Shows
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorHow The BEST Founders Go From Seed To Series A - a convo w/ Brett Berson of First RoundWhat are the questions founders and VC firms should be asking when raising a Series A? How will AI impact things? What are the common pitfalls for Seed-stage startups?In this episode, Tyler and Sterling sit down with Brett Berson of First Round Capital to answer all these questions and more.--Chapters:(00:00:00) Intro(00:00:29) Future of Venture Capital in Software Development(00:10:24) "Ubiquitous Software Development: Changing Industry Dynamics"(00:14:03...2025-07-151h 01
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorFrom whiteboard idea to $7 BILLION…How Flock Safety catches 20% of US crime — w/ Garrett LangleyHow on earth do startup founders with zero experience in the security industry sell millions of dollars in contracts to police stations around the US?In this episode of Exceptional Startups, Garrett Langley, founder and CEO of Flock Safety, breaks down step-by-step 1) How they did it, 2) What process gave them the idea to go after crime, and 3), The biggest lessons he's learned during Flock Safety's rocket-like growth.Chapters:(00:00:00) Flock Safety's Impact on Crime Solving(00:11:05) Innovative Solutions for Crime Prevention2025-06-1036 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorHow Benchmark Capital finds EXCEPTIONAL startups in the age of AI — A convo w/ Eric VishriaWith so many AI startups these days, how do you identify which will be home-runs and which will be flops?In this episode of the I/O Podcast, Tyler and Sterling sit down with Eric Vishria, a General Partner at the legendary Benchmark Capital, who uncovers their exact process for finding and funding some of the world's fastest-growing and most successful AI startups.Chapters:(00:07:28) Exponential Rise of AI Startups(00:10:21) Diverse Revenue Paths in AI Startups(00:14:10) LLM-enhanced Vertical...2025-05-2056 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorHow Great Founders SELL Before They BUILD — An Exceptional Startup Chat w/ The Founder of WanderHow do you get paying customers...before you've even built your product? Time to find out!In this episode of Exceptional Startups, Tyler sits down with John Andrew Entwistle, Founder and CEO of Wander, the platform that's transforming the vacation-rental space.Tyler and John Andrew discuss waitlist tactics, how to solve the supply-and-demand problem for marketplace companies, and how to build a great employee culture.Chapters:(00:01:40) The Idea For A Efficient Vacation Rental Management Platform(00:05:42) The Business Growth Strategies at Wander(00:07:05) Solving The Supply Problem(00:11:53...2025-05-0634 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorThe Simple Tricks Founders Need To Build WINNING Teams — An IO Interview With Nakul MandanIn this episode of the IO Podcast, Nakul Mandan (founder of Audacious Ventures) shares his tips and tricks for recruiting top talent, the most critical assets for successful companies.He also shares his story of how he became a top investor and what every startup founder needs to know to successfully raise capital.Chapters:(00:05:12) Hustle and Networking in Venture Capital Growth(00:12:50) Mastering B2B Go-to-Market Expertise through Experience(00:15:22) Exceptional Individuals Driving Business Growth(00:18:06) Attracting Exceptional Talent for Startups(00:26:32) Tailored Hiring Approach for Role Success2025-04-2252 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorHis Company Went Public At $1.8 BILLION...And His Next Idea Is Even BiggerIn this episode of Exceptional Startups, Brandon Rodman (founder of Weave and now Previ) breaks down how he’s quietly building a Costco for the modern workforce — one that’s already grown from 300K to 1.5M users in 3 months, all without charging employers a dime.He shares hard-earned lessons from going 0 to IPO with Weave, why he got rejected by 150 investors, and how he's self-funded Previ with a bigger vision in mind — this time, he’s not giving up control.It’s honest, tactical, and full of gold for anyone scaling something real.Chapters: 2025-04-0827 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorBuilding the Sales Machine with Pete Kazanjy, Author of Founding Sales | IO PodcastIn this episode, Pete Kazanjy—author of Founding Sales and a veteran sales leader—joins hosts Tyler Hogge and Sterling Snow to share a crash course in founder-led sales, explaining why early-stage founders must take charge of selling before hiring sales reps. He breaks down the key mindset shifts for technical founders, how sales is like “weaponized product management,” and when it’s time to delegate lead generation.If you're a startup founder looking to master sales we highly recommend this episode. Pete's book which can be found online at foundingsales.comChapters: 06:11 Objection...2025-03-2559 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorThe Best Podcast For Early Stage Founders - Season 2 of the I/O Podcast & the Exceptional Startups ListHow do early-stage founders break through and build exceptional companies? In this upcoming season of the I/O Podcast, hosts Sterling Snow and Tyler Hogge unveil a new approach—combining insights from the Exceptional Startups List with tactical advice from founders actively scaling their businesses. This season, we’re setting out to be the best podcast in the world for seed and Series A founders.Episode Highlights:00:45 - The Big Change: Merging the Exceptional Startups List with the I/O PodcastWe’re bringing on founders who are actively crossing key growth milestones—sharing...2025-02-2007 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorThe Formula for Outlier Success with Dr. Gurner, a World's Best Executive Coach | IO Pod Ep 15How do you become the best of the best—the top performer in your field? Dr. Julie Gurner, an acclaimed executive coach and once likened to Billions’ Wendy Rhoades by The Wall Street Journal, shares her insights on what it takes to excel at the highest level. In this episode, Dr. Gurner joins hosts Sterling Snow and Tyler Hogge to explore the mindsets, strategies, and leadership styles that empower people to perform at their peak.Episode Highlights:00:00 Meet Dr. Julie Gurner and her unique approach to executive performance05:47 The fine line between "good craz...2024-11-1259 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorBuilding Lattice & Alt Capital: Jack Altman On Investing & Operating"Joining a company as early as possible, right after achieving product-market fit, offers the greatest career advantage." – Jack AltmanJack Altman epitomizes the true "Investor-Operator." As the co-founder and former CEO of the multi-billion-dollar startup Lattice, and now a full-time investor with his $150 million venture fund, Alt Capital, Jack has successfully navigated both sides of the entrepreneurial journey. It’s clear he excels in every aspect, and we were thrilled to have him on the show.In this episode, we delve into Jack’s career trajectory, from his early days in tech to how...2024-10-011h 10
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorLeading a16z's Growth Fund: David George On Investing Now and In the Future | Ep 13, IO PodcastIn this episode, Tyler Hogge & Sterling Snow sit down with David George, General Partner at a16z, where he leads the growth investing practice. Since joining in 2019, David has been at the forefront of investments in companies like Coinbase, Databricks, Figma, Robinhood and Instacart. Prior to a16z, David was at General Atlantic, where he invested in iconic brands like Airbnb, Opendoor, Slack, Crowdstrike, and Uber. David shares his unique insights into growth investing and his predictions for the future.Chapters: 01:15 David's Path to Venture 05:30 What Makes Andreessen Horowitz Different 10:30 What H...2024-09-091h 03
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorEmergency Episode of the I/O - Building Utah with Redo CEO Sterling SnowCurrent Investor and Divvy's Former CRO Sterling Snow is jumping back into an operating role, this time as CEO of Redo, a fast growing customer experience platform. Sterling shares how Redo's founder Taylor Brown approached him to take on the job and how together they're building a company everyone in Utah can root for.Chapters:01:03 Why The Investor Operator Podcast Was Started03:45 How Sterling Started Talking With The Founding Team At Redo05:12 Why Redo May Be The Next Divvy09:41 What Is Redo & How It's Going16:30...2024-08-2027 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorHere's Why Shopify Will Be A 100 Year Company | Kaz Nejatian, Shopify COO & Former YC Founder | Episode 12How far would you travel for a good conversation? For hosts Tyler Hogge and Sterling Snow it was a no brainer to fly 2000 miles to talk with Kaz Nejatian, the COO of Shopify in their Toronto HQ. Kaz is a fascinating mind in tech and an unconventional thinker shaping the the product culture of Shopify. He shares his story of growing up in Iran, experiencing the Iran-Iraq war, and eventually immigrating to Canada at age 12. In Canada, Kaz gets even deeper into his fascination with computers and goes onto found a YC company, run a product line...2024-07-101h 07
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorHe Started A Business That Sold For $2.5 Billion. Here's What He Learned | Blake Murray, Divvy CEO | I/O Pod Episode 11When Blake Murray came up with the idea of Divvy, it was because he had a problem: he couldn’t get real-time data on the financial health of his business. So in 2016, Blake set out to find a solution and realized there was none. Blake spent the next several years building what would become one of the fastest-growing startups in history—a platform combining expense management software and a corporate card to help businesses of all sizes manage their finances.Blake, along with Tyler and Sterling—Divvy’s SVP and CRO—break down why this startup was such a rem...2024-06-041h 10
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorNEA's Scott Sandell May Have The Most IPOs Of All Time. Here's How He Did It | Ep. 10 I/O PodcastScott Sandell, Executive Chairman and Chief Investment Officer at NEA is truly one of the great venture capitalists of our generation. With nearly three decades at NEA he leads the field with a track record of dozens of successful investments including unicorns like Salesforce, Plaid, Workday, Robinhood, Cloudflare and Tableau. How has he done it? Scott shares his investment philosophy influenced by other greats like Dick Kramlich and John Doerr: understand an individual's life story, decision-making process, and future goals as key in making successful investment choices. Chapters: 00:02:17 What Are The Characteristics Of...2024-05-0754 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorThe Kings of Fintech | How NerdWallet's Jake Gibson and Sheel Mohnot Are Funding The Next Generation | Ep. 9There may be no better pair of fintech investors than Better Tomorrow Ventures Jake Gibson and Sheel Mohnot. After successful exits in the industry -- Jake as the co-founder of NerdWallet, one of the OG consumer fintech companies, and Sheel with FeeFighter and Innovative Auctions, Jake and Sheel saw a gap in the market and started a fund to help fintech companies at the earliest stages. And they've already had some big wins, counting Ramp and Unit as Portcos. Jake and Sheel joined us on the pod to tell us how they built their previous companies and...2024-04-1057 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorHow Mercury's CEO Immad Akhund Changed the Startup Banking Experience And Got Into Investing || Ep. 8 IO PodImmad Akhund had the idea for Mercury years before they started. In fact, he'd launched 3 other startups and been through YCombinator twice before even starting initial validation on what would become the beloved neobank of startups everywhere. And opinions were mixed. Immad himself recognized the need for a simpler and more efficient banking service while while operating Heyzap his previous company. But when he shared the concept with other startups, not everyone grasped its potential.Today, Mercury dominates in the neobank industry. Immad walks hosts Tyler Hogge and Sterling Snow through the early days of Mercury, shares...2024-03-1359 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorFrom TrialPay, Affirm and a16z | Alex Rampell on Investing & Entrepreneurship | Ep. 7 IO PodcastAndreessen Horowitz General Partner Alex Rampell may be the most true version of an investor-operator. Alex's first entrepreneurial endeavor started as a child when he built and sold shareware out of his parent's house. Eventually he added more businesses to his portfolio before launching the payment platform TrialPay after college and eventually Affirm. Today, Alex invests in some of the largest companies at Andreessen Horowitz and he shares with Tyler and Sterling what he looks for in entrepreneurs and shares tactical advice from his days building. Chapters: (00:03:00) How Alex Started His First Company in Middle...2024-02-131h 08
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorGoing All In On OpenAI, Rippling and Others | Bedrock Capital's Geoff Lewis On How How He Makes Investments | Ep. 6, IO PodGeoff Lewis is a titan in the VC world as both the lead investor and founder of Bedrock Capital, the firm backing some of the world best-known tech companies. Geoff joins Tyler and Sterling on the podcast to share his insights on venture capital and what it takes to consistently make money for LPs. Geoff discusses the unique decision to raise Bedrock's fund size in a time when other funds are downsizing, the importance of assessing founders and their unique qualities, and the challenges and rewards of starting a venture capital firm. He also shares his thoughts on the...2024-01-031h 04
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorHow To Build A World-Class Revenue Org with Mark Cranney, Former a16z Partner | IO Podcast Ep. 5How did this small town farm kid go on to lead the revenue orgs for Silicon Valley's biggest companies? Mark Cranney credits his success to the lessons he learned growing up: work hard and run things efficiently. Mark shares the playbook he's used to build billions in pipeline through his career as an executive, sales leader and most famously as a partner at Andreessen Horowitz. If you're a founder, there's no better person to learn from than Mark. Chapters00:37 Introducing Mark Cranney04:45 Find Sales Leaders Who Can Perform07:03 What To Look...2023-11-2855 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorHenry Ward, CEO of Carta | How This Second Time Founder Built A $7.4 Billion Company | Episode 4This isn't Henry Ward's first shot at entrepreneurship. In fact, the first company he founded failed. But Henry says the things he learned were pivotal for starting Carta, a multi-billion dollar company that's a darling of the venture world. CEO of Co-founder Henry Ward sits down with Tyler & Sterling and recounts his journey to entrepreneurship and shares critical advice for other builders who are in the game -- from establishing a strong company culture to the how of developing stronger insights.Chapters:00:00 Intro01:45 Henry's path to Carta06:21 Developing Insights: "There's A...2023-10-2449 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorHow YC's Garry Tan Evaluates Startups | Episode 3 of the Investor + Operator PodcastPresident and CEO of YCombinator Garry Tan sits down with Tyler & Sterling and recounts his time as an early hire at Palantir, starting his company Posterous and becoming an investor of dozens of well-known startups. The companies Garry has worked with are worth a combined $226 billion.Garry gives valuable advice on cofounder dynamics, doing your inner work, and startup strategies for both Investors & Operators.Chapters:00:00 Intro05:55 Garry's $200 Million Mistake13:00 Why Posterous Stopped Growing14:30 Why You Should Pay Attention To The Competition 21:10 A Healthy Cofounder Relationship...2023-09-281h 07
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorKeith Rabois, Founders Fund | The IO Podcast - Episode 2If there was a Mount Rushmore of Investors, Keith Rabois would definitely be on it.Over his decades long career as both an investor and operator, Keith has had a hand in Silicon Valley unicorns like Square, Paypal, Airbnb and Youtube. In fact, he's aiming to be the 'Michael Jordan' of the investment world. Now, as a co-founder of Opendoor and Partner at Founders Fund Keith sits down with Tyler and Sterling and shares what he looks for in companies he invests in, what attributes a founder must have, why Elon Musk is wrong and takeaways from...2023-08-0154 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorAndy Rachleff from VC to EntrepreneurThe IO podcast with Sterling and Tyler features Andy Rachleff, the founder of Benchmark Capital and unicorn startup Wealthfront, and explores the intersection between investing and operating. Ratcliffe believes that finding product-market fit and being ambidextrous in finding new opportunities while optimizing existing ones is more important than being paranoid in either role. He also discusses the importance of learning from success and putting entrepreneurs first. Venture capitalist Bill Gurley emphasizes the importance of product market fit and finding an inflection point in technology to identify a non-consensus market that is desperate for a product. Rachleff admires investors Howard...2023-03-2234 min