The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

20VC: The Biggest Mistakes Startups Make Hiring, The 2 Reasons Startups Fail and How to Avoid Them, Why Most Startup Equity Plans are F****** and Why You Should Scrap Titles From Your Company with Eddie Vivas, Founder & CEO @ Curated

Apr 1, 2022

Eddie Vivas, Co-founder and CEO of Curated, shares insights from his journey in tech and angel investing. He reveals the 'aha moment' that led to Curated's founding and emphasizes the importance of hiring 'missionaries, not mercenaries.' Eddie discusses the pitfalls of rushing to scale and how building in-house tools can enhance a startup's strategic value. He also addresses common mistakes startups make in their equity plans and hiring processes, offering advice on creating a sustainable work culture while navigating growth challenges.

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ANECDOTE

From Warehouse to Websites

Eddie Vivas dropped out of high school and worked in a warehouse.
He then built a successful recipe website and reinvested the profits into his first company.

ANECDOTE

Ski Trip Inspiration

Eddie Vivas had a bad skiing experience due to using the wrong equipment.
This inspired him to create Curated, a platform connecting consumers with experts for advice.

ADVICE

Prioritize Long-Term Growth

Avoid prioritizing late nights at the office as a measure of productivity.
Focus on long-term company building and employee well-being instead.

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Eduardo Vivas is the Co-Founder and CEO @ Curated, a network where product experts monetize their passion and help consumers make the perfect purchase. To date, Eddie has raised over $141M from some of the best including CapitalG, Greylock and Forerunner to name a few. Eddie is also a stellar angel investor with a portfolio including Telegram, Truebill, AppLovin and Dollar Shave Club among others. Prior to Curated, Eddie spent 3 years at Linkedin as Head of Talent Solutions, following his startup, Bright, being acquired by them in 2014.

In Today’s Episode with Eddie Vivas You Will Learn:

1.) The Founding of Curated:

What was the aha moment for Eddie with Curated?
What were Eddie's biggest takeaways from his prior companies? What did he take with him that worked? What did he disregard that did not work?
What were some of Eddie's biggest lessons from Linkedin? How did it impact his mindset?

2.) The Compound Startup:

Why did Eddie decide it was right to build so much of the tooling themselves?
How does Eddie determine when to buy vs build?
What are the biggest mistakes Eddie sees founders making when building multiple internal tools at the same time?
How does build a compound startup increase the strategic value of a company?

3.) Hiring: Missionaries not Mercenaries

How does Eddie structure his hiring process at Curated? Why does he not believe that startups are for everyone?
What are the biggest signals that a person is a missionary and not a mercenary? How do mercenaries act in a way that is different to missionaries?
What questions in an interview process show these traits?
What are some of the biggest mistakes Eddie has made when hiring?

4.) Equity and Compensation:

What is Eddie's biggest advice to founders when it comes to equity allocations for the team?
Why does Eddie believe it is crucial to offer and provide secondaries for the team?
How does Eddie feel about the amount of secondaries founders take today so early?

Item’s Mentioned In Today’s Episode with Eddie Vivas

Eddie’s Favourite Book: Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions