Ajay Agarwal, Ben Lerer, and Dan Kimerling discuss portfolio companies that failed, including Bloom Reach's struggle with Google's algorithms, a cautionary tale of charismatic founders who mishandled finances, and the negative consequences of ignoring feedback in early stage investments. They also explore common reasons for failure, such as founder disinterest and lack of product-market financing alignment.

Ajay Agarwal, Partner at Bain Capital, shares his expertise in venture investment within enterprise software. He discusses the evolution from sales-driven to product-driven company culture, emphasizing the potential profitability of software. The conversation veers into the challenges of capitalism and declining social mobility, and Ajay highlights his successful investments, such as FourKites, while lamenting missed opportunities like Pinterest. The dialogue also touches on the transformative power of entrepreneurship and the critical importance of gross margin in the software industry.

Ajay Agarwal from Bain Capital Ventures discusses the difference between SaaS and Enterprise Software, the impact of cloud software on sales cycles, how startups can know when to release their MVP, achieving product-market fit, the importance of customer success in SaaS, and the future of zenefits. Explore the $10bn opportunity in marketing and the significance of a system of record for building a billion-dollar company.