Asanka Jayasuriya from 8VC

Asanka Jayasuriya is a Partner and CTO at 8VC.

8VC is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage and growth-stage tech companies. It was co-founded in 2015 by Joe Lonsdale, who is also a co-founder of Palantir. The firm is headquartered in Austin.

Takeaways

Asanka's early days at UofT. The benefits of internships. Launching and building the Amazon Toronto office. The "Glass Ceiling" in Canadian tech Canada needs more successful tech companies to retain talent. Choosing and moving to Austin over SF or NYC. Meeting Joe Lonsdale while playing pickleball. Adapting to new trends in software development. Being a great engineering leader. How AI tools are impacting software development. How startups should structure their architecture early days, a focus on simplicity. Hiring early-stage SWEs and what to look for. Balancing speed versus quality early days. The true value of a 10x engineer lies in team amplification. How to hire a 10X engineer. How software purchasing criteria have evolved post-2021. Software perspective when building deeptech companies. Diving into 8VC's Build Program! AI tools will transform product development in the next decade.

Chapters

00:00 Early Days at the U of T

05:32 Navigating the Glass Ceiling in Canadian Tech

11:11 Choosing Austin: A New Chapter

17:11 Adapting to New Trends in Software Development

22:42 Common Mistakes in Scaling Tech Teams

28:33 Evaluating Ideas and Milestones

34:03 Identifying Top Engineering Talent

40:09 The Future of AI Tools in Engineering

Keywords

career transition, software engineering, Amazon, Canadian tech, CTO, venture capital, hiring mistakes, tech leadership, AI in software, Austin tech scene, hiring process, venture studio, deep tech, engineering leadership, software purchasing, AI tools, mentorship, personal growth, CTO insights, investment strategies