletter: https://prateekjoshi.substack.com Website: https://prateekj.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prateek-joshi-91047b19 Twitter: https://twitter.com/prateekvjoshi
Venture Unlocked: The playbook for venture capital managers.
Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape.Today I'm excited to speak with the founding team of Chemistry, a new venture firm led by Kristina Shen, Ethan Kurzweil, and Mark Goldberg, who recently spun-out of blue chip firms Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer, and Index Ventures, respectively. The firm just announced a significantly oversubscribed $350MM debut fund. As a new entrant to the market (in the toughest time to start a new firm in over a decade), I wanted to ask them about their blueprint for building a firm, including how they chose to partner up and the work they did beforehand, LP strategies and selection, and what they felt was their unique reason to exist in a highly competitive market. About Kristina ShenKristina Shen is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Chemistry Ventures, overseeing a $350M fund focused on early-stage software investments. Formerly a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (2019-2024), she led significant investments in Mux, Pave, Wrapbook, and Rutter. Kristina specialized in high-growth startups.She began her venture career as a Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners (2013-2019), working with companies such as Gainsight, Instructure, and ServiceTitan. Previously, she worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse, focusing on technology sectors.About Mark GoldbergMark Goldberg is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Chemistry Ventures since, investing in seed and Series A software startups. Previously, a Partner at Index Ventures (2015-2023), he worked with companies such as Plaid, Pilot, Intercom, and Motive, establishing a strong fintech and software portfolio.Prior to Index, Mark worked at Dropbox in Business Strategy & Operations and Strategic Finance (2013-2015), where he contributed to growth strategies during Dropbox's scaling phase.He started his career as an Analyst at Morgan Stanley (2007-2010) before joining Hudson Clean Energy as a Senior Associate. Mark holds an AB in International Relations from Brown University.About Ethan KurzweilEthan Kurzweil is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Chemistry Ventures, leading investments at the seed stage for tech-driven startups. He also serves as a board member for companies like Intercom and LaunchDarkly.Previously, Ethan was a Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners (2008-2024), where he worked with companies such as HashiCorp, Twilio, and Twitch. His focus on software and digital platforms spanned roles as board member and investor, contributing to significant IPOs and acquisitions.Early in his career, Ethan worked in business development at Linden Lab (creators of Second Life) and served as a Senior Manager in the CEO's Office at Dow Jones. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB in Economics from Stanford University.In this episode, we discuss:* (01:43): Importance of Team Chemistry and Partnership Formation* (03:27): Challenges of Building a Firm in the Current Environment* (08:00): Unique Value Proposition for Early-Stage Founders* (10:18): Early-Stage Focus and Differentiation from Large VC Firms* (16:12): Fundraising Insights and LP Relationship Building* (19:00): Choosing Aligned LPs and Targeting Long-Term Partnerships* (27:23): Single-Trigger Investment Decision-Making Model* (30:12): Balancing Conviction with Collaborative Feedback* (35:23): Independent Decision-Making for Follow-On Investments* (39:19): Personal Contrarian Beliefs about the Venture Industry* (42:18): Closing Remarks on Building a New Venture FranchiseI'd love to know what you took away from this conversation with Kristina, Mark, and Ethan. Follow me @SamirKaji and give me your insights and questions with the hashtag #ventureunlocked. If you'd like to be considered as a guest or have someone you'd like to hear from (GP or LP), drop me a direct message on Twitter.Podcast Production support provided by Agent Bee This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ventureunlocked.substack.com
SaaStr 764: State of the Cloud 2024: The Cloud AI Era with Bessemer Venture Partners, Anthropic, Jasper, Abridge and EvenUp Bessemer Venture Partners is committing $1 billion in capital to back AI-native companies and founders at the bleeding edge. Sameer Dholakia, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners speaks with Julia Chapin, COO at Abridge, Kate Jensen, Head of Revenue at Anthropic, Rami Karabibar, CEO and founder at EvenUp, and Timothy Young, CEO at Jasper, on the impacts of AI on the State of the Cloud. The discussion delves into the integration of AI into SaaS, marketing, healthcare, and legal industries, with a focus on the challenges and opportunities of implementing AI solutions. Key topics include building defensible business models, embracing multimodal capabilities, and strategizing change management for successful AI adoption. Gain valuable insights into the importance of trust, partnerships, and user-centric applications in leveraging AI for sustainable business growth. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SaaStr hosts the largest SaaS community events on the planet. Hey everybody - thanks to the 10,000 of you who came out to SaaStr Annual. We had a blast and big news -- we'll be back in MAY of 2025. That's right, the SaaStr Annual will be a bit earlier next year, May 13-15 2025. We'll still be back in the same venue, in the SF bay area at the 40+ acre sprawling san mateo county events center. Grab your tickets at saastrannual.com with code jason50 for an extra discount on our very best pricing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This episode is sponsored by: remote.com When the right person for the job is a world away, Remote Talent brings the world to you. As the top job board for remote-first companies, we give you powerful tools to post your listings and reach the world's top candidates and remote professionals. Start building your dream team from anywhere—visit Remote.com/jobs today. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This episode is sponsored by: Anrok A question for SaaS finance leaders, do you know where your customers are? Anrok tracks where your sales are creating exposure, and automates tax calculation and filing worldwide. Built for high-growth software companies, Anrok protects your revenue and saves you time. Visit anrok.com/saastr to learn more.
Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews)
914: The shift towards cloud computing has accelerated with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), and venture capital firms like Bessemer Venture Partners have taken notice. In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High interviews Mary D'Onofrio, partner at Bessemer, who leads investments in cloud software and emerging technologies. Mary discusses her journey into venture capital, Bessemer's Cloud Index, and the State of the Cloud reports, while highlighting how AI is transforming the cloud landscape. She also shares insights into the "five Cs of cloud finance" and the importance of customer feedback in shaping investment decisions.
Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews)
914: The shift towards cloud computing has accelerated with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), and venture capital firms like Bessemer Venture Partners have taken notice. In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High interviews Mary D'Onofrio, partner at Bessemer, who leads investments in cloud software and emerging technologies. Mary discusses her journey into venture capital, Bessemer's Cloud Index, and the State of the Cloud reports, while highlighting how AI is transforming the cloud landscape. She also shares insights into the "five Cs of cloud finance" and the importance of customer feedback in shaping investment decisions.
In this episode of Careers in Finance on FinPod, we talk to Alex Yuditski, a growth investor at Bessemer Venture Partners. Starting with a pivot in college from history to economics, Alex's path led her from investment banking at Regions Bank and William Blair to working on pre-IPO growth equity deals at Blue Owl Capital. Now at one of the top venture firms globally, Alex focuses on Series B and beyond, with a special interest in the role of AI in finance.Alex emphasizes the importance of embracing curiosity, taking risks, and navigating unexpected career shifts. She offers insights on her transition from finance to tech-focused investment roles, highlighting how each stage of her journey provided valuable experience and growth. Tune in for practical advice and reflections from Alex's career in finance.
The First 100 | How Founders Acquired their First 100 Customers | Product-Market Fit
Christian Back is the founder of Netlify, a software platform that allows developers to build highly-performant and dynamic websites, e-commerce stores, and applications. The company has now raised close to $200 million from Bessemer Venture Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Bond, EQT Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Mango Capital, and Menlo Ventures.The company boasts more than 5 million developers using the platform, although many are using the free tier. It took the company five years to reach 1 million users and just a year to double that, so things are moving quickly.Where to find Christian Bach:• Website: Scale & Ship Faster with a Composable Web Architecture | Netlify• LinkedIn (8) Christian (Chris) Bach | LinkedInWhere to find Hadi Radwan:• Newsletter: Principles Friday | Hadi Radwan | Substack• LinkedIn: Hadi Radwan | LinkedInIf you like our podcast, please don't forget to subscribe and support us on your favorite podcast players. We also would appreciate your feedback and rating to reach more people.We recently launched our new newsletter, Principles Friday, where I share one principle that can help you in your life or business, one thought-provoking question, and one call to action toward that principle. Please subscribe Here.It is Free and Short (2min).
Bessemer Venture Partners recently released their 9th annual Cloud 100 Report. Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike dive deep into the impact of AI companies on the top 100 private cloud companies which increased their aggregate enterprise value to $820B and increased their growth rate to 70%!Key highlights Dave and Ray discuss include:Aggregate enterprise value of the Cloud 100 increased 25% year over yearAverage growth rate increased from 55% in 2023 to 70% in 202497% of the Cloud 100 will be over $100M ARR by the end of the yearTop 10 companies in the Cloud 100 represent ~ 30% of the total Enterprise ValueAi companies represent the top category of the Cloud 100 EV (21% of total)EV:Revenue multiples are down YoY (23x) but still at very attractive levelsAs a follow-on to the BVP "State of the Cloud 2024 Report" the Cloud 100 highlights the era of AI has moved from hype to reality as measured by growth rates and enterprise value!If you are interested in the latest "CLOUD" industry trends as measured by company value, revenue growth rates and industry impact this episode is a must listen!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
As AI agents continue to remake the way we communicate with machines, what will become of SaaS companies? In this episode, Robb and Josh are joined by Janelle Teng, Vice President at Bessemer Venture Partners' San Francisco office, who recently noted that “2024 has not been kind to SaaS companies” on her Next Big Teng blog. A Stanford scientist and former product manager at Salesforce, Janelle explains why she is bullish on the multi-agent approach to automation. The trio also discuss the ramification of consumer adoption of AI outpacing enterprises and why startups have a clear advantage in this moment. Discover how to design and orchestrate conversational AI agents for your employees and customers: https://onereach.ai/ai-agents/?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=janelle_teng_episode&utm_content=1 Read Jenelle's insights at nextbigteng.substack.com. #AIPodcast #InvisibleMachines #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #ConversationalAI #AIAgents #SaaS #Automation #TechTrends #Innovation #BusinessStrategy #AIstartups #VC #AIcapital
In this insightful episode, Matt sits down with Tony Rodoni, a revered sales leader and operating partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, to discuss the nuances of successful sales leadership. Tony shares his thoughts on the importance of empowering teams, documenting guiding principles, and the pitfalls of micromanagement. They explore myths in sales coaching, the dynamics of talent magnets and coaching trees, essential leadership lessons, and the evolving role of AI in sales. Tony also delves into situational leadership, the significance of having a system or playbook, and how embracing new tools can be a game-changer for sales professionals. Takeaways: ~ Empower Your People: Tony Rodoni emphasizes the importance of empowering your team. Allow them to take ownership of their deals and decisions. This fosters a sense of responsibility and confidence among team members.~ Write Down Your Process: Document your guiding principles, playbooks, and strategies. Writing things down not only clarifies your thoughts but also serves as a valuable reference for others. It distinguishes leaders who think they know their process from those who have a structured approach.~ Know When to Be Directive and When to Coach: Situational leadership is key. For junior members who lack experience, be more directive. For seasoned professionals, adopt the Socratic method of asking questions to guide them to their own solutions.~ Always Be Recruiting: Even if your team is full, continue networking and recruiting talent. Team dynamics and needs can change quickly due to promotions or attritions. Maintaining a pipeline of potential talent ensures you're never caught off guard.~ Align on Decisions and Commit: When a decision is made, commit fully to it—even if you initially disagreed. Ensuring that your team works cohesively towards the same goal is essential for effective execution and achieving success.~ Focus on Inputs, Not Just Outcomes: It's easy to get fixated on meeting targets and quotas, but the real focus should be on the daily inputs and processes that lead to those outcomes. Maintaining a consistent and efficient process will drive long-term success.~ Value and Develop Relationships: Building relationships is crucial for any leader. Whether it's within your team or with clients, strong relationships pave the way for effective communication, trust, and collaboration.Quote of the Show:“You must understand your values because it helps you align better with your company's values.” - Tony RodoniLinks:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyrodoni/ Website: https://www.bvp.com/ Book Link: The Sales Leader They Need: Five Critical Skills to Unlock Your Team's Potential: Priemer, David, Rodoni, Tony: 9781774584910: Amazon.com: BooksWays to Tune In:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Yb1wPzUxyrfR0Dx35ym1A Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-build-a-coaching-culture/id1699901434 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NvYWNoMnNjYWxlLWhvdy1tb2Rlcm4tbGVhZGVycy1idWlsZC1hLWNvYWNoaW5nLWN1bHR1cmU Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fd188af6-7c17-4b2e-a0b2-196ecd6fdf77 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-5419703 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Coach2Scale CoachEm™ is the first Coaching Execution Platform that integrates deep learning technology to proactively analyze patterns, highlight the "why" behind the data with root causes, and identify the actions that will ultimately improve business results going forward. These practical coaching recommendations for managers will help their teams drive more deals, bigger deals, faster deals and loyal customers. Built with decades of go-to-market experience, world-renowned data scientists and advanced causal AI/ML technology, CoachEm™ leverages your existing tech stack to increase rep productivity, increase retention, and replicate best practices across your team.Learn more at coachem.io
Mike Droesch of Bessemer Venture Partners joins Nick to discuss The Path from Aspiring VC to Partner at Bessemer, Building Non-Consensus Conviction, The Most Compelling Vertical Applications of AI, and Why Fintech is the New Frontier in Supply Chain. In this episode we cover: AI Applications in Various Industries, Advancements in AI-Powered Voice Transcription Technology, AI's Potential to Disrupt Vertical SaaS Industries Business Models for AI Software, Including Copilots, Agents, and Tech-Enabled Services AI Applications, Defensibility, and Market Potential Open Source vs. Closed Source AI Models Supply Chain Inefficiencies and the Role of FinTech in Improving Payment and Invoicing Processes Investing in Non-Consensus Supply Chain Software Categories, Focusing on Procurement and Freight Audit Guest Links: LinkedIn Twitter/X Bessemer Venture Partners The hosts of The Full Ratchet are Nick Moran and Nate Pierotti of New Stack Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to investing in founders outside of the Bay Area. Want to keep up to date with The Full Ratchet? Follow us on social. You can learn more about New Stack Ventures by visiting our LinkedIn and Twitter. Are you a founder looking for your next investor? Visit our free tool VC-Rank and we'll send a list of potential investors right to your inbox!
Bessemer Venture Partners recently released their "State of the Cloud 24" which included the catch phrase "The Legacy Cloud is Dead - Long Live AI Cloud!" Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the report and the opportunities and threats to traditional SaaS companies.Topics discussed include:Social Media Buzz and Sources of "SaaS is Dead"Gen AI VC Funding Categories and SourcesTop Five Gen AI Trends Trend 1: AI foundation models set the stage for Big Tech's new battle-of-the-century Trend 2: AI turning all of us into 10X developers Trend 3: Multimodal models and AI agents will transform human relationships with software Trend 4: Vertical AI shows potential to dwarf legacy SaaS with new applications and business models Trend 5: AI Brings Consumer Cloud Back from the DeadIf you are in a SaaS company evaluating how best to maneuver the risks and/or capture the potential of Gen AI, the Bessemer State of the Cloud report is a great read and this episode with CAC and Growth is a great listen!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week's Espresso covers news from Bucksapp, Realize, Moffin, and more!Outline of this episode:[00:27] – Bucksapp lands $1M in pre-seed[00:43] – Realize secures $300K from Investidores.vc[00:55] – Moffin raises $2.1M seed round[01:16] – Perhaps raises $1.7M pre-seed round[01:29] – Bits raises $330K to enhance AI use[01:43] – Eden raises $10M led by Sierra Ventures.[01:53] – Avra raised $2M in a round led by MAYA Capital[02:08] – Overview of Cali's entrepreneurial ecosystem[02:20] – Latamlist Roundup July 1st - July 15thResources & people mentioned:Startups: Bucksapp, Realize, Moffin, Perhaps, Bits, EdenVCs: iThink VC, BuenTrip Ventures, Investidores.vc, Accion Venture Lab, Chile Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Quintal, Levain Ventures, Sierra Ventures
Mike Droesch and Joe Lynch discuss the supply chain road map. Mike is a Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, a venture capital firm that backs promising startups in technology, supply chain, healthcare, and consumer markets. Mike's focus is on logistics and supply chain. Click the link to see Mike review BVP's Supply Chain Roadmap. Summary: The Supply Chain Road Map In this podcast, Mike Droesch from Bessemer Venture Partners shares insights on the importance of a supply chain roadmap and how technology is transforming the logistics industry. He discusses their firm's focus on investing in early-stage companies that bring innovation to the sector, and highlights key areas such as workflow optimization, digital connectivity, and automated financial workflows. Mike also emphasizes the significance of having a founding team with industry expertise and a deep understanding of pain points, and how venture capital funding enables the development of cutting-edge solutions in a competitive market. #SupplyChainRoadmap #LogisticsTech #VentureCapitalInsights About Mike Droesch Mike Droesch is a Partner in the Cambridge office primarily focusing on AI applications, cybersecurity, supply chain software, and B2B marketplaces. He currently serves on the board of directors for Tackle, Curri, Raft, Cypress, Netography, Optimal Dynamics, and VendorPM. Previously, Mike worked with a few venture-backed startups in Boston, including two Bessemer portfolio companies, Fuze and InsightSquared, where he supported sales operations and analytics efforts. He started his career as a systems engineer and then spent nearly three years in management consulting at Navigant, where he helped companies build new businesses around emerging energy and infrastructure technologies in the U.S. and Middle East. He holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, a Master's Degree in naval architecture and engineering from the University of Michigan, and a degree in mechanical engineering from Tufts University. About Bessemer Venture Partners Bessemer Venture Partners helps entrepreneurs lay strong foundations to build and forge long-standing companies. With more than 145 IPOs and 300 portfolio companies in the enterprise, consumer and healthcare spaces, Bessemer supports founders and CEOs from their early days through every stage of growth. Bessemer's global portfolio has included Pinterest, Shopify, Twilio, Yelp, LinkedIn, PagerDuty, DocuSign, Wix, Fiverr, and Toast and has more than $18 billion of assets under management. Bessemer has teams of investors and partners located in Tel Aviv, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, New York, London, Hong Kong, Boston, and Bangalore. Born from innovations in steel more than a century ago, Bessemer's storied history has afforded its partners the opportunity to celebrate and scrutinize its best investment decisions (see Memos) and also learn from its mistakes (see Anti-Portfolio). Key Takeaways: The Supply Chain Road Map The importance of having a supply chain roadmap aligned with company goals and objectives. Bessemer Venture Partners' focus on investing in early-stage technology companies. The impact of COVID on the supply chain logistics technology industry and market volatility. Venture capital's preference for software businesses over hardware due to scalability and capital requirements. Mike Droesch's journey from mechanical engineering to venture capital at Bessemer Venture Partners. The supply chain roadmap: identifying opportunities for technology to impact the supply chain and logistics industry. Workflow optimization software helping trucking companies improve efficiency and profitability through data-driven decisions. Timestamps (00:00:00) The Supply Chain Roadmap (00:00:19) The History of Bessemer Venture Partners (00:02:00) Venture Capital in Supply Chain Logistics (00:06:31) Venture Capital's Focus on Software Startups (00:08:57) Discovering Venture Capital and BVP (00:12:13) Exploring the Supply Chain Technology Landscape (00:18:21) Optimizing Trucking with Workflow Optimization Software (00:24:35) Unlocking Supply Chain Efficiency with Digital Connectivity (00:29:02) Logistics Visibility: Bridging Silos and Automation (00:35:16) AI Readiness: Cleaning Data for Future Decisions (00:36:44) Automating Financial Workflows with AI (00:38:08) Improving Invoicing and Payment with AI (00:42:11) VC Funding Drives Logistics Industry Innovation (00:42:48) Streamlining Supply Chains for Competitive Advantage (00:44:14) Investing in Early-Stage Supply Chain Tech (00:46:56) Industry Expertise Trumps Finance in Supply Chain Startups (00:48:49) Investing in Supply Chain Startups Learn More About The Supply Chain Road Map Mike Droesch | Linkedin Bessemer Venture Partners | Linkedin Bessemer Venture Partners The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast Check out The Logistics of Logistics on Youtube
In this episode, we speak with Mitchell Green, the Founder and Managing Partner at Lead Edge Capital, a growth equity firm with over $5 billion in assets under management. Investing in software, internet, and tech-enabled services businesses globally, the firm specializes in helping growth-stage companies scale. Lead Edge Capital has an interesting model that combines elements of private equity, growth, and an active network of over 700 limited partners to build a very powerful moat. Prior to founding Lead Edge, Mitchell was on the investment teams at Eastern Advisors and Bessemer Venture Partners. Mitchell is formerly a nationally ranked alpine ski racer. Mitchell is one of the members of the Board of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.
Pioneering cloud VC Byron Deeter of Bessemer Venture Partners breaks down the recent dramatic moves in software and if he sees an upcoming wave of AI IPOs. Clocktower's Marko Papic on where he is finding opportunity outside the US while JPMorgan's David Kelly and US Bank's Eric Freedman break down equities in the US as the S&P 500 closed at a record. Zelamn & Associates co-founder Ivy Zelman on the state of the housing market and this round of earnings in the sector. Plus, our Julia Boorsitn on today's testimony of Roger Goodell in the Sunday Ticket antirust lawsuit.
The Twenty Minute VC: Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
Sarah Tavel is a General Partner @ Benchmark, one of the most successful and renowned venture firms in the world. At Benchmark, Sarah has led rounds in Chainalysis, Hipcamp, Medely, Rekki, Glide, Cambly and more. Prior to Benchmark, Sarah was a Partner at Greylock Partners. Before Greylock, Sarah was the first 30 employees at Pinterest. Sarah joined Pinterest in 2012 after co-leading the Series A investment while at Bessemer Venture Partners. In Today's Episode with Sarah Tavel We Discuss: 1. Becoming a GP at The Most Renowned Firm in Venture: How did the process of Sarah joining Benchmark start? How did it progress? What was it that convinced her to leave Greylock and join Benchmark? What does Sarah believe makes Peter Fenton the world-class investor that he is? What does Sarah know now that she wishes she had known when she started in venture? 2. Foundation Models: Is it All Going to Zero: Will foundation models be commoditised? Will 99% of the funding going to foundation models go to 0? How does Sarah view the future of open vs closed source? Why does Sarah believe that all frontier models of the future will be closed-source? Why does the business model of foundation models remind Sarah of the food delivery business? 3. Application Layer: Where $BN Companies Will Be Built: Why does Sarah believe that sustainable value-creating companies will be in the application layer? How does Sarah determine between a wrapper on top of ChatGPT and true product value? Are enterprises opening real budgets for AI today or are we still in experimental budgets? How does Sarah think about how AI companies differentiate when there are so many in the same space of customer service, sales team support etc etc? Why does Sarah believe that it is rational to pay more for these companies when investing in them? What does Sarah mean when she says the future is "selling the work and not the tools"? 4. Inside Benchmark: How the Best Do Venture: What is the one rule that Benchmark is willing to break when doing a deal? Why do Benchmark aim to be the best recruitment firm in the world? Why do Benchmark not agree with the concept of reserves? In a case where Benchmark have lost, why did they lose? How did they change their approach?
Tess Hatch is a Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners.
This week on the Expert Voices podcast, Randy Wootton, CEO of Maxio, speaks with Jeff Epstein, Operating Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners and a distinguished figure in the business and finance sectors. Randy and Jeff discuss the rationale behind budgeting, emphasizing its role in predicting financial futures, resource allocation, motivation, and maintaining fiscal discipline with investor funds. Jeff talks about the recent introduction of the Rule of X by Bessemer Venture Partners, examining the balance between growth and profitability. Jeff also shares pragmatic wisdom from his time at Oracle about setting realistic yet ambitious targets and flourishing within set constraints.Quotes“I think the Rule of X is my favorite metric because it combines revenue, growth and profitability. There is always that tension and that trade off. Should we grow faster and invest more or should we try to get more profitable sooner? And both the CEO and the CFO, that's one of the key resource allocation decisions they make. Another way to think about it is it's short term versus long term. You need to do both. You need to both achieve your goals this year and build the company for the long term. And the Rule of X captures both concepts.” -Jeff Epstein [40:21]“I think the way we think about that, and I'm only going to B2B SaaS guy, is what is the pipeline that has to be built to match the capacity, the sales capacity? So street quota, what is that? So for using an example, like 10 million bucks, marketing sales have to be totally aligned in terms of how many dollars need to be invested in paid surge versus events, et cetera, to create the pipeline, the days to close and the percent win rates that gets you to an 80/80 hit. So I think that's a great rule of thumb.” -Randy Wootton [25:40]Expert Takeaways Rule of X: a nuanced approach to evaluate a company's performance by combining growth with profitability.Budgets serve as a predictive tool, a resource allocation guide, and a motivational scorecard, and are fundamental for fiscal discipline, especially when using investors' money.The importance of aligning annual budgets with a company's strategic three to five-year plan and the careful management of board expectations.50/50 probability when setting revenue targets should ideally lead to aggressive but achievable goals.Executive compensation strategies: balancing individual accountability and sharing in company-wide success.Timestamps(01:28) Jeff's time at Oracle(03:06) Building budgets(06:37) The Rule of X(09:09) The relationship between strategy and budget(16:00) The need for more evidence before relying on AI efficiency improvements(21:00) The 50-50 rule for team performance(29:17) The three-part compensation plan and the alignment of incentives with profit goals.(32:48) Driving incentives and motivation through MBOs and OKRs(36:02) Addressing the tension between annual budgets and actual performanceLinksMAXIOUpcoming Events
After 23+ years in venture capital, Jeremy Levine has thrived in many eras, taking risks on now-iconic companies like LinkedIn, Shopify, Yelp, Pinterest, and more. In our discussion, Jeremy shared stories behind these investments and the mindsets he's developed along the way. We also explored how the VC landscape has evolved over the last 20 years and where the industry may head next. Plus, Jeremy shares insights from his journey into VC, along with foundational advice and principles that anyone aspiring to succeed in the industry may find valuable. Overall, an in-depth discussion for anyone who wants to nerd out on venture capital with us. (00:00) Intro(01:03) Exploring the Personal Motivations Behind Venture Capital(01:41) The Impact of Technology on Venture Capital(03:11) The Reality of Venture Capital Impact(06:45) The Ideal Venture Investment: The Donut Company Metaphor(07:30) Operator vs. Career Investor: The Best Venture Capitalists(09:57) The Dynamics of Choosing a Venture Investor(14:03) The Unique Paths to Success in Venture Capital(17:04) Authenticity and Adaptability in Venture Capital(26:33) Navigating the Complexities of Venture Capital Careers(34:11) Jeremy Levine's Journey to Bessemer Venture Partners(40:00) Navigating the Venture Capital Landscape: Insights and Strategies(40:30) The Competitive Edge in Early 2000s Venture Capital(43:26) Reflections on Career Paths and the Role of Serendipity(47:04) The Intricacies of Decision Making in Venture Capital(52:37) Evaluating Investment Opportunities: The Price Sensitivity Debate(55:22) Learning from Success and Failure: The Jet.com Story(01:08:26) The Evolution of Successful Entrepreneurs: Insights from Shopify and Yelp(01:16:22) The Strategic Advantage of Repeat Entrepreneurs in the Startup Ecosystem(01:19:38) Navigating Market Dynamics: Insights and Analogies(01:20:09) The Evolution of a Venture Capitalist: From Ideas to Impact(01:21:22) Pioneering User-Generated Content: A Venture Success Story(01:23:36) Exploring E-Commerce and the Power of Advertising(01:24:59) Innovative Investment Strategies: SaaS and Payment Processing(01:34:53) Bessemer's Legacy and Venture Capital Evolution(01:39:57) Expanding Horizons: Bessemer's Global and Diverse Investment Approach(01:52:35) Cultivating Talent and Embracing Industry Dynamics(02:02:36) Navigating Budgets and Investment Strategies in Venture Capital(02:03:55) The Importance of Accountability and Decision-Making Records(02:05:46) Investment Memo Strategies: Beyond Templates(02:08:43) The Dynamics of Voting and Decision Making in VC Firms(02:16:19) The Evolution of Venture Capital: Trends and Predictions(02:21:13) Building a Successful Venture Capital Firm: Culture and Operations(02:29:57) Mentorship and Individual Growth in Venture Capital(02:39:40) Navigating the AI Investment Landscape(02:41:36) The Debate on Announcing Funding Rounds(02:44:20) Closing Remarks Produced: Rashad Assir & Leah ClapperMixed and edited: Justin HrabovskyExecutive Producer: Josh Machiz
In this episode, Steve Kraus talks with Joanna Strober, co-founder and CEO of Midi Health, a virtual healthcare platform specifically for women in midlife (ages 35-65). Midi Health is a virtual care clinic created by specialists in perimenopause and menopause to address the massive unmet needs of women in this demographic.Joanna explains why women often lose touch with an OBGYN after child-bearing years but don't get the care they need from primary care physicians. She shares insights on her current company's impressive retention and patient outcomes, plus lessons learned from her previous digital health startup, Kurbo Health, which focused on childhood obesity.As a former investor at Bessemer Venture Partners, Joanna reflects on what entrepreneurs should expect from their investors. As a mother, Joanna discusses the importance of resilience, prioritization, and partnership in enabling women to thrive as parents and professionals.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Venture Unlocked: The playbook for venture capital managers.
Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape.We have a conversation with Mitchell Green, Founder and Managing Partner at Lead Edge Capital. With offices in New York and Santa Barbara, the firm has over $5B in Assets under management and specializes in helping growth-stage companies scale.The firm has an interesting model that combines elements of PE, growth, and an active network of over 700 LPs to build a very powerful moat.I was really interested in several business components, especially the LP base's strategic nature and the programmatic way they evaluate companies. A word from our sponsor:Invest in innovation. Allocate allows investors to access top-tier private funds and co-investment opportunities within the technology sector.Despite the enormous growth of the private markets and the rapid increase of retail demand for private alternatives, investing in the highest quality private assets within the innovation sector still remains limited to institutions and ultra-connected high net worth individuals.With Allocate, wealth advisors, banks, family offices, and other qualified investors can have a streamlined way to responsibly invest with confidence.Go to allocate.co to find out more and please sign up to the waitlist to learn more and get early access to the platform.About Mitchell Green:Mitchell Green is the Founder and Managing Partner at Lead Edge Capital, a $5B growth equity firm investing in software, internet, and tech-enabled services businesses globally. Mitchell oversees the fund's global activities and has led several of the fund's largest investments, including Alibaba Group, Asana, Bumble, FIGS, Grafana, SignalSciences, Spotify, Toast, Uber, and Wise. His career began with roles on the investment teams at Bessemer Venture Partners and Eastern Advisors. Mitchell is a former nationally ranked alpine ski racer and currently serves on the boards of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation and the Laguna Blanca School in Santa Barbara, CA.Mitchell holds a B.A. in Economics from Williams College and an M.B.A. in Marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.In this episode, we discuss:(01:38) Shares the origin story of Lead Edge Capital, reflecting on the early experiences before 2009, and the influence of Bessemer's deal-sourcing approach of cold calling and direct outreach.(09:57) The value of being his own boss and learning from failures(12:35) Building a team for outbound cold calling to find unique investment opportunities.(15:27) Leveraging LPs in the due diligence process for valuable insights and validation of potential investments(17:21) Creating a community among LPs where engagement and assistance are core expectations(20:55) The resilience and opportunistic nature of high-net-worth individuals during market downturns(21:59) The "moneyball" approach to investment criteria, prioritizing revenue, growth, gross margins, and capital efficiency(26:00) A success story of investing in a rapidly growing, COVID-enabled electronic signatures company(30:32) Many companies raising venture capital should not exist(36:09) The need for persistence to get into the best companies(38:57) Trusting your instincts and the strategic advantage of being contrarian in investmentI'd love to know what you took away from this conversation with Mitchell. Follow me @SamirKaji and give me your insights and questions with the hashtag #ventureunlocked. If you'd like to be considered as a guest or have someone you'd like to hear from (GP or LP), drop me a direct message on Twitter.Podcast Production support provided by Agent Bee This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ventureunlocked.substack.com
Erichsen Geld & Gold, der Podcast für die erfolgreiche Geldanlage
Möchtet ihr die Frage beantworten, ob es sich lohnt, "Aktie XY" aus dem Technologie- beziehungsweise Software-Sektor zu kaufen, dann sollte man die "Rule of 40" kennen. Hier werden Umsatzwachstum und Profitabilität miteinander kombiniert. Man erhält dann eine Kennzahl, die mir eben eine Aussage darüber gibt, ob es sich lohnt in dieses Unternehmen zu investieren - natürlich nur näherungsweise, denn: Es gibt auch noch andere Faktoren, die es zu berücksichtigen gilt. Und nun kommt Bessemer Venture Partners - so heißt die Firma und sagt: "Wachstum? Marge? Ist ja schön und gut, das reicht aber nicht aus. Schaut lieber auf die "Rule of X"". In der heutigen Folge möchte ich sowohl nochmal darüber sprechen, was es mit der "Rule of 40" auf sich hat und was Bessemer Venture Partners daran kritisiert! ► Der im Podcast besprochene Link: https://www.bvp.com/atlas/the-rule-of-x ► Den neuen Podcast “Buy The Dip” findet ihr hier: https://buythedip.podigee.io ► Jetzt unseren Buy The Dip YouTube-Kanal abonnieren: https://www.youtube.com/@BuyTheDipPodcast?sub_confirmation=1 ► Schau Dir hier die neue Aktion der Rendite-Spezialisten an: https://www.rendite-spezialisten.de/aktion ► TIPP: Sichere Dir wöchentlich meine Tipps zu Gold, Aktien, ETFs & Co. – 100% gratis: https://erichsen-report.de/ Viel Freude beim Anhören. Über eine Bewertung und einen Kommentar freue ich mich sehr. Jede Bewertung ist wichtig. Denn sie hilft dabei, den Podcast bekannter zu machen. Damit noch mehr Menschen verstehen, wie sie ihr Geld mit Rendite anlegen können. ► Mein YouTube-Kanal: http://youtube.com/ErichsenGeld ► Folge meinem LinkedIn-Account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erichsenlars/ ► Folge mir bei Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErichsenGeld/ ► Folge meinem Instagram-Account: https://www.instagram.com/erichsenlars Quelle der Audio-Snippets, abgerufen am 22.02.2024: URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ibPm547Syw Titel: Nvidia posts Q4 beat on revenue and earnings YouTube-Kanal: CNBC Television URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1fQTtXO9JM Titel: The Secret Algorithm Amazon Used to Raise Prices | WSJ Tech News Briefing YouTube-Kanal: WSJ News Die verwendete Musik wurde unter www.soundtaxi.net lizensiert. Ein wichtiger abschließender Hinweis: Aus rechtlichen Gründen darf ich keine individuelle Einzelberatung geben. Meine geäußerte Meinung stellt keinerlei Aufforderung zum Handeln dar. Sie ist keine Aufforderung zum Kauf oder Verkauf von Wertpapieren. Offenlegung wegen möglicher Interessenkonflikte: Die Autoren sind in den folgenden besprochenen Wertpapieren bzw. Basiswerten zum Zeitpunkt der Veröffentlichung investiert: Nvidia
San Francisco-based venture capital firm, Bessemer Venture Partners, is diving into defense technology, with Payload securing the first interview to discuss the firm's new strategy with Partner Tess Hatch. Despite the firm's historical successes with space companies such as Terra Bella (formerly Skybox), Spire, and Rocket Lab, they are cautiously awaiting a new technological catalyst before making further industry investments.Meanwhile, Tess has turned her attention to the defense sector highlighted in the firm's recent Bessemer's defense tech roadmap. She highlights AI/ML solutions and autonomous systems as critical investment areas, aiming to influence the future of national security significantly.Tess joins us to recount her transition from an aspiring astronaut to a deep tech investor. In addition, Mo and Tess discuss:Bessemer's early space thesisA breakdown of defense techThe concept of “dual use”Tech shaping the future of national securityChallenges to defense investingAnd much, much more… • Chapters •00:00 - Intro02:15 - Tess's career arc04:06 - Tess's transition from engineer to investor06:27 - High capex in deep tech investing09:04 - BVP's investment strategy15:59 - Space industry today and future predictions18:37 - New investors in the space industry21:07 - A third catalyst?23:41 - Bessemer's defense tech roadmap26:28 - How does Bessemer differentiate itself28:11 - How do you define defense tech?30:43 - Concept of dual use32:21 - Reality of dual use35:12 - Challenges of defense tech investing38:41 - Future opportunity in national security40:53 - Liquidity in defense tech42:48 - Who should partner with Bessemer?45:08 - Favorite war movie/book • Show notes •BVP's Defense Tech Roadmap — https://www.bvp.com/atlas/roadmap-defense-techBVP's socials — https://twitter.com/BessemerVPMo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislamPayload's socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspacePathfinder archive — Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@payloadspace Pathfinder archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/episodes • About us •Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 15,000+ commercial, civil, and military space leaders. Payload is read by decision-makers at every leading new space company, along with c-suite leaders at all of the aerospace & defense primes. We're also read on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon, and at space agencies around the world.Payload began as a weekly email sent to a few friends and coworkers. Today, we're a team distributed across four time zones and two continents, publishing three media properties across multiple platforms:1) Payload, our flagship daily newsletter, sends M-F @ 9am Eastern (https://newsletter.payloadspace.com/)2) Pathfinder publishes weekly on Tuesday mornings (pod.payloadspace.com)3) Parallax, our weekly space science briefing, hits inboxes Thursday (https://parallax.payloadspace.com/)
On this bonus episode of The Path, Ryan and LinkedIn Editor in Chief chat with Shannon Brayton, Chief Marketing Officer of Bessemer Venture Partners about the dynamic and rapidly evolving world of communications. Shannon has made impactful contributions at Yahoo, eBay, OpenTable, and as the former CMO of LinkedIn – She offers a unique perspective on merging social media, marketing, and external communications into a cohesive career path. We'll explore why this field is highlighted in LinkedIn's "Jobs on the Rise" report and uncover the skills and experiences necessary to thrive in this industry. Follow Ryan, Dan, and Shannon on LinkedIn Get more stories from the world's top leaders by subscribing to The Path newsletter.
Episode #321 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Gabi Steele, Co-Founder & CEO at Preql. Building a company is hard and there is no “one right way” to go about getting started, especially when you are creating a new category. But, when I talk to founders like Gabi, there was always an emphasis on generating revenue from the start. It's a smart move, as you can obviously control your own destiny through any customer work that might seem more like a services play. But, in addition to being able to pay the bills by bootstrapping, you are also getting a tremendous amount of market research and exposure to the real world problems that your customers are trying to solve. It was this approach that allowed Gabi and her Co-Founder, Leah Weiss, the ability to spin off and launch Preql as a stand alone product company and raise capital to grow it. Preql is a no-code data transformation solution built for business users. Their technology's core solutions help companies with data access, metric management, and data governance. The company has raised $7M from Bessemer Venture Partners. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * A deep dive into the world of data visualization and the career path into this field. * Gabi background story including how her career got started at The Washington Post. * Her experience at WeWork, where she met her co-founder, and the creation of the company's Data Cult program… plus, how the portrayal in the WeCrashed series may have been under-dramatized. * The founding of Raw Haus, a community connecting emerging talent across the art, design, technology, and entrepreneurial spaces. * The background story of Preql and how they built revenue from its consultancy and spun out a product. * The challenges of building a new category in tech and selling it to a business user. * Hiring the company's first sales leader. * Lessons learned while building a product company. * And so much more.
“It's alot of reacting to the situation, but we don't run these companies. I think that as a minority investor you have to have the mentality that you backed a set of entrepreneurs to do it, and you have to coach them and support them as best as you can, but you can't run the company.” In today's episode, Cynthia and Zoë welcome Wharton alumni Charles Birnbaum to the podcast. After beginning his career on Wall Street, Charles moved into the venture capital space. As a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, he invests in early stage fintech, consumer and education companies including Alloy and Brightwheel. Listen in to learn more about Charles's experience breaking into venture capital, major industry trends, and advice for investor-founder relationship management.
Episode brought to you by More StaffingRyan Denehy is the Founder and CEO at Electric AI, an IT platform that empowers SMBs with user-friendly tools and guidance to streamline their IT management and secure their business.Electric, valued over $1B has raised over $200M to date and is backed by GGV Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Primary Venture Partners, Greenspring Associates, 01 Advisors, Bowery Capital, The Slack Fund, Vintage Investment Partners, and Atreides Management.Ryan joins Blaine & Ramon to give a first hand look at what it takes to build a unicorn, how to level up as an entrepreneur, and some hot takes on current market affairs.Join 15k founders and marketers & get our pod highlights delivered directly to your inbox with the DTC Pod Newsletter!On this episode of DTC pod we cover:1. Importance of Spending Control2. Value of Experienced Advisors3. Persistence in Challenging Situations4. Significance of Self-Awareness Growth5. Product-Market Fit Exploration6. Strategic Business Pivots7. CEO Evolution and DelegationTimestamps00:00 Low barriers allow starting any type of business.09:33 Successful DVD distribution leads to sponsorship deal.15:30 Learned perseverance through years of daily skateboarding.21:33 Focus on solving specific problems for customers.26:52 Unknowingly found product-market fit through mountain biking.30:06 Founders need creativity and abstract thinking.34:59 Transition from experimentation to disciplined business operations.39:25 Founder transitions rapidly from customer focus to management.46:11 CEO aspirant emphasizes learning, adapting to challenges.54:59 You control spending and bank account balance.Shownotes powered by CastmagicPast guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more. Additional episodes you might like:• #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth• #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content• #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views• #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands• #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook• #243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands-----Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you.Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?Check out our newsletter here and our DTC brand directory hereFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTok Ryan Denehy - Founder and CEO at Electric AIRamon Berrios - Co-Founder of CastmagicBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic
Charles Schwab Chief Investment Strategist Liz Ann Sonders on the Fed's next move and if markets are overreacting right now. FedEx earnings with instant analysis from Melius Research's Conor Cunningham. Global Defense Lead at Palantir, Doug Philippone, talks investing in the sector, the state of global security and how uncertainty in the Red Sea is impacting supply chains. Bessemer Venture Partners' Byron Deeter on investing in software in 2024 and potential fallout from Adobe and Figma walking away from each other.
Jeff Epstein is an operating partner at Bessemer Venture Partners leading its CFO Council where he helps CEOs and CFOs at their 200- portfolio company share best practices. Epstein, one of the most famous names in finance, is former executive vice president and chief financial officer of Oracle, with a market value of over $200 billion. Prior to joining Oracle, Jeff served as CFO at public and private companies, including DoubleClick (acquired by Google), King World Productions (acquired by CBS), and Nielsen's Media Measurement and Information Group. Earlier in his career, he was an investment banker at The First Boston Corporation. In this episode: From Wall Street to first-time CFO Running finance at Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy and Oprah-TV hitmaker King World The skills needed to be a top CFO The 3 routes to CFO: Auditors, Wall Street or FP&A What Andy Gove OKR setting can teach us about budget setting What is the right percentage of time to hit budget goals? Balancing between Elon Musk (Papa Bear) and Charlie Munger (Mama Bear) in setting targets Giving people the opportunity to overachieve Best case/worst case/base case at Oracle strategy The delicate balancing act of Wall Street guidance Using a stagger chart Why FP&A is so critical; how the biggest strategic decisions involve FP&A advice Revisiting the processes as Oracle bought Sun Microsystems Merger integration strategy worked on our sales compensation Truck drivers and sales commission – a must-listen to story How in 1983 at the Washington Post I learned from Warren Buffet and ended up scrambling to buy 4 shares of Berkshire Hathaway. Guess much it's worth now? Show notes Forecasting 101 and how to build a Stagger chart Jeff Epstein: How CFOs build a Goldilocks “just-right” budget Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon Winston Churchill: My Early Life Andy Grove: High Output Management
While space is awe-inspiring and technologically groundbreaking, is it investable? Venture capitalist Tess Hatch, who has invested in space startups like Rocket Lab and Spire Global, is pausing her commercial space investments and setting sights on a related industry: defense tech. She joins Morgan Brennan to make the case for the strategic pivot and venture outlook.
While space is awe-inspiring and technologically groundbreaking, is it investable? Venture capitalist Tess Hatch, who has invested in space startups like Rocket Lab and Spire Global, is pausing her commercial space investments and setting sights on a related industry: defense tech. She joins Morgan Brennan to make the case for the strategic pivot and venture outlook.
Ambar Bhattacharyya is the Managing Director at Maverick Ventures. During his venture capital career at Maverick Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Bain Capital Ventures, Ambar has led or been actively involved in investments resulting in 16 IPOs & acquisitions, with six companies achieving valuations of over $1B in the public markets. Ambar has received broad recognition for his leadership, including Fortune Magazine's "40 under 40", Business Insider's “30 leaders under 40 transforming healthcare”, San Francisco Business Time's "40 under 40" list, and as a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum. He was also selected to be an Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow in 2022. Ambar has been cited by publications including Business Insider, CNBC, Fast Company, Forbes, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal for his thoughts on the startup ecosystem and innovation. You can learn more about: How to invest in the top healthcare companies? How to accelerate your career growth in venture capital? The healthcare AI landscape deep dive. ===================== YouTube: @GraceGongCEO Newsletter: @SmartVenture LinkedIn: @GraceGong TikTok: @GraceGongCEO IG: @GraceGongCEO Twitter: @GraceGongGG ===================== Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, superstar founders, as well as well-known tech executives in silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.
The Desi VC: Indian Venture Capital | Angel Investors | Startups | VC
Rohit Bansal is the Co-founder Snapdeal, one of the largest online marketplaces in India. The company has raised over $1.7B from eBay, Kalaari Capital, Nexus Venture Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Intel Capital, BlackRock, Temasek Holdings and SoftBank. He is also the Co-Founder of Titan Capital, which has invested in companies such as Mamaearth, Dealshare, OLA, RazorPay and OfBusiness. He an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. . . . Episode Notes: Introduction (2:00) What motivated Rohit to become an entrepreneur (2:57) Why is entrepreneurship on the rise in India (10:30) How did Rohit get into investing (14:30) How did and does Rohit deal with tough moments in life (19:26) How do founders continue to stay motivated over the years (27:58) What frameworks does Rohit deploy to navigate tough situations in life (31:39) Why it's important for founders to look after themselves (36:20) Looking back at his career what is Rohit the most proud of? (41:15) What is Rohit dedicating the next 5-10 years of his life towards (45:45) What advice would Rohit give his younger self? (52:02) . . . Social Links: Follow Rohit on Twitter Follow Rohit on LinkedIn Follow The Desi VC on LinkedIn Follow Akash Bhat on Twitter Follow Akash Bhat on LinkedIn
My guest this week is Brent Franson, an entrepreneur and founder and CEO of a company called Most Days. I met Brent a while back when he had me on his podcast. I really wanted to talk with him after I listened to an episode of his podcast where he described the things that led him to the work he does now, which is focused on helping people make positive changes in their lives. Brent talked about his history of addiction and what helped him overcome it. We talked about self-compassion, which is built into the Most Days approach, and the limits of self-improvement. Topics we got into included: The events that led to Brent's interest in and motivation for positive behavior change Brent's history of addiction The destructive dynamics of addiction My guest's experience in rehab Honest with oneself as an essential starting place for change The importance of self-compassion Balancing self-compassion with structure and discipline The important difference between self-criticism and self-critique The limits of self-improvement Allowing yourself to have some off-days The influence of meditation and mindfulness on my guest's life and work Learning about one's “inner talk track” Focusing on consistency before intensity when building new habits Check out the Most Days Show and the Most Days app, and contact Brent here. You can hear Brent tell his story on his podcast: Part 1: The Story of Most Days and Part 2: The Importance of Big Decisions. Brent Franson is the founder and CEO of Most Days. A serial entrepreneur, Brent's interest in entrepreneurial endeavors began in high school when he founded a full-service search technology marketing agency. After moving to Palo Alto in 2005, Brent was on the founding team of Reputation.com, the worldwide leader in online reputation management. Reputation.com was named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum and was backed by Kleiner Perkins, Bessemer Venture Partners, and August Capital. Most recently, Brent was the CEO of Euclid Analytics, a leader in retail data and analytics backed by Benchmark Capital, NEA, Harrison Metal, and Groupe Arnault. Under his leadership, Euclid was acquired by WeWork in 2019. Brent has been named a LinkedIn Top Voice, and has regularly contributed to Forbes, LinkedIn, Inc, Entrepreneur, and other publications. Brent is a father, and an athlete who enjoys his routine, reading, running, skiing, skydiving, and anything that involves pushing his own boundaries.
Eric is the CEO and Board Chairman of CoinLion (https://www.coinlion.com/), a cryptocurrency auto trading platform that makes it super simple for anyone to invest in crypto. They have executed 530K+ trades worth $1B+ and made investors $4M+ in profit to date. Many people are interested in investing in cryptocurrencies, but they're afraid to do so because they don't fully understand the complex crypto market, or where to even begin. By allowing users to sign up to their platform, which automatically trades cryptocurrencies for them 24/7/365, CoinLion offers a solution to this problem. The platform allows users to copy expert traders' strategies with a click of a button. Whatever the expert trades, the follower will also trade. This gives users the advantage of trading, versus simply holding crypto, which allows users to get in and out of the market at the right times. Eric is passionate about building outstanding teams that develop great products that are centered on the needs and wants of customers. He spent 19 years as the Founder and CEO of the urgent care software company DocuTAP (now Experity) before joining CoinLion. Eric (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericatdocutap/) led the business through explosive growth, multiple fundraising rounds (including with Warburg Pincus and Bessemer Venture Partners), several acquisitions, and a successful merger with its biggest competitor. That combined company was acquired again for $1B+ in 2019. Beyond CoinLion, Eric also sits on the boards of a few other innovative tech businesses, including Phraze.AI, Journey Tellr, and SideCar. To get a sense of Eric, here's an episode he did on the Focus605 Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/2f2kj4A2HAL9VH2yUgXkRy), where they talked about how those with no prior experience trading cryptocurrencies can do so profitably in real time. *DISCLAIMER - We are not giving any financial advice. Please DYOR* (00:00 - 02:08) Opening Segment - Eric is introduced as the guest Hosts - Eric shares something interesting about himself (02:08 - 26:55) Navigating Crypto's Future - Why investors are getting exposure to crypto in these uncertain times. With the global energy crisis exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, growing murmurs of a looming recession, rising inflation, a cooling housing market, and gold no longer the safe haven it once was, investors are eager to diversify their portfolios and are seeking new safe-havens for their money. Despite the current dip, is crypto the answer? - Cryptocurrency trading for beginners, and why and how to automatically trade crypto. - Lessons for crypto leaders and investors from the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. - The future of cryptocurrency in 2023 and beyond. - Building a tech company with a long-term view in mind. - Leading in uncertain times in an uncertain market. (26:55 - 31:16) Fire Round - Eric shared if she would change his investment strategy - Eric also shares his favorite Finance, real estate book, or any related book - Also Eric shared about the website and tools that he can recommend - Eric's advice to beginner investors - Also shared how he gives back (31:16 - 32:19) Closing Segment -If you want to learn more about the discussion, you can watch the podcast on Wealth Matter's YouTube channel and you can reach out to Alpesh using this link. Check us out at: Facebook: @wealthmatrs IG: @wealthmatrs.ig Tiktok: @wealthmatrs
In this episode, guests Sofia Guerra and Steve Kraus from Bessemer Venture Partners discuss their recently published report, "State of Health Tech 2023." We discuss what's going on in the public markets (and why), bad bubbles vs. okay bubbles, how health tech companies compare to other sectors, and looking for phoenixes to rise from the ashes.Read the BVP report here.Read the article on publicly traded digital health companies here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Venture Unlocked: The playbook for venture capital managers.
Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape.We're excited to be joined by Chris Farmer, Founder and CEO of SignalFire, a firm that was founded nearly a decade ago with the goal of disrupting the way Venture Capital is done.Unlike traditional VC firms, SignalFire has been built more like a company than a traditional asset manager, as it leverages a robust purpose-built data platform to augment its unique service model to entrepreneurs.During our conversation, we spent a lot of the time talking about his views on building a next-generation venture capital fund and the organizational design that goes behind it.About Chris Farmer:Chris Farmer is the Founder and CEO of SignalFire. He was previously a Venture Partner at General Catalyst Partners, supporting notable companies such as Alation, Coinbase, Stripe, and Venmo. Prior to this, Chris served as a Vice President at Bessemer Venture Partners specializing in digital media and mobile investments.In addition to his venture capital experience, Chris has demonstrated his entrepreneurial prowess by spearheading the turnaround of Skybitz, a wireless-enabled SaaS company.His career began on Wall Street in the private equity group of Cowen & Company, and he holds a B.A. from Tufts University.In this episode, we discuss:(02:13) The inspiration to start SignalFire after stints at iconic firms like General Catalyst and Bessemer(04:42) Being a tech company that happens to also invest in other tech companies?(07:21) How Chris uses data to source and evaluate new deals(16:53) Balancing a founder's past performance and their future potential(22:13) Thinking about OKRs and KPIs when starting a different sort of firm(26:28) Why hasn't venture itself seen more innovation as an industry(30:00) How he recruited and found the right team for this new model(33:30) Why data was able to help the firm to avoid the pitfalls of the recent bullrun market(38:58) Balancing data and FOMO as a firm(43:30) What the market will look like over the next 12-18 monthsI'd love to know what you took away from this conversation with Chris. Follow me @SamirKaji and give me your insights and questions with the hashtag #ventureunlocked. If you'd like to be considered as a guest or have someone you'd like to hear from (GP or LP), drop me a direct message on Twitter.Podcast Production support provided by Agent Bee This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ventureunlocked.substack.com
Discover Bessemer Venture Partners's annual State of the Cloud report, going through trends, benchmarks, and metrics that underpin the Cloud economy. Presented by: Mary D'Onofrio, Partner @ Bessemer Venture Partners Janelle Teng, VP @ Bessemer Venture Partners Caty Rea, VP @ Bessemer Venture Partners The past twelve months have been relatively turbulent for Cloud founders. SVB collapsed, market multiples are down, yet the IPO window is re-opening, and we have a platform shift to AI that's exciting everybody. What does this mean for Cloud companies? Let's find out.
In a world where artistry, academia, and entrepreneurship intertwine, Zev Eigen, the visionary founder of Syndio, embarked on a journey that would redefine workplace equity. His venture has raised funding from top-tier investors like Voyager Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Penny Jar Capital, and Anita Lynch.
My guests this week are Jeremy Levine, Kent Bennett, and Brian Feinstein. They are partners at one of the oldest and most storied venture firms in the world, Bessemer Venture Partners. Our conversation is split into two parts. First, we explore Bessemer itself. It's over 100 years old and has a unique operating model with lessons for every investment firm in the market. We then discuss Jeremy, Kent, and Brian's investing styles and outlook. What they look for in businesses, their thoughts on various sectors like vertical market software, and we close with a discussion about AI and defensibility. Please enjoy this great conversation. Listen to Founders Podcast Founders Episode 136 - Estee Lauder Founders Episode 288 - Ralph Lauren For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the modern research platform for leading investors. Tired of running your own expert calls to get up to speed on a company? Tegus lets you ramp faster and find answers to critical questions more efficiently than any alternative method. The gold standard for research, the Tegus platform delivers unmatched access to timely, qualitative insights through the largest and most differentiated expert call transcript database. With over 55,000 transcripts spanning 22,000 public and private companies, investors can accelerate their fundamental research process by discovering highly-differentiated and reliable insights that can't be found anywhere else in the market. As a listener, drive your next investment thesis forward with Tegus for free at tegus.co/patrick. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus Show Notes (00:03:14) - (First question) - The unique history of Bessemer and how the firm stays current (00:08:55) - The role of heritage and cooperative partnership in Bessemer's model (00:14:36) - How giving each partner autonomy and commissions can lead to better personal and company outcomes (00:17:18) - The extent of freedom a partner has in terms of the style of investments made (00:20:38) - Retro-analyzing the effectiveness of their investment roadmaps and core insights (00:25:10) - What conflict typically looks like in partners' conversations and how they resolve it (00:27:06) - How they enable their junior staff using apprenticeship and open dialogue (00:31:31) - Their different taste in investment targets (00:35:11) - How they each evaluate companies based on their unique interests (00:42:32) - Their thoughts on valuations and how they have dealt with with run-ups in the tech market (00:45:46) - What they anticipate in the future of early-stage investing (00:49:43) - The significance of Centaur companies that have hit $100-million in revenue (00:52:38) - The success of Bessemer's writing and online content (00:55:13) - Where the vertical market software industry is in its life cycle (00:59:12) - How the next wave of innovation may revolutionize software or even depart from it (01:02:33) - Advice they give to companies looking to prepare for future shifts in tech and AI (01:04:46) - What excites them and what scares them within the development of LLMs (01:08:18) - Defensibility of an LLM-based company, given the high level of competition (01:10:39) - How their firm deals with terminating partners if and when they aren't a good fit (01:14:53) - The kindest thing anyone has ever done for each of them