20VC: Why and How Traditional Venture Firms Need to Innovate, Building Spreadsheets To Figure Out Relationships to Money, Ego and Identity Management with Success and The Biggest Lessons from Working with Mark Zuckerberg in the Early FB Days with Ruchi Sa
Ruchi Sanghvi, a trailblazer as Facebook's first female engineer and Dropbox's first female executive, shares her journey in tech. She discusses key lessons learned from Mark Zuckerberg and Dropbox's focus on quality over speed. Ruchi dives deep into personal reflections on managing ego, money, and identity, highlighting advice from her father that shaped her mentality. She also explores the evolving landscape of venture capital, the need for innovation in traditional firms, and the growth of community-driven investment models like South Park Commons.
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Early Career Experiences
Ruchi Sanghvi joined Facebook straight out of college, feeling optimistic and working tirelessly.
At Dropbox, she was hired as a VP of Operations to scale the company, acting as a "fixer" to build and manage teams.
insights INSIGHT
Contrasting Company Values
Facebook's early motto, "move fast and break things," prioritized speed and network growth.
Dropbox prioritized quality and "sweat the details" to maintain user trust, highlighting the importance of context-specific values.
question_answer ANECDOTE
South Park Commons Origin
After leaving Dropbox, Ruchi Sanghvi started a learning group for technologists in transition, which evolved into South Park Commons.
The community's organic growth led to the creation of the South Park Commons Fund to ensure its financial sustainability and longevity.
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Ruchi Sanghvi is a Founder and Partner @ South Park Commons Fund, a home for the most talented technologists, builders, and domain experts figuring out what's next. Prior to SPC, Ruchi was the first female executive at Dropbox and served as their Vice President of Operations. Prior to Dropbox, Ruchi was the first female engineer at Facebook, and was instrumental in implementing the first versions of key features like News Feed, Facebook Platform, Facebook Connect and Privacy. Ruchi has also served as a director on the board of Paytm, India’s largest mobile payments platform. Prior to SPC, Ruchi was an active angel investor in 50+ companies including Gusto, Pinterest, Paytm, Brex, Figma, and Stemcentrx.
In Today's Episode with Ruchi Sanghvi:
1.) From First Female Engineer To Community Leader and Fund Manager:
How Ruchi made her way into the world of tech becoming the first female engineer at Facebook?
What were her biggest lessons from her time at Facebook?
What does Ruchi believe makes Mark Zuckerberg the special leader he is?
How did Ruchi's time at Dropbox impact how she operates today?
Does Ruchi agree with the Facebook motto, "move fast and break things"?
2.) Answering Life's Big Questions: Ego, Money, and Insecurity:
What advice did Ruchi's father give her before he passed away that really impacted how Ruchi operates and acts in the world today?
How does Ruchi assess her own relationship to money? How has it changed over time? How does she use a spreadsheet to measure her relationship to money?
Having had such success so young, how does Ruchi approach ego management? When has Ruchi been arrogant in the past? How does she manage her ego today?
What are Ruchi's biggest insecurities today? Why are they?
3.) Will DAOs Replace Venture Capital:
How does Ruchi analyze the crypto fund landscape today? Where are the opportunities?
Does Ruchi believe that large multi-stage firms can simply hire crypto partners and win in the new world of Web3 and crypto?
How does Ruchi believe DAOs will disrupt the venture model today? Will DAOs displace institutional LP dollars from venture funds and be directed to DAOs?
How are DAOs governed today? Who makes the decisions? How are tokens allocated?
4.) -1 to Zero: The Art of the Pick:
What does Ruchi mean when she speaks of -1 to zero? What stage of company formation is this?
What is the right framework by which founders should approach picking an idea to work on?
How should a founder know when to give up and try a new idea?
What are the most common mistakes founders make in this stage of idea picking?
The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch 
