a16z Live

Bob Moore, CEO of Crossbeam, discusses ecosystem-led growth and the data revolution in partnerships. They delve into ecosystem-qualified leads, integrating GTM motions, and ELG as an AI force multiplier. Sarah Wang and Bob Moore explore leveraging partnerships for improved acquisition, expansion, and access to new markets.

CEO of Quora Adam D’Angelo discusses how building infrastructure for creators can democratize AI, in conversation with a16z’s David George. [01:07] Social networks as compliment to AI[03:59] Poe: bringing AI to the masses[05:51] The future of AI is multi-model and multimodal[08:11] Is the model the product?[11:31] Building AI infrastructure for creators[13:41] Navigating platform shifts[16:02] Sharing human- and computer-generated knowledge[17:43] Knowledge sharing on the internet[20:41] The benefits of scale for AI[21:59] Competing on scale or feature differentiation[25:01] Fault tolerance as a wedge for startupsThis conversation is part of our AI Revolution series, which features some of the most impactful builders in the field of AI discussing and debating where we are, where we’re going, and the big open questions in AI. Find more content from our AI Revolution series on www.a16z.com/AIRevolution.

Hiring executives can be daunting for founders. In this podcast, a16z talent partner and executive search process experts discuss assessing talent, measuring success in talent assessment, referencing, personal growth vs. mistakes, vetting EQ, hiring veterans for startups, talent landscape in 2024, recruiting top talent in a tight market, and the value of tough feedback.

Garrett Langley, Co-founder of Flock Safety, discusses building trust with communities through technology. The podcast explores Flock Safety's impact on public safety, product roadmap, drones as first responders, data privacy, and the future of tech in public safety.

In this episode, a16z partner Seema Amble talks with Dimitri Dadiomov, the co-founder and CEO of payment operations platform Modern Treasury, about the challenges of creating a new category, hiring for marketing before you hire for sales, and why developing new features is similar to birding.0:00 - 1:20 Intro1:20 - 8:55 The founding of Modern Treasury8:55 - 15:28 First customers15:28 - 20:07 Building trust20:07 - 32:00 Creating a category32:00 - 35:28 Advice for founders/Outro

In this podcast, Zach Perret, Co-founder of Plaid, discusses the early days of Plaid and how they built a supportive builder community. Topics include targeting initial customers, pricing philosophy, creating personal relationships, and the importance of feedback.

Jason Gardner, Co-founder of Marqeta, shares the beginning of Marqeta and their first customers. They discuss the challenge of finding product market fit and how to build customer relationships. Lastly, Jason gives advice to early stage founders on various topics including hiring and fundraising.

Waseem Daher, Co-founder of Pilot, discusses Pilot's beginning, first customers, pricing, building a GTM team, advice for founders. They delve into their approach to targeting the right customers, founder-led sales, and the importance of shipping a product quickly.

Sales wants more features. Product gets bogged down with one-off requests. Progress and growth grinds to a halt. It's a familiar story. How Segment turned the sales-product tension into a successful $3.2B acquisition, as told by the former CRO Joe Morrissey and former chief product development officer Tido Carriero.[00:01:29] Joe's start as CRO[00:03:40] The low point: annual planning[00:07:59] Building a more focused product roadmap[00:10:57] Why GTM feedback is essential to building great product[00:13:04] Identifying value drivers in 48 hours[00:19:11] How technical should sales be?[00:20:44] How annual planning changed day-to-day operations[00:22:57] Segment's Lighthouse program[00:24:54] Reorging to deliver on new product priorities[00:27:14] How engineering helped develop the product roadmap[00:29:18] Leading a platform initiativeThis conversation was recorded at ELC 2023. To read a transcript of this conversation, click here. For more about value-based selling and moving upmarket, check out Getting Ready to Move Upmarket and The Key to Selling in a Downturn. .

In a new episode of My First 16, a16z partner Seema Amble talks with co-founder and CEO of Mercury Immad Akhund about the idea of a “minimum delightful product” in fintech, doing the spreadsheet math on unit economics early on, and how to compete in a category already filled with incumbents. 0:00 - 1:28 Introduction1:28 - 9:14 History of Mercury9:14 - 19:07 Mercury's first customers19:07 - 22:15 Scaling up22:15 - 25:48 Pricing journey25:48 - 31:37 Lessons and advice