My First Million

Greatest Hits #4 - How To Sell Your Company for $750M - Meet Vungle's Jack Smith

Jun 1, 2021

Jack Smith, co-founder of Vungle and a serial entrepreneur, shares his journey from selling prank itching powder as a kid to selling Vungle for $750 million. He discusses his clever 'LinkedIn Hack' that led to his first investment and reflects on the challenges of fundraising, emphasizing curiosity and unconventional networking. Jack also critiques Silicon Valley norms while sharing his insights on fundraising strategies and navigating stock sales post-departure. His story is a testament to innovation, resilience, and embracing a beginner's mindset.

55:50

Episode guests

Jack Smith

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Private equity firm Blackstone set to acquire company for $750 million

01:23

Using LinkedIn Ads to Target Connections and Exploit Manual Ad Reviews

00:53

Intro

5min

From Itchy Bombs to Acquisitions

8min

Exploring Opportunities Through Curiosity

6min

Effective Outreach and User-Friendly CRM Solutions

3min

From Pitches to Breakthroughs: A Startup's Journey

23min

Navigating Founders' Dynamics and Breaking Silicon Valley Norms

3min

Navigating Stock Sales Post-Departure

6min

Entrepreneurial Strategies: Opening Doors to Opportunities

3min

Jack Smith (@_jacksmith) is the most clever entrepreneur I know. He’s cofounded multiple startups: Vungle, Coin, Shyp. With Vungle recently selling for $750M, we talk about his early businesses as a kid, selling prank itching powder on the playground - all the way to his infamous “LinkedIn Hack” that got him his first $120k investment check.

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Show notes:

* (1:05) Episode Intro by Sam

* (4:10) Who is Jack Smith?

* (9:30) How Jack hustled as a 12-year-old

* (13:55) Jack on productivity and procrastination

* (21:26) How Jack raised for Vungle

* (31:13) How Shaan got his in at Monkey Inferno

* (35:16) The early iterations of Vungle

* (41:37) How Jack leveraged his beginner's mindset

* (45:19) Jack on VC norms & selling his stock

* (49:44) What Jack would do if he was 20 again

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