Greymatter
336 episodes - English - Latest episode: 19 days ago - ★★★★ - 118 ratingsHow do tech startups go from idea…to iconic? Greymatter’s weekly podcast features interviews with VCs, founders, and tech visionaries on everything from AI, marketplaces, and cybersecurity as well as company-building strategies like growth, finding product-market-fit, and recruiting top talent. Founders and VCs offer candid accounts of success, failure, and adaptation. Greymatter delivers practical insights mixed with the bold optimism that defines entrepreneurship.
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Episodes
Nicole Perlroth and Glenn Chisholm | Security and the Cyber Arms Race
February 16, 2021 19:08 - 44 minutesObsidian Security co-founder and CTO Glenn Chisolm, whose company protects SaaS and cloud services, and New York Times cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth, whose book “This is How They Tell Me the World Ends:The Cyberweapons Arms Race” published in February 2021, discuss the ever-evolving cybersecurity risk landscape and how businesses and governments can proactively protect their data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Security and the Cyber Arms Race | Nicole Perlroth, Glenn Chisholm and Sarah Guo
February 16, 2021 19:08 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MBGreylock general partner Sarah Guo discusses the ever-evolving cybersecurity risk landscape and how businesses and governments can proactively protect their data. She is joined by Obsidian Security co-founder and CTO Glenn Chisolm, whose company protects SaaS and cloud services, and New York Times cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth, whose book “This is How They Tell Me the World Ends:The Cyberweapons Arms Race” published in February 2021.
Security and the Cyber Arms Race | Nicole Perlroth and Glenn Chisholm
February 16, 2021 19:08 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MBObsidian Security co-founder and CTO Glenn Chisolm, whose company protects SaaS and cloud services, and New York Times cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth, whose book “This is How They Tell Me the World Ends:The Cyberweapons Arms Race” published in February 2021, discuss the ever-evolving cybersecurity risk landscape and how businesses and governments can proactively protect their data.
All Raise | Rewiring for Equality
February 09, 2021 17:22 - 31 minutesAre diversity and inclusion efforts making a difference in the male-dominated VC and tech industry? Pam Kostka, CEO of the equality-focused nonprofit All Raise, discusses the current landscape with Greylock marketing partner Elisa Schreiber. All Raise, which was launched in 2018, connects women with resources, mentorship, and a network to help them excel in the VC and tech world. Today, All Raise is a community of more than 20,000 people across four major U.S. tech hubs, and has launched a ne...
Jennifer Haroon | Innovation in transportation and mobility
February 02, 2021 17:59 - 28 minutesA look at the current state of innovation in transportation and mobility featuring Jennifer Haroon. Jennifer was on the early team at Google's self-driving unit that later became Waymo, and most recently worked as the CFO and COO of Nauto, a Greylock-partnered startup working on AI for driving safety. She is now an EIR at Greylock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Reid Hoffman | Building Your Startup Board Pt. 2
January 26, 2021 17:59 - 35 minutesPart 2 of a two-part series. Greylock general partner and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman continues his discussion with Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh on the all-important topic of startup boards. Building off of the previous conversation on how and why boards function, Reid advises entrepreneurs on how they might choose their board members, and provides notable examples of great board members he has worked with in the span of his career. You can read the essay based on this conversation ...
Reid Hoffman | Building Your Startup Board Pt. I
January 19, 2021 18:00 - 41 minutes - 37.5 MBPart one of a two-part series by Greylock general partner Reid Hoffman on strategies to build a successful startup board. Too often, the conventional wisdom imparted to entrepreneurs is to treat board meetings as a necessary evil, part of the price you pay for raising money. True, many boards are dysfunctional, but when you build a great startup board, it will be a powerful tool that can help the CEO make the company successful.
Reid Hoffman | Building A Great Startup Board Pt. I
January 19, 2021 18:00 - 41 minutesPart one of a two-part series by Greylock general partner Reid Hoffman on strategies to build a successful startup board. Too often, the conventional wisdom imparted to entrepreneurs is to treat board meetings as a necessary evil, part of the price you pay for raising money. True, many boards are dysfunctional, but when you build a great startup board, it will be a powerful tool that can help the CEO make the company successful. You can read the essay based on this podcast here: https://grey...
Reid Hoffman | Conversation with Harry Stebbings of The 20 Minute VC
January 13, 2021 18:00 - 41 minutesGreylock general partner Reid Hoffman in conversation with Harry Stebbings, host of the popular podcast The 20 Minute VC. In this episode, Reid and Harry pick back up from their conversation in November 2020 on Harry's show, discussing everything from Reid's earliest lessons as a young entrepreneur; investing in startups such as Airbnb; and up into the current environment of navigating political issues (and a pandemic ) while running a company. You can read the transcript from this interview ...
Chronosphere | Cloud-Native Monitoring at Scale
January 05, 2021 17:00 - 1 hourCloud native is the new order of business. But most existing monitoring technology is insufficient to contend with the complex, dynamic, and ephemeral nature of the modern cloud environment. That's why Martin Mao and Rob Skillington formed Chronosphere, a purpose-built platform to monitor cloud-native infrastructure and apps and enable organizations to make precise, data-driven decisions. In this episode of Greymatter, Martin and Rob sit down with Greylock general partner and Chronosphere boa...
The Year in Review
December 22, 2020 17:55 - 49 minutesThe investing team from Greylock Partners looks back on 2020 and how it has impacted entrepreneurship. While it’s been difficult, the past year has also been a time of great progress in the startup ecosystem. Not only have entrepreneurs made extraordinary efforts to advance technology and experiment with new business models, there have also been many individuals and organizations taking important strides towards building a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive future. Learn more about you...
Reid Hoffman | Entrepreneurship and Loneliness
December 15, 2020 19:17 - 30 minutesGreylock general partner Reid Hoffman and Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh, discuss why it’s so lonely to be an entrepreneur. In this podcast, Hoffman shares how he dealt with this challenge through both success (LinkedIn) and failure (SocialNet), and how entrepreneurs can find allies and aid in their struggle against loneliness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Reid Hoffman | Airbnb Reflections
December 10, 2020 19:00 - 41 minutesAs Airbnb makes its public debut, Greylock general partner Reid Hoffman looks back on the past decade of working with the company. Greylock led Airbnb's Series A in 2010. Hoffman initially heard the company described as "renting couches," so he passed at the first opportunity to invest. But later conversations with early investors prompted Hoffman to meet with Airbnb founders Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk. Within two minutes, he decided to partner with the company. Learn mo...
Steve Sewell and Jordan Gal | The Rise of Headless Commerce
December 01, 2020 18:01 - 42 minutesWhile third-party apps like Shopify have made it possible for a company to get a virtual store up and running quickly, scaling that company requires higher levels of flexibility and control. Enter headless architecture, which allows companies to decouple the front end of the commerce platform (where the virtual storefront and content lives) from the back end, where all the data resides. Greylock general partner Mike Duboe sat down with Builder.io CEO and founder Steve Sewell, whose company pr...
Mike Duboe | The Rise of Headless Commerce
December 01, 2020 18:01 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBWhile third-party apps like Shopify have made it possible for a company to get a virtual store up and running quickly, scaling that company requires higher levels of flexibility and control. Enter headless architecture, which allows companies to decouple the front end of the commerce platform (where the virtual storefront and content lives) from the back end, where all the data resides. Greylock general partner Mike Duboe sat down with Builder.io CEO and founder Steve Sewell, whose company pr...
Jerry Chen | The Evolution of Cloud
November 24, 2020 16:47 - 12 minutesThis is the audio version of "The Evolution of Cloud," written by Greylock general partner Jerry Chen and read by Greylock marketing partner Elisa Schreiber. The essay is available to read at https://greylock.com/jerry-chen-the-evolution-of-cloud/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Evolution of Cloud
November 24, 2020 16:47 - 12 minutes - 11.3 MBThis is the audio version of "The Evolution of Cloud," written by Greylock general partner Jerry Chen and read by Greylock marketing partner Elisa Schreiber. The essay is available to read at https://greylock.com/jerry-chen-the-evolution-of-cloud/
apiiro | Secure By Design
November 17, 2020 19:04 - 25 minutesInnovation happens fast in the cloud-first era of today. Yet the tools and processes that allow software developers to ensure their products are secure were designed for a different era. apiiro was formed to reinvent the secure software development life cycle, by creating a unified platform that allows developers to embed security at the earliest stages. Idan Plotnik, CEO and co-founder of apiiro, joins Greylock general partner Saam Motamedi and Imperva CISO Samir Sherif to discuss the new c...
Reid Hoffman | Choosing Bad Competition
November 10, 2020 18:03 - 44 minutesIf you can find a valuable market which has been overlooked, or where your competitors are lazy or stuck in their ways, you can beat that competition, no matter how big or rich those other players might be. Greylock general partner Reid Hoffman and his Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh discuss why entrepreneurs are far better off pursuing a high-value opportunity with bad competition over a low-value opportunity with no competition, highlighting case studies of SpaceX, Tesla, Virgin Atlantic a...
Rockset | The Data-Driven Future
October 27, 2020 17:29 - 31 minutesThe ability to derive insights and take action from an ever-increasing volume of data has become a critical success factor for organizations across every industry. But as business operations become increasingly digitized and move to the cloud, first-generation analytics systems struggle to deliver insights at the scale and speed necessary to build modern data applications. That's why Rockset built a distributed SQL database that can return queries in milliseconds, but has a storage architectu...
Entrepreneur First | Successful Co-Founder Dynamics
October 20, 2020 17:08 - 43 minutesAlice Bentinck and Matt Clifford founded Entrepreneur First in 2011 with a mission to expand the global network of entrepreneurs and investors – so that one's geographical location doesn't make or break whether they have the opportunity to participate in the startup ecosystem. The "talent investor" organization recruits and backs individuals at the very earliest stage: before they have a team, or often even an idea. Greylock general partner and Entrepreneur First board member Reid Hoffman s...
Remotion | Creating Ambient Awareness
October 13, 2020 17:00 - 36 minutesWorking remotely often means back-to-back scheduled meetings and a constant barrage of text and email notifications. The result is exhaustion. But that doesn't mean coworkers don't want to talk to one another. Ad-hoc conversations are energizing and foster stronger team connections, which is why Remotion built a video workspace designed to enable colleagues to virtually "glance over" at one another and just start talking. Remotion CEO and co-founder Alexander Embiricos Greylock general partn...
Reid Hoffman | ABZ Planning
October 06, 2020 17:01 - 27 minutesGreylock general partner Reid Hoffman discusses the ABZ planning framework, a key concept from his book The Startup of You. Hoffman revisits the concept for 2020 - which he refers to as "The Age of the Inconceivable" – offering a systematic approach to adaptation that allows for the pursuit of goals while also maintaining the ability to quickly course-correct when external shocks or unexpected discoveries occur. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
MLT | Accelerating Change
September 30, 2020 17:16 - 45 minutesThe technology industry is home to an unacceptable paradox: the sector is both the epicenter of wealth creation and wealth disparity. This gap begins in the early stages of company-building, among venture capital-backed startups and the people who found, build and invest in them. People of color have largely been left out of this group. Changing that reality is the mission of career advancement nonprofit Management Leadership of Tomorrow (MLT), which works to put people of color in leadershi...
Zapier | Automated (Remote)Work
September 22, 2020 18:20 - 38 minutesEnabling efficiency has always been at the heart of Zapier’s mission: the automation software startup was founded specifically to serve as the lynchpin platform between myriad web apps, allowing people to focus on their core projects without getting bogged down with mundane tasks. Moreover, the company has been distributed from the get-go, and has found that the requisite digital tools, meeting structure and business strategies that make remote work possible also happen to be the most proacti...
Making Changes at Scale
September 15, 2020 16:58 - 44 minutes - 40.4 MBAt the SaaStr Annual event (held virtually this year) Greylock general partners David Wadhwani and Sarah Guo discussed the key elements to successfully navigating operational phase shifts, which David has experienced numerous times over the course of his two-decade career as a software executive at companies such as AppDynamics and Adobe. David detailed 5 things every company and founder should do to navigate phase shifts successfully, illustrated by examples of how they played out during his...
David Wadhwani | Making Change at Scale
September 15, 2020 16:58 - 44 minutesAt the SaaStr Annual event (held virtually this year) Greylock general partners David Wadhwani and Sarah Guo discussed the key elements to successfully navigating operational phase shifts, which David has experienced numerous times over the course of his two-decade career as a software executive at companies such as AppDynamics and Adobe. David detailed 5 things every company and founder should do to navigate phase shifts successfully, illustrated by examples of how they played out during his...
David Wadhwani | Making Changes at Scale
September 15, 2020 16:58 - 44 minutes - 40.4 MBAt the SaaStr Annual event (held virtually this year) Greylock general partners David Wadhwani and Sarah Guo discussed the key elements to successfully navigating operational phase shifts, which David has experienced numerous times over the course of his two-decade career as a software executive at companies such as AppDynamics and Adobe. David detailed 5 things every company and founder should do to navigate phase shifts successfully, illustrated by examples of how they played out during his...
Reid Hoffman | The Startup Pivot
September 08, 2020 17:09 - 1 hourGreylock general partner Reid Hoffman shares his experience during PayPal's numerous pivots, and outlines how pivots have built some of the iconic tech companies in modern history. Hoffman describes how pivots are an integral part of the entrepreneurial process for startups: Whether you're pivoting in the early days because you haven't yet found product-market fit, or you're pivoting by reinventing yourself later on, all companies – if they're going to become and stay successful – are going t...
The Startup Pivot
September 08, 2020 17:09 - 1 hour - 58 MBReid Hoffman shares his experience during PayPal's numerous pivots, and outlines how pivots have built some of the iconic tech companies in modern history. Hoffman describes how pivots are an integral part of the entrepreneurial process for startups: Whether you're pivoting in the early days because you haven't yet found product-market fit, or you're pivoting by reinventing yourself later on, all companies – if they're going to become and stay successful – are going to have to pivot.
Utmost | Mobilizing the Talent Continuum
September 01, 2020 17:24 - 35 minutesThe nature of work today is increasingly dynamic, distributed, flexible, and digital-first. Relying on the extended workforce is more than a short-term, stop-gap solution: businesses are finding this population to be an efficient, viable source of talent instrumental to their core operations. That's why Utmost developed the first ever extended workforce system (EWS) to help enterprises source, engage, pay, and optimize their entire non-employee workforce, including freelancers, consultants an...
Reid Hoffman | Building Ecosystems of Adaptability
August 27, 2020 17:00 - 26 minutesThis episode of Greymatter features Reid Hoffman in conversation with Peter High, president of business and IT strategy firm Metis Strategy. In the context of the current pandemic and economic crisis, Reid and Peter discuss strategies and insights for entrepreneurs on building, developing and strengthening their ecosystem (while offering the same level of support and insight back); the importance of co-design in go-to-market strategy; how blitzscaling applies to large companies; and how the ...
Building Ecosystems of Adaptability
August 27, 2020 17:00 - 26 minutes - 27.6 MBThis episode of Greymatter features Reid Hoffman in conversation with Peter High, president of business and IT strategy firm Metis Strategy. In the context of the current pandemic and economic crisis, Reid and Peter discuss strategies and insights for entrepreneurs on building, developing and strengthening their ecosystem (while offering the same level of support and insight back); the importance of co-design in go-to-market strategy; how blitzscaling applies to large companies; and how the ...
Myths About Failure
August 20, 2020 17:07 - 1 hour - 54.9 MBGreylock general partner and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and his Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh discuss one the most common outcomes of startups: Failure. But although failure is often the default state for startups, it is neither inevitable nor is it necessarily the end of the story. Even if you are able to bring yourself to look failure in the eye, you can take steps to maximize your chance of success. And even if you fail despite your best efforts, if you behave ethically and demon...
Reid Hoffman | Myths About Failure
August 20, 2020 17:07 - 1 hourGreylock general partner and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and his Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh discuss one the most common outcomes of startups: Failure. But although failure is often the default state for startups, it is neither inevitable nor is it necessarily the end of the story. Even if you are able to bring yourself to look failure in the eye, you can take steps to maximize your chance of success. And even if you fail despite your best efforts, if you behave ethically and demon...
Solv Health | Delivering Same-Day Healthcare
August 19, 2020 16:57 - 48 minutesSince Covid-19 first hit, Solv Health has played an instrumental role in helping healthcare organizations connect virtually with patients to provide telemedicine and same or next-day clinic appointments (as well as myriad administrative services such as contactless payments and digital paperwork). CEO and co-founder Heather Fernandez said the sudden, widespread shift to telemedicine meant Solv went from hosting about 9,000 virtual visits in all of 2019 to hosting half a million since March of...
Talking Politics: When, How and Why CEOs Should Speak Out
August 13, 2020 19:58 - 49 minutes - 45.1 MBIn an increasingly politicized world, it’s harder and harder for CEOs to keep business and politics separate. And in an increasingly politicized world, they shouldn’t. When an issue creates risks that are severe, broad in scope, and systemic in impact, business leaders have an obligation to speak up, especially if the issue clashes with the company’s ethics, culture, and vision for the future. Reid Hoffman and Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh outline a set of principles that can help decide...
Reid Hoffman | Talking Politics: When, How and Why CEOs Should Speak Out
August 13, 2020 19:58 - 49 minutesIn an increasingly politicized world, it’s harder and harder for CEOs to keep business and politics separate. And in an increasingly politicized world, they shouldn’t. When an issue creates risks that are severe, broad in scope, and systemic in impact, business leaders have an obligation to speak up, especially if the issue clashes with the company’s ethics, culture, and vision for the future. Reid Hoffman and Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh outline a set of principles that can help decide...
Figma | Collaborate from Anywhere
August 11, 2020 16:01 - 33 minutesFigma was founded in 2012 with a mission to connect designers virtually, enabling collaboration and communication no matter where they were in the world. Fast forward to 2020, and that original operational intent has paved the way for the company to expand significantly in the face of Covid-19’s impact on the working world. Figma CEO and co-founder Dylan Field sat down with Greylock general partner Sarah Guo to discuss how the company has evolved to meet a surge in demand, adapted to going fu...
Reid Hoffman & Sarah Guo | From Seed to Series A: What VCs look for in early stage investments
August 06, 2020 18:06 - 38 minutesGreylock general partners Reid Hoffman and Sarah Guo discuss the all-important topic of raising early stage capital (with updated guidelines for the current economic environment). From understanding what metrics matter to team-building and reference-checking potential board members, this Greymatter episode provides entrepreneurs practical advice and unique insight from some of Silicon Valley's most active and experienced investors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
From Seed to Series A: What VCs look for when investing in an early stage company
August 06, 2020 18:06 - 38 minutes - 35 MBGreylock general partners Reid Hoffman and Sarah Guo discuss the all-important topic of raising early stage capital (with updated guidelines for the current economic environment). From understanding what metrics matter to team-building and reference-checking potential board members, this Greymatter episode provides entrepreneurs practical advice and unique insight from some of Silicon Valley's most active and experienced investors.
David Thacker | Retooling for Reality: Product Development in Pivotal Moments
August 04, 2020 17:01 - 50 minutesWe're more reliant on technology than ever. But there's always room for improvement. How should entrepreneurs approach product development at a time like now, when the Covid-19 pandemic has sparked an acute need for innovation in tools for seamless collaboration, communication and everything else? Greylock partner David Thacker, who previously held product leadership roles at iconic tech companies including Google, LinkedIn and Groupon, sat down with Greymatter to share his thoughts on the c...
Retooling for Reality: Product Development in Pivotal Moments
August 04, 2020 17:01 - 50 minutes - 45.9 MBWe're more reliant on technology than ever. But there's always room for improvement. How should entrepreneurs approach product development at a time like now, when the Covid-19 pandemic has sparked an acute need for innovation in tools for seamless collaboration, communication and everything else? Greylock partner David Thacker, who previously held product leadership roles at iconic tech companies including Google, LinkedIn and Groupon, sat down with Greymatter to share his thoughts on the c...
Calculating Risk: Evaluating, Mitigating, and Leveraging Risks During Covid
July 30, 2020 20:40 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MBToday’s entrepreneurs find themselves falling from the cliff and assembling a plane with tools that are on fire while being attacked by a swarm of murder hornets. Yet despite the increased risks, entrepreneurs are still taking those leaps of faith, for which we should all be grateful. Greylock partner Reid Hoffman and his Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh explore how to help and encourage those entrepreneurs by offering some thoughts on how to mitigate – or even leverage – the present set of...
Reid Hoffman | Calculating Risk: Evaluating, Mitigating, and Leveraging Risks During Covid
July 30, 2020 20:40 - 52 minutesToday’s entrepreneurs find themselves falling from the cliff and assembling a plane with tools that are on fire while being attacked by a swarm of murder hornets. Yet despite the increased risks, entrepreneurs are still taking those leaps of faith, for which we should all be grateful. Greylock partner Reid Hoffman and his Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh explore how to help and encourage those entrepreneurs by offering some thoughts on how to mitigate – or even leverage – the present set of...
Shortcut | Building for the Distributed Future
July 28, 2020 18:30 - 34 minutesNOTE: Throughout this episode, the company is referred to as "Clubhouse". In 2021, the company re-branded to Shortcut(https://shortcut.com/) Software startup Shortcut (previously named Clubhouse) built its product specifically for distributed teams, and the company had a high percentage of employees working remotely even prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. But Shortcut CEO and co-founder Kurt Schrader said the shift to 100% remote work has provided fresh insight into the need for more and better...
Clubhouse | Building for the Distributed Future
July 28, 2020 18:30 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBSoftware startup Clubhouse built its product specifically for distributed teams, and the company had a high percentage of employees working remotely even prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. But Clubhouse CEO and co-founder Kurt Schrader said the shift to 100% remote work has provided fresh insight into the need for more and better tools that effectively recreate the ambient intelligence of working in an office. Kurt sat down with Greylock general partner Sarah Guo to discuss how the company is in...
M&A or IPO?
July 23, 2020 17:01 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBReid Hoffman shares his perspective on the fundamental choice that all venture-backed entrepreneurs face simple: M&A or IPO? Fortunately, there is one approach that allows you to build to go public AND to sell.
Reid Hoffman | M&A or IPO?
July 23, 2020 17:01 - 58 minutesReid Hoffman shares his perspective on the fundamental choice that all venture-backed entrepreneurs face simple: M&A or IPO? Fortunately, there is one approach that allows you to build to go public AND to sell. You can read the essay based on this interview here: https://greylock.com/greymatter/reid-hoffman-ma-or-ipo/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Okta CEO Todd MacKinnon | Dynamic Work
July 21, 2020 17:28 - 45 minutesOn this episode of Greymatter, Okta CEO and co-founder Todd McKinnon talks with Greylock partner Sarah Guo about leadership lessons for times of dramatic change, and how his team is meeting the surge in customer demand for Okta since Covid-19 hit. Todd, who left his job leading engineering at Salesforce in 2009 to start Okta, a Greylock portfolio company, reflects on the platform shifts that convinced him to take the leap, the parallels he sees today, and what's next for Okta. Finally, for ov...