Former CEO of OpenTable, Jeff Jordan, and former Head Managing Director and Head of Equity Capital Markets at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, J.D. Moriarty, discuss the complexities surrounding IPOs, including pricing, allocations, and timing unpredictability. They share insights on the challenges faced during the Open Table IPO amidst the financial crisis, the role of momentum investors and boards in the IPO process, and the preparation phase for IPOs. The speakers also explore the pressure of being a public company and the importance of clear communication.

In this hallway-style conversation with a16z's Margit Wennmachers, longtime operating partner for Marketing, and Kim Milosevich, CMO for a16z crypto, open up the black box of crisis communications with Sonal Choksi and explore the process and mindsets before, during, and after a crisis.They discuss common FAQs like: What constitutes a crisis? Can someone inside a company "call it" early and prevent a crisis from becoming a bigger deal? How do you respond when there's a lag or too much time between acknowledging the issue and finding out all the facts? Who should be in the (war) room ? Should you share the off-the-record background story with reporters? How do you know when a crisis begins and ends -- or that you're ready for a "comeback" story? We explore all this and more.