In this episode of Exceptional Startups, Brandon Rodman (founder of Weave and now Previ) breaks down how he’s quietly building a Costco for the modern workforce — one that’s already grown from 300K to 1.5M users in 3 months, all without charging employers a dime. He shares hard-earned lessons from…
Founders screw up outreach by treating everyone the same. Engineers hate calls. Sales leaders hate email. 📞 Choose the right vector ✂️ Cut the fluff 🔁 Iterate This 60-sec clip breaks it down. Subscribe to the Investor Operator Podcast for more content like this: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCayuY0VO95kQTUXJvh9T0oQ #startups #founders #sales #growth
Think you can’t sell because you’re a technical founder? Wrong. Not only can you do it—you're probably the only one who can. It's a skill, just like anything else. Pete Kazanjy, legendary sales leader and author of Founding Sales (a book YC gives out to everyone in their batch!) breaks…
“Nice pitch, Sterling…” If that’s all you’re hearing after a discovery call, your narrative isn’t landing. Pete Kazany, author of legendary startup sales book Founding Sales breaks down how to tell if your outbound story is working—or if you’re still missing the mark. Full episode here: https://youtube.com/watch?v=uWE6AgZM51M&t=2075s #Startups #Sales #FoundingSales…
In this episode, Pete Kazanjy—author of Founding Sales and a veteran sales leader—joins hosts Tyler Hogge and Sterling Snow to share a crash course in founder-led sales, explaining why early-stage founders have to take charge of selling before hiring sales reps. He breaks down the key mindset shifts for technical…
How do early-stage founders break through and build exceptional companies? In this upcoming season of the I/O Podcast, hosts Sterling Snow and Tyler Hogge have a new approach—combining insights from the Exceptional Startups List with tactical advice from founders actively scaling their businesses. This season, we’re setting out to be…
One of the best hiring mindsets we’ve heard: Hire people you’ll have to hold back, not push. These are the ones you’ll need to rein in—not motivate. They’re driven, unstoppable, and will win with or without you. You want that energy in your business. World Class tech executive coach Dr.…
There's a common fantasy about quitting your job to start a company: the allure of full control and unlimited freedom. But in reality, it often means embracing the Second Shift—working your 9 to 5, and then putting in the real hours afterward. As a founder, it's your job to set…
Are you leading your company or is your company leading you? World class executive coach Dr. Julie Gurner says a common issue she sees with first time founders is they're reactive to the problems and environments around their companies. But big things only get made when the leader's out in…
To achieve outlier results, you have to be an outlier. Dr. Julie Gurner, a world famous Executive Coach joined us on the I/O Podcast to teach us how these outlier people operate and how anyone can learn to excel. What sets Outliers apart? They see the world as malleable—meaning they…
How do you become the best of the best—the top performer in your field? Dr. Julie Gurner, an acclaimed executive coach and once likened to Billions’ Wendy Rhoades by The Wall Street Journal, shares her insights on what it takes to excel at the highest level. In this episode, Dr.…
Any Entrepreneur or Investor will tell you you don't have much of a business until you find Product Market Fit -- meaning, your product solves a pain point so well that there's real demand and people need it. Jack Altman, the unicorn founder of Lattice and now AltCapital says the…
The future winners of SaaS won't be the best at one thing -- they'll be the best at integrating and simplifying. Unicorn founder and investor Jack Altman explains companies are looking for compound solutions and fewer vendors. The startups that can do it all will come out on top. More…
Founders and companies have many acts, i.e. you don't ALWAYS have it figured out the first time around. But that's not always bad -- sometimes that first wedge gives you access to customers, relationships and capital for an even bigger next swing. Jack Altman joined us on the IO Podcast…
Many of the most celebrated founders are described as 'difficult' personalities. But Jack Altman, founder of Alt Capital and Lattice says the best founders he's invested in share one common trait: self-awareness. It's not just about being the hardest worker or the smartest person in the room. Big outcomes come…
Self Awareness is the number one attribute needed to excel as a leader, and that's even more true if you're a startup founder. Jack Altman says there's a difference between being a good person and being a good CEO and it takes awareness to recognize what attributes are needed for…
Jack Altman, the founder of multi-billion dollar startup Lattice and now full time investor at Alt Capital says if you're building a company or looking to invest, you have to get real about your product. If you're not building something that won't have reoccuring customers for at least 10 years,…
Jack Altman, the founder of multi-billion dollar startup Lattice and now full time investor at Alt Capital says if you're building a company or looking to invest, you have to get real about your product. If you're not building something that won't have reoccuring customers for at least 10 years,…
"Joining a company as early as possible, right after achieving product-market fit, offers the greatest career advantage." – Jack Altman Jack Altman epitomizes the true "Investor-Operator." As the co-founder and former CEO of the multi-billion-dollar startup Lattice, and now a full-time investor with his $150 million venture fund, Alt Capital,…
Efficient R&D spending is crucial for startups to innovate, grow, and stay competitive. But how much should you spend on experimentation vs core improvements? @a16z Growth Fund leader David George gave us his framework on the latest ep: The 70-20-10 split. 70% of resources go toward core projects (incremental improvements),…
When evaluating startups and ideas, David George who runs the @a16z growth fund gives this piece of advice: is the market demanding more of my product? Truly unique products and companies don't have to 'sell' their product - it flies off the shelf. The market demands more. And those are…
What are the signs your company is ready for IPO? Andreessen Horowitz Growth Fund Investor David George says to pay attention to these three things: 1. Can you grow at a high rate (30%+) for an extended period of time? 2. If you're north of $100M, are you growing your…
What are the signs a company will be successful? WHAT they do and what they sell may be more important than HOW they do it. Why? A 'WHAT' Innovation is a fundamental change to a product or service. It's never been done before so therefore it's hard to replicate and…
What are the two things venture capitalist David George looks for when he's making a growth investment for famous firm Andreessen Horowitz? Uniqueness of product and uniqueness of distribution. The best startups have both. David breaks down his investing frameworks on the latest episode: https://youtube.com/watch?v=eA9XDRz51Zg