Grit

#189 Co-Founder Watershed, Taylor Francis: Worthy Missions

May 6, 2024

01:00:03

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Taylor Francis, co-founder of Watershed, discusses the urgent need to combat climate change, the founding of Watershed to help companies reduce emissions, challenges in hiring, the importance of shared context in a co-founder trio, and the evolving landscape of sustainability reporting in business.

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Quick takeaways

Having a magnetic mission can drive a company forward with energy and motivation.

Attracting top talent is facilitated by aligning recruitment with the company's impactful mission.

Challenging company objectives can attract exceptional talent due to the allure of tackling complex problems.

Deep dives

Importance of Three Co-Founders

Running a company with three co-founders is seen as an advantage due to the varied levels of energy each person brings. With three co-founders, there is always someone in an energetic state to drive the company forward. The emotional and motivational support among three co-founders helps in navigating the complexities of entrepreneurship.

Introduction

2min

Attracting Exceptional Talent with a Climate Mission

7min

Journey to Secure the First Customer and Customer Validation

23min

Navigating Roles and Responsibilities in a Three-Co-Founder Company

19min

Navigating the Emerging Landscape of Sustainability and Climate Reporting in Business

2min

Balancing Speed, Thoughtfulness, and Customer Success in Business Growth

5min

Reflecting on Progress, Hiring Needs, and Defining Grit

3min

Guest: Taylor Francis, co-founder of Watershed

One day when he was 13, Taylor Francis walked out of the movie theater, and he was pissed off. He had just seen Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth and internalized a “generational call to arms, that my parents had screwed our generation” by causing the climate crisis, he says. 14 years later, he was working at Stripe and felt another call to arms: The 2020s would be a crucial decade for slashing carbon emissions and combating global warming. So, he and his co-founders Avi Itskovich and Christian Anderson all left Stripe to start Watershed, which helps companies measure and reduce their emissions.

In this episode, Taylor and Joubin discuss Patrick Collison, Dan Miller-Smith, hiring challenges, Jonathan Neman, “golden age syndrome,” John Doerr and Mike Moritz, the Climate Reality Project, steady partnerships, DRI cultures, shared context, social distancing, information sprawl, and the founders’ “woe is me” narrative.

Chapters:

(01:02) - Magnetic missions
(06:40) - How enterprise sustainability works
(08:40) - Watershed’s first client, Sweetgreen
(11:04) - Reflecting on the early days
(16:36) - Al Gore and An Inconvenient Truth
(18:53) - Mobilizing teenagers
(22:16) - The origins of Watershed
(27:04) - Leaving Stripe and raising money
(31:41) - Interchangeable co-founders
(33:06) - The ground truth
(35:25) - The Dunbar Number
(38:22) - Watershed’s operating principles
(41:56) - Intensity, priorities, and sacrifice
(47:37) - Moving faster
(50:26) - Sustainability is a part of business
(52:21) - The topology of emissions
(58:08) - Who Watershed is hiring

Links:

Connect with Taylor
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
Connect with Joubin
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
- Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins
This episode was edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod.fm

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