Andrew Bialecki is the Co-Founder and CEO of Klaviyo, the platform that powers smarter digital relationships for businesses and their data. To date, Klaviyo has raised over $778M from the likes of Accel, Summit Partners, Sands Capital, and Shopify, and raised an additional $700M after its IPO in September 2023.
In Today’s Episode with Andrew Bialecki We Discuss:
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Founding a $6.23BN Machine in Klaviyo: The Aha Moment
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What was the aha moment for Klaviyo?
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How important does Andrew think it is for founders to stick with their initial vision vs when is the right time to pivot?
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Does a great product sell itself? If you build it, will they come?
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Bootstrapping Klaviyo: Would it Have Worked with More VC Cash Earlier?
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Why did Andrew decide to bootstrap & not take VC money with Klaviyo?
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Does Andrew think Klaviyo would have been successful if they raised a seed round? What would they have done differently?
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Why does Andrew believe companies should take their time to find product-market fit? What are the most common mistakes founders make?
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What is Andrew’s advice to founders on fundraising?
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When did Andrew decide to raise a seed round when he did?
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How to IPO in an IPO Winter: Advice & Lessons
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Why did Andrew decide to take Klaviyo public in a bad public market?
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How was the IPO roadshow process? What were Andrew’s lessons from it?
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How has Andrew’s role as CEO changed after taking Klaviyo public?
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Does Andrew think Klaviyo is undervalued today?
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What is Andrew’s advice to founders on secondaries?
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Behind the Shopify Partnership
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How did Klaviyo’s partnership with Shopify happen? What were Andrew’s lessons working with Tobi Lütke & Harley Finklestein?
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How does Andrew define a win-win partnership?
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What does Andrew mean by “Partnerships are like a tug of war?”
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What does Andrew think are the most common reasons partnerships go sideways?