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My guest today is Ric Elias. Ric is the CEO and co-founder of Red Ventures, which has a portfolio of fast-growing digital businesses like Lonely Planet, The Points Guy, Bankrate, and large investments in a variety of other businesses across industries. He began the business in 2000 and has grown it to now a global company with thousands of employees. Ric walks us through the early struggles that have led to what is now a flourishing investing platform, but mostly this episode is a masterclass on cultural values and philosophies that transcend mere financial gain. We discuss the difference between living good and well, the power of forgiveness, and compounding more than just your capital. Ric’s story is one of resilience, humility, and grace. His story about being in the front row of the plane that Captain Sully landed in the Hudson is singular and very moving. Please enjoy my conversation with Ric Elias.
Subscribe to Glue Guys!
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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This episode is brought to you by Ridgeline. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. I think this platform will become the standard for investment managers, and if you run an investing firm, I highly recommend you find time to speak with them. Head to ridgelineapps.com to learn more about the platform.
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This episode is brought to you by Alphasense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Imagine completing your research five to ten times faster with search that delivers the most relevant results, helping you make high-conviction decisions with confidence. AlphaSense provides access to over 300 million premium documents, including company filings, earnings reports, press releases, and more from public and private companies. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegas help you make smarter decisions faster.
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Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:04:29) Understanding Red Ventures: Origin and Evolution
(00:06:44) Early Challenges and Turning Points
(00:10:15) Operational Success and Company Culture
(00:16:10) Insights on Motivation and Growth
(00:25:35) Reflections on Money and Personal Well-being
(00:32:39) The Hudson River Plane Crash Experience
(00:42:25) Reconnecting with Puerto Rico and New Ventures
(00:47:10) Underdogs to Champions
(00:49:56) Building Trust and Team Dynamics
(00:52:19) Balancing Speed and Sustainability
(00:56:05) The Role of Confidence and Courage
(01:00:49) The Pursuit of Purpose Over Profit
(01:06:39) Recruitment and Company Culture
(01:11:20) Future of Business and AI
(01:23:20) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done For Ric -
This week's episode is special because it marks the launch of a new Colossus show: Glue Guys. My guests this week are the hosts of the new show, Shane Battier, Alex Smith, and Ravi Gupta.
Shane, Ravi, and Alex’s stories are remarkable. Each has been at the very top of their profession. Shane as an NCAA and NBA champion. Alex as the first pick in the NFL draft, 3 time-pro bowler, and 16-year NFL veteran. Ravi as a leader at KKR, and then as a critical leader turning around & building Instacart, and now as a partner at Sequoia. But those parts of their stories pale in comparison to the stories you’ll hear on Glue Guys.
Glue Guys is an unfolding manual for HOW to be a professional, a teammate, a leader, and even a friend and family member. In this episode of ILtB, we explore the general concept of glue guys—the people who are obsessed with helping the team win, whether they are the leader or newest member of the team. Please enjoy this conversation with Shane, Alex, and Ravi.
Subscribe to Glue Guys!
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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This episode is brought to you by Ridgeline. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. I think this platform will become the standard for investment managers, and if you run an investing firm, I highly recommend you find time to speak with them. Head to ridgelineapps.com to learn more about the platform.
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This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
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Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:05:06) Talent vs. Teamwork: A Business Perspective
(00:06:56) Talent vs. Teamwork: A Sports Perspective
(00:09:40) Personal Stories of Overcoming Adversity
(00:12:50) The Importance of Trust and Mission Focus
(00:21:09) Facing Rock Bottom and Rising Again
(00:34:59) The Hardest Moments and Lessons Learned
(00:42:39) Unsung Heroes of Special Teams
(00:45:01) Mentorship and Team Dynamics
(00:46:49) Lessons from Duke Basketball
(00:49:25) Instacart and the All-In Mentality
(00:51:52) Building Successful Teams
(00:55:42) Family Legacy and Personal Sacrifice
(01:05:02) Strength and Vulnerability in Leadership
(01:10:36) The Urge to Dominate and Winning
(01:14:41) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done For Alex -
My guest today is Bret Taylor. His resume is absurd. He built google maps--famously rewriting the whole thing in a weekend. He was the CTO of Facebook in critical years. He founded Quip. He was the chair of the board at Twitter. He was the co-CEO of Salesforce...the incredible list goes on. Now, Bret is the co-founder of Sierra, a conversational AI platform for businesses, and he is the chairman of the board at OpenAI. We discuss the past, present, and future of AI agents: new programs that will begin doing incredible amounts of work for us humans in astonishing ways that are a thrill to talk about. Bret believes agents will become a meaningful part of the future and transform the ways in which we interact with technology. We discuss a strategic approach to AI integration, the different categories of agents and their scopes, and the essentials of craftsmanship. Please enjoy this discussion with Bret Taylor.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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This episode is brought to you by Ridgeline. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. I think this platform will become the standard for investment managers, and if you run an investing firm, I highly recommend you find time to speak with them. Head to ridgelineapps.com to learn more about the platform.
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This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
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Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:04:27) The Dynamics of Small Teams in Software Development
(00:05:46) Challenges of Large Teams and Bureaucracy
(00:06:27) The Google Maps Legendary Rewrite Story
(00:13:59) Introduction to AI Agents
(00:16:48) Types of AI Agents and Their Applications
(00:22:15) Building Robust AI Agents for Customer Experience
(00:33:28) The Future of AI Agents and Customer Interaction
(00:45:12) Impact of AI on Productivity and Inequality
(00:51:05) Technological Evolution and Societal Changes
(00:56:25) The Role of Multimodal Models in AI
(00:57:19) The Future of Human-Computer Interaction
(01:00:15) Building Companies in the AI Era
(01:05:36) OpenAI's Unique Structure and Mission
(01:11:22) Insights on Sales and Customer Success
(01:20:06) Balancing Ambition and Personal Life
(01:21:35) Preparing for the Agent Era
(01:26:20) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done for Bret -
My guest this week is Gavin Baker. Gavin is the managing partner and CIO of Atreides Management, and he has been on the show many times before. He is one of my favorite investors to talk to and this may be my favorite conversation with him. Gavin first started covering Nvidia as an investor at the turn of the millennium, making him the perfect guest to discuss all things AI and investing. There is so much detail in this discussion and I’m incredibly grateful to Gavin for sharing his wisdom with us again. Please enjoy this fantastic conversation with Gavin Baker.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest-growing FinTech company in history and it’s backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I’m aware of. It’s also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus.
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This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
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Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:04:42) The Magnificent Seven and Tech Competition
(00:06:29) Generative AI and Scaling Laws
(00:08:36) Challenges in AI Infrastructure
(00:15:02) The Future of AI and Data Centers
(00:17:51) Efficiency in AI Models
(00:35:14) Synthetic Data and AI Training
(00:42:37) Inference and the Role of Smartphones
(00:48:35) Investment Implications in AI
(00:49:09) Opportunities for New Companies
(00:51:20) Challenges at the Application Layer
(00:52:25) AI's Impact on Advertising
(00:53:40) AI ROI Debate
(00:54:39) SaaS Metrics and AI Disruption
(00:55:59) AI-First Application Companies
(01:00:50) The Future of Robotics
(01:14:01) Leadership in Tech Giants
(01:24:05) The Evolution of Investing -
Today, we’re replaying a conversation between John Collison and Charlie Munger that we first aired on 5 December 2023. Charlie said, “The best thing a human being can do is to help another human being know more.” He does just that in this interview. Please enjoy, and may Charlie Rest in Peace.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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This episode is brought to you by Ridgeline. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. I think this platform will become the standard for investment managers, and if you run an investing firm, I highly recommend you find time to speak with them. Head to ridgelineapps.com to learn more about the platform.
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This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
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Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:03:52) The fixation on evaluating business quality
(00:05:58) Learning the big ideas across various disciplines
(00:10:03) The issue of adverse selection in legal services
(00:11:42) Societal solutions for the opioid crisis
(00:17:34) Reasons for not investing in Amazon
(00:20:38) Explaining Costco's model
(00:29:08) Discussing the increasing challenges in investing
(00:32:08) Ingredients for long-term success in business
(00:33:18) Debating cryptocurrency
(00:37:37) Offering guidance for navigating a potential recession
(00:38:56) Reflecting on the state of American society
(00:45:20) Sharing a passion for architecture
(00:54:13) “Win-win” business
(00:57:53) Countering arguments against capitalism
(00:60:42) The origins of Poor Charlie's Almanack
(01:05:14) Building a productive partnership
(01:08:55) Opining on the SEC
(01:12:22) Highlighting investment concerns
(01:16:31) Reasons for optimism about China
(01:32:14) The unique aspects of Berkshire Hathaway -
My guest today is Vlad Tenev. Vlad is the CEO and co-founder of Robinhood. It was such a treat to sit down with him and discuss the behind-the-scenes of a revolutionary business we all know well. He details Robinhood’s journey to zero-cost trading and what it means to build a consumer-centric financial product. Vlad believes in finding the harmonies across mathematics and art and applies this lens to everything he builds. We discuss Robinhood’s new credit card and more products on the horizon, the company’s toughest moments, including the Gamestop episode, and the compelling future of AI in financial services. Please enjoy this conversation with Vlad Tenev.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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This episode is brought to you by Ridgeline. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. I think this platform will become the standard for investment managers, and if you run an investing firm, I highly recommend you find time to speak with them. Head to ridgelineapps.com to learn more about the platform.
This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
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Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:03:56) The Next Frontier in AI: Reasoning and Logical Deductions
(00:06:19) Challenges and Approaches in AI Development
(00:09:08) Formal Mathematics and AI Integration
(00:11:23) Practical Applications of Mathematical Superintelligence
(00:17:30) Robinhood's Journey to Zero-Cost Trading
(00:24:38) Building a Consumer-Friendly Trading Platform
(00:28:52) Robinhood Gold and the Future of Financial Services
(00:35:51) Understanding Robinhood's Business Model
(00:42:34) Navigating the GameStop Crisis
(00:49:17) Improving Customer Satisfaction
(00:52:43) Reputation Repair
(00:54:52) The Future of Financial Services
(00:59:06) Crypto and AI in Finance
(01:08:09) Building a High-Performance Culture
(01:11:42) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done for Vlad -
My guest today is Sarah Guo. Sarah is the founder and CEO of Conviction, an early-stage venture capital firm built to serve AI companies. She started Conviction in 2022 after 9 years at Greylock because she believes AI is the most important technological advancement of our lifetime. In our conversation, Sarah discusses the challenges and rewards of leaving an established investing firm to start her own venture. She shares her unique perspective on the AI landscape and reveals her predictions for what we should expect on the AI frontier. Please enjoy this great conversation with the very impressive Sarah Guo.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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This episode is brought to you by Ridgeline. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. I think this platform will become the standard for investment managers, and if you run an investing firm, I highly recommend you find time to speak with them. Head to ridgelineapps.com to learn more about the platform.
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This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
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Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Our Partners: Ridgeline and Tegus
(00:03:30) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:04:30) Introduction & Recruiting in Venture Capital
(00:05:06) Key Traits for Early-Stage Venture Capitalists
(00:06:57) Lessons from Early Investments
(00:07:47) The Journey of Building a Company
(00:09:01) The Decision to Start Conviction
(00:11:36) Launching Conviction and Initial Steps
(00:13:43) First Investment at Conviction
(00:14:00) Evaluating AI Application Companies
(00:16:29) Challenges and Opportunities in AI Applications
(00:23:57) Minimum Viable Quality in AI Products
(00:33:19) Future of AI and Frontier Models
(00:38:56) The Unpredictable Future of AI
(00:40:16) The Importance of Efficiency in AI Models
(00:44:28) The Business of AI: Costs and Margins
(00:45:47) Infrastructure and Hardware Challenges
(00:48:54) The Competitive Landscape of AI Chips
(00:54:24) The Future of AI and Society
(00:56:34) Opportunities and Innovations in AI
(01:02:09) Concerns and Ethical Considerations
(01:03:36) Debates and Research in AI
(01:09:01) Personal Reflections and Closing Thoughts -
My guest today is Hemant Taneja. Hemant is the CEO and Managing Director of General Catalyst, the global venture capital firm you’ll hear us refer to as GC. GC has set out to build resiliency across critical industries worldwide. The firm leverages technology to retool sectors such as healthcare, energy, defense, and manufacturing and explores innovative capital structures to support founders and businesses. Hemant discusses how the firm is positioned to respond to the aftermath of crises, including the pandemic, wars, energy issues, and beyond. We also discuss the building of a category-defining healthcare company, Livongo and much more. Please enjoy this conversation with Hemant Taneja.
Listen to Founders Podcast
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Ramp is the fastest growing FinTech company in history and it’s backed by more of my favorite past guests (at least 16 of them!) than probably any other company I’m aware of. It’s also notable that many best-in-class businesses use Ramp—companies like Airbnb, Anduril, and Shopify, as well as investors like Sequoia Capital and Vista Equity. They use Ramp to manage their spending, automate tedious financial processes, and reinvest saved dollars and hours into growth. At Colossus and Positive Sum, we use Ramp for exactly the same reason. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus.
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This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
-----
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Our Partners: Ramp and Tegus
(00:03:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:03:57) Introducing Hemant Taneja and General Catalyst
(00:04:17) Global Resilience and Innovation Post-Pandemic
(00:05:56) Re-Globalization and Manufacturing
(00:07:03) Building Livongo: A 20-Year Overnight Success
(00:13:23) Aligning Incentives in Healthcare
(00:15:40) Re-imagining the Investment Business
(00:20:54) Evolution of General Catalyst
(00:27:04) Succession and Trust in Asset Management
(00:35:00) Founder-Centric Capital Goals
(00:36:32) Balancing Growth and Liquidity
(00:41:39) AI and Onshoring Productivity
(00:47:10) Defense Investments and Ethics
(00:50:11) Geopolitics and Regulation
(00:53:16) Reflections on Leadership and Strategy
(01:01:14) Hemant's Future Plans
(01:02:55) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done for Him -
Today we are replaying one of our most popular episodes from last year with Jeremy Giffon. I spend all my time trying to find people who have some “singularity” to them. People who seem like they can do an N of 1 something. Having spent many days with Jeremy, he strikes me as one of those people. He was the first employee and general partner at private equity firm/holding company Tiny, which buys and holds internet and technology-focused businesses. Prior to that, he was on the founding team of MediaCore, which was acquired by Workday.
The focus of our discussion is on esoteric opportunities that exist in private markets and how misaligned incentives and coordination problems create special situations for people like Jeremy to invest in. The rest of the conversation is wide-ranging and covers everything from compensation advice to meeting your heroes. Please enjoy my discussion with Jeremy Giffon.
Listen to Founders Podcast
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
-----
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:03:15) What defines the nature of a perfect business in his mind
(00:05:21) Key characteristics he’d look for in a perfect investment
(00:09:58) Coordination problems that excite him
(00:14:02) Raising funds and ghostship companies
(00:16:17) Examples of a special situations transaction in private markets
(00:18:55) Building up a sourcing mechanism
(00:22:18) The biggest mistakes he’s seen in buying and selling companies
(00:25:42) Refining the underwriting process
(00:28:57) Thoughts about minimum rates of return and multiples on capital for the investments he makes
(00:30:44) Being lazy enough to wait for good deals on enduring businesses
(00:33:32) Why people do things they don’t like
(00:35:47) Whether or not he feels like he knows what he wants in life
(00:42:58) Hiring CEOs
(00:44:54) Really good respective returns in low risk companies and why those opportunities continue to persist
(00:47:05) Tactics for negotiating with and sourcing CEOs
(00:50:37) Binaries - pre and post fall
(00:55:58) Being hard to kill
(00:59:15) His favorite interview question
(01:06:07) Having an audience is incredibly underpriced
(01:10:13) What else is significantly underpriced
(01:12:14) Things he feels are overpriced today writ large
(01:15:54) Criticisms of the cult of learning
(01:20:21) The one call that everyone needs to make
(01:27:18) Meeting your heroes and having mentors
(01:30:48) Notable differences between the business environments of Canada and the US
(01:33:13) Lessons learned from people he admires and models for seeing the world
(01:35:35) Views he holds that would make people scratch their heads
(01:40:02) The kindest thing anyone has ever done for Jeremy -
Today, we are replaying what we call a forever episode, which are the few episodes of our show that we think will be as popular a decade from now as they are today. Every time I re-listen to this episode with David Senra, I leave wildly energized and wanting to share that feeling. So we are re-releasing it today for anyone who missed it the first time or hadn't yet discovered Invest Like the Best.
David Senra has studied history’s great founders and entrepreneurs in more depth than anyone I’ve ever met, and I’d wager more than anyone else alive. In this conversation, we cover many of the most common themes he’s discovered studying hundreds of entrepreneurs like Estée Lauder, John Rockefeller, Enzo Ferrari, and Edwin Land. Please enjoy this great conversation with David Senra.
Listen to Founders Podcast
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
-----
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes
[00:00:00] Welcome to Invest Like the Best
[00:03:01] First question - When he first fell in love with reading
[00:07:01] What’s rooted in his own history that’s made him obsessive about studying history’s great entrepreneurs and founders - Founders Podcast
[00:10:34] The first time he connected with someone as a positive role model that he was reading about
[00:13:45] How often obsession is apparent in the founders he’s studied across hundreds of biographies
[00:18:08] What is often behind obsession and how people listening can apply the lessons to their own lives
[00:22:45] The dynamic and relationship between inspiration and perspiration
[00:27:11] Commonalities between the layers of leadership and support underneath founders
[00:31:52] Where else he’s seen ego rear its head in good and bad ways
[00:38:34] How often do great founders break the law or enter gray areas of it
[00:41:22] The role constant learning and listening plays in success
[00:45:12] Talking about how anything worth doing is worth doing to excess
[00:52:18] Describing the soul of founders and businesses
[00:58:39] What he’s learned about all of these founders as it relates to marketing
[01:04:38] A common story that process is often art
[01:08:10] Who David's idols are in podcasting
[01:14:55] Major aspects of people he’s studied that haven’t been discussed yet
[01:19:55] The kindest thing anyone has ever done for David -
My guest today is Martin Casado. Martin is a partner at Andreessen Horowitz and first joined me on Invest Like the Best in 2022. So much has changed since then, and it was awesome to have Martin back to discuss all of the different implications of this AI revolution. Before joining a16z, Martin pioneered software-defined networking and co-founded Nicira, which was bought by VMware for $1.3 billion in 2012. He has studied, built, and invested in digital infrastructure his whole career which has primed him to go in-depth in this interview on the immense opportunities and challenges AI presents among creativity, policy-making, agentic systems, real-world data structures, and beyond. Please enjoy this conversation with Martin Casado.
Listen to Founders Podcast
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
-----
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:01:48) The Future of AI and Creativity
(00:03:11) Economic Implications of AI
(00:04:33) AI's Impact on Content Creation
(00:08:21) Challenges in AI and Robotics
(00:12:16) Human Data and AI Training
(00:20:30) Investing in AI and Robotics
(00:26:00) Defensibility and Competition in AI
(00:33:22) Regulatory Considerations
(00:35:26) Internet Era Parallels and Security Concerns
(00:40:25) Open Source vs. Closed Source in Tech
(00:43:45) Market Annealing and Category Creation
(00:46:13) Data and Hardware Innovations in AI
(00:55:55) Agents and the Future of AI -
My guest today is Modest Proposal, joining me for our third conversation and the first in a few years. Modest is anonymous online, but one of the more thoughtful investors I know, overseeing a large pool of capital in public and private markets. He offers insight into many different corners of today’s landscape, covering AI’s frontier models versus open-source models, overcapacity issues in transportation in our post-COVID world, the potential economic impact of GLP-1 drugs, and more. Please enjoy my conversation with Modest Proposal.
Listen to Founders Podcast
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
-----
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:04:00) Comparison to Mid-2000s Commodity Markets
(00:07:18) The Role of AI and Power Consumption
(00:09:29) NVIDIA and the Future of AI Investment
(00:13:10) Commercialization of AI and Market Dynamics
(00:23:14) Public vs. Private Market Performance
(00:28:03) Post-COVID Capital Cycles
(00:30:32) Capital Expenditures and Post-COVID Market Distortions
(00:31:47) Amazon's Capacity Expansion and Market Inflections
(00:33:45) Challenges in Displacing Market Leaders
(00:37:50) Behavioral Barriers in GLP-1 Adherence
(00:39:58) Public vs. Private Market Allocations
(00:45:08) International Equities and Japanese Market Potential
(00:47:35) Market Structure and Trading Dynamics
(00:53:22) AI Models and Future Market Implications -
My guest today is Robert Greene, author of many books but perhaps most famous for his books "48 Laws of Power" and "Mastery." He has spent his life studying why people behave like they do and why some go on to build great things. I love his idea of finding your life's purpose, which we explore in detail. Please enjoy my conversation with Robert Greene.
Listen to Founders Podcast
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
-----
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:03:17) First Question - Exploring Reality and Human Behavior
(00:07:41) The Concept of Masks and Social Roles
(00:10:47) The Sublime and Social Conventions
(00:13:48) Writing 'The 48 Laws of Power'
(00:16:38) Defining and Understanding Power
(00:18:01) Historical Figures and Adaptation
(00:23:59) Modern Applications of Power Laws
(00:31:57) The Boldness of Deception
(00:32:54) Exploring Good and Evil
(00:35:56) The Art of Seduction and AI
(00:38:31) Defining Mastery
(00:42:44) Discovering Your Life's Task
(00:51:53) The Power of Observation
(00:59:56) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done for Robert -
My guest today is Pat Grady, a longtime growth investor at Sequoia and one of the firms senior leaders. Pat has been a part of a long list of legendary investments, ranging from Snowflake, Zoom, ServiceNow, Qualtrics, Okta, Hubspot, Notion, and OpenAI, among many others. There aren't many investors who reference as well at Pat, both inside and outside of his firm. We talk about investing, building an investing firm, and building enduring companies. Please enjoy this great conversation with Pat Grady.
Listen to Founders Podcast
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
-----
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:05:48) Doug Leone's Leadership and Changes
(00:06:54) Creating Internal Pressure and Structure
(00:10:46) Sequoia's Team Values and Family Influence
(00:13:40) Assessing Founders and Investments
(00:20:28) Winning Competitive Investments
(00:24:45) Pat’s Early Career at Sequoia
(00:29:38) Memo Writing and Investment Criteria
(00:35:20) Evaluating Companies Through Three Business Criteria
(00:40:15) Building Sustainable Competitive Advantage
(00:47:48) Turning Bad Numbers into Good Investments
(00:51:20) The AI Frontier: Market and People
(01:01:13) Harvey: The AI Legal Assistant
(01:05:33) Sequoia's Platform Strategy
(01:17:16) The Importance of Teamwork and Performance
(01:26:07) Legendary Potential: Relentless Application of Force
(01:28:37) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done for Pat -
My guest today is Frank Blake. Frank is the former chairman and CEO of Home Depot. I recently interviewed Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone and became fascinated by the business’s impressive lineup of leaders through the decades. Frank led the company from 2007 to 2014 and shares how he carried on the legacy of Ken and the others, upholding their culture of an inverted hierarchy and producing seven consecutive years of growth for the largest home improvement retailer in America. We discuss his hyper focus on solving their customer’s problems before their own, investing time into the employee experience, and his intentionality with how he is perceived as a leader. Please enjoy this discussion with Frank Blake.
Listen to Founders Podcast
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
-----
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:04:37) The Inverted Pyramid Leadership Model
(00:08:38) Communication and Listening in Leadership
(00:15:19) Lessons from Legacies of Great Home Depot Leaders
(00:27:02) Frank’s Personal Leadership Journey
(00:33:32) Reagan's Leadership Style and Influence
(00:37:26) Key Responsibilities of a CEO
(00:40:27) Delta's Leadership During COVID-19
(00:46:45) Financial Strategies in Asset-Intensive Industries
(00:47:27) Home Depot's Strategic Shift
(00:53:33) Competitive Dynamics with Lowe's
(00:55:36) Building an Effective Board
(00:58:16) The Impact of Home Depot on Employees' Lives
(01:01:52) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done for Frank -
My guest today is Adam Sandow. Adam is the chairman and CEO of SANDOW Companies and the executive chairman and founder of Material Bank. He has built an entire ecosystem of businesses and brands that have brought him into the game of media, materials, and beyond. From creating the beauty product subscription model to getting magazines in the hands of billionaires to transforming the design industry with overnight access to samples, when Adam starts a business he writes his own rulebook. We discuss the founding stories of his most interesting companies, his obsession with targeting pain points, and his philosophies for when to go all in and betting on himself. Please enjoy this great discussion with Adam Sandow.
Listen to Founders Podcast
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
-----
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:04:12) Building a Media Empire
(00:06:01) The Birth of the Beauty Subscription Model
(00:09:56) Revolutionizing Magazine Circulation
(00:14:46) The Contrarian Approach to Media
(00:16:08) The Origin of MediaJet
(00:18:35) The Future of Print and Digital Media
(00:27:25) The Genesis of Material Bank
(00:35:23) Building a Compelling Model for Manufacturers
(00:37:26) Innovative Logistics and Partnership with FedEx
(00:40:32) The Importance of High-Quality Content
(00:43:49) Building and Buying Media Properties
(00:46:01) Creating Unique Value Propositions
(00:54:22) The Role of Print in the Digital Age
(00:58:41) Nurturing an Ecosystem of Businesses
(01:03:37) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done for Adam -
My guest today is Howie Liu. Howie is the co-founder and CEO of Airtable, a no-code app platform that allows teams to build on top of their shared data and create productive workflows. The business began in 2013 and now has use cases built out for over 300,000 organizations. As Airtable begins to integrate AI and the latest LLMs into its product, Howie has maintained a focus on an intuitive building experience, allowing anyone to build out their workflow within minutes or hours. We discuss the future of the platform in the era of AI, his perspective on horizontal versus vertical software solutions, and his crucial moments as a leader in building a critical component to the advancement of productivity. Please enjoy this discussion with Howie Liu.
Listen to Founders Podcast
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
-----
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:06:49) Exploring Horizontal vs. Vertical Software in the AI Era
(00:11:00) The Future of Customized Applications
(00:15:28) Perspectives on AI's Future and Enterprise Adoption
(00:18:13) The Evolution of LLMs and Their Impact on Software Development
(00:23:33) Harnessing AI for Business Transformation and Innovation
(00:27:28) Reflecting on Airtable's Founding and Evolution
(00:33:23) Airtable's Approach to Customer Engagement and Innovation
(00:39:59) The Impact of AI on Platform Versatility and Market Penetration
(00:46:00) Achieving Product-Market Fit and Initial Monetization
(00:50:23) Scaling Up and Securing the First Unicorn Round
(00:51:52) Rapid Growth and Organizational Scaling Challenges
(00:55:00) Reflecting on Tough Decisions in the Business
(01:02:55) The Role of Capital Allocation in Expanding Airtable
(01:06:55) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done For Howie -
My guest today is Mark Groden. Mark is the Founder and CEO of Skyryse, a company on a mission to make general aviation as safe as commercial aviation and change the future of flying. As you may know, helicopter accidents are far more likely than airplane accidents, and Skyryse is revolutionizing helicopter flight through a safer and simpler universal flying system. Mark is the quintessential example of somebody doing their life’s work and I have no doubt you will come to that conclusion for yourself after listening to his story. He’s determined, through Skyryse, to drive aviation deaths down to zero, and we discuss all of the details, big and small, that have laid the groundwork for realizing this dream. Please enjoy this conversation with Mark Groden.
Listen to Founders Podcast
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Tegus, where we're changing the game in investment research. Step away from outdated, inefficient methods and into the future with our platform, proudly hosting over 100,000 transcripts – with over 25,000 transcripts added just this year alone. Our platform grows eight times faster and adds twice as much monthly content as our competitors, putting us at the forefront of the industry. Plus, with 75% of private market transcripts available exclusively on Tegus, we offer insights you simply can't find elsewhere. See the difference a vast, quality-driven transcript library makes. Unlock your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
-----
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:03:53) From Childhood Fascination to Professional Pursuit
(00:05:47) Understanding General Aviation vs. Commercial Aviation
(00:07:05) The Safety Gap in General Aviation
(00:10:27) The Evolution of Aircraft Technology and Safety
(00:16:20) The Mechanic of Flying a Helicopter
(00:21:40) Justifying the Existing Dangers of Helicopter Flight
(00:24:45) The Future of Flying Cars and Urban Air Mobility
(00:27:23) Economies of Scale in Aviation and the Path Forward
(00:35:26) The Evolution of Autonomous Flight
(00:37:58) The Promise of SkyOS: Revolutionizing Flight with AI
(00:42:04) Piloting the Future: How Automation Empowers Pilots
(00:45:43) Exploring the Business of Flight and Future Innovations
(00:51:08) What Is Holding Back The Future of Flying
(00:57:08) Mission-Driven Innovation: A Personal Journey
(01:00:46) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done For Mark -
My guest today is Dev Ittycheria. Dev is the CEO of MongoDB, the developer data platform with tens of thousands of customers in 100 different countries. He joined the company as CEO in 2014, taking it public in 2017, and is now approaching a decade of leading MongoDB to become a go-to choice for the most sophisticated organizations around the world. We discuss Dev’s philosophy for constructing an exceptional enterprise sales organization, why he feels a leader must be incredibly judgemental to drive excellence, and how he plans to guide MongoDB through another technological transition. Please enjoy this conversation with Dev Ittycheria.
Listen to Founders Podcast
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Tegus, the only investment research platform built for the investor. With traditional research vendors, the diligence process is slow, fragmented, and expensive. That leaves investors competing on how well they can aggregate data — not on their unique ability to analyze insights and make great investment decisions. Tegus offers an end-to-end platform with all the data you need to get up to speed on a company or market: up-to-the-minute financials, customizable models, management and culture checks, and, of course, our vast and growing library of expert call transcripts. Tegus is changing the world of expert research. Learn more and get your free trial at tegus.com/patrick.
-----
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:03:39) A CEO's Perspective Of The AI Revolution
(00:05:50) The Evolution of Apps From Trivial to Transformative
(00:08:12) MongoDB's Journey From Startup to AI Era
(00:10:03) Building a Modern Database Company: MongoDB's Story
(00:13:19) The Long-Term Vision for MongoDB
(00:15:51) Dev’s Formative Experiences as a Tech CEO
(00:19:18) The Art of Enterprise Sales
(00:25:28) The Development of Dev as a Leader
(00:29:01) Getting the Most Out of Your Talent
(00:33:17) Managing a Multi-Product, Multi-Channel Enterprise
(00:37:29) Dev’s Recruiting Philosophy
(00:43:12) The Role of Leadership and Mentorship in Career Growth
(00:46:08) Dev’s Deepest Worry With MongoDB
(00:49:35) Personal Investment Philosophy and Identifying Potential
(00:53:52) The Art of Leadership: Accountability and Development
(00:57:50) Learning from Legends: Andy Grove's Management Insights
(01:02:54) The Power in MongoDB’s Business
(01:06:13) Up Next for Dev and MongoDB
(01:08:34) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done For Dev -
My guest today is Nico Wittenborn. Nico is the founder of Adjacent, a venture firm that looks for what he describes as the “adjacent possible” for their next investment. Nico has zoned in on the consumer subscription market as his ideal candidate, making early investments in Calm App, Photoroom, and Oura Ring. Nico does virtually all steps of the investing process on his own as he believes this allows him to be as close to finding the truth as possible. We discuss sharpening your intuition, evaluating the subscription business model, and exploring the adjacent possible. Please enjoy this conversation with Nico Wittenborn.
Listen to Founders Podcast
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
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Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:03:30) Intuition in Investment Decisions
(00:05:08) The Philosophy of Adjacency in Venture Capital
(00:12:51) Exploring Consumer Subscription Models
(00:18:16) Common Mistakes In Subscription Pricing
(00:22:41) Errors in Product Roll-Out Strategy
(00:28:50) The Sucess of BirdBuddy
(00:33:45) What It Means To Be a Great Product
(00:38:21) Solo Investing vs. Being Part of a Big Firm
(00:43:12) Building On Your Own Experience As a Founder
(00:44:49) The Rise of Individual Investors and Their Impact
(00:50:52) The Strategic Advantage of Staying Small in Venture Capital
(00:52:02) Deep Dive into Founder Questions and Consumer Subscription Insights
(00:54:09) Leveraging AI and Technological Advances for Growth
(00:59:13) Exploring Future Investments and Market Opportunities
(01:05:13) Areas to Explore On The Value Curve For Consumer Subscription
(01:12:32) Advice For Those Interest In Nico’s Path
(01:20:10) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done for Nico - Mehr anzeigen
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