EP 93: Filip Kaliszan (CEO, Verkada) AI Security Cameras to $3.5B Company
The Logan Bartlett Show
Introduction
The host interviews Philip Calizan, the co-founder and CEO of Vercata, discussing the first principles decisions made in growing the company and how they handled the 2021 hack crisis. Philip also describes Vercata's offerings.
Filip Kaliszan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Verkada, one of the fastest-growing private companies out there today. In the episode, Filip discussed many of the first principles decisions he has made in growing Verkada into a $3.5B business that employs over 2000 people. He also dives deep into their 2021 hack, what it was like dealing with that crisis and communicating with all their customers, as well as the many other unconventional lessons he’s learned from rapidly scaling Verkada.
(00:00) Intro
(00:40) Understanding Verkada and its Growth
(02:12) Exploring Verkada's Product Lines
(03:29) Filip’s Early Fascination with Cameras
(05:51) The Genesis of Verkada
(06:59) Verkada's Approach to Physical Security
(09:21) Privacy and Innovation in Verkada's Products
(14:10) The Journey to Verkada's Access Control Product
(16:49) The Challenges and Successes of Building Verkada
(21:21) The Future of Verkada and its Products
(37:51) Empowering Teams to Innovate
(38:04) Maintaining Product Consistency Across Teams
(39:16) The Importance of Autonomy in Team Structure
(40:02) Sales Team Structure and Strategy
(40:37) Challenges of Scaling a Diverse Product Portfolio
(42:09) The Impact of Internal Sales on Product Success
(43:17) The Evolution of Customer Perception and Demand
(44:07) The Importance of Integration in Business Systems
(44:26) Traits of Successful Product Leaders
(45:22) The Role of Passion in Product Development
(45:26) The Importance of Passion and Depth in Hiring
(47:58) The Role of Sales in a Diversified Product Company
(48:38) The Challenges and Rewards of Rapid Company Growth
(52:31) Maintaining a Unified Company Culture in a Decentralized Structure
(53:08) The Balance Between Conventional Wisdom and First Principles
(01:01:17) The Impact of On-Site Work Culture on Company Growth
(01:12:25) The Importance of Adaptability in a Rapidly Growing Company
(01:15:55) The Role of Leadership Presence in a Growing Company
(01:18:23) Building Trust and Early Startup Challenges
(01:18:53) The Importance of Hiring the Right People
(01:19:02) The Need for a CFO and Strategic Finance
(01:20:48) The Value of In-House Counsel
(01:23:14) Building Company Culture: The 3-3-3 Program
(01:25:01) The Importance of Getting Hiring Right
(01:33:27) The Journey of CourseRank and Verkada
(01:33:29) Handling a Security Breach
(01:50:55) The Early Days and Challenges of Verkada
(01:54:45) The Importance of Storytelling in Fundraising
Executive Producer: Rashad Assir
Producer: Leah Clapper
Mixing and editing: Justin Hrabovsky
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About the Show
Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode of The Logan Bartlett Show, we sit down with the people behind today’s most important startups and extract the tactics, lessons, and frameworks they’ve learned the hard way. Conversations span hiring to GTM, product, growth, fundraising and everything in between - collectively forming the ultimate playbook to make you a better CEO, investor or board member.
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