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 Sentiment in the markets has turned sharply downward. What does this mean for venture-backed startups? Don't panic. In this special topical episode, Chris and Yaniv discuss: -Is this more like 2001 or 2008? -What should you be doing differently? -Should you extend your runway? Follow us on Twitter! @chrissaad and @ybernstein Leave us a rating and review in Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. It makes us so happy 🤗🤗🤗...
May 29, 2022•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast What do you need to do to keep employees engaged and committed? What should your position be on remote work? Side hustles? Ping pong tables? Should you offer all employees equity? Chris and Yaniv discuss all this and more with Dan Brockwell, Founder and Chief Meme Officer of Earlywork, a vibrant community for early-career professionals. Topics include: Job risk vs. career risk What candidates are looking for in their career ESOP Remote vs. In office Diversity and inclusion Side hustles How young...
May 26, 2022•47 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast Look at any great tech company, and there is an exceptionally talented team behind it. Great talent is always in short supply, so how do you make sure that you are able to secure incredible people for your startup? In this episode, Chris and Yaniv discuss: Hiring as marketing & sales Sourcing Employer branding What makes a good startup employee How to run a tight process Making a thoughtful decision Closing well Chris' "Tips for hiring like Uber" post: https://www.chrissaad.com/startupsnippe...
May 19, 2022•54 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast The co-founder relationship is far and away the most important one in any startup. If you get the partnership right, you become an unstoppable team. If you get it wrong, the relationship will blow up -- most likely taking the startup with it. So how do you know what to look for in a co-founder? And how do you find Mr/Mrs/Mx Right? In this episode, Chris and Yaniv dive into: Getting unstuck at the beginning of the startup journey Do you need a co-founder? (spoiler alert: yes) The key skillsets in...
May 11, 2022•43 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast You’re a “tech” company, so you’re building technology, right? Wrong. Technology is merely the medium through which you are bringing a product to the world. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv talk about what it means to build a product, what that means for your relationship with customers, and the profound importance of learning how to say “no” to your customers.
May 05, 2022•55 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast Have you followed your heart when choosing the business model for your startup? Or are you making the choice out of fear? Yaniv and Chris examine when to go B2B and when to go B2C, and how too many startups are selling to the very industry they should actually be disrupting. Episode overview: [1:44] Chris explains how the Netflix and Uber b2c business models made them so truly disruptive [7.22] Why pursue a full-stack disruption over a traditional B2B model? [11:16] Case study examples: Uber and...
Apr 28, 2022•33 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast Chris and Yaniv have a discussion with Nick Crocker, General partner at Blackbird Ventures. Together they discuss The truth about "VC Value add" and how the wrong investor can be value destructive How founders and VCs partner over a multi-stage iterative game of growth Reference checking potential investors How founders imagine and build new products The importance of hiring operations and finance people The precious nature of a founder's attention and health And more!...
Apr 21, 2022•57 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast Building compelling and clear fundraising narratives and pitch decks can be life and death for your startup. In this episode, Yaniv and Chris discuss what a standard pitch deck narrative looks like and go deep on each slide and explain best practices and common mistakes when telling your story. They also talk about other important uses of the pitch deck that you might not have considered yet!
Apr 14, 2022•53 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast Knowing how to run a good fundraising process (and what to ask for) can make the difference between a glorious partnership that takes you to your next big milestone and serious resource constraint and a fractious relationship with investors. Getting this right is one of the highest leverage things and founder can do. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv discuss: Signaling: how to make yourself look credible How to run a fundraising process How to craft your ask (how much, for what valuation) How to ...
Apr 06, 2022•52 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast The symbiosis between founders and venture capitalists is at the core of what makes the startup business model possible. When it works well it can work very well indeed, but when it goes badly the result can be catastrophic. Get educated on how it all works, and how to dance the dance. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv discuss: Different stages, seed vs A etc. Aside: non-dilutive capital What investors look for Thinking about defensible moats Selling the big picture vs. existing traction...
Mar 31, 2022•31 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Is your startup about to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory? When you've built a product that customers love, scaling up to take that product to more customers might seem simple. In fact, the scale-up phase of a startup's life is arguably the time where things can go most spectacularly wrong. Chris and Yaniv talk about all the surprising thrills and challenges of scale-up life, including: “Growth” vs. marketing vs. product Growing your organisation The changing role of founders as an org sca...
Mar 24, 2022•52 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast Ideas are cheap, but execution is where the magic happens. Listen as Chris and Yaniv talk about what it means to execute successfully as an early-stage startup. We finally disagree about something too! Topics covered: What do we mean by execution? What is good execution in an early-stage startup? WTF is an MVP? How do you know you have PMF? The pivot. When to pivot. Common mistakes in early-stage startups. Examples of great execution at this stage....
Mar 17, 2022•46 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Got an idea for a startup? Congratulations, so does everybody else. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv dive deep on the idea of ideas, their role, and their limitations in the context of building a startup. Discussion topics include: Do ideas matter? What does a good idea look like? How does progress create opportunities? And vice versa! Validating your idea. Building consensus for your ideas....
Mar 11, 2022•34 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast What is the difference between a Silicon Valley-style tech startup and a regular small business? In this first episode of The Startup Podcast, Chris and Yaniv talk about the many ways people misunderstand what makes startups different to other businesses, and what goes wrong when these differences are ignored.
Mar 05, 2022•35 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast 
