

Greymatter
Greylock Partners
How do tech startups go from idea…to iconic? Greymatter’s weekly podcast features interviews with VCs, founders, and tech visionaries on everything from AI, marketplaces, and cybersecurity as well as company-building strategies like growth, finding product-market-fit, and recruiting top talent. Founders and VCs offer candid accounts of success, failure, and adaptation. Greymatter delivers practical insights mixed with the bold optimism that defines entrepreneurship.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 12, 2021 • 13min
Jerry Chen | Open Source vs. Cloud Castles
This episode is the audio version of the essay "Open Source vs Cloud Castles", by Greylock general partner Jerry Chen. In this essay (which is read by Greylock's head of content and editorial Heather Mack), Jerry continues his discussion of strategies startups can explore to compete – and win – against the Big 3 Cloud providers. This essay is part of Greylock's Castles in the Cloud project. You can find the essay here: https://greylock.com/greymatter/open-source-vs-cloud-castles/
The entire Castles in the Cloud project can be found here: https://greylock.com/castles/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 5, 2021 • 33min
Gem | Searching with Purpose
Steve Bartel and Nick Bushak, co-founders of recruiting platform startup Gem, join Greylock Head of Content & Editorial Heather Mack to discuss how they are solving a crucial pain point in the modern hiring ecosystem: providing a tool to proactively search for and manage relationships with passive talent. Gem, which was launched in 2017, now works with more than 800 customers across multiple industries. The company just raised $100 million in Series C funding, valuing the company at $1.2 billion. You can read a transcript of this episode here: https://greylock.com/greymatter/searching-with-purpose/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 28, 2021 • 37min
Holly Rose Faith | Executive Recruiting Playbook
Greylock executive talent partner Holly Rose Faith provides her playbook for recruiting and hiring high-level talent. Faith, who has helped land executive hires for startups such as Roblox, Nextdoor, and Databricks, says it all comes down to having a solid system in place for each step of the process. This episode is part of Greylock's Brain Trust podcast series, which provides candid lessons and business advice from the most savvy experts in their spheres of specialization. You can read the transcript of this conversation here: https://bit.ly/2Y0n61K Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 21, 2021 • 6min
$500M for Seeds | Greylock's New Pool of Capital for Day One Investments
Greylock has raised $500 million dollars dedicated to seed investing. This is the industry’s largest pool of venture capital dedicated to backing founders at day one. Greylock Head of Editorial Heather Mack reads the audio version of our post announcing the new capital. You can read the post here: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 14, 2021 • 43min
Wisetack | Fintech for the Real World
A re-broadcast of our episode featuring fintech startup Wisetack. The company, which was incubated at Greylock and launched in 2019, recently raised a $45 million Series B round. Wisetack provides financing platform for in-person services like home or auto repair businesses, enabling them to offer customers the option to buy now and pay later. Greylock general partner and Wisetack board member Josh McFarland spoke with Wisetack co-founders Bobby Tzekin and Liz O'Donnell in February, when the company announced its Series A. You can read the blog post and transcript to this episode here: https://greylock.com/greymatter/wisetack-fintech-for-the-real-world/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 7, 2021 • 49min
J.J. Abrams | Future Follows Fiction
Filmmaker J.J. Abrams joins Greylock general partner Reid Hoffman for a discussion on the ways science fiction and real-world technology take inspiration from one another; how to recognize a good idea when you see one; and the gravity of being behind any innovation that affects society on a large scale. This interview was part of Greylock's Iconversations virtual speaker series. You can read the essay and transcript of this episode here. https://greylock.com/greymatter/future-follows-fiction/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 31, 2021 • 17min
Corinne Riley | Funding the Cloud Challengers
Audio version of the essay by Greylock investors Corinne Riley and Jerry Chen entitled "Funding the Cloud Challengers." This essay, which is part of Greylock's Castles in the Cloud series, analyzes the top venture capital cloud investing trends since 2019. You can read the essay at https://greylock.com/greymatter/funding-the-cloud-challengers/, and find the entire project at greylock.com/castles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 31, 2021 • 14min
Jerry Chen | How to Break Up Big Cloud's Dominance
Audio version of Greylock general partner Jerry Chen's essay "How to Break Up Big Cloud's Dominance," read by Greylock Head of Editorial Heather Mack. This essay, which outlines strategies startups can take to compete with the Big 3 cloud providers, is part of our Castles in the Cloud project. You can read the essay at https://greylock.com/greymatter/how-to-break-up-big-clouds-dominance/, and find the entire project at greylock.com/castles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 31, 2021 • 7min
Jerry Chen | Castles in the Cloud
The audio version of Greylock general partner Jerry Chen's essay introducing Castles in the Cloud, which is Greylock’s interactive project to map multiple data points of the cloud computing ecosystem — and plots new opportunities for success. Greylock marketing partner Elisa Schreiber reads the essay. You can read the essay at https://greylock.com/greymatter/castles-in-the-cloud/, and find the entire project at greylock.com/castles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 24, 2021 • 55min
Mellody Hobson | Security in Knowledge
A re-broadcast of our episode featuring Ariel Investments president and co-CEO Mellody Hobson, who spoke with Greylock general partner Reid Hoffman as part of Greylock's Inconversations speaker series. Hobson is also the chair of the board of Starbucks Corporation as well as a director at JP Morgan Chase, and is an avid philanthropist and educator. Hobson, who is the only Black woman to chair a Fortune 500 company, is an ardent proponent of financial literacy and an outspoken champion for inclusivity. She shared her views on what it will take to significantly diversify the demographics of the business world; her experience as an investor and board member; and her goals for newly launched private asset management firm Ariel Alternatives, which will focus on scaling sustainable minority-owned businesses to serve as the suppliers to Fortune 500 companies. You can read a summary and transcript of the podcast here: https://greylock.com/greymatter/security-in-knowledge/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices