Acquired The Zoom IPO (with Santi Subotovsky)
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Jun 19, 2019 Santi Subotovsky, a general partner at Emergence Capital and a board member at Zoom, shares the remarkable underdog story of Zoom's IPO. He recounts how founder Eric Yuan transitioned from a non-English speaking immigrant to a celebrated CEO. The discussion highlights Zoom's evolution from a startup into a major player in video conferencing, its unique market advantages, and the role of customer feedback in its success. Santi also reflects on the challenges faced by underrepresented individuals in tech, emphasizing resilience and innovation.
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Zoom as a Bridge
- Zoom bridges eras in Silicon Valley, blending old-school enterprise software with the new wave of IPOs.
- It also connects Silicon Valley with the rising Chinese tech ecosystem.
Early Entrepreneurial Spirit
- Eric Yuan collected and sold construction waste as a child to extract and sell copper.
- He nearly burned down his neighbor's house in the process.
Nine Visa Applications
- Inspired by Bill Gates' vision of the information superhighway, Eric Yuan decided to move to Silicon Valley.
- He applied for a US visa nine times before finally getting accepted.