In this episode, James Currier delves into the significance of network effects, providing insights on their impact on startups and daily life. Also included is an introduction to a master class on network effects. At NFX, we've spent over 20 years studying the power of network effects. As founders, we’ve built them into companies worth $10B+. As investors, we teach our founders these playbooks. Now we’re putting everything we know into an 11-episode Network Effects Masterclass, made for early-st...
Sep 22, 2022•3 min•Ep. 146
In this episode, guests Jennifer Dionne and Yaniv Erlich share their journey transitioning from academia to startups, including Yaniv's experience with MyHeritage and Eleven Therapeutics. They compare academia and startups, discuss career options post-PhD, and provide advice for PhDs considering starting a company. They also delve into translating academic experience to business, reflecting on their academic careers and realizations about entrepreneurship. NFX Bio is committed to backing Scienti...
Jul 21, 2022•48 min•Ep. 144
In this episode, Pete Flint chats with Brett Hagler about the recent activities and innovative strides of New Story. They delve into the company's origin, growth, and their mantra of pursuing innovative ideas. They discuss the influence of community on aspirations and New Story's culture and values. The conversation also covers the intersection of Web 3 and real estate financing, future plans, and the potential of NFTs for nonprofits. Some problems are so big, they feel crazy to even try to solv...
Dec 14, 2021•44 min•Ep. 142
In this episode, Pete Flint converses with Sarah Friar about her career and the COVID impact on Nextdoor. They discuss crisis leadership, the power of storytelling, the evolving landscape of social networks, and building network effects in localized businesses. The conversation also touches on balancing growth, community engagement, new technologies' potential consequences, and different ways for a company to go public. Nextdoor, the social media app for neighborhoods, which is actively used in ...
Nov 18, 2021•48 min•Ep. 141
In this episode, James Currier chats with Antonio Rojas, discussing his role at LVP and their focus on LatAm. They delve into Antonio's investment experience, the importance of entrepreneurial networks in Mexico, and the impact of increasing valuations in LatAm. They also discuss international outreach, unique challenges, the rise of web 3, and the potential of investments to influence societal change. NFX has been increasingly active in LatAm over the last few years, largely drawn there by an i...
Nov 10, 2021•36 min•Ep. 140
In this episode, Gigi Levy-Weiss converses with Eynat Guez about the effects of remote work on global hiring and company culture, the influence of a founder's personality on recruitment strategies, and the challenges in automating processes. They discuss the importance of early planning in startups, the potential impact of crypto on payroll, and the transition from founder to CEO. They also touch on balancing personal life with startup demands and the role of female leadership in tech. The Covid...
Oct 28, 2021•58 min•Ep. 139
In today's episode, NFX Partner Morgan Beller talks with Cuy Sheffield (head of crypto at Visa) and Micah Johnson (Bored Apes, CryptoPunks, and Aku and former professional baseball player) as they explore tactics for building community, no matter what industry you’re in. Listen to their conversation as they uncover why Founders can’t skip the community-building part anymore, as it’s essential to company building in today's ecosystem. The next evolution of companies will be created in public with...
Oct 21, 2021•47 min•Ep. 138
In this episode, Azeem Azhar and James Currier discuss exponential growth in technology, the Internet's role in accelerating advancements, and the societal implications. They also delve into the concept of regulatory innovation, the impact of fast-paced tech development, health data sharing, and the integration of crypto in various industries. Visionary Founders, instead of solving market failures or fixing problems that are clear, push market evolution. They commit to pushing society to the upw...
Sep 14, 2021•46 min•Ep. 137
null Today, Mammoth Biosciences announced their series C and D at more than a $1B valuation. Mammoth is a startup story that Founders should be following because there is so much to learn from their path from the lab to unicorn status. At no other time in modern history has the need for science to lead our society toward a better future been more apparent and immense. We can meet this need by investing in the next generation of tech-bio companies like Mammoth. NFX led Mammoth’s Pre-Seed and Seed...
Sep 09, 2021•27 min•Ep. 136
Today NFX Partner Morgan Beller is joined by Andy Lapsa, Co-Founder & CEO of Stoke Space Technologies, a company building reusable second-stage rockets to seamlessly Earth and orbit. Founded in 2019 and based in Renton, Washington they have been focused on the reusability aspect of rocketry to make space access more available and frequent in our future lives. Lapsa was a former employee and award-winning rocket engineer at Bezos's Blue Origin, while the rest of their team come from SpaceX an...
Aug 04, 2021•41 min•Ep. 135
In this episode, James Currier delves into the concept of network effects, its impact on status, wealth, and power, and the emergence of the network economy. Using Facebook as a case study, he discusses the dominance of network effect businesses. He also explores the acceleration of the network economy through cryptocurrency. The episode further examines the Matthew Principle and how network economy influences various fields, including education and real estate. James concludes with a discussion...
Jul 30, 2021•31 min•Ep. 134
null This is an NFX Mashup, where we string thoughts from past episodes together under the same topic. Startups today have more options than ever before — much earlier in their life cycles — for entering the public markets. Founders are constantly looking for advice on how to think about traditional IPO vs. SPAC vs. direct listing — and how to even answer the question: Am I ready to be a public company? In this mashup, NFX Partner Pete Flint is joined by Eventbrite co-founder Kevin Hartz, Hippo ...
Jul 29, 2021•21 min•Ep. 133
In this episode, Morgan Beller, Mack Flavelle, Lisa Sterbakov, and Maaria Bajwa discuss the use of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and their application in the Stoner Katz Project. They delve into the benefits of NFTs for creators, the community aspect of the project, and the risks and potentials of using NFTs as access tokens. The conversation also touches on the impact of NFTs on Hollywood and the challenges of content selection in the industry. 'Stoner Cats' is an adult animated series centered on...
Jul 23, 2021•51 min•Ep. 132
In this episode, James Currier interviews Ann Hiatt, discussing her experiences at Amazon, Google, and Yahoo, the importance of 'glue people' in tech, and her transition from Amazon to Google. They explore key strengths for success, characteristics of successful CEOs, and the importance of team dissent. Insights on mission statements, value-alignment hiring, and building significant companies are shared. The episode concludes with a discussion on Hiatt's book "Bet on Yourself". What few people s...
Jul 22, 2021•48 min•Ep. 131
In this episode, NFX delves into Bitcoin dominance, new crypto protocol creation, and the intricacies of side chains and Ethereum smart contracts. They explore network effects in a crypto economic context, discuss the downsides of side chains, and examine the power of currency network effects. The concept of US Beller stablecoin maximalism is explored, alongside Blockstream's funding strategies and Hayekian currency competition. This is The Founders’ List – audio versions of essays from technolo...
Jul 21, 2021•30 min•Ep. 130
null Over the past twenty years, tech entrepreneurs have created and captured enormous value by launching new marketplaces to the world. Today NFX Partner James Currier talks with Professor Scott Duke Kominers, who has been teaching the course 'Making Markets' along with other classes at Harvard Business School. With over 80 academic papers published, he is in the MBA Class of 1960 Associate Professor of Business Administration in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit, as well as a Faculty Affilia...
Jul 19, 2021•52 min•Ep. 129
In this episode, NFX discusses the crucial role of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in startups. They delve into the significance of daily reports, introduce a KPI checklist, and guide on developing precise, measurable KPIs. The episode also explores the importance of time-specificity, actionability in KPIs, and benchmarking against competitors. This is The Founders’ List – audio versions of essays from technology’s most important leaders, selected by the founder community. Everyone knows that ...
Jul 17, 2021•8 min•Ep. 128
In this episode, Pete Flint delves into the shifting landscape of the labor market, the rise of the talent economy, and the future of labor marketplaces. He explores topics such as verticalization, transaction ownership, job tenure and scarcity, reskilling, upskilling, and success factors for building labor marketplaces. He also discusses the transformative potential of labor marketplaces during a crisis and the current climate for building them. This is The Founders’ List – audio versions of es...
Jul 15, 2021•18 min•Ep. 127
In this episode, Eran Ben-Shusham, a seasoned entrepreneur, shares his company's journey through a business model pivot. He discusses the critical role of speed, execution, and strong company culture during a crisis. The conversation also delves into the shift towards virtual events, dealing with new customer needs, and the challenges of scaling during a pivot. Additionally, Eran speaks on the emotional impact of a disappearing core business and the importance of maintaining company values throu...
Jul 12, 2021•44 min•Ep. 125
In this episode, NFX explores the art of VC negotiations, discussing how to communicate your valuation and handle low baller offers. They delve into talking in pre-money valuation during startup fundraising, ESOP allocations, and distinguishing leaders from followers. Additionally, they emphasize the power of controlling the deadline and the role of self-awareness in fundraising negotiations. This is The Founders’ List – audio versions of essays from technology’s most important leaders, selected...
Jun 30, 2021•14 min•Ep. 123
In this NFX Podcast episode, the discussion centers on the importance and ubiquity of game design. The team delves into the principles of innovation, objectives, constraints, and success criteria in game design, followed by an exploration of reward systems, play's role, and competition in game design. This is The Founders' List - audio versions of essays from technology’s most important leaders, selected by the founder community. Life is, by some measures, an infinite game, where the rules const...
Jun 29, 2021•5 min•Ep. 122
In this episode, James Currier converses with guest Saar Gur about his entrepreneurial journey in Silicon Valley. They discuss Saar's transition from entrepreneur to venture capitalist, his approach to investing, and the importance of emotional connection. They delve into Saar's successful investments in DoorDash and Patreon, the power of creators, and the potential in Patreon. The conversation also covers identifying investment opportunities through Reddit communities and crypto movements, char...
Jun 28, 2021•40 min•Ep. 121
In this episode, James Currier and Omri Amirav-Drory delve into synthetic biology and tech bio, introducing guest Asaf Zviran, CEO of C2I. They discuss the impact of tech bio on industries, strategies for hiring and fundraising in a virtual world, and the balance between science and business in startups. They also explore the future of cancer treatment and provide valuable advice for startup founders. The team at C2i Genomics is combining cutting-edge genomics and sophisticated AI to provide the...
Jun 25, 2021•49 min•Ep. 120
In this episode, Tony Fadell and Pete Flint discuss the role of fresh perspectives in entrepreneurship and how climate change can be addressed as a design problem. They explore the importance of storytelling in startups, the iterative process of startup development, and the value of learning from failure. The conversation also covers reflections on the product design process and the relationship between constraints and creativity. It’s not often you get to see through the eyes of someone who cre...
Jun 22, 2021•40 min•Ep. 119
In this episode, Shishir Mehrotra shares insights from his time at YouTube, discussing team structure, cross-functional coordination challenges and best practices. He delves into the specifics of meeting cadences, effective communication methods, and the art of canceling unnecessary meetings. This is The Founders' List - audio versions of essays from technology’s most important leaders, selected by the founder community. When Shishir Mehrotra left YouTube in 2014, a number of other company leade...
Jun 17, 2021•12 min•Ep. 118
In this episode, James Currier converses with guest Ali Tamaseb about his book "Super Founders", discussing the methodology and data collection process. They delve into the impact of socioeconomic diversity among founders, the correlation between success and academic or career history, and the venture capitalism game. Insights on overcoming narrative bias, the value of small failures, and the role of faith and adaptability in venture capitalism are also explored. What started as a viral medium a...
Jun 15, 2021•39 min•Ep. 117
In this episode, Pete Flint talks with Jon Levin about the career prospects for the class of 2021, emerging industries, and trends for entrepreneurs. They delve into the evolution of entrepreneurship, the societal impact of business leaders, and the shifting landscape for startup founders. They also discuss capitalism, government roles, and Stanford Business School's new task force. Lastly, they reflect on lessons from Levin's tenure as a Dean and the future of education. Stanford GSB Dean Jon L...
Jun 10, 2021•37 min•Ep. 116
In this episode, former CEO of Waze, Noam Bardin, delves into the importance of U.S. success for a global brand, his framework for assessing business ideas, and Waze's unique design strategies. He discusses the power of network effects, the impact of user activity on functionality, and the value of data in Waze's business model. The conversation also covers growth tactics after achieving product-market fit, the costs of losing focus, and understanding competitor strategies. Underlying Waze's jou...
Jun 02, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 115
In this episode, Pete Flint, Heather Fernandez, and James Currier discuss the business model of Solve Health and its strategic approach to navigating through the pandemic. They analyze the complexities and opportunities in the American healthcare industry, the impact of regulations on innovation, and the importance of understanding supply and demand in healthcare marketplaces. The episode concludes with advice for young entrepreneurs interested in healthcare. Speed is routinely acknowledged as a...
May 25, 2021•49 min•Ep. 114
In this episode, Packy McCormick shares his insights into crypto's role in the online game, its intersection with the creator economy, and the potential of DAOs. The discussion also delves into game design principles, their application to the online game, and personal experiences in the meta game. The Great Online Game is an infinite video game that plays out constantly across the internet. It uses many of the mechanics of a video game, but removes the boundaries. You’re no longer playing as an ...
May 21, 2021•20 min•Ep. 113
