Episode 34: Tom Willerer from Venrock

Quote(s): Be stubborn in vision but flexible in details. -Jeff Bezos Second, this quote made me think of the book “7 Powers” by Hamilton Helmer, who you interviewed on your podcast. “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” -Michael Porterer Third is a quote I actually brought up in another podcast with my friend who founded Endurance International…. Make every detail perfect and limit the number of details to perfect.” -Jack Dorsey   About the episode: Tom Willerer, Partner at Venrock, grew up in Michigan and wound up going to school at Indiana University. After attending IU, he pursued advertising in Chicago and then landed a job at Netflix in 2007, when streaming was in its infancy. Garrett and Tom dive into curiosity, Product Management, business strategy and what to look for in a start-up company. Why you’ll love it: Tom opens up about what he took away from Netflix’s corporate culture, where he failed in trying to take aspects of Netflix’s culture and to Coursera and ultimately what he had to do to grow Coursera, a mission-based company. Even more, we dive into how much emotional input is needed when making investments, what’s next for him (*cough* clean meats!), and how he stays focused as a high-performing individual. Greater message: Stay hungry to learn. Apply curiosity. Every relationship matters; relationships are everything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices