In this episode of The Data Minute, Peter Walker (Head of Insights at Carta) sits down with Brianne Kimmel, founder and managing partner at Worklife Ventures, to explore what it really takes to build enduring companies in today’s AI-first startup landscape.

They discuss the new playbook for go-to-market, why “renewals are the new revenue,” and how modern founders are raising—and deploying—capital differently. Brianne brings a tactical lens to everything from strategic hiring and secondaries to the shift toward multi-product strategies earlier in a startup’s life cycle. Plus, she shares her hot take on failure, why founder-LP relationships are more personal than ever, and how Worklife approaches DPI with intention.

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Chapters:
00:00 Welcome & intro
01:22 Introducing Brianne Kimmel
03:14 AI-first GTM: What’s changed?
07:50 Raising strategically in a competitive landscape
10:46 The importance of failure—and knowing when to quit
13:12 Why companies can’t wait to go multi-product
17:00 Lean teams and smart hiring
24:22 Starting Worklife
30:00 Fund strategy and founder support
35:50 Delivering DPI the right way
42:00 Relationships with LPs
45:00 Angel investing as a community builder
48:30 The vision behind Worklife
53:10 Rethinking what VCs can do
58:05 Outro

This presentation contains general information only and eShares, Inc. dba Carta, Inc. (“Carta”) is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or other professional advice or services, and is for informational purposes only. This presentation is not a substitute for such professional advice or services nor should it be used as a basis for any decision or action that may affect your business or interests. © 2025 eShares, Inc., dba Carta, Inc. All rights reserved.

Nao Tomabechi

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