null As a Founder, having a strong sense of direction, purpose, and context for what you are doing every day gives you an advantage. Finding the deeper meaning gives you speed and power. Your work matters. But to see how it does clearly requires us to step outside of the caves of our day-to-day lives of running startups to understand how we all got here, and where we're going. There is a rich history you are building upon, and your work - whether a corner or floor of the cathedral - is a foundat...
Aug 04, 2020•34 min•Ep. 23
null Garrett Smallwood (CEO of Wag!) joins NFX partner James Currier to share his thoughts on profitable and efficient management of companies, thoughtfully operating before and after COVID-19, and shifting your mental models to adapt to your current situation. Garrett has earned all the badges — having sold his company to Wag!, operating as VP of Product, Partnerships, and Corp Dev, before building the roadmap to CEO. Garrett's current roadmap at Wag! is centered around operational excellence, ...
Jul 31, 2020•34 min•Ep. 22
null Twitter and Slack are two of technology’s most talked-about companies. They are both category-defining products marked by hypergrowth, each amassing a large base of deeply loyal users and a valuation of more than $20B. But Founders rarely get access to the product decisions being made behind the scenes, or the strategy and frameworks that guided them. April Underwood was instrumental at both companies, first as Director of Product at Twitter and then as Chief Product Officer at Slack. She i...
Jul 13, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 21
null In this episode of the NFX Podcast, Keith Rabois and James Currier examine the rule deviation behind some of technology's greatest startup feats — PayPal, Square, Yelp, and even Apple, Tesla, and SpaceX. They discuss: - The 5 People You Spend the Most Time With: It's easy to be a contrarian. It's hard to be right. What are the environmental and psychological factors needed to really think for yourself? - The Extreme 1% of the Bell Curve: A framework for rule deviation that leads to inventio...
Jun 30, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 20
null Rahul is the founder and CEO of Superhuman where he and his team are building the fastest email experience in the world. Before Superhuman, Rahul founded Rapportive, which was acquired by LinkedIn in 2014. We’re bringing you an NFX Keynote podcast that gives you a deep dive into Rahul Vohra’s mind. His strategic thinking on product-market fit is verging on legendary, and in this episode, Rahul shares his biggest learnings about customer onboarding, why products should be designed like games...
Jun 18, 2020•23 min•Ep. 19
null Biology is the new frontier. At NFX, we’ve been investing in this space. And in this episode of the NFX podcast, we talk to Trevor Martin, the CEO and Co-Founder of Mammoth Biosciences, an NFX company, that is now the largest repository of CRISPR IP in the world. They are developing the Google of biology where they will help anyone find what they are looking for in the genome. They are also working on a rapid COVID-19 test that uses CRISPR. Today we will talk about the cutting edge of what’...
Jun 08, 2020•42 min•Ep. 18
null This is the insider story of Houseparty. In the last two months, the video app has grown 1600% to become the #1 social app in 82 countries, including the U.S., with hundreds of millions of users. Its success, however, has been many years and trials in the making. In this episode, early investor & advisor James Currier joins Ben Rubin, the Founder of Houseparty to share the insider story of how the product went from zero-to-one to ubiquity. It’s the real story that most founders never ge...
May 18, 2020•54 min•Ep. 17
In this episode, Kristin O'Brien, James Currier, and Josh Elman delve into the evolution of social media, its current state, and future opportunities. They share valuable advice for early-stage founders in social media startups, discuss the transition from Meerkat to House Party, and the growth of Discord. The conversation emphasizes the importance of humanity in technology, psychology in startup innovation, and constant product evolution. Today Josh Elman & James Currier discuss the history...
May 04, 2020•56 min•Ep. 16
In this episode, James Currier discusses the unseen hand of networks and their influence on our decisions and social order. He dives into the intensity of personal networks, Dunbar's Law, the impact of educational and professional networks, and the role of location on networking. The episode concludes with a discussion on network crossroads and reassessments. Working with network effects in our 100+ portfolio companies makes it impossible not to notice how the same mechanisms and math that creat...
Apr 30, 2020•50 min•Ep. 15
In this episode, James Currier, Reid Hoffman, and Kristin O'Brien discuss decision-making strategies during layoffs, unlearning and adapting in crises, and post-crisis financing strategies. They also explore changes in human behavior due to the pandemic, startup opportunities in a changing landscape, and the future of work. The role of cultural entrepreneurship and Silicon Valley's pandemic response are also discussed. Today Reid Hoffman & James Currier discuss the path ahead for Founders in...
Apr 16, 2020•34 min•Ep. 14
In this episode, Kristin O'Brien, Pete Flint, and David Sacks discuss leading through challenging times, navigating disruption, and the importance of adaptability. They delve into crisis management, the economic impact on startups and VC investments, and the role of paranoia in survival. Insights on wartime CEOs and the response of Silicon Valley to COVID-19 are also shared. The episode concludes with potential long-term pandemic impacts, highlighting the rise of edtech and healthtech. Today we’...
Apr 07, 2020•45 min•Ep. 13
In this episode, Pete Flint chats with Stacey Brown-Philpot, CEO of Task Rabbit, about leadership, company culture, and handling crises. They delve into TaskRabbit's evolution, community engagement, marketplace balancing, and tackling disintermediation. They also discuss geographic expansion, pricing strategies, and their IKEA acquisition. Lastly, they explore the gig economy's evolution, its regulation, and the impact of the COVID crisis. TaskRabbit invented the gig-economy in 2008 with a marke...
Mar 18, 2020•37 min•Ep. 12
In this episode, James Currier talks with Iman Abuzeid about the role of structured thinking in problem-solving and fundraising. They discuss the importance of controlling the fundraising process, common errors in pitching, the evolution of pitch decks, and how to navigate term sheets. The conversation also covers financial model adjustments, key SaaS metrics, and the psychology of fundraising. After raising venture capital from NFX, Andreessen Horowitz, Obvious Ventures, and Precursor Ventures,...
Jan 29, 2020•25 min•Ep. 11
In this episode, Pete Flint converses with Marco Zappacosta and Kristen O'Brien on the growth and evolution of Craigslist and Thumbtack. They discuss the importance of liquidity and network effects in marketplaces, the misapplication of Uber's model, and the future of human capital in marketplaces. They also delve into leadership, fundraising, competition, and the future of online-offline interaction. Marco Zappacosta (Co-founder & CEO of Thumbtack) talks with Pete Flint (NFX & founder o...
Nov 11, 2019•55 min•Ep. 10
null As Founders ourselves, we started 10 venture-backed companies that exited for over $10 Billion. During that time as Founders and now as VCs, we’ve seen 16 counterintuitive lessons in pitching VCs that increase your odds of success. Today we’re sharing them for the benefit of the entire founder community. Learn more at - www.nfx.com Start your Company Brief at - www.thecompanybrief.com
Oct 28, 2019•24 min•Ep. 9
In this episode, James Currier chats with Kristin O'Brien and Scott Cook about the importance of network effects for startups. They delve into Cook's experiences with eBay and Amazon, discuss the efficiency of small teams, and share strategies to overcome the chicken and egg problem in network effects. The conversation also touches on societal benefits of network effects, the transformation of lives through technology, and the rise of volunteerism through digital platforms. About 2 years ago, In...
Oct 08, 2019•48 min•Ep. 7
In this episode, James Currier delves into the conceptualization and refinement of startup ideas. He introduces five key frameworks, including leveraging technological shifts and balancing market risk versus execution risk. The episode concludes with case studies on companies managing different risk types. It’s often said that success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. We disagree. This might be true at later stages, but at the initial stage of a startup, the core idea makes a huge differen...
Aug 22, 2019•8 min•Ep. 6
In this episode, James Currier delves into the fundamentals of running a successful startup. He discusses the nine habits of world-class startups and explores the power of storytelling with Morgan Beller. The conversation also touches on the "11 of 13" rule, the significance of language, the necessity to test and iterate, and how to spot major changes in crucial metrics. Startups that grow into transformative companies do two things: (1) they nail the basics and (2) they cultivate the right habi...
Aug 21, 2019•9 min•Ep. 5
In this episode, Manish Chandra, founder of Poshmark, joins James Currier to discuss his experience building and scaling Poshmark. They delve into overcoming operational challenges, the importance of social commerce, and the company's unique business philosophy. The conversation also touches on fundraising, team development, and Poshmark's future plans. They were rejected by 200+ investors. They were turned down by every single payment processor in the country. They discovered they were in viola...
Jun 18, 2019•50 min•Ep. 4
In this episode, James Currier discusses the key learnings from Uber's success, emphasizing the importance of speed, product defensibility, and strategic use of capital in startups. He underscores the role of a big vision and the power of language and naming in business. James Currier of NFX outlines 5 important lessons you can learn from Uber and their growth over the last 10 years. Check out our past Inside the Marketplace episode on Lyft here - https://soundcloud.com/nfxpodcast/idea-to-ipo-ly...
May 02, 2019•11 min•Ep. 3
In this episode, Pete Flint and James Currier discuss the Lyft IPO, comparing the ridesharing market to the airline industry and exploring Lyft's expansion into scooters. They delve into the future of autonomous vehicles, supply side innovation, and the influence of Wall Street on company strategies. They also touch on the importance of founders' control and Lyft's potential dominance in smaller markets. Pete Flint & James Currier of NFX discuss Lyft's upcoming IPO, the defensibility of the ...
Mar 25, 2019•34 min•Ep. 2
In this episode, Pete Flint and guest Andy Johns discuss the interplay between innovation and optimization in startups, setting multiyear goals, and unique growth strategies for network effect businesses. They also critique product development focus in tech companies, analyze startup organizational charts, and explore future growth trends. "Why Growth Hacking Is Broken" - Pete Flint & Andy Johns by NFX (0:00) Introduction to guest Andy Johns (4:33) The balance between innovation and optimiza...
Feb 13, 2019•30 min•Ep. 1
