Dr. Julie Gurner, an acclaimed executive coach compared to Billions' Wendy Rhoades, shares her expertise on high-level performance. She discusses the fine line between 'good crazy' and 'bad crazy' in achievers and when rule-bending can be a double-edged sword. Dr. Gurner emphasizes the role of confidence and the importance of vulnerability in leadership. She also highlights how top performers reframe failure as a learning experience and encourages embracing discomfort for true growth. Her insights are a treasure trove for aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs.

Jack Altman, co-founder and former CEO of Lattice, now invests full-time with Alt Capital. He shares how joining a startup post-product-market fit can be the best career move. Alt discusses crucial insights from scaling Lattice and the top traits every founder should possess. He reflects on his fundraising missteps and emphasizes the importance of building products for long-term use. Transitioning into investing, Alt highlights his passion for supporting startups while navigating the complexities of the tech ecosystem.

David George, General Partner at a16z, shares his journey in growth investing and the strategic dynamics of the tech and healthcare sectors. He discusses what distinguishes a16z's approach to investments, emphasizing the importance of product uniqueness and market insights. David highlights the lessons from investing in Figma, offering a unique perspective on evaluating companies. He also addresses the balance of R&D and go-to-market spending and shares his thoughts on the evolving landscape of AI and its impact on future investments.

Sterling Snow, the former CRO of Divvy and now CEO of Redo, teams up with Redo founder Taylor Brown to reshape customer experiences in Utah. They discuss how Redo evolved from a returns management tool to an all-encompassing platform. Sterling shares insights on maintaining operational efficiency while driving revenue growth, and the importance of building a committed team. With ambitious goals, they envision Redo achieving billion-dollar revenue by revolutionizing how merchants and shoppers interact.

Kaz Nejatian, COO of Shopify, shares his journey from Iran to Canada, his tech passion, and why Shopify ditched meetings. Topics include product culture, hiring unique talent, marriage's career benefits, and the power of prayer for CEOs.

Blake Murray, Divvy CEO, shares insights on building a successful startup. Topics include: identifying a big idea, creating a world-class team, selling before building, hiring like-minded individuals, building a performance culture, sacrificing for upside, and seeking loyal investors. Learn about Divvy's journey to success and valuable founder advice.

Guest Scott Sandell, NEA's Executive Chairman, shares his investment philosophy, emphasizing understanding founders' life stories and future goals. Topics include characteristics of unicorn founders, passion-driven missionaries, purposeful growth at Tableau, navigating board relationships, and the era of decreasing LP commitments.

Jake Gibson, co-founder of NerdWallet, and Sheel Mohnot, founder of FeeFighter, discuss fintech trends. They touch on starting companies during the 2008 crisis, SEO strategies, launching Better Tomorrow Ventures, pandemic-induced fintech surge, embedded fintech future, and changing bank profit pools. They also share their nominees for best operators and investors.

Immad Akhund, CEO of Mercury and serial entrepreneur, discusses the early days of Mercury, the neobank industry, advice on operating, and his strategies on investing. Topics include launching Mercury, the SVB fallout, AI hype cycle, and operating advice like the six-year vesting plan.

Andreessen Horowitz General Partner Alex Rampell may be the most true version of an investor-operator. Alex's first entrepreneurial endeavor started as a child when he built and sold shareware out of his parent's house. Eventually he added more businesses to his portfolio before launching the payment platform TrialPay after college and eventually Affirm. Today, Alex invests in some of the largest companies at Andreessen Horowitz and he shares with Tyler and Sterling what he looks for in entrepreneurs and shares tactical advice from his days building. Chapters: (00:03:00) How Alex Started His First Company in Middle School(00:14:46) Investing in People: The Key to Startup Success(00:18:33) Building Relationships for Business Success(00:21:23) The Advantage of Naivete in Entrepreneurship(00:26:41) Interconnected Attributes for Building a Successful Business(00:28:44) Building a Strong Entrepreneurial Framework(00:36:04) Mitigating Risk of Overdependence on Initial Customers(00:42:20) The Battle for Market Dominance(00:46:05) The Crucial Role of Distribution for Startups(00:57:17) The Challenge of Convincing Buyers(01:00:38) Leveraging fear to drive successful acquisitions