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14 episodes with vista equity
3 episodes with vista equity
2 episodes with vista equity
2 episodes with vista equity
2 episodes with vista equity
2 episodes with vista equity
Learn about Vista Equity and how they currently approach innovation, growth, and AI.
John Knific is a serial entrepreneur and investor who has built three venture-backed software companies here in Cleveland.His latest venture, Squad, is a peer discovery platform designed to gamify ratings and rankings for Gen Z, starting on college campuses, delivering valuable preference data to marketers.Before Squad, John co-founded Wisr, a virtual communities platform that transformed how universities engage students. Wisr ultimately served nearly one million active users before being acquired by the Education Advisory Board (EAB) and Vista Equity in 2021. For those interested in diving deeper into Wisr's story, I'd recommend checking out Episode 35 of Lay of The Land, where Kate Volzer, one of John's co-founders shared her perspective on their journey!John's entrepreneurial journey began with Decision Desk, a company he started out of his dorm room as a student at Case Western Reserve University when he was still on a music and pre-medicine track and ultimately raised $6mm in venture funding for.Today, alongside building Squad, John is also a co-founder of K2 Venture Partners where he and Kris Ciccarello, his other co-founder from Wisr, invest in and advises regional startups.In our conversation, we'll cover how John has evolved as a founder, his philosophy on product management and go-to-market strategy, the intersection of jazz and entrepreneurship, opportunities in education and ed-tech, building for enterprise vs consumers, mentorship, and lots more lessons learned from his journey across three startups.-----LINKS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnknific/https://www.k2vp.com/https://getsquad.app/-----SPONSORS: Impact Architects & NinetyImpact Architects & NinetyLay of The Land is brought to you by Ninety. As a Lay of The Land listener, you can leverage a free trial with Ninety, the platform that helps teams build great companies and the only officially licensed software for EOS® — used by over 7,000 companies and 100,000 users!This episode is brought to you by Impact Architects. As we share the stories of entrepreneurs building incredible organizations throughout NEO, Impact Architects helps those leaders — many of whom we've heard from as guests on Lay of The Land — realize their visions and build great organizations. I believe in Impact Architects and the people behind it so much, that I have actually joined them personally in their mission to help leaders gain focus, align together, and thrive by doing what they love! As a listener, you can sit down for a free consultation with Impact Architects by visiting ia.layoftheland.fm!-----Stay up to date by signing up for Lay of The Land's weekly newsletter — sign up here.Past guests include Justin Bibb (Mayor of Cleveland), Pat Conway (Great Lakes Brewing), Steve Potash (OverDrive), Umberto P. Fedeli (The Fedeli Group), Lila Mills (Signal Cleveland), Stewart Kohl (The Riverside Company), Mitch Kroll (Findaway — Acquired by Spotify), and over 200 other Cleveland Entrepreneurs.Connect with Jeffrey Stern on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreypstern/Follow Jeffrey Stern on X @sternJefe — https://twitter.com/sternjefeFollow Lay of The Land on X @podlayofthelandhttps://www.jeffreys.page/
Invest Like the Best: Read the notes at at podcastnotes.org. Don't forget to subscribe for free to our newsletter, the top 10 ideas of the week, every Monday --------- My guest today is Micky Malka. Micky is the founder of Ribbit Capital, a global venture capital firm that focuses exclusively on financial technology investments. He is a renowned investor for his adaptability and visionary approach and a believer in killing the thing that got you to where you are in pursuit of what's next. We discuss his perspective on fintech's evolution and why his firm boldly declares that “fintech is dead.” We dive into his theory of the "grid," which examines how knowledge, wealth, and power are being transformed by technological changes, particularly through the rise of AI, cryptocurrency, and network states. And we also explore Micky's deep interest in digital art and NFTs, which he sees as early indicators of broader cultural and technological shifts. You'll soon hear how he is truly taking a generative approach on all fronts. Please enjoy this in-depth conversation with Micky Malka. My guests today For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster. — This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest-growing FinTech company in history, and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:06:37) The Rebel Spirit of Ribbit (00:07:36) Ribbit's Unique Structure and Philosophy (00:08:07) The First Fund and Institutional Partners (00:09:03) Founding Principles and No Labels Approach (00:13:44) Early Investments and the Crypto Angle (00:16:42) The FinTech Evolution and Market Dynamics (00:22:30) Navigating Challenges: The Robinhood Story (00:28:57) The Global Digital Grid Concept (00:36:09) The Future of Digital Identity and Tokenization (00:41:00) The Role of Stablecoins in the Modern Economy (00:50:16) The Challenge of Adaptability (00:53:05) The Role of Heart in Business (00:55:19) The Walmart Partnership Story (01:00:07) Lessons from NuBank (01:02:49) Building a Strong Team (01:09:28) The Importance of Brand (01:11:52) Art and Its Future (01:17:20) The Impact of Better Money (01:19:27) Reflections and Future Plans (01:28:03) Handling Crises and Embracing Movement (01:31:40) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Done For Micky
Invest Like the Best Key Takeaways Knowledge, money, and power are connecting in ways that we have not seen for the last 500 years “This moment is probably the most interesting moment of the last 100 years in terms of the opportunity set that is going to come from it.” – Micky Malka There is no winning and losing if you are playing an infinite game; once you are ahead, you have to change the rules of the game so that you will fall behindThe game is better played when you are trying to get ahead and not when you are ahead and trying to prevent people from passing you Every time money becomes better, people live better lives Burn the bridge that got you here; whatever got you here will not get you to the next phase Be more concentrated and have more conviction Life and business principles from Micky Malka:1. Never forget where you came from 2. Fewer decisions is best 3. Be genuine to yourself and those around you How to build a strong team: Instead of identifying a job title and then looking for a person to fill it, just look for amazing people that you want to work with, then hire them We will need streaming data and streaming money to enable automated services; people who understand both of these fields can build paradigm-shifting technologies Returns are an output metric; focus on the input and let the output take care of itself How to create magical outputs: (1) Create a team that is passionate about meeting others, engaging, and learning, and (2) Ensure that the inputs to the team's machine will make the world better Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgMy guest today is Micky Malka. Micky is the founder of Ribbit Capital, a global venture capital firm that focuses exclusively on financial technology investments. He is a renowned investor for his adaptability and visionary approach and a believer in killing the thing that got you to where you are in pursuit of what's next. We discuss his perspective on fintech's evolution and why his firm boldly declares that “fintech is dead.” We dive into his theory of the "grid," which examines how knowledge, wealth, and power are being transformed by technological changes, particularly through the rise of AI, cryptocurrency, and network states. And we also explore Micky's deep interest in digital art and NFTs, which he sees as early indicators of broader cultural and technological shifts. You'll soon hear how he is truly taking a generative approach on all fronts. Please enjoy this in-depth conversation with Micky Malka. My guests today For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster. — This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest-growing FinTech company in history, and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:06:37) The Rebel Spirit of Ribbit (00:07:36) Ribbit's Unique Structure and Philosophy (00:08:07) The First Fund and Institutional Partners (00:09:03) Founding Principles and No Labels Approach (00:13:44) Early Investments and the Crypto Angle (00:16:42) The FinTech Evolution and Market Dynamics (00:22:30) Navigating Challenges: The Robinhood Story (00:28:57) The Global Digital Grid Concept (00:36:09) The Future of Digital Identity and Tokenization (00:41:00) The Role of Stablecoins in the Modern Economy (00:50:16) The Challenge of Adaptability (00:53:05) The Role of Heart in Business (00:55:19) The Walmart Partnership Story (01:00:07) Lessons from NuBank (01:02:49) Building a Strong Team (01:09:28) The Importance of Brand (01:11:52) Art and Its Future (01:17:20) The Impact of Better Money (01:19:27) Reflections and Future Plans (01:28:03) Handling Crises and Embracing Movement (01:31:40) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Done For Micky
Invest Like the Best Key Takeaways Knowledge, money, and power are connecting in ways that we have not seen for the last 500 years “This moment is probably the most interesting moment of the last 100 years in terms of the opportunity set that is going to come from it.” – Micky Malka There is no winning and losing if you are playing an infinite game; once you are ahead, you have to change the rules of the game so that you will fall behindThe game is better played when you are trying to get ahead and not when you are ahead and trying to prevent people from passing you Every time money becomes better, people live better lives Burn the bridge that got you here; whatever got you here will not get you to the next phase Be more concentrated and have more conviction Life and business principles from Micky Malka:1. Never forget where you came from 2. Fewer decisions is best 3. Be genuine to yourself and those around you How to build a strong team: Instead of identifying a job title and then looking for a person to fill it, just look for amazing people that you want to work with, then hire them We will need streaming data and streaming money to enable automated services; people who understand both of these fields can build paradigm-shifting technologies Returns are an output metric; focus on the input and let the output take care of itself How to create magical outputs: (1) Create a team that is passionate about meeting others, engaging, and learning, and (2) Ensure that the inputs to the team's machine will make the world better Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgMy guest today is Micky Malka. Micky is the founder of Ribbit Capital, a global venture capital firm that focuses exclusively on financial technology investments. He is a renowned investor for his adaptability and visionary approach and a believer in killing the thing that got you to where you are in pursuit of what's next. We discuss his perspective on fintech's evolution and why his firm boldly declares that “fintech is dead.” We dive into his theory of the "grid," which examines how knowledge, wealth, and power are being transformed by technological changes, particularly through the rise of AI, cryptocurrency, and network states. And we also explore Micky's deep interest in digital art and NFTs, which he sees as early indicators of broader cultural and technological shifts. You'll soon hear how he is truly taking a generative approach on all fronts. Please enjoy this in-depth conversation with Micky Malka. My guests today For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster. — This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest-growing FinTech company in history, and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:06:37) The Rebel Spirit of Ribbit (00:07:36) Ribbit's Unique Structure and Philosophy (00:08:07) The First Fund and Institutional Partners (00:09:03) Founding Principles and No Labels Approach (00:13:44) Early Investments and the Crypto Angle (00:16:42) The FinTech Evolution and Market Dynamics (00:22:30) Navigating Challenges: The Robinhood Story (00:28:57) The Global Digital Grid Concept (00:36:09) The Future of Digital Identity and Tokenization (00:41:00) The Role of Stablecoins in the Modern Economy (00:50:16) The Challenge of Adaptability (00:53:05) The Role of Heart in Business (00:55:19) The Walmart Partnership Story (01:00:07) Lessons from NuBank (01:02:49) Building a Strong Team (01:09:28) The Importance of Brand (01:11:52) Art and Its Future (01:17:20) The Impact of Better Money (01:19:27) Reflections and Future Plans (01:28:03) Handling Crises and Embracing Movement (01:31:40) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Done For Micky
My guest today is Micky Malka. Micky is the founder of Ribbit Capital, a global venture capital firm that focuses exclusively on financial technology investments. He is a renowned investor for his adaptability and visionary approach and a believer in killing the thing that got you to where you are in pursuit of what's next. We discuss his perspective on fintech's evolution and why his firm boldly declares that “fintech is dead.” We dive into his theory of the "grid," which examines how knowledge, wealth, and power are being transformed by technological changes, particularly through the rise of AI, cryptocurrency, and network states. And we also explore Micky's deep interest in digital art and NFTs, which he sees as early indicators of broader cultural and technological shifts. You'll soon hear how he is truly taking a generative approach on all fronts. Please enjoy this in-depth conversation with Micky Malka. My guests today For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster. — This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest-growing FinTech company in history, and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:06:37) The Rebel Spirit of Ribbit (00:07:36) Ribbit's Unique Structure and Philosophy (00:08:07) The First Fund and Institutional Partners (00:09:03) Founding Principles and No Labels Approach (00:13:44) Early Investments and the Crypto Angle (00:16:42) The FinTech Evolution and Market Dynamics (00:22:30) Navigating Challenges: The Robinhood Story (00:28:57) The Global Digital Grid Concept (00:36:09) The Future of Digital Identity and Tokenization (00:41:00) The Role of Stablecoins in the Modern Economy (00:50:16) The Challenge of Adaptability (00:53:05) The Role of Heart in Business (00:55:19) The Walmart Partnership Story (01:00:07) Lessons from NuBank (01:02:49) Building a Strong Team (01:09:28) The Importance of Brand (01:11:52) Art and Its Future (01:17:20) The Impact of Better Money (01:19:27) Reflections and Future Plans (01:28:03) Handling Crises and Embracing Movement (01:31:40) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Done For Micky
Invest Like the Best: Read the notes at at podcastnotes.org. Don't forget to subscribe for free to our newsletter, the top 10 ideas of the week, every Monday --------- My guests today are Chetan Puttagunta and Modest Proposal. Chetan is a General Partner at venture firm Benchmark, while Modest Proposal is an anonymous guest who manages a large pool of capital in the public markets. Both are good friends and frequent guests on the show, but this is the first time they have appeared together. And the timing couldn't be better - we might be witnessing a pivotal shift in AI development as leading labs hit scaling limits and transition from pre-training to test-time compute. Together, we explore how this change could democratize AI development while reshaping the investment landscape across both public and private markets. Please enjoy this discussion with Chetan Puttagunta and Modest Proposal. My guests today For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. – This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:05:30) Introduction to LLM Scaling Challenges (00:07:25) Synthetic Data and Test Time Compute (00:08:53) Implications of Test Time Compute (00:11:19) Public Tech Companies and AI Investments (00:16:58) Small Teams and Open Source Models (00:29:02) Strategic Positioning of Major AI Players (00:35:49) AGI and Future Prospects (00:46:50) AI Application Layer and Investment Opportunities (00:54:18) The Paradigm Shift in AI Reasoning (00:55:34) Investing in AI-Powered Solutions (00:58:46) Economic Impacts of AI Advancements (01:00:19) The Future of AI and Model Stability (01:02:52) Private Market Valuations and Compute Costs (01:05:05) Infrastructure and Utilization in AI (01:12:50) The Role of Hyperscalers and GPUs (01:18:02) The Evolution of AI Applications (01:27:56) Philosophical Questions on AGI and ASI (01:34:31) The Importance of Innovation Hubs
Invest Like the Best Key Takeaways As of late 2024, the AI industry is shifting from a pre-training compute approach to test-time compute Understanding the difference between pre-training and test-time compute: Pre-training occurs before testing and involves more complex, resource-intensive computation, whereas test-time compute is typically faster and focuses only on making inferencesMoving from pre-training to inference-time is a powerful paradigm shift for the AI industry1. It better aligns revenue generation and expenditures; this is beneficial for the industry at-large 2. Having to re-architect the computing network creates new opportunities and considerations related to power generation and grid designTest-time compute better aligns the compute and expenditures of the model, relative to pre-training; this is better for the hyperscalers from an efficiency perspective The plateau in pre-training has enabled small teams to catch up to the state-of-the-art models; the proliferation of open source models, specifically what Meta has done with Llama, has been an extraordinary force for AI scaling If the plateau in pre-training continues, small teams will be able to “jump to the frontier” of model training for a specific AI use case; this allows reduces competition amongst the hyperscalers It is likely for two of the Mag7 companies, such as Google and Meta, to give away an AI search product similar to ChatGPT for free OpenAI is “very serious about achieving AGI”; that is the company's mission, and everything else the company does is in service of that Stability at the model layer will enable optimization at the various layers above it; when the industry is in “land-grab” mode, there is not any time to optimize! Over the long-term, technology is deflationary because it is a matter of optimization When technology unlocks, distribution also unlocks; this means that startups can now acquire customers that were previously too expensive to get “I imagine that we'll be pretty close to or at AGI in 2025.” – Chetan Puttagunta Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgMy guests today are Chetan Puttagunta and Modest Proposal. Chetan is a General Partner at venture firm Benchmark, while Modest Proposal is an anonymous guest who manages a large pool of capital in the public markets. Both are good friends and frequent guests on the show, but this is the first time they have appeared together. And the timing couldn't be better - we might be witnessing a pivotal shift in AI development as leading labs hit scaling limits and transition from pre-training to test-time compute. Together, we explore how this change could democratize AI development while reshaping the investment landscape across both public and private markets. Please enjoy this discussion with Chetan Puttagunta and Modest Proposal. My guests today For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. – This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:05:30) Introduction to LLM Scaling Challenges (00:07:25) Synthetic Data and Test Time Compute (00:08:53) Implications of Test Time Compute (00:11:19) Public Tech Companies and AI Investments (00:16:58) Small Teams and Open Source Models (00:29:02) Strategic Positioning of Major AI Players (00:35:49) AGI and Future Prospects (00:46:50) AI Application Layer and Investment Opportunities (00:54:18) The Paradigm Shift in AI Reasoning (00:55:34) Investing in AI-Powered Solutions (00:58:46) Economic Impacts of AI Advancements (01:00:19) The Future of AI and Model Stability (01:02:52) Private Market Valuations and Compute Costs (01:05:05) Infrastructure and Utilization in AI (01:12:50) The Role of Hyperscalers and GPUs (01:18:02) The Evolution of AI Applications (01:27:56) Philosophical Questions on AGI and ASI (01:34:31) The Importance of Innovation Hubs
Invest Like the Best Key Takeaways As of late 2024, the AI industry is shifting from a pre-training compute approach to test-time compute Understanding the difference between pre-training and test-time compute: Pre-training occurs before testing and involves more complex, resource-intensive computation, whereas test-time compute is typically faster and focuses only on making inferencesMoving from pre-training to inference-time is a powerful paradigm shift for the AI industry1. It better aligns revenue generation and expenditures; this is beneficial for the industry at-large 2. Having to re-architect the computing network creates new opportunities and considerations related to power generation and grid designTest-time compute better aligns the compute and expenditures of the model, relative to pre-training; this is better for the hyperscalers from an efficiency perspective The plateau in pre-training has enabled small teams to catch up to the state-of-the-art models; the proliferation of open source models, specifically what Meta has done with Llama, has been an extraordinary force for AI scaling If the plateau in pre-training continues, small teams will be able to “jump to the frontier” of model training for a specific AI use case; this allows reduces competition amongst the hyperscalers It is likely for two of the Mag7 companies, such as Google and Meta, to give away an AI search product similar to ChatGPT for free OpenAI is “very serious about achieving AGI”; that is the company's mission, and everything else the company does is in service of that Stability at the model layer will enable optimization at the various layers above it; when the industry is in “land-grab” mode, there is not any time to optimize! Over the long-term, technology is deflationary because it is a matter of optimization When technology unlocks, distribution also unlocks; this means that startups can now acquire customers that were previously too expensive to get “I imagine that we'll be pretty close to or at AGI in 2025.” – Chetan Puttagunta Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgMy guests today are Chetan Puttagunta and Modest Proposal. Chetan is a General Partner at venture firm Benchmark, while Modest Proposal is an anonymous guest who manages a large pool of capital in the public markets. Both are good friends and frequent guests on the show, but this is the first time they have appeared together. And the timing couldn't be better - we might be witnessing a pivotal shift in AI development as leading labs hit scaling limits and transition from pre-training to test-time compute. Together, we explore how this change could democratize AI development while reshaping the investment landscape across both public and private markets. Please enjoy this discussion with Chetan Puttagunta and Modest Proposal. My guests today For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. – This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:05:30) Introduction to LLM Scaling Challenges (00:07:25) Synthetic Data and Test Time Compute (00:08:53) Implications of Test Time Compute (00:11:19) Public Tech Companies and AI Investments (00:16:58) Small Teams and Open Source Models (00:29:02) Strategic Positioning of Major AI Players (00:35:49) AGI and Future Prospects (00:46:50) AI Application Layer and Investment Opportunities (00:54:18) The Paradigm Shift in AI Reasoning (00:55:34) Investing in AI-Powered Solutions (00:58:46) Economic Impacts of AI Advancements (01:00:19) The Future of AI and Model Stability (01:02:52) Private Market Valuations and Compute Costs (01:05:05) Infrastructure and Utilization in AI (01:12:50) The Role of Hyperscalers and GPUs (01:18:02) The Evolution of AI Applications (01:27:56) Philosophical Questions on AGI and ASI (01:34:31) The Importance of Innovation Hubs
My guests today are Chetan Puttagunta and Modest Proposal. Chetan is a General Partner at venture firm Benchmark, while Modest Proposal is an anonymous guest who manages a large pool of capital in the public markets. Both are good friends and frequent guests on the show, but this is the first time they have appeared together. And the timing couldn't be better - we might be witnessing a pivotal shift in AI development as leading labs hit scaling limits and transition from pre-training to test-time compute. Together, we explore how this change could democratize AI development while reshaping the investment landscape across both public and private markets. Please enjoy this discussion with Chetan Puttagunta and Modest Proposal. My guests today For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. – This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:05:30) Introduction to LLM Scaling Challenges (00:07:25) Synthetic Data and Test Time Compute (00:08:53) Implications of Test Time Compute (00:11:19) Public Tech Companies and AI Investments (00:16:58) Small Teams and Open Source Models (00:29:02) Strategic Positioning of Major AI Players (00:35:49) AGI and Future Prospects (00:46:50) AI Application Layer and Investment Opportunities (00:54:18) The Paradigm Shift in AI Reasoning (00:55:34) Investing in AI-Powered Solutions (00:58:46) Economic Impacts of AI Advancements (01:00:19) The Future of AI and Model Stability (01:02:52) Private Market Valuations and Compute Costs (01:05:05) Infrastructure and Utilization in AI (01:12:50) The Role of Hyperscalers and GPUs (01:18:02) The Evolution of AI Applications (01:27:56) Philosophical Questions on AGI and ASI (01:34:31) The Importance of Innovation Hubs
My guest today is Ronnie Fieg, founder and CEO of Kith. At age 13, Ronnie started working at David Z., an iconic New York shoe store, where he sold Timberland boots to Jay-Z and Wallabies to Wu-Tang Clan. He worked his way up from the stockroom and earned his first collaboration in 2007, when he worked with ASICS on new Gel-Lyte 3s. That collection sold out in a day after being featured in The Wall Street Journal, catching the attention of Adidas's president and launching his reputation as a cultural icon. In 2011, he founded Kith, which has become one of the most influential brands in footwear, fashion, and culture. The business sells a unique curation of products that includes exclusive Nike sneakers, Armani suits, Versace robes, watches, cars, and even $10 ice creams. Our conversation is one of the best examples of life's work I've ever recorded - it explores how Ronnie's pure love of product has shaped everything from a campaign with Jerry Seinfeld to his creative direction for the New York Knicks. Please enjoy this excellent conversation with Ronnie Fieg. Sign up for the Alphasense panel discussion hosted by Patrick. My guests today For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster. – This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:06:10) The Journey to Shoot Jerry Seinfeld (00:09:44) Understanding Consumer Desires (00:12:04) The Queens College Project (00:15:51) The Evolution of Kith Stores (00:18:03) Ronnie's Early Passion for Collecting (00:21:56) From David Z to Kith: The Retail Journey (00:41:36) The Birth of Kith: Friends and Family (00:46:40) Origins of Kith: From Concept to Brand (00:47:18) Building Community and Relationships (00:47:51) The Birth of Kith Stores (00:48:43) Footwear Passion and Store Design (00:49:59) The Evolution of Kith Products (00:50:52) Storytelling Through Film (00:57:01) Collaborations and Iconic Partnerships (01:03:38) The Influence of Travel on Design (01:09:15) Balancing Business and Creativity (01:16:06) Reflections and Future Aspirations
My guest today is Gabe Whaley, the founder and CEO of MSCHF. What began with viral internet pranks in 2014 has evolved into one of the most singular creative companies in modern culture. MSCHF's work ranges from microscopic handbags—the size of a grain of salt—to tax software that helps you file your returns by going on virtual dates with anime characters. Every two weeks, they release something new that challenges our assumptions about art, commerce, and culture. MSCHF is hard to define but Gabe says their goal is to “monopolize a feeling” and subversion is the rare constant. Their most viral creation, the Big Red Boot, took over the internet in 2023. Our conversation explores how a West Point dropout built a company that thrives on breaking rules, but it's also about something bigger - the power of unbridled creative expression and what happens when you build a business around it. I hope it inspires you to think about what your version of mischief could be. Please enjoy this fascinating discussion with Gabe Whaley. Sign up for the Alphasense panel discussion hosted by Patrick. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. – This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:06:50) Defining Mischief's Unique Creativity (00:11:09) The Origin Story of Mischief (00:12:53) Early Digital Projects and Virality (00:20:33) Transition to Physical Products (00:33:07) Navigating the Art World with Mischief (00:39:52) Entering the Fashion World (00:42:37) Mischief's Creative Process (00:44:51) Structured Brainstorming and Idea Vetting Process (00:46:38) The Role of Rules and Boundaries in Creativity (00:48:39) Interacting with Venture Investors (00:51:07) The Big Red Boots Phenomenon (00:54:48) Supply and Demand in Creative Projects (00:58:08) Protecting Creativity and Overcoming Challenges (01:00:11) Lessons from West Point (01:05:25) Fashion as Utility and Fantasy (01:09:47) Recruiting and Team Dynamics (01:11:56) Navigating Crossroads and Future Goals
Today, we are replaying my conversation with Brad Jacobs. Brad's resumé is remarkable. He has founded seven companies, all of which are billion-dollar or multibillion-dollar businesses. He has done 500 M&A transactions and raised $30 billion dollars of debt and equity capital. Currently, he is the Executive Chairman of XPO, a commercial trucking company that he started in 2011 and has grown into one of the largest logistics businesses in the world. He has also written a book that will be out in January, titled “How to Make a Few Billion Dollars”. Brad's energy is infectious and our conversation unpacks his strategies for M&A, his propensity for speed, and methods for earning team buy-in. Please enjoy my great conversation with Brad Jacobs. Sign up for the Alphasense panel discussion hosted by Patrick. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. – This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus Show Notes (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:07:11) Identifying key factors in a market before investing (00:10:07) Gleaning insights from early acquisition experiences (00:13:43) Delving into the seller's mindset during a business sale (00:17:51) Weighing pre-built against organic growth strategies in acquisitions (00:27:49) Engaging constructively with Wall Street (00:29:36) Discussing the substantial buyback of XPO shares (00:33:16) Ambition as a recurring theme in entrepreneurial success (00:35:17) Emphasizing the need to facilitate team agility (00:37:35) Highlighting the joys of post-acquisition integration (00:41:09) Drawing lessons from Ludwig Jesselson's principles (00:45:34) Comparing the risks and rewards of early versus late adoption (00:49:09) Reflecting on errors made in trend analysis (00:53:59) Strategies for implementing new technologies in enterprises (00:56:59) The significance of thought experiments in strategic decision-making (01:01:00) Recalling transformative events from his early years (01: 02:22) Outlining what makes a meeting 'electric' (01: 06:53) Sharing experiences with exemplary leadership (01:12:37) Deciding the right time to step away from a business (01:23:45) Philosophies for leading a fulfilling life (01:27:53) The kindest thing anyone has ever done for Brad
My guest today is Ernie Garcia. Ernie is the co-founder and CEO of Carvana. Ernie joined me on Founder's Field Guide in 2021 and despite all that the business has gone through since that conversation, you'll hear how he has the exact same demeanor and crystal clear vision for the business and its operations today. Carvana is one of the most remarkable business turnaround stories in recent history, and Ernie gives us a raw and candid explanation of navigating through a 99% stock price decline and ultimately emerging stronger on the other side. I don't know many leaders who could survive this. He credits his team of A players again and again for successfully weathering the storm and maintaining morale. We discuss leading through crisis, building for the long term, and a focus on ruthless prioritization and efficiency gains. Please enjoy my conversation with Ernie Garcia. Check out our new print publication Colossus Review. My guests today For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. — This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:06:00) Carvana's Journey (00:07:38) Facing the COVID-19 Challenge (00:08:12) The Rise and Fall: Carvana's Rollercoaster (00:10:05) Leadership and Resilience in Tough Times (00:14:32) Handling Drawdowns and Communication (00:16:58) Maintaining Calm and Leadership (00:18:19) The True Story of Carvana's Journey (00:20:36) Navigating Market Challenges (00:23:40) Learning to Say No (00:30:35) Project Management and Accountability (00:34:22) The Importance of Player-Coach Leadership (00:35:53) The Importance of Vertical Integration (00:40:43) Customer Experience and Vertical Integration (00:41:41) Navigating Economic Variables (00:43:52) Building Resilience in Business (00:45:27) Balancing Personal and Professional Life (00:48:57) Efficiency and Growth in Carvana (00:59:02) Insights on Investors and Entrepreneurship (01:02:42) Lessons from Family and Origins of Carvana (01:11:22) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Done For Ernie
My guests today are Andrew Homan and Chris Miller. Andrew has spent two decades at Maverick Capital and is a managing partner at Maverick Silicon, where he leads the firm's technology investments. Chris is a professor at Tufts and the author of the New York Times best-selling book “Chip War,” which details the geopolitical battle to control the semiconductor industry. Together we get into a comprehensive discussion on the semiconductor ecosystem and the silicon backbone of our digital age. Andrew and Chris share insights on how venture capital is navigating this complex industry and what it means for the future of computing. We discuss the AI-driven revolution in chip demand, the geopolitics of semi-manufacturing, and the next wave of innovation beyond NVIDIA. Please enjoy my conversation with Andrew Homan and Chris Miller. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. — This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. 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 Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:06:28) Intel's Historical Success and Current Challenges (00:08:22) The Paradigm Shift in Technology (00:11:44) AI and the Future of Semiconductors (00:19:02) Political and Economic Considerations in Chip Manufacturing (00:29:28) Investment Perspectives and Market Dynamics (00:45:46) The Mobile Paradigm Shift: Apple vs. AT&T (00:46:49) Corporate Strategies in the AI Transition (00:48:02) NVIDIA's Dominance and Potential Vulnerabilities (00:51:27) The Future of Edge AI (00:57:02) Powering the Data Centers of Tomorrow (00:59:42) The Semiconductor Startup Ecosystem (01:05:08) The Role of Government and Global Dynamics (01:07:28) Investment Strategies and Market Dynamics (01:10:57) The Future of the Semiconductor Industry (01:25:52) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done For Chris And Andrew
Podcast: Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy (LS 67 · TOP 0.05% what is this?)Episode: Boyd Varty - Becoming A Meaning Maker - [Invest Like the Best, EP.394]Pub date: 2024-10-29Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationMy guest today is Boyd Varty. Boyd is a lion tracker, life coach, and storyteller who grew up in the South African wilderness, living amongst and tracking wild leopards. This is his fourth time on Invest Like the Best but the first in six years. Boyd is a perfect follow-up to my episode with Lulu Meservey unpacking the intricacies of storytelling and why it's such an essential for founders. Boyd walks us through different mechanisms of cultivating storytelling and becoming a meaning-maker. He encourages everyone to become somebody who stories happen around and be a character who finds characters. We discuss his concept of “story hunting,” leveraging stories in business, and continuously finding new meaning in life. Please enjoy my discussion with Boyd Varty.For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.-----This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus.—This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster.-----Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. 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 | @JoinColossusEditing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).Show Notes:(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best(00:05:27) The Power of Storytelling(00:06:08) Lessons from Safari Stories(00:08:37) Finding Meaning and Purpose(00:09:18) Becoming a Story Hunter(00:13:27) The Role of Fear in Storytelling(00:15:31) Crafting and Sharing Your Narrative(00:17:04) Building a Strong Culture Through Stories(00:23:42) The Importance of Storytelling in Business(00:32:41) Meeting Chris Bacchus(00:34:14) Living Authentically: Following Your Internal Pulls(00:35:34) The Tension of Reinvention: Beyond Your Greatest Hits(00:36:46) The Art of Self Reinvention(00:39:49) Crafting a Great Story: Key Components(00:41:45) Solitude and Self-Knowledge: The Path to Originality(00:45:00) The Role of High Stakes in Finding Meaning(00:47:49) The Endurance Hunt: A Journey with the Kalahari Bushmen(00:52:56) Simplicity and Abundance: Lessons from the Bushmen(00:54:37) Becoming a Character: Traits of Remarkable People(00:59:35) Life's Work: Expressing Yourself in Service of OthersThe podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Colossus | Investing & Business Podcasts, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
My guest today is Boyd Varty. Boyd is a lion tracker, life coach, and storyteller who grew up in the South African wilderness, living amongst and tracking wild leopards. This is his fourth time on Invest Like the Best but the first in six years. Boyd is a perfect follow-up to my episode with Lulu Meservey unpacking the intricacies of storytelling and why it's such an essential for founders. Boyd walks us through different mechanisms of cultivating storytelling and becoming a meaning-maker. He encourages everyone to become somebody who stories happen around and be a character who finds characters. We discuss his concept of “story hunting,” leveraging stories in business, and continuously finding new meaning in life. Please enjoy my discussion with Boyd Varty. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. — This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. 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 Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:05:27) The Power of Storytelling (00:06:08) Lessons from Safari Stories (00:08:37) Finding Meaning and Purpose (00:09:18) Becoming a Story Hunter (00:13:27) The Role of Fear in Storytelling (00:15:31) Crafting and Sharing Your Narrative (00:17:04) Building a Strong Culture Through Stories (00:23:42) The Importance of Storytelling in Business (00:32:41) Meeting Chris Bacchus (00:34:14) Living Authentically: Following Your Internal Pulls (00:35:34) The Tension of Reinvention: Beyond Your Greatest Hits (00:36:46) The Art of Self Reinvention (00:39:49) Crafting a Great Story: Key Components (00:41:45) Solitude and Self-Knowledge: The Path to Originality (00:45:00) The Role of High Stakes in Finding Meaning (00:47:49) The Endurance Hunt: A Journey with the Kalahari Bushmen (00:52:56) Simplicity and Abundance: Lessons from the Bushmen (00:54:37) Becoming a Character: Traits of Remarkable People (00:59:35) Life's Work: Expressing Yourself in Service of Others
My guest today is Tobi Lutke, the co-founder and CEO of Shopify. I have spoken to Tobi on this podcast twice before, first in 2020 and then again in 2022. Needless to say, a lot has changed since we last spoke, and we start by talking about the biggest change of all: AI. But I'll remember this conversation for the next set of ideas we discuss: Founder mode, raising the temperature of an organization, and the importance of building on an island that's distinct from the mainstream. Tobi embodies the concept of Life's Work that I believe so much in, and this episode is a shining example of it. He, along with nine other leaders we believe are doing their life's work, will also be featured in the first issue of an upcoming print publication we've been working on. If you're interested in hearing first when pre-orders go on sale, head to joincolossus.com/print. For now, please enjoy this great conversation with Tobi Lutke. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest-growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. — This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:05:38) Technological Innovations and AI (00:07:13) Experimenting with AI in Real-World Scenarios (00:15:04) The Role of Founders and Company Culture (00:24:24) Navigating Business Changes and Strategic Decisions (00:31:15) The Concept of Islands in Innovation (00:36:38) The Essence of Open Source Marketplaces (00:37:10) Building Shopify: From Personal Project to Public Company (00:38:42) Philosophy of Product Development (00:42:38) Marketing and Mainstream vs. Island Approach (00:46:52) The Glory of Entrepreneurship (00:54:17) AI and the Future of Human-Computer Interaction (01:00:30) Trust and Principles in Organizational Culture (01:04:31) Investor Insights and Long-Term Vision
My guests today are Matt Perelman and Alex Sloane, Co-founders and Managing Partners of Garnett Station Partners. GSP invests in the trillion-dollar franchise and consumer services industries. Matt and Alex started the firm in 2014 as MBA students when they bought 23 Burger King restaurants. Since then, they've invested in 26 other multi-unit businesses, from gyms to car washes to funeral homes. GSP is now a leader in its field. This discussion is a masterclass in franchise investing. We explore GSP's playbook for creating value, the power of Matt and Alex's partnership, and their approach to scaling businesses for successful exits. This conversation is special for another reason. For the last year, we've been working on a print publication that will share the very best of what we've encountered and learned every quarter. GSP, along with many others, are profiled in our first issue to be revealed next month. We are going to print a limited edition of them to start, so if you are interested in hearing first when pre-sale launches, go to joincolossus.com/print. Please enjoy this excellent and incredibly fun discussion with Matt Perelman and Alex Sloane. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. — This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:07:02) The KFC Rejection and Burger King Opportunity (00:08:36) Living with Ray Meeks and Business Growth (00:12:08) Understanding Franchise Economics (00:16:12) Challenges and Lessons Learned (00:38:37) Navigating COVID-19 (00:54:37) Challenges of Rollups and Integration (00:56:01) The Importance of Culture in Business Consolidations (00:58:01) Strategies for Successful Exits (01:01:49) The Fun and Challenges of Partnership (01:09:53) Innovation in Business Operations (01:13:44) Real Estate and Financial Engineering (01:16:34) Managing Labor and Turnover (01:19:36) Investment Themes and Criteria (01:23:36) Selling to Larger Private Equity Firms (01:27:11) Maintaining Culture and Sourcing Deals (01:33:41) The Importance of Cycles and Capital Structure (01:37:18) Partnership Dynamics and LP Relationships (01:40:26) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done For Matt & Alex
My guest today is Kareem Zaki. Kareem is a General Partner at Thrive Capital and has been at the firm for a decade. In an episode last year, Thrive's founder, Josh Kushner, told me he is the best healthcare investor in the world. Kareem has co-founded three healthcare businesses worth over one billion dollars. He also has expertise in financial services, where he's led the firm's investments in companies like Ramp and Robinhood. It's a timely moment to have this discussion, with Thrive announcing a new $5 billion fund in August. We talk about how Thrive identifies category-defining companies, what concentration means to them, and how startups should approach the healthcare industry. Please enjoy this great discussion with Kareem Zaki. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. — This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. 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 Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:06:02) Early Days and Consistent Strategy (00:07:10) Personal Journey and Reconnecting with Josh (00:08:36) Investing Philosophy and Strategy (00:11:04) Building a Supportive Structure (00:12:10) Generalist Approach and Market Trends (00:13:45) Life Cycle Investing and Concentration (00:16:16) The Builders Mentality (00:17:52) Raising a Huge Fund and Its Implications (00:20:40) Understanding Category Defining Companies (00:37:48) The Changing Nature of Investment Categories (00:49:03) Evaluating Business Durability and Market Quality (00:51:30) Understanding Healthcare Challenges (00:53:46) Approaching Healthcare Innovation (00:59:18) The Role of Competition in Healthcare (01:04:17) AI's Transformative Potential (01:07:35) Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs (01:09:46) Thrive's Investment Philosophy (01:22:55) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done For Kareem
My guest today is Ray Ozzie, one of the great technologists, software developers, and entrepreneurs of our time. Ray is perhaps best known as the creator of Lotus Notes, a collaboration tool that revolutionized business communication in the 1990s. He later succeeded Bill Gates as Chief Software Architect at Microsoft, where he played a key part in the development of Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing platform. Ray's work has earned him numerous accolades, including induction into the Computer History Museum Hall of Fellows and the National Academy of Engineering. Throughout his career, Ray has been at the forefront of technology innovation and paradigm shifts, founding multiple companies, including Iris Associates, Groove Networks, and most recently, Blues Wireless, which focuses on connectivity in the physical world. His insights on cloud computing, collaboration tools, and the future of technology have shaped the industry for decades. In our conversation, we explore Ray's journey through the evolving landscape of software development, his perspectives on the current state of technology, and his vision for the future of connectivity and collaboration. Please enjoy this fascinating discussion with Ray Ozzie. Subscribe to Glue Guys! For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. — This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick. ----- 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 Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Introduction to Ray's Story (00:06:44) The Role of Technology in Modern Warfare (00:10:26) The RadNote Device Explained (00:15:32) The Origin of SafeCast (00:22:26) Challenges in Building Intelligent Machines (00:32:23) The Evolution of IoT and Blues (00:39:01) The Future of Connected Machines (00:46:03) Technology Paradigm Shifts and Azure (00:50:56) The Birth of Azure (00:52:08) The Unique Dynamics of Bill and Steve (00:56:54) AI and the Future of Use Cases (00:59:00) Real-world Applications of IoT (01:05:31) The Evolution of AI and IoT (01:20:03) The Importance of Systems Thinking (01:28:52) Advice for Young Entrepreneurs (01:32:55) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done For Ray
My guest this week is Gavin Baker. Gavin is the managing partner and CIO of Atreides Management, and he has been on the show many times before. He is one of my favorite investors to talk to and this may be my favorite conversation with him. Gavin first started covering Nvidia as an investor at the turn of the millennium, making him the perfect guest to discuss all things AI and investing. There is so much detail in this discussion and I'm incredibly grateful to Gavin for sharing his wisdom with us again. Please enjoy this fantastic conversation with Gavin Baker. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest-growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/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 Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:04:42) The Magnificent Seven and Tech Competition (00:06:29) Generative AI and Scaling Laws (00:08:36) Challenges in AI Infrastructure (00:15:02) The Future of AI and Data Centers (00:17:51) Efficiency in AI Models (00:35:14) Synthetic Data and AI Training (00:42:37) Inference and the Role of Smartphones (00:48:35) Investment Implications in AI (00:49:09) Opportunities for New Companies (00:51:20) Challenges at the Application Layer (00:52:25) AI's Impact on Advertising (00:53:40) AI ROI Debate (00:54:39) SaaS Metrics and AI Disruption (00:55:59) AI-First Application Companies (01:00:50) The Future of Robotics (01:14:01) Leadership in Tech Giants (01:24:05) The Evolution of Investing
The future of human potential and performance. In it we cover the quest to be superhuman, making biological enhancement mainstream, cyborg athletes, human longevity, and endeavoring to build the biggest sporting spectacle the world has ever seen. Aron D'Souza is the Co-founder and President of the Enhanced Games. This new model of the Olympic Games places performance-enhancing drugs and genetic modifiers front and center. The Games strive to showcase humanity's unbounded potential by embracing scientific innovations and breakthroughs. In an era of accelerating technological and scientific change, they believe the world needs a sporting event that embraces the future, particularly advances in medical science. By doing so, they promise to give us all a glimpse of what the future of human performance could look like. Set to debut in 2025, the Games have the deep-pocketed support of some of the most successful and polarizing technologists and investors, including PayPal founder Peter Thiel and Balaji Srinivasan, the futurist and former CTO of Coinbase, as well as an upcoming documentary series by Ridley Scott. Prior to the Enhanced Games, Aron founded Sargon, a technology infrastructure company for the pensions and superannuation industry across the Asia-Pacific region. Now owned by Vista Equity, Sargon has 200 employees and nine offices. Aron, the author of three books, studied law at both Melbourne University and Oxford. Sign up for new podcasts and our newsletter, and email me on danieldarling@focal.vcSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
My guest today is Hemant Taneja. Hemant is the CEO and Managing Director of General Catalyst, the global venture capital firm you'll hear us refer to as GC. GC has set out to build resiliency across critical industries worldwide. The firm leverages technology to retool sectors such as healthcare, energy, defense, and manufacturing and explores innovative capital structures to support founders and businesses. Hemant discusses how the firm is positioned to respond to the aftermath of crises, including the pandemic, wars, energy issues, and beyond. We also discuss the building of a category-defining healthcare company, Livongo and much more. Please enjoy this conversation with Hemant Taneja. Listen to Founders Podcast For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp's mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it's backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I'm aware of. It's also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/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 Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Our Partners: Ramp and Tegus (00:03:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:03:57) Introducing Hemant Taneja and General Catalyst (00:04:17) Global Resilience and Innovation Post-Pandemic (00:05:56) Re-Globalization and Manufacturing (00:07:03) Building Livongo: A 20-Year Overnight Success (00:13:23) Aligning Incentives in Healthcare (00:15:40) Re-imagining the Investment Business (00:20:54) Evolution of General Catalyst (00:27:04) Succession and Trust in Asset Management (00:35:00) Founder-Centric Capital Goals (00:36:32) Balancing Growth and Liquidity (00:41:39) AI and Onshoring Productivity (00:47:10) Defense Investments and Ethics (00:50:11) Geopolitics and Regulation (00:53:16) Reflections on Leadership and Strategy (01:01:14) Hemant's Future Plans (01:02:55) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done for Him
This week John Ruffolo of Maverix Private Equity is back with Matt to talk about the news affecting the venture capital and financial sectors including Cohere's recent $450 million fundraising, featuring investments from Nvidia, Salesforce Ventures, and others. The conversation shifts to the resurgence of crypto interest, Vista Equity's write-off of Pluralsight, private equity firms targeting individual assets within companies rather than entire companies, and how that could present opportunities for venture capitalists to recover some value from underperforming investments.They also cover Canada's capital gains plan's slow progress and impact on investment stability, as well as the proposal of a new “anti-woke” Texas stock exchange, which aims to offer a more business-friendly environment free from some of the regulatory burdens seen in current exchanges.Finally, they discuss recent interest rate changes by the Bank of Canada and the European Central Bank, and their implications for the Canadian economy and inflation.In this episode, we discuss:* (00:49) Cohere's $450 million fundraising.* (02:49) Discussion on AI space valuations.* (04:28) Crypto resurgence and political implications.* (07:46) Vista Equity's write-off of Pluralsight.* (10:55) Private equity targeting individual assets.* (12:48) Canada's capital gains plan delay.* (14:24) Proposal of Texas stock exchange.* (17:05) Interest rate changes by Bank of Canada and ECB.* (19:54) Impact of interest rates on the economy.Follow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here!Podcast production support provided by Agentbee.ai This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com
So many finance hopefuls dream of a career in Private Equity. But what do you actually DO during your internship, starting out as a full-time Analyst, or as an Associate? How do those roles differ at a mega fund vs. a smaller firm? Are there advantages to starting out in Private Equity vs. doing a tour of duty at an Investment Bank or MBB consulting firm? We sat down with Karina Petrunova, a current Private Equity Associate at Charles Thayne Capital, a lower middle market fund with a software & technology focus, to learn about her path to Private Equity. She shares the specific steps she took to secure her first Wall Street internship during her sophomore year, her junior year internship, and ultimately her role at Vista Equity (a $100bn+ mega fund) out of undergrad. Karina shares insight into the practices that made her a successful intern, analyst, and associate, as well as into her decision making process behind why she chose the firms she did. If you are considering a career in Private Equity, or want to understand the journey that your friends and loved ones in the industry may be on, this episode is a MUST listen. The Funds4Teachers event is happening the dates below:Locations/DatesAtlanta - Apr 25Boston - June 6Chicago - June 18New York - Sep 26To learn more about how to support this initiative and register click here: https://iconnections.io/funds4teachers/Follow us on Instagram and Tik Tok at @thewallstreetskinnyhttps://www.instagram.com/thewallstreetskinny/
In this episode we speak with Alan Cline, Hg's Head of North America, a Partner and a member of Hg's Senior Leadership Team. He leads the firm's activity across the USA and Canada. Alan has a long and impressive track record across leadership, tech investing and operations, having built the Foundation Fund within Vista Equity, following hands on experience as a technology entrepreneur. He was previously Senior Managing Director, Fund Co-Head at Vista. Hg has over 400 employees across London, Munich, New York, Paris and San Francisco, and a current portfolio of around 52 businesses, worth approximately $135 billion in aggregate enterprise value. I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.
On Today's episode, CJ welcomes Chad Gold, the CFO of G2 and the former CFO of Salesloft. Gold shares valuable insights on the role of finance in startups and the qualities that set you on the path for a successful CFO career in venture-backed ecosystems. Chad has raised money from some of the best investors in the business, including Vista Equity, Permira, Accel, IVP, and Insight. And he's built world class finance teams for hypergrowth.On this episode we cover * The concept of building lines, not dots, with investors* How to decide how much time to dedicate to investor meetings vs running the business* How majority recaps work, and the equity implications for execs and employees* How finance teams can make the news, in a good way* And we go way back to get some early lessons he learned on the finance team at Home Depot when he was just starting his careerNot only does Chad have the best name for a CFO, he's extremely thoughtful about how FP&A and finance can plug into the business to be drivers, not passengers, during periods of hypergrowth. He's also one of the people who comes to mind when I think about building a durable, successful career as a reputable venture backed chief financial officer. If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics—SPONSORS:NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than 37,000 thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and get a customized KPI checklist.Maxio is the only billing and financial operations platform that was purpose built for B2B SaaS. They're helping SaaS finance teams automate billing and revenue recognition, manage collections and payments, and put together investor grade reporting packages.
In this episode, Bill sits down with David Breach, President and COO of Vista Equity Partners. With over two decades in the industry, David shares his journey from a non-traditional background into the private equity world. The conversation delves into the transformative nature of enterprise software investments, the implications of market shifts, and the strategies for successful asset management. Listen in as they discuss the importance of governance, the impact of technological advancements, and the future of private equity in a changing financial landscape.
The future of vertical software seen through the lens of the fitness and wellness industry. In it we cover the evolution of software to ecosystems, predicting customer behavior, the rise of embedded finance, and the global appetite for fitness. Fritz Lanman is CEO of Mindbody, the leading software platform serving fitness and wellness studios in over 150 countries. An incredible success case for vertical software that has grown to serve 60,000 businesses representing more than 20M consumers. Supporting them with a comprehensive suite of tools from scheduling to marketing. Mindbody went public on the NASDAQ in 2015 and was taken private by Vista Equity in 2019. Fritz came to Mindbody via the acquisition of Classpass where he was first an investor then CEO, and still serves as CEO today. Starting his career at Microsoft Fritz is a 3x entrepreneur, passionate about advanced software and data, and has an enviable angle investment track record that includes Pinterest, Square, Wish and Flexport. Subscribe for new podcasts. Email me on danieldarling@focal.vcSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Co-Founde & Partner of CourtAvenue, Kenny Tomlin.Court Avenue primarily works with Fortune 1000 companies and emerging challengers in the venture-backed and private equity-funded space. They offer various services, including managing and operating clients' digital presence, utilizing AI and emerging technologies for customer engagement, developing digital products and software, and optimizing platforms like Salesforce and Adobe.Kenny shared that the industry has evolved significantly due to the rapid emergence of new technologies. This evolution presents both challenges and opportunities for their clients. Court Avenue is known for its expertise in digital strategy, helping clients navigate the competitive landscape and improve their business by adopting emerging technologies. They also specialize in the shopper e-commerce category, assisting clients in succeeding in omnichannel retail, including online and in-store experiences.Kenny believes digital transformation has a return on investment and can help companies operate more effectively and efficiently. He mentioned that Court Avenue is expanding globally, with an office in Latin America, and they are actively looking for new clients.Key Points from the Episode:Introduction of Kenny Tomlin, co-founder and partner of Court AvenueCourt Avenue's specialization in digital transformation and working with Fortune 1000 companiesServices offered by Court Avenue, including managing digital presence and utilizing AI for customer engagementCourt Avenue's expertise in digital strategy and helping clients navigate the competitive landscapeFocus on shopper e-commerce and assisting clients in omnichannel retailBrands Court Avenue has worked with, such as General Mills and DellGrowth and future plans of Court Avenue, including expansion globally and seeking new clientsIdeal client for Court Avenue, someone in the C-suite who recognizes the importance of digital transformationAbout Kenny Tomlin:Kenny Tomlin, a prominent figure in the digital transformation realm, boasts a remarkable career spanning over 20 years. Notably, he founded Rockfish, a pioneering digital innovation agency celebrated globally for seamlessly merging strategy, creativity, and technology. Under his guidance, Rockfish experienced explosive growth and was eventually acquired by WPP in 2011. Tomlin's entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found ventures in diverse sectors, including real estate (AnthemIQ), hospitality (Superstition and Frame Hotels), and immersive technology (Subvrsive). His track record includes incubating award-winning software products like YouEarnedIt, acquired by Vista Equity in 2018. Currently, at CourtAvenue, he spearheads the product innovation lab and acquisitions, underscoring his enduring influence in shaping the digital landscape.About CourtAvenue:CourtAvenue, established in 2020, stands as a beacon of digital innovation crafted by a cadre of entrepreneurs, agency veterans, and business experts. This dynamic entity empowers some of the world's largest and most ambitious brands to expedite digital transformations. With a robust foundation rooted in expertise and entrepreneurial spirit, CourtAvenue catalyzes businesses aiming to navigate the complexities of the digital landscape. By leveraging a wealth of industry knowledge and innovative strategies, the company facilitates seamless transitions into the digital realm for its clients. Embracing the challenges posed by the ever-evolving...
S02:E10 - Lauren Dillard, Senior Managing Director & CFO, Vista Equity PartnersMoments that Made Her is a podcast where the rare and unique women that hold senior private equity roles share their stories, including the key personal and professional moments that defined their journeys and lessons they learned along the way.Moments that Made Her is a production of the Private Equity Women Investor Network, also known as PEWIN, which is the preeminent organization for senior-level women investment professionals in private equity.PEWIN provides its members with opportunities to network, share ideas, make deep connections with peers, and empower each other to succeed. Our mission is to increase the profile of women in private equity, and members represent institutions with over $3 trillion in assets under management.Moments that Made Her is hosted by Kelly Williams, PEWIN's Founding Chair, and is produced in collaboration with Purple Photo Group.To learn more please visit pewin.org.
Lauren Dillard is the CFO of Vista Equity Partners, a private equity firm with over $96 billion in assets under management and over 20 years investing exclusively in enterprise software. Before joining Vista, she was the Executive Vice President of Nasdaq's Investment Intelligence Division, where she oversaw the company's data, index, and analytics divisions. Prior to Nasdaq, Lauren spent 17 years at Carlyle where she served as the Head of the Investment Solutions unit and was a member of the Management Committee, and she began her career at Arthur Anderson's tax practice. Our conversation covers Lauren's early career at Arthur Anderson and her transitions to Carlyle, Nasdaq and eventually Vista. We discuss the dynamics of being an executive in investment management, operational flexibility, outsourcing vs. insourcing, and internal deal processes. We close on the increasing sophistication of LPs and GPs and the importance of a growth mindset. Learn More Follow Capital Allocators at @tseides or LinkedIn Subscribe to the mailing list Access transcript with Premium Membership Connect with Vista LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
In this episode we talk about value creation, which is critical to how growth investment firms consistently succeed in transforming their portfolio holdings into category leading expansion companies built for the long term. Firms and groups such as Blackstone Growth, Great Hill Partners, Insight Partners and Vista Equity shared with GrowthCap on the Growth Investor podcast how they think about value creation and their approach to closely partnering with management teams to optimize key operational areas that are critical for rapid scale to occur. I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to subscribe.
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In this insightful episode, Mubarak Shah, CPA will delve into the world of Vista Equity Partners, the private equity powerhouse founded by Robert F. Smith and Brian Sheth, and explore the crucial role of value creation in driving successful exits. Discover how Vista's relentless focus on maximizing the potential of acquired companies has set them apart in the competitive tech industry. We'll discuss their unique operational methodologies and the transformative impact of their proprietary playbook on companies in the B2B software space. Learn how Vista's meticulous post-acquisition strategies, including the pivotal role of Vista Consulting Group, have enabled the firm to consistently generate impressive returns. Join us as we uncover the secret behind Vista Equity's remarkable track record and the inspiring journey of its founders, as they continue to revolutionize the software landscape through value creation and profitable exits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today on That Tech Pod, Laura and Gabi speak with Andrew Kelley. Andrew is a global technology executive with public company and startup experience. He is currently VP Corporate Development & Ventures at Five9. Prior to this role Andrew was Chief Commercial at an Internet of Things startup, BoxLock. As CEO of Bell Creek Partners he consulted for various private equity firms and early stage companies. Andrew is passionate about technology, customer scaling, and growth. Previously he was with Vista Equity-backed Omnitracs as President of Haulme and VP Corporate Development. He worked at Dell focusing on early stage investing in software and infrastructure startups including Nutanix which had a $2.5B market cap at IPO. He also worked at UBS Investment Bank in Technology, Media, & Telecom after working at IBM headquarters. He began his professional career co-founding Virtual Ink at MIT. Andrew has an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MSME from MIT, and a BSME from North Carolina State University.
In this episode we chat with René Stewart and Rachel Arnold, Senior Managing Directors and Co-Heads of Vista's Endeavor Fund. Endeavor is one of the world's largest tech buyout funds led by women. Both René and Rachel were recently recognized by GrowthCap as two of the Top Women Leaders in Growth Investing. Endeavor seeks to capture the opportunity among high-growth enterprise software companies in the lower-middle market. Since launch, Vista's Endeavor platform has successfully raised two funds and now manages over $2.0 billion, investing in a growing portfolio of innovative businesses with $10 to $30 million in annual recurring revenue. In the past year, the Endeavor team announced several new platform investments including Schoox, BlueConic, BigTime, Jebbit, OfficeSpace and MedTrainer. Endeavor also realized an investment with the sale of SecureLink. I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show.
*listeners: please fill out this short 3-min. survey to help me level up the show: https://forms.gle/iporNXSgtfuoHSPJA Anthony Kennada is a B2C marketer trapped in a B2B body (I can SO relate). I met Anthony through Pavilion where he was teaching a course in CMO School about how and why companies are increasingly becoming media companies. Anthony is co-founder and CEO at AudiencePlus where the team is building software, content, and community to help every company become a media company. Prior to AudiencePlus, Anthony was CMO of Hopin and Front. He's worked at Box, LiveOffice and Symantec. Anthony was the founding CMO at Gainsight where he and the team created the Customer Success category and fueled the company's growth from $0 to $100M+ ARR, and eventual acquisition by Vista Equity at a $1.1B valuation. Here's what we hit on: Why are companies increasingly becoming "media companies," why it's easier today more than ever and will continue into the future; Why gating content is no longer necessary or preferred; Instead of gating content, what can companies do instead (HINT: emails are important so you do need emails, you just need a better way for people to share their email address); "Community-led marketing" - what's all the fuss, let's define what this means and explain how this works and how can early stage startups leverage this marketing play; You gotta hook them on social media with video clips (demand creation) then bring them back to your website (demand capture) - but how to best run this play and who's doing this well; Why engagement with your company's content is an important leading indicator to EVERY business outcome (e.g. sale, renewal, expansion, adoption, etc.) and not just a TOF strategy; Anthony shares more about building AudiencePlus; At the very end, Anthony asks me his burning question. You can find Anthony on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/akennada/ Find out more about AudiencePlus: https://www.audienceplus.com/ This episode is sponsored by UMSO, the website builder for startups. Visit umso.com/MSM to learn more and use the code MSM20 for a 20% discount on your first three months. For more content, subscribe to Modern Startup Marketing on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review. And whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 1. Startup marketing strategy, execution and advising (25+ happy clients and mentees) >> www.furmanovmarketing.com 2. GTM bootcamp for EdTech Founders (sign up for the next cohort) >> https://gofuelsales.com/edtech-bootcamp/ 3. Sponsor my Top 10% podcast and get startup founders, marketers and VCs hearing about your brand You can also find me hanging out on LinkedIn every single week: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/anna-furmanov/message
It’s August 15th, 2022 and this is the Watson Weekly - Your Essential eCommerce Digest! Today on the show: Instacart is planning an IPO for the end of 2022 Amazon makes another billion dollar acquisition with robotic vacuum maker, Roomba. American Eagle Outfitters’ Quiet Platform launches a nationwide "Asset-Light" logistics network Tax software provider, Avalara, is going private in $8.4 billion Vista Equity acquisition And the Investor Minute which contains 5 items this week from the world of venture capital, acquisitions, and IPOs. For more news from Rick, check out: https://www.rmwcommerce.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwatsonecommerce/
With more than 96 billion dollars in assets under management (as of March 31st 2022), Vista Equity Partners is one of the world's largest and leading software private equity firms. As Founder, Chairman and CEO, this success has helped Robert F. Smith become one of the most respected investors of his generation, being named by Forbes as one of the ‘100 Greatest Living Business Minds' as well as one of the most generous philanthropists of his time. Robert describes his upbringing in Denver, how he secured his first work experience at Bell Labs whilst still at school and his education at Cornell University and Columbia Business School, taking him from engineering to finance. Robert describes working in technology at Goldman Sachs Investment Banking, which included advising a then-troubled Apple as it pivoted to become a platform technology company. He then explains his decision to leave and found Vista Equity Partners in 2000. He talks about the signs that software's importance would mushroom and how today, Vista's 80+ portfolio companies have circa 90,000 employees globally, together comprising one of the world's largest enterprise software companies when combined by revenue, serving over 300 million users. Robert goes on to examine why software has been the most productive economic tool in the last 50 years and explains why he describes today's epoch as the ‘4th Industrial Revolution'. After covering the underlying meaning behind ‘digitization', he provides examples of how his companies have prospered, why their growth trajectory is still so exciting and why software companies are helping to re-shape supply chains and industries across the world. He discusses the merits of private equity versus public listings, the huge gains investors have made in their funds, and why he believes the investment opportunities are still so significant. Robert then talks about his philanthropic work, his view on reaching those communities who have been underserved and what needs to be done and committed to in order to create lasting change for good. Originally recorded in June 2021, we re-releasing this episode as part of our ongoing Private Equity Miniseries. Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn The Money Maze Podcast is kindly sponsored by Schroders, Bremont Watches, LiveTrade and Mintus.
Incentive Compensation and Sales Performance Management - two key ingredients to scaling a successful B2B SaaS company. Is Intelligent Revenue the next key ingredient to growth?Chris Cabrera, founder, and CEO of Xactly, built a very successful company by helping companies to automate and optimize those two disciplines. The result was an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 2015 and a $564M acquisition by Vista Equity in 2017...but Chris's and Xactly's story did not stop there and continues to evolve.Currently Xactly is evolving to provide an Intelligent Revenue Platform that enables companies to scale revenue predictably more effectively.Chris defines Intelligent Revenue as the combination of Revenue Planning, Incentive Compensation Management, Pipeline Management, and Revenue ForecastingRevenue Operations and Intelligence is an evolving category still yet to be defined. Why the world is waking up that "siloed" apps are not an efficient or effective way to optimize revenue performance. Moreover, to leverage real intelligence across the entire customer journey requires consistent data across every phase of the journey, and a fragmented revenue technology stack does not provide the core foundation required for Intelligent Revenue.Chris's experience suggests that designing an intelligent revenue plan and incentive compensation model will lead to more predictable and profitable revenue growth. Revenue Intelligence does not start with better forecasting; it begins with using the insights and signals from the past to design the right Go-To-Market structures and plans - ultimately leading to better and more intelligent forecasts.Ninety-seven percent of Xactly's customers opt-in to share their data in an anonymous and aggregated fashion to develop benchmarks enabling the entire Xactly customer community to leverage the shared intelligence to build better revenue plans and incentive compensation programs.Who most benefits from Intelligent Revenue? Revenue Operations, often the combination of Sales Ops, Marketing Ops, and Customer Success Ops, directly benefit by being able to develop better territory plans, design incentive compensation plans that drive the right behavior and now provide more intelligent insights into how current pipeline trends will result in more accurate revenue forecasts.An example that Chris shared was how Revenue Operations can use Intelligent Revenue to design a program to reduce the use of discounting in price negotiations. As an example, incentive compensation plans that pay different rates based upon the "discount" that a sales professional negotiates. One of the traditional barriers to paying this way is the challenge of paying different commission rates based upon discount rates which is a complex, multi-variate calculation challenge - but one that can significantly impact profitable revenue growth.If you are responsible for one of the most common challenges that every company leader faces - delivering profitable revenue growth and consistent revenue forecasts, this conversation with Chris is entertaining, enlightening, and makes for a great listen!
In today's episode, I am joined by Jack Campbell, Director of Strategic Partnerships at OpFocus, Jack has been in the Salesforce ecosystem for over 8 years with a focus on the System Integrators throughout his career. OpFocus is solely focused on helping SaaS businesses optimize their revenue operations and that usually centers around their usage of Salesforce. I was excited to talk to Jack because he sees a ton of growing SaaS business so he can share trends that are likely relevant to you as an ISV now, or in the future. His top recommendation for ISVs to have an updated release date that is recent on your AppExchange listing! It's a bad look to have that be from 5 years ago… He works with a lot of companies that either just recently have been acquired or are targeting to be by another company or private equity (PE) so he shares insight how earlier SaaS businesses can do systems work early to make the process easier. The ease is important but it also increases organizational value because the acquiring entity and/or the public market analysts can have confidence in your numbers. As Robert Smith, CEO & Chairman of the board at Vista Equity, said at a conference that was quoted in a WSJ article, “Software companies taste like chicken,” he said at a conference in New York a few years ago. “They're selling different products, but 80% of what they do is pretty much the same.” He shares his experience helping a SaaS business ensure they're being compliant with ASC 606 and OpFocus' reasoning, process, and outcomes from focusing their business to just SaaS businesses. Here's a closer look at the episode: 1:00 How did you make your way into the Salesforce ecosystem? 5:04 What are some industry trends related to SAS that might be useful for the ISV listeners? 7:57 Advice going through the process of getting acquired by private equity 14:44 What are you most proud of from your time at OpFocus? 15:23 Where does their main line of business come from? 19:28 Why did you go down the path of specializing? 22:44 Do you implement any ISV solutions that are out on the AppExchange and what are you looking for in a good AppExchange partner? 27:31 Rapid fire questions Resources: Jack's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-campbell-4361671a Website :https://opfocus.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/OpFocusInc Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/opfocus/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OpFocus Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/opfocus This episode is brought to you by ISVapp. ISVapp is used by leading Salesforce ISVs and OEMs as the central toolbox to reduce churn, increase renewals, identify upsell potential, and close more deals. ISVapp is the only plug & play solution for the AppExchange AppAnalytics API and provides deep product insights. The set up is easy and takes less than 5 minutes. Visit isvapp.com to learn how you can take advantage of usage data in your app today.
Today, David is speaking with Bill Binch. Bill, a veteran technology leader with nearly three decades of global sales and go-to-market experience, is an operating partner based in Battery's San Francisco office. He serves as a coach and mentor for sales executives and CEOs in Battery's portfolio, helping software companies scale through various stages of growth, effectively expand overseas and create multi-product sales platforms. Bill's operating experience spans key roles at fast-growing private software companies, such as Marketo and Pendo, as well as billion-dollar public enterprises such as Oracle and PeopleSoft. Before joining Battery, Bill was the chief revenue officer of Pendo, where he helped grow annual recurring revenue to nearly $100 million in three years. Prior to that, he spent more than nine years at the marketing-tech company Marketo. There, he held multiple roles, including EVP of worldwide sales, managing director of APAC, and board director of Marketo Japan. At Marketo, Bill was the 16th employee and led the company's sales teams through its private stages of growth to an IPO, and until the company's 2016 acquisition by Vista Equity. Before Marketo, Bill held senior sales roles at Avolent, BEA, PeopleSoft, and Oracle. He has also been a member of the board of directors at Qvidian and advised companies including Birst, Conversica, Integrate Inc., and Node.io. Bill holds a BS in marketing from Arizona State University and completed Harvard Business School's strategic sales program. What You'll Learn: Being an Operating Partner at a VC firm Day-to-day Activities of an Operating Product Lead and Sales Lead Companies Freemium vs. Product Lead Growth Understanding the Concept of Having the Buyer Control the Sale Steps to test a PLG as a go-to-market strategy Consumption vs Per Seat Model Tips on How to Choosing Your First VP of Sales Tips on How a founder/CEO can measure a VP of sales Tips on how long a founder/CEO should give a VP of sales to present a sales plan after hiring Favorite Quote: “In an interview, I commonly ask this question: If you were on a desert island and you could only have three dashboards what would be the three things that you would like to see?” -- The Capital Stack All Things Tech Investing and Value Creation Early growth investor David Paul interviews the world's greatest ecosystem, learns how to start and scale your own business, and finds an edge in today's capital markets. To connect with David, visit: Twitter -https://twitter.com/davidpaulvc ( CLICK HERE) Substack -http://davidpaul.substack.com/ ( CLICK HERE) LinkedIn -http://linkedin.com/in/Davidpaulvc ( CLICK HERE) IG -https://www.instagram.com/davidpaulvc/ ( CLICK HERE) DISCLAIMER: David Paul is the founder and general partner at DWP Capital. All opinions expressed by David and podcast guests are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinions of DWP capital. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon for decisions. David and guests may maintain positions in the securities discussed on this podcast.
Patrocínio: Alura Cursos Online de Tecnologia Acesse o site www.alura.com.br/loopmatinal e ganhe 10% de desconto para assinar os cursos da Alura. -------------------------------- Sobre o Podcast O Loop Matinal é um podcast do Loop Infinito que traz as notícias mais importantes do mundo da tecnologia para quem não tem tempo de ler sites e blogs de tecnologia. Marcus Mendes apresenta um resumo rápido e conciso das notícias mais importantes, sempre com bom-humor e um toque de acidez. Confira as notícias das últimas 24h, e até amanhã! -------------------------------- Apoie o Loop Matinal! O Loop Matinal está no apoia.se/loopmatinal e no picpay.me/loopmatinal! Se você quiser ajudar a manter o podcast no ar, é só escolher a categoria que você preferir e definir seu apoio mensal. Obrigado em especial aos ouvintes Advogado Junio Araujo, Alexsandra Romio, Alisson Rocha, Anderson Barbosa, Anderson Cazarotti, Angelo Almiento, Arthur Givigir, Breno Farber, Caio Santos, Carolina Vieira, Christophe Trevisani, Claudio Souza, Dan Fujita, Daniel Ivasse, Daniel Cardoso, Diogo Silva, Edgard Contente, Edson Pieczarka Jr, Fabian Umpierre, Fabio Brasileiro, Felipe, Francisco Neto, Frederico Souza, Gabriel Souza, Guilherme Santos, Henrique Orçati, Horacio Monteiro, Igor Antonio, Igor Silva, Ismael Cunha, Jeadilson Bezerra, Jorge Fleming, Jose Junior, Juliana Majikina, Juliano Cezar, Juliano Marcon, Leandro Bodo, Luis Carvalho, Luiz Mota, Marcus Coufal, Mauricio Junior, Messias Oliveira, Nilton Vivacqua, Otavio Tognolo, Paulo Sousa, Ricardo Mello, Ricardo Berjeaut, Ricardo Soares, Rickybell, Roberto Chiaratti, Rodrigo Rosa, Rodrigo Rezende, Samir da Converta Mais, Teresa Borges, Tiago Soares, Victor Souza, Vinícius Lima, Vinícius Ghise e Wilson Pimentel pelo apoio! -------------------------------- Uber Planet é expandido no Brasil: https://tecnoblog.net/noticias/2022/04/19/uber-planet-modalidade-que-compensa-emissao-de-carbono-chega-a-sp-e-rio/ MPF quer adiamento do lançamento das Comunidades do WhatsApp no Brasil para 2023: https://tecnoblog.net/noticias/2022/04/19/mpf-quer-que-whatsapp-adie-comunidades-para-2023-por-riscos-a-democracia/ Samsung lança o Galaxy A73 5G no Brasil: https://tecnoblog.net/noticias/2022/04/19/galaxy-a73-5g-com-camera-de-108-mp-e-android-12-chega-ao-brasil/ C6 ganha integração com Samsung Pay: https://tecnoblog.net/noticias/2022/04/19/c6-bank-agora-e-aceito-no-samsung-pay-para-pagamentos-usando-o-celular/ WhatsApp pode ganhar assinaturas pagas: https://wabetainfo.com/whatsapp-is-working-on-a-subscription-plan-for-businesses/ Elon Musk usar ações da Tesla como garantia para comprar o Twitter: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/19/technology/elon-musk-twitter.html Blackstone e Vista Equity desistem de comprar o Twitter com o Elon Musk: https://t.co/ymZll0dJlL Chris Novak deixa o Xbox: https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/19/23032758/chris-novak-xbox-head-of-research-design-leaving-microsoft-20-years Assassin's Creed Origins chega ao Xbox Game Pass: https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/19/23032104/assassins-creed-origins-xbox-game-pass Netflix divulga resultados financeiros: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/netflix-earnings-preview-q1-2022-subscribers-145328663.html Netflix perde assinantes no mundo: https://tecnoblog.net/noticias/2022/04/19/netflix-registra-1a-queda-de-assinantes-em-10-anos-e-culpa-divisao-de-contas/ Netflix sinaliza que tem 100 milhões de contas compartilhadas: https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/netflix-sharing-password-100-million-1235236051/ Netflix pode ganhar modalidade com anúncios: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/netflix-launching-ad-supported-plans-1235132378/ Smartphones estão vendendo menos: https://9to5mac.com/2022/04/19/smartphone-shipments-down-11-percent-globally/ iPhones 14 Pro podem ter conector Lightining USB 3.0: https://9to5mac.com/2022/04/19/sketchy-rumor-claims-iphone-14-pro-will-feature-faster-usb-3-0-lightning-connector/ iPhones de 2024 podem ter tela sem intervenções: https://9to5mac.com/2022/04/20/kuo-doubles-down-on-high-end-iphone-16-models-with-under-display-face-id/ -------------------------------- Site do Loop Matinal: http://www.loopmatinal.com Anuncie no Loop Matinal: comercial@loopinfinito.net Marcus Mendes: https://www.twitter.com/mvcmendes Loop Infinito: https://www.youtube.com/oloopinfinito
The story of Robert Brockman, Robert Smith, and the biggest case of tax fraud in American history. Like owing the IRS $1.7 BILLION big. This story has Playboy cover girls, really lame yachts, student loan relief, the most boring companies you've ever heard of, and an angry blogger. Enjoy! Bonus episodes and content every week: ▶▶https://www.patreon.com/risquebusinessnews ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: Breakshot Pool: Get Breakshot Pool on iOS or Android https://www.breakshotpool.com ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
In this episode, Zainab talks to Anvita about her time at McKinsey and her impact work focused on Africa as well as the the importance of internships before diving into a full-time role. She concludes the conversation with her experience in PE and what she has observed as a woman in the finance industry.
Never before has the importance of a smooth-flowing supply chain been as clear as it has been in the COVID-19 pandemic era. For manufacturers in particular, managing intricate supply chains can be particularly challenging.
Ari is co-founder with Eric Berry and Shaun Zacharia of TripleLift, a native ad platform that sold a majority stake to Vista Equity for a reported $1.4B in 2021More
Ari is co-founder with Eric Berry and Shaun Zacharia of TripleLift, a native ad platform that sold a majority stake to Vista Equity for a reported $1.4B in 2021More
In one of the first interviews with David Breach since he became President of Vista Equity Partners, the global investment firm focused exclusively on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses, Investment Magazine managing editor Matthew Smith talks through the ecosystem approach Visa takes to extracting and nurturing value in its portfolio companies. During the interview Breach also uses a local Australian case study to highlight the advantages that can be derived from co-investing with asset owners and he raises the importance of a committed approach to diversity, equality and inclusion for him and Vista's Founder, Chairman & CEO, Robert F. Smith, in the all-pervasive technology sector.
Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Vista Equity Partners , joins the podcast to share how the firm's focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion shapes its investment strategy and the success of its portfolio. Robert and host Sarah Williamson discuss Vista's approach to value creation for its companies, how digital inclusion propels the global economy forward, the importance of STEM education, and long-term profitability.
Colin and Brent discuss Colin's operating manual for Robert F. Smith & Vista Equity Partners with $75m AUM.Enroll in Colin's Micro-PE Course & Community at IndiePE.com.Reach out to Colin Keeley and Brent Sanders on Twitter with any feedback. Sell your SaaS at VerneHQ.com
Overview: Today, we're going to talk about MultiChoice - The African video entertainment provider. We'll explore the MultiChoice story across 5 areas: South African video entertainment market context MultiChoice's launch & growth over time MultiChoice's Business & monetization strategy Competitive positioning, primary & emerging business lines Overall outlook This episode was recorded on August 15, 2021 Companies discussed: MultiChoice (M-Net), Naspers, MTN, ShowMax, BetKing, Comcast, Sky, DSTV, MTN, Iroko TV, HiTV, StarTimes, Vivendi Canal+, ROK Media, English Premier League, Netflix, HBO Max, ShowMax, Showtime & BBC Business concepts discussed: Pan-African expansion strategy, Entertainment content acquisition strategy, subscription & hardware monetization strategy Conversation highlights: (02:20) - Why we're talking about MultiChoice (06:50) - South African TV context (15:28) - Origin and early history of MultiChoice (26:10) - Product & monetization strategy (34:05) - MultiChoice device / decoder strategy (38:20) - Content, Partnerships & M&A (42:30) - MultiChoice Financials and key metrics (46:54) - Competition across different business lines (51:40) - Non-core businesses and investments, BetKing (1:05:00) - Bankole's overall thoughts and outlook (1:12:02) - Olumide's overall thoughts and outlook (1:26:28) - Recommendations and small wins Olumide's recommendations & small wins: Recommendation: Die with Zero (Bill Perkins) Small wins: Night out with SF friends & Sailing with friends in Sausalito Bankole's recommendations & small wins: Recommendation: Omah Lay - Understand & Robert Smith of Vista Equity on Money Maze Podcast Small wins: Attended a wedding last weekend, Happy Married Life Dami! + Chelsea FC Winnning! Other content mentioned: South Africa as TV's last frontier Listeners: We'd love to hear from you. Please email info@afrobility.com with your feedback! Founders: We'd love to hear about you & what you're working on, email us at info@afrobility.com Investors: We'd also love to link up with you, to partner to drive the ecosystem forward. Contact us at info@afrobility.com Episodes at Afrobility.com
Sign up to our newsletter for more in-depth insights | Follow us on LinkedIn With more than 77 billion dollars in assets under management (as of March 31st 2021), Vista Equity Partners is one of the world's largest and leading software private equity firms. As Founder, Chairman and CEO, this success has helped Robert F. Smith become one of the most respected investors of his generation, being named by Forbes as one of the ‘100 Greatest Living Business Minds' as well as one of the most generous philanthropists of his time. Robert describes his upbringing in Denver, how he secured his first work experience at Bell Labs whilst still at school and his education at Cornell University and Columbia Business School, taking him from engineering to finance. Robert describes working in technology at Goldman Sachs Investment Banking, which included advising a then-troubled Apple as it pivoted to become a platform technology company. He then explains his decision to leave and found Vista Equity Partners in 2000. He talks about the signs that software's importance would mushroom and how today, Vista's 70+ portfolio companies have circa 75,000 employees globally, together comprising one of the world's largest enterprise software companies when combined by revenue, serving over 300 million users. Robert goes on to examine why software has been the most productive economic tool in the last 50 years and explains why he describes today's epoch as the ‘4th Industrial Revolution'. After covering the underlying meaning behind ‘digitization', he provides examples of how his companies have prospered, why their growth trajectory is still so exciting and why software companies are helping to re-shape supply chains and industries across the world. He discusses the merits of private equity versus public listings, the huge gains investors have made in their funds, and why he believes the investment opportunities are still so significant. Robert then talks about his philanthropic work, his view on reaching those communities who have been underserved and what needs to be done and committed to in order to create lasting change for good.
Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight, first spoke with me when Gainsight was very young. Much has happened since. This conversation catches us up on the interim years since 2013. Gainsight recently raised money from Vista Equity at $1.1 Billion valuation.
Robert F. Smith is the Founder, Chairman and CEO, Vista Equity Partners. Vista is a private investment firm that focuses entirely on enterprise software companies and manages $75 billion in assets across private equity, permanent capital, credit and public vehicles. Taken together, Vista's current portfolio companies are about 70 in number and house 70,000 employees, 700,000 customers across 175 countries, and 200 million global users. Its combined revenue would make the portfolio one of the largest enterprise software companies in the world. Our conversation covers Robert's background, the special characteristics of enterprise software, screening potential targets, adding value through industry expertise, assessing management teams, employing operational and financial leverage, and exiting investments. We then turn to managing Vista and the competitive landscape, and close with reflections on Robert's past mistakes and impact through philanthropy. Learn More Subscribe: Apple | Spotify | Google Follow Ted on Twitter at @tseides or LinkedIn Subscribe Monthly Mailing List Read the Transcript
Sam Crowell Richard is responsible for growth across the OpenView Partners portfolio. OpenView Partners is a leader in advocating Product Led Growth strategies across their portfolio, which includes leading PLG companies including Calendly.Sam has invested in her career preparing for a growth role in a PLG focused venture capital firm, including learning the secrets of digital marketing in a digital agency, and then for 5+ years at an early stage, PLG company, Dispatch, ultimately acquired by Vista Equity, a leading Private Equity firm in the B2B SaaS and Cloud industry.Product Led Growth companies see 80% - 90% of their initial freemium/trial users acquired using digital marketing techniques such as SEO, though conversion to paid customers only occur 50% - 60% of the time without the involvement of a human resource. The type and complexity of the solution directly correlates' to the requirement for the engagement of a human resource to assist the user to become a paying customer.The approach and skillset of the resource initially reaching out to the PLG acquired user is different than in a traditional sales-led environment. Additional insights, including how they are using the product, possibly areas they have not yet experienced, and allows the vendor's initial outreach to be with a much warmer, engaged led.Product usage, often derived from a Product Analytics platform is a critical foundational component for a PLG company. One of the areas of focus is how product usage information is provided to the resources responsible for user outreach. A new consideration for revenue operations is how to provide product usage information within the construct of CRM environments. Though not a primary topic today, the need for a different CRM for PLG companies may be a new market opportunity.Top Metrics for PLG companies:1. Organic Search: What % of traffic and new users come from SEO2. User Journey Metrics: 3. Activation Rate: where people are finding value in your product4. CAC Payback Period: - must be much quicker for PLG companies, with < 12 months being great and some even reaching < 6 months. Price point is a key factor in this benchmarkActivation rate is a nuanced metric, as it is different for every solution.1. Does action correlate to positive business outcome a. 50% conversion rate to paid2. Activation point activity or task completed by > 50% of trial users3. Activation point reached quickly a. 1 week - 1 month40% - 60% of PLG free users represent "Zombie Users" which will never convert. Activities by agents, robots, and poor fit users represent this category and should be identified as early as possible.We also discussed "Product Qualified Leads" or PQL's. This is a key metric that is calculated based upon product utilization by free/trial users. It's interesting that only 35% of PLG companies are using PQL's. This is an increase over the past year, but still not being used by a majority of PLG companies. PQL's provide a unique opportunity to decrease the friction and resulting lack of alignment that MQL's have introduced between sales and marketing.Natural Rate of Growth is a new "PLG" centric metric that OpenView Partners uses to understand the organic growth rate of PLG companies.Lastly, if you are an early-stage professional considering a career in B2B SaaS, Sam shares her advice that you create your own rotational program to gain a well-rounded understanding of how B2B SaaS companies operate across all functions in the company.Sam provides a wealth of insights and advice for any B2B SaaS company considering or are in the early days of a PLG strategy.
Ajay Agarwal is a Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, where he focuses on seed and Series A software investing. Ajay's portfolio includes investments in leading SaaS companies like Gainsight (acquired by Vista Equity), Clari, and SendGrid (IPO and then acquired by Twilio). Prior to BCV, Ajay led Product and Sales as an early employee at Trilogy, an enterprise software pioneer, where he grew annual revenue from $1M to $300M. In this episode we spoke with Ajay about the following: How the entrepreneurial journey of creating something from nothing is analogous to the immigrant experience The parallels between his experience delivering newspapers while growing up in Pittsburgh and his early career in enterprise sales Startups as a vehicle for rekindling the American Dream through more equal opportunity ------------------------------- Episode resources: Ajay's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ajay_bcv Ajay's LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajay1agarwal/ Bain Capital Ventures: https://www.baincapitalventures.com/ ------------------------------- If you enjoyed today's conversation about the intersection of work and Asian American identity, please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a review to spread the word. We'd really appreciate it! Learn more about the show at acrossthelinespodcast.com and follow us @acrossthelinespodcast to get the latest updates.
COVID-19 provided a true test of leadership, leading firms to make adjustments for their workforce. Umesh Ramakrishnan, Co-CEO of Kingsley Gate Partners, sits down with David Breach, COO and Chief Legal Officer for Vista Equity Partners, to discuss. Together, Umesh and David tackle the challenges presented by the pandemic in 2020 and how Vista Equity fine-tuned its processes to ensure employees maximize their potential, as they worked toward achieving their professional and personal goals. David also highlights the support the company provided to retain existing talent and the proprietary personality tests that were implemented to hire new employees. You also don't want to miss the mental health support and strategies adopted by Vista Equity to further the culture of the firm. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The Howard Alumni Movemakers Podcast hosted by Joshua Mercer
Julian Bostic joined Vista Equity Partners in 2018. Mr. Bostic is responsible for leading Vista's Capital & Partner Solutions engagement and development efforts throughout the Midwest and Texas. Prior to joining Vista, Mr. Bostic worked as a Managing Director and Client Advisor in the Institutional Client Group at Neuberger Berman, where he focused on corporations, public funds, endowments and foundations, and family offices in the Midwest and Texas. Before his time with Neuberger Berman, Mr. Bostic spent 13 years at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, where he served as a Client Advisor in the Institutional Americas Group and as a Portfolio Manager in the Private Equity Group. Education: B.B.A. in Marketing, Howard University + M.B.A in General Management, Duke University --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humovemakers/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/humovemakers/support
Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips
In episode #1563, Neil and Eric share a list of seven business leaders to follow if you want to grow faster. Hear about a range of innovators, from well-known leaders like Elon Musk to under-the-radar ones like Mark Leonard, and what makes them all stand out from their peers. It is so important to follow those who will push you to be your best, so tune in today to learn more! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:25] Today's topic: 7 Business Leaders That Will Help You Grow Faster. [00:45] What makes Patrick Collison, co-founder of Stripe, such an innovative thinker. [01:33] Why Elon Musk is a leader and visionary worth looking up to. [02:41] The traits that make Tobi Lutke, Founder of Shopify, such a pioneer in his industry. [03:46] Hear about Mark Leonard, Founder of Constellation Software, and why he's worth following. [04:11] What makes Chamath Palihapitiya a noteworthy thought leader and investor. [04:55] Learn about Robert F. Smith, Founder of Vista Equity, and why you should pay attention to him. [05:41] Why admire Jack Dorsey, CEO of Square and Twitter. [06:47] That's it for today! [06:47] To stay updated with events and learn more about our mastermind, go to the Marketing School site for more information or call us on 310-349-3785! Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Patrick Collison Stripe Elon Musk on Twitter Tesla Tobi Lutke Shopify Constellation Software Mark Leonard Chamath Palihapitiya on Twitter Social Capital Robert F. Smith on Twitter Goldman Sachs Vista Equity Partners Jack Dorsey on Twitter Cash App Hatching Twitter Leave Some Feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us: Neilpatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu
The Atlanta Story podcast features meaningful stories of Atlanta's builders, creators, and entrepreneurs. In this episode Jon Birdsong sits down with Nick Miller, Co-Founder of Gather Technologies. Nick started Gather with his Co-Founder Alex Lassiter almost 9 years ago but it didn't start out the way they imagined. After three pivots and on the verge of giving up, Nick and Alex forged ahead to build a company with over 100 employees before being acquired by Vista Equity. We talk about how to find product-market fit, what lessons he learned along the way, and what it's like running a Vista-backed company. The Atlanta Story is put together by the folks at Atlanta Ventures -- and we can't wait to share some of the personalities behind the brand. Atlanta Ventures invests in entrepreneurs through community, content, and capital -- most notably through our Studio with companies like Greenzie and Intown Golf Club. We believe the best entrepreneurs learn from other great artists in different fields. In this episode, we discuss… When you went to Bain, did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur? (1:39) When did the aha moment happen at Bain happen when you realized this is not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life? (3:02) Talk to us about the day to day of making the transition to full time entrepreneur? 5:03 Did you plan financially to make the leap? (7:51) The earliest year or two of Gather may be one of the most interesting stories of finding product / market fit I know of. How many different companies and avenues did y'all try before settling on Gather's core product? (9:30) When did you know you were on to something from a Product / market fit POV? (15:03) Did fatigue start setting in after your third pivot? (19:34) Did y'all ever think about giving up? (23:50) How did you know the economics would make sense with what you were building (26:19) What did y'all have to prove to investors out West to raise a round? (30:50) You all were pretty early in moving into Krog Street, relative to it's popularity today. Can you share why you chose Krog Street, and if you were to start another company, where would you HQ it today? (33:01) You are one of the few companies in Atlanta to have the premier PE shop, Vista Equity, invest in Gather. What is it like running a company before Vista and after Vista? (34:41) How did y'all decide to sell a majority stake in Gather? (37:11) What is like running the Vista playbook? What was it like pre-Vista and post-Vista operationally? (41:20) If you were to do it all over again, what would you do differently? (44:04) How did you maintain sanity while working 18 hour days? (46:32) Through the Gather experience did you gain the freedom and experience you sought starting out and was it worth it? (49:01) You're a seasoned entrepreneur and still young. What's ahead for you? (49:35) Why Atlanta and what has Atlanta done for you? (50:15) How you can get involved: Visit atlantaventures.com/studio if you're interested in learning more about Atlanta Ventures and the Studio. Where you can find us: Website: www.atlstory.com Twitter: @theatlantastory Instagram: @theatlantastory YouTube: Here Subscribe to the newsletter here.
“The Wall Street Journal last week reported that 41% of the African American businesses have stopped transacting and stopped conducting business and have closed up, which is a true tragedy. They don't have the banking systems, which limited their ability to actually process the Payroll Protection Program loans through the CARES Act.” With the pandemic revealing greater inequities in existing economic systems, Robert F. Smith is determined to make a difference. He authorized one of Vista Equity Partners' portfolio companies, Finastra, to process more than 86,000 PPP loans to bolster small businesses in struggling communities. Named by Forbes as one of the “100 Greatest Living Business Minds,” he is also a noted philanthropist: Last year, he famously paid off the student loans of the entire graduating class of the historically black Morehouse College. “Seventy percent of African American wealth is actually consumed by student debt; if you alleviate that problem, that creates a massive wealth lift for the entire community,” he tells Mike. “Restore, repair and regenerate these communities filled with Americans that need the opportunity and access to the American Dream.”
Reliance Industries Limited and Jio has announced that Vista Equity Partners will invest Rs 11,367 crore into Jio Platforms. This investment values Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. Vista's investment will translate into a 2.32 percent equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis, making Vista the largest investor in Jio Platforms, behind Reliance Industries and Facebook. In this episode, co-founder and executive producer of The Next Crunch, Tanmay Patange explains what these investments mean to Reliance Jio and how they will impact India's economy in the near future. Official website of The Next Crunch podcast - https://www.thenextcrunch.com Subscribe The Next Crunch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/TheNextCrunch Follow The Next Crunch on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheNextCrunch Follow The Next Crunch on Instagram: https://instagram.com/TNCrunch
download the audio file [0:43] Please tell us about your background. Andrew Kelley is a global technology executive focused on logistics and supply chain software. He is CEO of Bell Creek Partners consulting to lower middle market private equity firms and with the objective of buying a single platform business to run as CEO. Previously he was with Vista Equity-backed Omnitracs as President of Haulme and VP Corporate Development. Prior to that, he worked at Dell focused mostly on venture investing including Nutanix, a successful $2B IPO. Overall, he has executed $30B of combined M&A and investments mostly with UBS Investment Bank's Technology, Media & Telecom group. He began his professional career co-founding Virtual Ink at MIT in 1997 and that product, Mimio, is now part of Boxlight Corporation. Andrew has an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MSME from MIT, and a BSME from North Carolina State University [1:15] How'd you get into the freight business? I grew up on a produce farm in Maryland and that's how I started truck driving. I've also driven for the North Carolina Department of Transportation. [2:17] What are you doing today? I spend all my time in supply chain and logistics because I think it's fascinating and that there are big opportunities. [3:07] Tell us about Powerloop and its implications on the freight business. Uber launched Uber Freight a few years ago. Now, Powerloop is the latest offering from Uber Freight. Effectively, it's a trailer leasing business. Powerloop allows for power-only units to drop and hook trailers that are pre-filled and ready to go. The advantage is that you don't have to wait for the loading and unloading. [5:02] Is it good for shippers too? It should be. There's a supply/demand imbalance now which causes shippers to pay more, and the costs trickle down to the end consumer. [6:25] What is the overall landscape for assets like tractors and trailers? There are about three times more trailers than tractors in the US. It's hard for Company A to figure out how to lease or allow Carrier B to tap into some of their empty trailer capacity. Having a third party oversee the process is favorable for both companies. I think, overall, it's beneficial to have more capacity in the marketplace. What is the nature of that capacity? I'm not sure we can figure that out right now. [9:53] What does this mean for the average broker or 3PL? I think it's positive, based on the brokers I've talked to. The closer they are to being able to guarantee capacity, the easier it is for them to work directly with shippers and increasingly larger shippers. [11:36] Do you think the ELD mandate influenced the creation of Powerloop? ELD constrained some driveable hours. The more driveable hours that there are in a day, the better it is for everyone. People say that the ELD mandate is the reason that the cost of freight has been surging. I think that's part of it, but not all of it. It's crazy that some drivers can do 2500 miles a week and struggle to make ends meet. Like all innovations, I think having a “customer first” mentality is essential. I'm hopeful that this will benefit drivers the most, but also will have a positive impact for shippers and consumers. [17:28] Do you imagine other freight brokerage companies investing through buying trailers like Uber is? I think it's possible. One of the challenges right now is that the ability to buy a trailer is really tough. There's an increasing backlog and the manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the demand. A fair number of asset-heavy carriers out there now also have substantial brokerage businesses. If they don't have an asset in the right place at the right time, being able to call a friend in the moment is very important. [21:07] What are the benefits of this to the industry? The number one benefit, I'm hoping, is that the number of driveable hours increases. That's positive for drivers because they will spend a lot less time detained, and for shippers because they are able to get more goods out to their end market. Customers usually look at ROI, and they will have to weigh the cost and the benefit to figure out if it's really going to work for them. [22:27] How can people reach you? LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleyan/
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