Grit The Pull to Build: Joubin Mirzadegan on Grit and Starting Roadrunner
41 snips
Dec 8, 2025 
Joubin Mirzadegan, co-founder and CEO of Roadrunner and former partner at Kleiner Perkins, shares his journey of grit and resilience. He discusses how a childhood split between two households shaped his disciplined yet irreverent approach. Reflecting on his startup experiences, Joubin underscores the importance of willpower in building and how failures can lead to growth. He elaborates on using AI to revolutionize outdated quote-to-cash processes at Roadrunner, emphasizing that true grit is sustained passion and perseverance.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Falling For Startups Through Messy Early Work
- Joubin fell in love with startups after managing and firing an inside sales team at 21 and feeling the freedom to hire and act independently.
- That messy, will-driven experience anchored his career preference for building companies over other roles.
Raised Between Two Houses Shaped His Drive
- Joubin grew up between two households after his parents divorced, absorbing discipline from his mom and irreverence from his dad.
- That split shaped his mix of hardcore discipline and impulsive energy he calls 'ants in my pants.'
From Failed Startup To Top Enterprise Rep
- After Bracket failed to find product–market fit, Joubin moved into enterprise sales and rapidly became a top rep, then joined Palo Alto Networks via acquisition.
- Those wins validated his insistence on proving critics wrong and shaped his sales leadership path.