Videos

When SVB failed last year, Mercury's growth seemed to explode overnight. CEO Immad Akhund tells us how years spent building a quality product made it possible to capitalize on the opportunity and assure their customers Mercury was a safe option. Full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6qh3Mwdmzk&t=2453s

Is it always smart to take outside money from investors and VCs? Mercury CEO Immad Akhund would say no. While Immad did raise capital to start one of the most beloved neobank products for startups, he's seen too many businesses collapse because they didn't have 'real growth'. Hear more from…

Multi-millionaire founder Immad Akhund says he's skeptical of AI and the latest innovations. "It's a hype cycle and it's disappointing". Hear more on the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6qh3Mwdmzk&t=2450s

Immad Akhund had the idea for Mercury years before they started. In fact, he'd launched 3 other startups and been through YCombinator twice before even starting initial validation on what would become the beloved neobank of startups everywhere. And opinions were mixed. Immad himself recognized the need for a simpler…

How involved should you be as an investor? It depends on the stage of the company says a16z's Alex Rampell. As a rule, it's best to stay out of daily operating. The job of the board is to advise and consent. Full episode: https://youtu.be/zBfDMxuy108

a16z's Alex Rampell had a rule at TrialPay that all current customers, perspective clients and strategic partners had to hear from them once a month. He told us that this is something a lot of entrepreneurs get wrong -- they either follow up too much or get one rejection and…

How do you increase your odds of a successful exit? Get in front of the 3-4 people who would want to buy your company and do it repeatedly. Legendary investor and serial entrepreneur Alex Rampell breaks down how doing this consistently will dramatically increase the likelihood your company gets acquired.…

In 1998 TiVo was on top of the world. But years later the company died. Why? They didn't control the content their innovation worked on top of. When asked if product or distribution is more important, serial entrepreneur Alex Rampell says distribution for sure. Alex's advice: Go boring and build…

Good entrepreneurs are successful because they do three things and do them well: find labor, capital and customers. @a16@a16z's Alex Rampell breaks down why being motivated by 'revenge' is the edge to make a founder great. Full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBfDMxuy108&t=2s More learnings from @arampell https://www.arampell.org/category/strategy/

Andreessen Horowitz General Partner Alex Rampell may be the most true version of an investor-operator. Alex's first entrepreneurial endeavor started as a child when he built and sold shareware out of his parent's house. Eventually he added more businesses to his portfolio before launching the payment platform TrialPay after college…

What's one of the harder things about starting at venture capital firm? Getting caught up in all the little decisions. @GeoffLewisOrg at @bedrock explains why it's important to develop the skill of knowing when a choice is 'one-door' and which don't hold much weight at the end of the day.…

We sat down and asked Geoff Lewis from Bedrock Capital if there's an overlap between the characteristic of great founders and investors. Turns out the investors who have started something before, even if it's their own VC may have a leg up. Shoutout to Vinod at Khosla and Kirsten Green…

We had @GeoffLewisTV on the pod and asked how can he tell if an entrepreneur has what it takes? Surprisingly, Geoff goes against the idea of investing in 'insecure' people or those who have something to prove. Instead, he looks for the founders that know themselves best. I'd say that…

How does @GeoffLewisOrg at @bedrock feel confident enough to bet an entire fund on a few entrepreneurs and companies? Spending an immense amount of time with the founders. Geoff's investment strategy is pretty brilliant and it's set them up well for Bedrock's 4th Fund B4. Full episode: https://youtu.be/KWo_uAS7w9A

Geoff Lewis is a titan in the VC world as both the lead investor and founder of Bedrock Capital, the firm backing some of the world best-known tech companies. Geoff joins Tyler and Sterling on the podcast to share his insights on venture capital and what it takes to consistently…

How do you approach difficult situations? When tackling a problem as a founder, it's crucial to determine whether to confront it directly or to pause and strategize first. GTM Leader Mark Cranney emphasizes the importance of preparation. By laying the groundwork before taking action, you can address issues more effectively.…

It's a common misconception that you need a bunch of star players to have a killer sales org. But Mark Cranney says the most successful companies do well because their sales team is all on the same page. Mark shares tons of insights into how he built multi-billion dolllar sales…

The biggest question Mark Cranney asks himself when he's hiring key sales executives is this: are they running someone else's playbook or do they know how to put one together? When looking for A-players, it's important to find people who know how to lead your organization and adapt the playbook.…

Former @a16z partner Mark Cranney lays out how he built the revenue orgs at multiple billion dollar companies. It's not so about communicating the value, it's about helping the customer figure out what their buying criteria is. More insights like these in the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g3rLSOAvlM

When Ebay got slammed for allowing the sale of Nazi memorabilia, some people predicted the beginning of the end for the company. But Andy Rachleff bet the other way. The many controversies in Ebay's history actually made the growth rate go up! This and other lessons on the full episode:…

Is Grit or Determination the bigger indicator of entrepreneurial success? To legendary investor Andy Rachleff, it's neither. The thing that matters most is the quality of the insight - how well you comprehend the technology and how it will change the market. This hot take an more on the IO…

How did this small town farm kid go on to lead the revenue orgs for Silicon Valley's biggest companies? Mark Cranney credits his success to the lessons he learned growing up: work hard and run things efficiently. Mark shares the playbook he's used to build billions in pipeline through his…

Hard work wins everytime. Except when you're a venture capitalist. The amount of time you put into finding good deals and learning the ropes may not correlate to how well you do as an investor. This hot take from Keith Rabois and more on the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88g9afUw3dQ

President and CEO of YCombinator Garry Tan once turned down Peter Thiel over a fancy dinner when he offered him a founding role at Palantir. Hear why Gary turned it down and why he's happy he got a second chance. Full Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zx8382YLXc