Anu Hariharan

Anu Hariharan from YCombinator's Continuity fund is one of Silicon Valley's top experts on network effects and how they can be applied to all types of different businesses. In this interview, Mike Maples of Floodgate talks to Anu about how a raw startup can design network effects into its business as a core strategy from the very beginning.  Check out the Pattern Breakers Blog at patternbreakers.substack.com for even more Pattern Breaking content from Mike.   Mike's book Pattern Breakers is available now wherever you buy books. Follow Mike on X!

Companies don’t stay small on purpose. So how can you scale faster? Anu Hariharan (Gusto, Instacart) discusses the growing pains of going from start-up to success, how to grow as a builder and a manager, the importance of ruthless prioritization, and shares new technologies to help SMBs unlock their operations, and customer support.    LINKS & MENTIONS FROM THIS EPISODE Tech to help SMBs: Brex https://www.brex.com Stripe Atlas https://stripe.com/atlas  Gusto https://gusto.com/product Amplitude https://amplitude.com Mix Panel https://mixpanel.com Live Flow https://www.liveflow.io Keeper https://www.keeper.app Plan Grid https://construction.autodesk.com/products/autodesk-plangrid-build/ Mutiny https://www.mutinyhq.com Canva https://www.canva.com/ Other Mentions by Anu: DoorDash https://www.doordash.com  Faire https://www.faire.com  NVIDIA https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/ Boom https://boomsupersonic.com Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System by Satoshi Nakamoto https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf   CONNECT Learn more about Anu’s role as Managing Director of YC Continuity Fund https://www.ycombinator.com/continuity Anu on twitter https://twitter.com/anuhariharan Anu on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anuhariharan/ Brent on twitter https:/https://twitter.com/BrentBeshore Brent on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentbeshore  David on twitter https://twitter.com/DavidACover David on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-cover-318752230/  Visit https://www.permanentequity.com/ for more Sign up for our weekly newsletter for operators, Permanent Playbook: https://www.permanentequity.com/newsletter  Sign up for a new daily newsletter from our very own Tim Hanson, Unqualified Opinions: https://www.permanentequity.com/unqualified-opinions    TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Who Is Anu? 5:00 This One Time at Capital Camp 6:19 Characteristics of a Successful Founder 11:01 The Two Stages of Scaling 13:02 Biggest Mistakes Founders Make 17:12 Hiring From the Outside vs Internal Development 20:37 Learning How to Deal with People 20:04 Builders vs Managers 27:16 How to Hire a Builder 30:39 Why Do Companies Fail? 32:35 What Silicon Valley Has Lost 34:51 Dealing With Stress 37:22 What it Takes to Succeed  40:47 Helpful Tech for SMB 46:54 Emerging Technology 48:33 Lightning Round Hariharan Hot Takes 60:43 How to Win in 2023 and Beyond 64:24 What Drives You 66:36 Where We're Going 68:01 Legal Disclaimer   EPISODE CREDITS Produced by David Cover Intro music by David Cover, Andy Freeman, Rhett Johnson, & Andrew Luley Outro music by Jees Guy   LEGAL DISCLAIMER This podcast is made available solely for educational purposes, and the information presented here does not constitute investment, legal, tax or other professional advice, and should not be construed as an offering of advisory services, or as a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any securities or other financial instruments. The thoughts and opinions expressed by or through this podcast are those of the individual guests and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Permanent Equity. The discussion on this podcast of any entity, product or service does not imply an endorsement thereof, and the guests may have a financial interest, whether through investment or otherwise, in one or more of any such entities, products or services. This podcast is presented by Permanent Equity and may not be copied, reproduced, republished or posted, in any form, without its express written consent.  

Packy McCormick, a prolific writer and investor behind the "Not Boring" newsletter, shares insights from the lively Idea Dinner. He discusses investment ideas from tech to real estate, analyzing key players like Snowflake and Opendoor with humor. Anu Hariharan, managing partner at Y Combinator's Continuity Fund, offers a unique perspective on late-stage investments, emphasizing community and peer learning. Together, they reflect on the evolving venture capital landscape and the importance of narratives in investing.

Anu Hariharan, a partner at Y Combinator's Continuity Fund and former investment partner at Andreessen Horowitz, shares her expertise in growth investing. She discusses the significance of evaluating growth-stage businesses through their models rather than industries, highlighting success stories like DoorDash and Airbnb. Anu delves into the exciting opportunities within international markets, particularly in tech and e-commerce, and explores the complexities of valuation during funding rounds. Her insights on the future of the internet economy are a must-listen for any aspiring investor!

Henrique Dubugras, Co-CEO and co-founder of Brex, teams up with Anu Hariharan, Managing Director at Y Combinator and early Brex investor, to discuss the fintech's tumultuous year. They reveal how Brex pivoted to focus on startups during the pandemic, faced backlash over service changes, and made the tough choice to lay off employees for profitability. They also dive into their new software, Empower, aimed at simplifying compliance, and share insights on navigating competition and attracting talent in a challenging landscape.