Intro

This chapter explores the insights of a serial entrepreneur on the significance of blending qualitative experiences with quantitative data in decision-making. Through personal anecdotes and metaphors, it highlights the impact of small cost-cutting measures on customer trust and the evolving mindset required for successful entrepreneurship.

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Episode notes

In today’s episode of The Eric Ries Show, I’m joined by Gagan Biyani, Co-Founder and CEO of Maven, a platform that’s redefining online education with cohort-based courses. Before Maven, Gagan co-founded Udemy, now one of the largest online education marketplaces, and Sprig, a meal delivery startup.

Gagan started his entrepreneurial journey at just 21, and along the way, he’s experienced both big wins and tough lessons. We get into what worked, what didn’t, and how those experiences shaped his approach to building companies today.

In our conversation today, we talk about the following:

• How a free truffle at Sprig revealed the pitfalls of MBA-style thinking

• Why Gagan has shifted his thinking to be less metric-obsessed

• The underestimated value of intuition in decision-making

• Maintaining company culture at scale—onboarding new hires while preserving core values

• What drives value in any marketplace

• Lessons from Gagan’s exit from Udemy—and how he rebuilt his friendship with his co-founder

• How to use AI to increase productivity and where it falls short

• An explanation of Gagan’s concept of ‘atomic unit’

• AI’s potential to transform education

• And more!

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