Episode 405: Ed Jennings - CEO, Quickbase

Episode 405 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Ed Jennings, CEO of Quickbase. The terms 'narrow' and 'growth' seem to contradict each other, yet in Ed’s mind, the two concepts go hand-in-hand. Based on his experience, true scaling doesn't always mean adding new products or wildly expanding into new industries. It can be a huge challenge to say "no" to new opportunities when the goal is increased revenue. But as Ed explains, the key to sustainable success is to look deeply at your core customer and double down on your core value. This focus is what helps you win and retain customers—a factor often overlooked, but insanely important for long-term growth. Quickbase is the AI operations platform used by more than 12,000 organizations worldwide to transform ordinary work into extraordinary impact. Combining powerful AI capabilities and the flexibility and ease of low code/no code technology, Quickbase boosts productivity, improves efficiency, and enhances employee safety for organizations managing large-scale projects and operations in industries like construction and manufacturing. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Core Foundational Elements for Scaling Companies 06:21 Ed's Background Story & Post College in Japan 13:01 Career & Executive Roles in Tech 15:26 Experience at PTC 18:04 First CEO Role 21:55 Time at ADP 24:44 Experience at Veracode 28:22 Lessons Learned as CMO 30:13 COO Role at Mimecast 35:55 Details About Quickbase 36:56 Narrowing the Focus and ICP at Quickbase 39:09 The Culture at Quickbase 41:00 Hiring at Quickbase 42:44 Quickbase's Customer Community 44:23 Advice for Building a Career Path to CEO 46:56 Advice on Hiring Executives 49:51 Lightning Round Questions