Mike Scott is a serial entrepreneur who found himself working at a large tech unicorn when they acquired his business. As newly-minted Head of Product Partnerships, Mike has questions! Luckily, Yaniv and Chris have (some) answers. This ended up being a bit of a personal discussion and coaching session, and we thank Mike for opening up. In this Office Hours episode, topics discussed include: The transition from entrepreneur to employee. What is the Product Partnerships function? Measuring the imp...
Dec 15, 2022•37 min•Ep 44•Transcript available on Metacast Alignment is about making sure that everybody in an organisation is working in such a way that their efforts build on each other, rather than cancelling out. If you’re not aligned, it doesn’t matter how hard you work—you’re not going to get anywhere. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv discuss: What does it mean to be aligned? Alignment at different levels and across different time spans Encouraging alignment at a cultural level Surfacing hidden assumptions The importance of writing things down Why...
Dec 08, 2022•36 min•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast This bonus episode is a collaboration with Yan Kruger’s fantastic Growth Ripples podcast. Startups can survive a bad culture to achieve product-market fit, but once they reach the scale-up stage the effects of poor culture hinder growth. In this episode, Yan and Yaniv discuss what culture is, why it’s so important, and when is the right time to start investing in it. Why culture matters. What is culture? Common warning signs for a bad culture. What does it mean to design a culture? Why startups ...
Dec 05, 2022•21 min•Ep 42•Transcript available on Metacast Most startups limp along with way too many priorities—and the lack of focus will kill them. Ruthless and deliberate prioritization and sequencing is *the* secret ingredient behind successful startups. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv tell you how to do it like the best, and how to avoid falling into many common traps. Why prioritization matters & the importance of focus. Why you can’t grow your way out of needing to prioritize. Why the first version of your product shouldn’t look like a smal...
Dec 01, 2022•44 min•Ep 41•Transcript available on Metacast Emil Michael was Uber’s Chief Business Officer during the company’s glory years, and is one of the small handful of people who shaped the modern ridesharing economy. Emil is one of Silicon Valley’s most legendary business development people, and in this episode he shares some of his best tips about finding, evaluating, closing, and executing partnerships that will turbocharge your startup. As an added bonus, Chris and Emil share some stories from their early days of Uber, what made Uber’s cultur...
Nov 24, 2022•37 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast It’s no secret that the investment environment has changed quite drastically in the last six months, and for many founders out there it has become much more difficult to raise the needed funds. We have recently had the privilege of speaking to two incredible investors: Jessy Wu from Afterwork Ventures, and the legendary Emil Michael, former Chief Business Officer of Uber. In this bonus episode, we asked each of them for their advice to founders on how to navigate the current fundraising environm...
Nov 21, 2022•21 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast Yaniv is joined by Jessy Wu, Investor at Afterwork Ventures, to talk about how excessive niceness in a startup ecosystem can turn toxic, and what can be done to fight back against it. This episode is the perfect mix of thoughtful, spicy, and actionable! Listen in as Yaniv and Jessy discuss: What is toxic niceness and why is it so bad? Diversity & Inclusion and toxic niceness. How toxic niceness stops founders getting the feedback they need. How to show courage and call a spade a spade. The reput...
Nov 17, 2022•39 min•Ep 38•Transcript available on Metacast Time for another Listener Q&A episode! Chris and Yaniv give clear, actionable answers on the following questions: How to prioritise which features to build? How to think about PR for your startup? When is the right time to start building hype and interest for your product? What’s the best way to cold email potential investors? Follow the Startup Podcast on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-startup-pod/ Follow us on Twitter Yaniv Bernstein @ybernstein Chris Saad @chrissaad Please ...
Nov 11, 2022•29 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast The modern software ecosystem is made possible by developer platforms and APIs. Many of the most successful tech startups of recent years have succeeded by offering powerful tools to developers. So what exactly are devekoper platforms, and what makes them so valuable? And how should you think about incorporating developer platforms into your own startup growth story? In this episode, Chris and Yaniv tap into their deep experience building developer platforms to take you through the opportu...
Nov 03, 2022•56 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast There comes a point in the journey of most startups when it all turns to sh*t. A crisis looms large and it is up to you, as a leader, to get things back on track. What do you do? How do you talk about it? How do you move quickly without making things worse? And how do you not lose your mind doing it? In this episode, Chris and Yaniv discuss: The different kinds of startup crisis Why you need to stay calm How to communicate with the team Taking responsibility Time dilation: buying yourself more t...
Oct 27, 2022•34 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast You can’t disrupt the status quo by accepting it. Too many startup founders accept constraints on what they can do without seriously challenging them, and in doing so miss the opportunity to fundamentally rethink what is possible with modern technology and knowledge. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv discuss the importance of thinking from first principles and challenging constraints in order to come up with a truly disruptive plan. Many startups give up on their vision before they even try. Thin...
Oct 20, 2022•37 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast You can’t swing a cat these days without hitting a startup accelerator. But what actually are accelerators? What’s the point of them? And most importantly, is it worth having your startup go through one? In this episode, Chris and Yaniv will talk you through it: What are startup accelerators? How do they work? The primary benefits of going through a startup accelerator. How to decide whether to apply to a startup accelerator. How to choose an accelerator. Yaniv’s experience going through the Y C...
Oct 13, 2022•36 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast Product Marketing is one of the most commonly neglected or misunderstood functions in a Silicon Valley style tech startup. At the best companies, it is the glue that keeps everything together and allows a deep focus on building and iterating a great product. Without this glue, things tend to fall apart, sooner or later. Yaniv is out on vacation this week, so Chris is joined by a special guest host: Leah Mahtani, Product Marketer Extraordinaire. In this episode, Chris and Leah cover the following...
Oct 06, 2022•36 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast Burnout is an ever-present danger at a startup, and as times get tough it is more important than ever to spot the signs of burnout on your team. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv g talk through the things you need to do to avoid or recover from a team burnout situation. This episode covers: What is burnout? Sharing vision and plans. Holding people accountable. Keeping things fresh. Follow the Startup Podcast on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-startup-pod/ Follow us on Twitter Yaniv ...
Sep 29, 2022•38 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast We are back with a fresh Listener Q&A episode! Chris and Yaniv dive deep on the following questions: When should you IGNORE advice? Is it ever too early or too late to start a startup? How important are strong sales skills for a founder? What is the Next Big Thing going to be? Follow the Startup Podcast on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-startup-pod/ Follow us on Twitter Yaniv Bernstein @ybernstein Chris Saad @chrissaad Please rate and Review The Startup Podcast on your podcast...
Sep 22, 2022•29 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast Kyle Poyar joins Chris and Yaniv to dive deep into the world of Product-Led Growth (PLG) and how you can use its principles to drive growth at your startup. Kyle has done a huge amount to spread the gospel of PLG. His newsletter Growth Unhinged reaches many thousands of readers and provides deep insights for anybody who wants to learn about new ways to grow their SaaS business. In this episode, Kyle, Chris, and Yaniv discuss: What is Product-Led Growth? The long history of bringing customers clo...
Sep 15, 2022•40 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast Marty Cagan joins Chris and Yaniv to discuss what he sees as the biggest risk to building a successful product. It’s not choosing the wrong problem, it’s building the wrong solution! Marty is as close as the world of product has to a public intellectual: after decades spent building impactful products at Hewlett-Packard, Netscape Communications, and eBay, Marty founded Silicon Valley Product Group to spread the best practices of product development in tech. His two books Inspired and Empowered h...
Sep 08, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast Chris and Yaniv have worked in and advised many startups, scaleups and BigCos. There are 7 organizational sins they see over and over again. In this episode, they unpack and discuss each of these sins, discuss what causes them, and identify the key symptoms. Sin 1: Poor context setting by the leadership team; Sin 2: Poor operationalization of shared context; Sin 3: Poor planning; Sin 4: Poor org structure; Sin 5: Poor role design and ways of working; Sin 6: Poor risk-taking; Sin 7: Piecemeal att...
Sep 01, 2022•50 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast The founder of WeWork, Adam Neumann, spent countless billions of investor money on the way to a failed IPO that values the company at over $50 Billion. Now, it is worth just one-tenth of that amount. The WeWork story was presented as one of disgrace and faiure. Now Adam Neumann is back in the news, having raised $350 million from Andreesen Horowitz in what may be the largest Pre Seed capital raise in history. How did that happen? In this episode, we discuss: The external media narrative on WeWor...
Aug 25, 2022•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Casey Winters joins Yaniv and Chris this episode for a very special discussion on Growth. Casey is currently CPO at Eventbrite and instructor at Reforge, Casey has a ridiculous CV spanning leadership roles at GrubHub and Pinterest, as well as key advisory roles at unicorns like Canva and Thumbtack. Even more importantly, Casey is one of the clearest thinkers in the world when it comes to the topic of Growth. In this episode, Casey, Chris and Yaniv discuss: What is Growth? Why is “Growth Hacking”...
Aug 18, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast As a newcomer in Silicon Valley, Chris was awed by the kindness shown to him by influential insiders and tech luminaries, people he had never met and for whom he could provide little in return. From mentoring, warm intros, couches to sleep on, and more, Chris built lifelong friendships by receiving—and then giving. The concept of “pay it forward” is profoundly ingrained in Silicon Valley culture. But what is it exactly? How did it take root so deeply in an individualistic culture full of immigra...
Aug 11, 2022•33 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast Chris and Yaniv talk with Christine Nguyen, founder of ReciMe. ReciMe is a social cooking app that is building a two-sided marketplace of inspirational recipe creators and dedicated home cooks. In this very first Office Hours episode, we dive deep on: How to think about solving the marketplace “cold start” problem. When and how to monetize. Focusing on user experience. Targeting a specific market niche. High profile angel investors and celebrity endorsements Being global from day one. This isn’t...
Aug 04, 2022•51 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast Chris and Yaniv have seen the three key things that lead to success in startups: momentum, hustle, and an understanding of opportunity cost. In this episode, they’re diving deep into all three of them. Chris and Yaniv discuss why momentum, hustle and opportunity cost are the critical concepts to operationalise not just in your business but life in general. There are some long-awaited rants on bureaucracy in start-ups, and great practical advice for anyone working at a startup right now drawn str...
Jul 28, 2022•36 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast Uber has been in the news recently thanks to a fresh trove of emails discussing some of the early practices at the company. Chris and Yaniv use this news as a jumping-off point to discuss the social obligations of tech companies, shifting public perceptions, the role of the media in framing issues around tech, and the way in which this fits into the broader political landscape---especially in the United States. This is a bit different to our usual material, but we really enjoyed recording it. We...
Jul 21, 2022•49 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast Founder-led companies are at a distinct advantage, as long as the founder is able to keep up with the radical change in their role as a startup grows. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv discuss the ways in which the role of a founder-CEO changes in quite revolutionary ways, what it looks like when a founder can't keep up with the pace of change, and how founders can work on themselves to make sure they don't become the limiting factor in their startup's success. 👉 Join the discussion on LinkedIn:...
Jul 14, 2022•43 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast Software engineering is a discipline that is often deeply misunderstood, often leading to frustration and inefficiency. With over 15 years experience as an engineer, Yaniv will help straighten things out (with Chris's help). What even are software engineers? How are they different from IT? How do they work with product management? How do you keep your engineers accountable? Why is outsourcing problematic? Do no-code tools mean that software engineers are no longer necessary? Listen in to hear th...
Jul 07, 2022•53 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast As a startup with ambitions of global disruption, the odds are already against you. Don't make things worse by launching in a geography that lengthens those odds, or that distort your company in a way that dooms international expansion. How to think about geography? Chris and Yaniv don't quite see eye to eye on this one, so join them for a thought-provoking and (mostly) respectful debate. After that, tell us what you think! (Ed: Yaniv is clearly correct) 👉 Join the discussion on LinkedIn: https...
Jun 23, 2022•35 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast You're building a complex product, so you need a lot of specialists to handle the complexity, right? BA, PM, UXR, UX, UI, PgM, PMM, Architect, TL, Scrum Master, FE dev, BE dev, DevOps, QA... Right? Wrong. Chris and Yaniv describe the misunderstandings that lead to the formation of oversized teams of over-specialised roles---and the very real problems and dysfunctions that follow. They then discuss the scalable and effective organisational design adopted by some of the best tech companies such as...
Jun 16, 2022•36 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast You ask questions, we give answers! In our first-ever Listener Q&A episode, Chris and Yaniv tackle the following questions asked by our wonderful listeners: -What are the biggest mistakes new founders make? -What are the pros and cons of taking money from a strategic investor? -Key operational metrics for engineering and product teams? -What should I do if I find out someone else is building the exact same product as me? -Should I wait until I find the perfect problem to solve before foundin...
Jun 09, 2022•47 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast In this week's episode, Chris and Yaniv are joined by legendary angel investor and CEO of Tractor Ventures, Matt Allen. The three of them discuss other ways for startups to raise capital beyond the traditional venture equity route, including innovative forms of debt financing. Topics covered include: -Non-dilutive capital & revenue-based financing -How to decide what the right sort of capital is for your company -What sort of startup are you? Are you even talking to the right investors? -Getting...
Jun 02, 2022•42 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast 
