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On this episode of the Silicon Slopes Podcast, Clint meets with Utah legend, Paul Ahlstrom, who is an investor and entrepreneur, as well as the co-author of Nail It Then Scale It. Utah owes its dramatic rise in the tech and investment world to Paul because he co-founded the state's leading venture capital fund, which gave Utah the springboard it needed to become a part of every renowned investor's portfolio. They discuss his extensive background in investing and how Paul has made investing history by helping so many companies become the giants they are today. They dive into Paul's entrepreneurial journey and how he's an integral part of Utah's tech ecosystem, even creating the first venture fund in Mexico! Always on the hunt for the next problem to be solved, Paul's on a mission for three things: to cure cancer, end poverty, and disrupt Hollywood, by giving back and working to build things better. "I'm not really an investor. I'm an entrepreneur that's kind of disguised as an investor but if you look at the lens of everything I do, one of the things you can look at is just creating things out of scratch that are hard, that haven't been done before."
This is a special episode from our new show “Engineering Founders” - Should you build B2C or B2B? What about implementing a top-down or a bottoms up sales strategy? How do you think about pricing? These are many of the dilemmas early founders face in the early stages. We sit down with Abi Noda to explore his experiences co-founding DX and Pull Panda and examine the differences, trade-offs and considerations behind building for consumer vs. B2B, pricing, early sales and product adoption strategies! For more episodes of Engineering Founders, subscribe here: https://engineering-founders.simplecast.com/P.S. The Engineering Leadership Podcast will return after the winter holidays on January 3rd!ABOUT ABI NODAAbi Noda is the CEO and co-founder of DX, the world's first developer experience management platform. He was previously the CEO and founder of Pull Panda, which was acquired by GitHub in 2019. At GitHub he led research collaborations with Dr. Nicole Forsgren, McKinsey, and Microsoft Research, which was the impetus for founding DX."It's really good to try to sell starting on day one. That's probably, in my opinion, the best way to validate an idea, a B2B idea, is to try and go sell it and by sell it I mean literally go get money for like pre-committed customers. So it really de-risks a huge component of, I think, why these types of businesses fail, which is they just aren't able even identify, reach and successfully convert buyers.”- Abi Noda ABOUT DXDX is the world's first developer experience management platform, helping organizations measure and improve top drivers of developer productivity and engagement.DX is designed by leading software engineering researchers, providing science-backed metrics, workflows, and education that empower teams to improve.Interested in joining an ELC Peer Group?ELCs Peer Groups provide a virtual, curated, and ongoing peer learning opportunity to help you navigate the unknown, uncover solutions and accelerate your learning with a small group of trusted peers.Apply to join a peer group HERE: sfelc.com/peerGroupsSHOW NOTES:Abi's journey founding DX and Pull Panda (3:07)Building your business as a side-project for consumers vs. enterprise software (6:07)If you just got laid off and want to start a business, you need to hear this (10:02)The best way to validate a B2B idea (12:44)Differences with how you talk about your product in a competitive vs. uncompetitive market (15:58)How to think about pricing for bottoms-up or top-down sales motion (17:17)Choosing the right persona to pursue as customers (20:58)How experience at large companies can help you understand how to approach enterprise product adoption (24:44)Investor expectations with bottoms-up/top-down sales and identifying ICPs (32:06)Incentivizing users to adopt new features (34:12)Closing deals and getting to the implementation stage (37:51)How Abi maximized advisor relationships (40:04)Rapid fire questions (45:27)LINKS AND RESOURCESLenny Rachitsky's Newsletter - a weekly advice column about product, growth, and your career.7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy - Hamilton Helmer's comprehensive business strategy guide centered around power and the conditions that create the potential for persistent differential returns.Nail It Then Scale It - Nathan Furr and Paul Ahlstrom's guide to increasing success and reducing risk when launching a high-growth company.
This is Derek Miller Speaking on Business. Over 152,000 people are now working in Utah's high-tech industry and, Utah's tech-related employment is expected to grow more than any other state this year. Here to give us the inside scoop is Paul Ahlstrom, the founder of TechBuzz News. PAUL AHLSTROM Utah's high-tech industry began in 1965 when David Evans left UC Berkley and founded the computer science department at the University of Utah. Today, Salt Lake City residents boast more high-tech degrees per capita than many other major cities, and Utah is home to the well-known companies like Angel Studios, Ancestry.com, Owlet Baby Care and many more. TechBuzz News shines the spotlight on important things happening in the Utah startup community. Come to TechBuzz.news to read about recent stories such as the three-part series on Utah's Polynesian tech entrepreneurs or the recent investment by Brandon Fugal into resurrecting the woolly mammoth. Yes, you heard that correctly. Or, specific news on Utah's tech firms. TechBuzz has it all. We are a Utah-based news agency collecting and distributing news stories to individuals and other news organizations about Utah's technology sector via our own website at TechBuzz.news. Come visit us and join our newsletter or read about us through our syndication partners. DEREK MILLER If you're looking for information on Utah's tech sector, visit TechBuzz.news and sign up for the newsletter. Paul and his team are doing real reporting on Utah's rising tech talent and their companies. I'm Derek Miller with the Salt Lake Chamber, Speaking on Business. Originally aired: October 18, 2021
This is Derek Miller Speaking on Business. With Utah's economy enjoying record high employment levels, finding the right employees can be challenging. Paul Ahlstrom, co-founded IsoTalent, explains why many companies are turning to his firm for help in hiring topflight candidates. PAUL AHLSTROM Utah's economy is booming, and our unemployment rate is 2.6 percent. That is great for employees, but for companies looking to hire, that can make it difficult to find people with the right talent, skill, experience, and the right values to fill important positions. At IsoTalent, we created a better way to align the interests of our clients with the recruiters and job seekers. First, instead of charging 20 to 40 percent of the candidate salary, we charge by the hour, like an accountant, which results in a 50 to 70 percent savings compared to our competitors. Second, we give all the stakeholders visibility and transparency at each step of the recruiting process. That's why employers “in search of talent” turn to us at IsoTalent. Using innovative technology, we accelerate the hiring process and produce 7-10 times the number of quality candidates for each job opening, compared to traditional methods. We recruit locally, nationally, and internationally and have placed top-notch candidates in hundreds of firms. Go to IsoTalent.com for more information. DEREK MILLER Utah has added nearly 56,000 jobs in the past two years and there are now over 1.6 million people working in our state. If you are “in search of talent,” contact the hiring experts at IsoTalent.com. I'm Derek Miller with the Salt Lake Chamber, Speaking on Business. Originally aired: October 12, 2021
In this podcast, Nathan Furr(@nathan_furr) talks about leading transformation. He shares some of the crucial ingredients of transformational leaders. He sheds some light on how businesses could improve their storytelling to get the transformation agenda across. He shares some cool tips and tricks that help leaders plan for a transformation across data-driven and disruptive times. Timeline: 1:39 Nathan's journey. 4:49 Nathan's current role. 13:55 Transforming legacy old company. 21:52 The right moment for companies to think about data transformation. 26:38 Using comic books to share transformational stories. 34:32 Who's the most responsible person in an organization for transformation? 39:13 Qualities a leader must have for bringing in transformational change. 43:40 Nathan's success mantra. 47:57 Nathan's favorite reads. 50:29 Closing remarks. Nathan's Recommended Read: East of Eden (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics) by John Steinbeck, David Wyatt https://amzn.to/2S9MHA0 Nathan's Books The Innovator's Method: Bringing the Lean Start-up into Your Organization by Nathan Furr, Jeff Dyer, Clayton M. Christensen https://amzn.to/2TeadJE Leading Transformation: How to Take Charge of Your Company's Future by Nathan Furr, Kyle Nel, Thomas Zoega Ramsey https://amzn.to/2CTw16z Nail It then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation: The lean startup book to help entrepreneurs launch a high-growth business by Nathan Furr, Paul Ahlstrom https://amzn.to/2UfTpSC Podcast Link: https://futureofdata.org/leading-transformation-through-data-driven-times-nathan_furr-insead-futureofdata-podcast/ Nathan's BIO: Nathan Furr is a professor of strategy and innovation at INSEAD in Paris and a recognized expert in innovation and technology strategy. He has multiple books and articles published by outlets such as Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, including his most recent best-selling book, “The Innovator's Method” (Harvard Business Review Press, September 2014), which won multiple awards from the business press. He has two forthcoming books from Harvard Business Review Press addressing 1) how companies lead transformation and 2) how innovators win support for their ideas. Professor Furr has worked with leading companies to study and implement innovation strategies, including Google, Amazon, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Philips, Kimberly Clark, Solvay, and others. Professor Furr earned his Ph.D. from the Stanford Technology Ventures Program at Stanford University. About #Podcast: #FutureOfData podcast is a conversation starter to bring leaders, influencers, and lead practitioners to discuss their journey in creating the data-driven future. Wanna Join? If you or any you know wants to join in, Register your interest by emailing us @ info@analyticsweek.com Want to sponsor? Email us @ info@analyticsweek.com Keywords: FutureOfData, DataAnalytics, Leadership, Futurist, Podcast, BigData, Strategy
Los gigantes exitosos llegan ahí gracias a las decisiones que fueron tomando a lo largo del camino recorrido. En este capítulo analizamos junto con Santiago Zavala, partner de la aceleradora 500 startups, qué es en lo que te debes enfocar para poder continuar desarrollando tu negocio o emprendimiento y lograr el éxito. Libros: - "Traction" de Gabriel Weinberg y Justin Mares https://amzn.to/2kiALxj - "Nail it then scale it" de Nathan Furr y Paul Ahlstrom https://amzn.to/2kjNShJ - "Blitzcaling" de Reid Hoffman y Chris Yeh https://amzn.to/2lwd9p9 Invitado: Santiago Zavala https://bit.ly/2lEAxR5 Konfío http://bit.ly/2ogmToy
Work 2.0 | Discussing Future of Work, Next at Job and Success in Future
Nathan Furr ( @nathan_furr @INSEAD ) on leading transormation through data driven times #FutureOfData #Leadership #Podcast In this podcast Nathan Furr(@nathan_furr) talked about leading transformation. He shared some of the crucial ingredients of transformational leaders. He shed some light on how businesses could improve their story telling to get transformation agenda across. He shared some cool tips and tricks that help transformation leaders on planning for a transformation across data driven and disruptive times. Nathan's Recommended Read: East of Eden (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics) by John Steinbeck, David Wyatt https://amzn.to/2S9MHA0 Nathan's Books The Innovator's Method: Bringing the Lean Start-up into Your Organization by Nathan Furr, Jeff Dyer, Clayton M. Christensen https://amzn.to/2TeadJE Leading Transformation: How to Take Charge of Your Company's Future by Nathan Furr, Kyle Nel, Thomas Zoega Ramsoy https://amzn.to/2CTw16z Nail It then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation: The lean startup book to help entrepreneurs launch a high-growth business by Nathan Furr, Paul Ahlstrom https://amzn.to/2UfTpSC Podcast Link: iTunes: http://math.im/itunes Youtube: http://math.im/youtube Nathan's BIO: Nathan's BIO: Nathan Furr is a professor of strategy and innovation at INSEAD in Paris and a recognized expert in the fields of innovation and technology strategy. He has multiple books and articles published by outlets such as Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, including his most recent best-selling book, “The Innovator’s Method” (Harvard Business Review Press, September 2014), which won multiple awards from the business press. He has two forthcoming books from Harvard Business Review Press addressing 1) how companies lead transformation and 2) how innovators win support for their ideas. Professor Furr has worked with leading companies to study and implement innovation strategies, including Google, Amazon, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Philips, Kimberly Clark, Solvay, and others. Professor Furr earned his Ph.D. from the Stanford Technology Ventures Program at Stanford University. About #Podcast: #FutureOfData podcast is a conversation starter to bring leaders, influencers and lead practitioners to come on show and discuss their journey in creating the data driven future. Wanna Join? If you or any you know wants to join in, Register your interest by mailing us @ info@analyticsweek.com Want to sponsor? Email us @ info@analyticsweek.com Keywords: FutureOfData, DataAnalytics, Leadership, Futurist, Podcast, BigData, Strategy
SalesFounders - Startup Sales Strategy, Venture Capital, Entrepreneur, and Sales Development
This week, we take a closer look at the stages of startup growth. Entrepreneurs who discipline themselves to follow proven methods of validation and growth can drastically reduce the threats of premature scaling. In episode 1, Paul Ahlstrom suggested that "premature scaling is often a result of doing many of the right things, in the wrong order." Join us as we explore the objectives and blindspots that face entrepreneurs in each stage, as well as the resources available to help you define your startup roadmap. For more information, visit www.salesfounders.com
SalesFounders - Startup Sales Strategy, Venture Capital, Entrepreneur, and Sales Development
What does a venture capitalist look for in a winning startup? How does an entrepreneur know when it's time to scale? In this episode of SalesFounders, we explore the playbook of venture capitalist, Paul Ahlstrom, and take a deeper dive into his book, Nail it Then Scale it. Paul shares 4 key strategies that every startup must understand: What is a minimum feature set? How do I validate my solution? What is my go to market strategy? and Why VC's have no interest in your business plan. Do you know what it takes to build a scalable startup? Join us and find out! Talking Points MINIMUM FEATURE SET Understanding the difference between Minimum Viable Product and Minimum Feature Set Start with the features that solve the customer problem. What is the process to accomplish that. Focus on the feature set that is most compelling to the customer. NAILING THE GO TO MARKET STRATEGY Level 1 - You and your company - what are the things that I can do with my company to go satisfy that customer? Level 2 - Partners - Who are the people that are on the same side of the table as me wanting to sell that customer. Level 3 - Influencers - Boundary Spanners - both sides of the line - the people that are the glue of the industry - analysts and guru’s, press and media - key influencers in the space. Don’t go there till 1 and 2 are figured out. Level 4 - Advertising and Marketing - This is a branding exercise - the whole industry should scream your name - Customers can validate but they cannot innovate - Paul Ahlstrom NAILING THE BUSINESS MODEL Getting the essence of the model figured out before you have too much infrastructure is important. It get’s harder to adapt the bigger you get. The truth about business plans - a big fat guess Getting into the business model competition - Hypothesis - requires the big idea canvas Go into the field and start having a conversation around this. Discover and uncover the value exchange. Sensitivity analysis - When we have the interjection around 15 minutes, that would be good to narrate something different into it. CROSSING THE CHASM What he didn’t know was the step-by-step process That’s been my mission - how do we increase the startup pace How do we increase the speed of doing things right more DISRUPTING POVERTY One of my life missions is to disrupt poverty Global corruption index (see below) Global poverty index map Intangible wealth - effective government and trust and effective judicial systems. It’s what we enjoy in America. So how do you transport or create that wealth in other countries. Paul Ahlstrom is a co-founder and managing director of Alta Ventures, an early-stage venture fund and co-author of Nail it Then Scale it. For more than 30 years, Paul has operated on both sides of the table as a venture-backed entrepreneur (founder of Knowlix, sold to Peregrine Systems, sold to HP) and as an investor. To date, he has raised over $1B and directly invested over $500M in more than 125 startup companies. He earned his BA in communications from Brigham Young University and an honorary doctorate from the Netanya Academic College in Israel.
SalesFounders - Startup Sales Strategy, Venture Capital, Entrepreneur, and Sales Development
What would you ask a Venture Capitalist and author who has raised over $1B and directly invested in more than 125 different companies? How about, “What can I do to kill my startup?” In this week’s episode we talk with Paul Ahlstrom, the managing director of Alta Ventures and co-author of Nail It Then Scale It, to discuss his wealth of expertise and the 3 startup pitfalls that will guarantee you fail. Talk Points: Three pitfalls that will guarantee you fail: Launching your product or service without the specific customer in mind. Don’t just fall in love with your idea and fail to continually think about exactly where it intersects with the customer’s pain you’re trying to resolve. Going head to head with a market leader for the same customers without being better. Disruption comes from below, through going after an unserved customer. Don’t try to innovate and then go after the very same audience as the giants. It’s much easier to go after non-consumption that consumption. As that new market grows, it will niche the market above it and create M&A opportunities. Scale it before you nail it. In other words, doing good and obvious things in the improper order. This will cause an inordinate cash burn rate. (By the time you get through a certain amount of cash, your company should be worth more than the amount that went in!) Starve, starve, starve the startup before you nail the PMF. Key startup hypothesis: For (name your customer) that have (name your problem) we do (name your solution) unlike (name your competitor) through these benefits (name your benefits). Big Idea Canvas: "Before you try nailing and scaling a startup of your own, you need to be sure that your idea passes the 'who cares' test."
Paul Ahlstrom is a co-founder of Alta Growth Capital and Alta Ventures, both based in Mexico. Paul’s passion is supporting the growth of Latin America’s vibrant entrepreneur ecosystem and has invested into more than 30 promising companies focused on Mexico and Latin America. Paul has operated on both sides of the table as a venture backed entrepreneur and now as an investor. After directly observing the patterns of startup success and failure of more than 100 startup investments over the past 15 years, he noticed some amazing patterns of entrepreneurs that had the habit of getting it right. Paul distilled these observations on how to increase the odds of getting it right in the book Nail It then Scale It. He received his BA in Communications from Brigham Young University and received an honorary Doctorate from the Netanya Academic College in Netanya, Israel. (Part 1 airs on 9.3.15) Secret -- timesaving technique Paul focuses on a few priorities, which include getting the biggest task out of the way first. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Paul makes a list detailing new ideas -- sources of inspiration -- and ways to achieve goals. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Paul had to overcome swinging door obstacles -- and Paul tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful “A business owner has to communicate effectively and learn to understand the consumer.” Most influential lessons learned from a mentor “A mentor helped me get through the nuances of business by helping me to develop a series of processes.” Final Round -- “Breaking Down the Recipe for Success” (Part 2 airs on 9.4.15) What systems would you go back and put into place sooner? I would have gone back and put a system in place to aid with the start-up process. What one strategy or “recipe” would compound into big wins for business owners? Business owners who focus on building the foundation of their organization -- you have to have a solid platform to build upon. How to exceed expectations and add the most value? It starts with hiring. An individual has to fit within your company’s culture first and foremost. What strategy would you recommend new business owners focus on to best ensure success? Know the customer Innovative ideas are simple and sometimes stupid Get everyone on board How best to connect with Paul: http://altaventures.com/paul-ahlstrom/ You can also find us here: ------ OnwardNation.com ------
Paul Ahlstrom is a co-founder of Alta Growth Capital and Alta Ventures, both based in Mexico. Paul’s passion is supporting the growth of Latin America’s vibrant entrepreneur ecosystem and has invested into more than 30 promising companies focused on Mexico and Latin America. Paul has operated on both sides of the table as a venture backed entrepreneur and now as an investor. After directly observing the patterns of startup success and failure of more than 100 startup investments over the past 15 years, he noticed some amazing patterns of entrepreneurs that had the habit of getting it right. Paul distilled these observations on how to increase the odds of getting it right in the book Nail It then Scale It. He received his BA in Communications from Brigham Young University and received an honorary Doctorate from the Netanya Academic College in Netanya, Israel. (Part 1 airs on 9.3.15) Secret -- timesaving technique Paul focuses on a few priorities, which include getting the biggest task out of the way first. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Paul makes a list detailing new ideas -- sources of inspiration -- and ways to achieve goals. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Paul had to overcome swinging door obstacles -- and Paul tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful “A business owner has to communicate effectively and learn to understand the consumer.” Most influential lessons learned from a mentor “A mentor helped me get through the nuances of business by helping me to develop a series of processes.” Final Round -- “Breaking Down the Recipe for Success” (Part 2 airs on 9.4.15) What systems would you go back and put into place sooner? I would have gone back and put a system in place to aid with the start-up process. What one strategy or “recipe” would compound into big wins for business owners? Business owners who focus on building the foundation of their organization -- you have to have a solid platform to build upon. How to exceed expectations and add the most value? It starts with hiring. An individual has to fit within your company’s culture first and foremost. What strategy would you recommend new business owners focus on to best ensure success? Know the customer Innovative ideas are simple and sometimes stupid Get everyone on board How best to connect with Paul: http://altaventures.com/paul-ahlstrom/ You can also find us here: ------ OnwardNation.com ------
Today we have a great presentation from our 2015 Global Conference. Paul Ahlstrom is an entrepreneur and investor who has focused his carreer on understanding the inner workings of early stage startups. He’s founded multiple high-technology startups and investment funds in the United States and Mexico. Paul’s current focus is opening up capital sources to Mexican entrepreneurs and supporting Mexico’s vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. In his presentation Paul discusses 3 ways to guarantee that your startup will fail. Lets listen in to this short but impactful talk.
On this week's episode of the podcast we discuss "The Innovator's Method." We cover topics like how lean start-up principles and design thinking can help accelerate the innovation process, the 4-step process that makes up the innovator's method, and the merits of using Minimum Awesome Products to test out concepts and validate ideas. Nathan Furr joins us to discuss those topics and more. Nathan is an author, speaker, and Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Strategy at Brigham Young University. His most recent book is The Innovator's Method: Bringing the Lean Start-Up Into Your Organization, which he co-authored with Jeff Dyer. Nathan is also the co-author of Nail It Then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation, which he wrote with Paul Ahlstrom. Among the outlets in which Nathan's writing has appeared are Forbes.com and the Harvard Business Review.
Episode 43 - Creating a Repeatable Sales Process Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe to RSS Download MP3 Alex Lopes swung by our virtual recording studio to tell us about why marketing and sales gets him out of the bed in the morning. We focus on the science of creating a repeatable sales process in our discussion. Listen to how Alex suggests you approach adapting to the dynamics of your industry and customers. Show notes If it’s not predictable, it’s not repeatable. Lacking traction: You’re not solving the right problem You’re do not have the right solution You’re not being found and evaluated correctly Customer’s buy pain killers, not vitamins “The pressure point of the opportunity changes over time” ~ Brad Feld Focus on metrics that matter Books to read: Nail It Then Scale It ~ Nathan Furr and Paul Ahlstrom Mastering the Complex Sale ~ Jeff Thull Talentopoly links - Noteworthy links posted on Talentopoly in the last two weeks SpriteMe - a service to make image sprites Responsive Navigation: Optimizing for Touch Across Devices TryMyUI - Website Usability Testing A simple guide to responsive typography