Village Global Podcast

In this engaging discussion, Magnus Sandstrom and Debbie Wiss from Swing Search share their vast expertise in go-to-market strategies. They highlight common pitfalls, like hiring overly senior talent too early and the misunderstanding of product-market fit. Founders often remain essential in sales, even at $100M companies. The duo emphasizes the importance of hiring two founding AEs for competition and resilience. They also delve into the nuances of marketing roles and the critical need for clear processes in onboarding. Tune in for actionable insights!

Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and venture capitalist, and Eric Yuan, founder and CEO of Zoom, dive into the dynamics of startups in the AI landscape. They emphasize the importance of focusing on peripheral areas where big tech is less dominant. Eric points out that small teams can swiftly leverage AI for innovation, while both note that enterprises are slower to adopt AI due to various concerns. They share strategies for startups to effectively sell AI solutions to businesses by involving customers and leveraging unique data.

Eric Yuan, CEO of Zoom and AI communication innovator, teams up with Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder and seasoned investor, to explore the future of work. They dive into fascinating topics like digital twins that can participate in meetings on your behalf. Reid adds insights on how startups can compete against big platforms by leveraging niche advantages. The duo addresses the importance of trust in selling AI to enterprises and the necessity for startups to embed customer feedback into their innovation process to ensure long-term success.

This is a short excerpt from our full conversation with Airtable founder and CEO Howie Liu. Watch the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCR-zFXiXKA&t=2sHowie spent 2.5 years building Airtable before launching – and only talked to about a dozen customers in that time.In this clip, he explains why that approach made sense for a platform company, and how founders can validate ideas without drowning in customer discovery.

Van Jones is a political commentator, author, and former Obama White House advisor. Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins is founder and CEO of Promise, a software company transforming how governments deliver services to people in need. They joined the Village Global team to discuss what founders building in complex sectors need to know about power, narrative, and influence. Takeaways:Political people often operate on emotion and relationships, rather than rationality. When selling to the government, demonstrating genuine care matters more than demonstrating expertise.Relationships precede transactions. Government buyers want to feel like partners in solving a problem, not targets of a sales pitch. Staff them like a colleague, not a customer.Authenticity cannot be manufactured. Know your (and your company’s) deep "why" and let it show. People can always tell when you're running a script on them.Fame and brand are a hack for time. Walking into a room where people already know and trust you changes everything about the conversation that follows.Your founding story is a strategic asset. People want to belong to something meaningful. A compelling origin story turns government contacts into advocates who champion you behind closed doors.Find the sliver of alignment. Working with someone you disagree with on nine out of ten issues can still yield results if you're aligned on the one thing that matters. Principled, narrow partnerships can achieve what ideological purity cannot.For mission-driven companies, revenue is how you measure impact. If your product serves the mission, making more money means helping more people.Choose investors like you'd choose a spouse. Turning down better terms to work with people you trust pays off. When a crisis hits or you need to pivot, those relationships let you make the best decision for the company without panic.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at www.villageglobal.com or get in touch with us on X @villageglobal.Want to get updates from us? Subscribe to get a peek inside the Village. We'll send you reading recommendations, exclusive event invites, and commentary on the latest happenings in Silicon Valley. www.villageglobal.com/signup

Jennifer Tejada is CEO of PagerDuty, a public company serving 30,000+ customers worldwide. She joined Village Global GP Ben Casnocha for a masterclass on scaling in the AI era, followed by live feedback sessions with four founders building AI-native companies.Takeaways:Enterprise sentiment has shifted from “fear of missing out” to “fear of getting in.” Customers are anxious about security, resilience, and managing the people transition.Know what gets your customer promoted and what gets them fired. Different personas care about different things. A CIO has different anxieties than a developer or CMO.Pricing is a strategic foundation, not a tactical enabler. Start with value realization for the customer, then build pricing metrics that tie back to that value. Consumption-based models are popular, but predictability matters more than novelty.Transparency is becoming an expectation. Customers want instrumentation in your product that makes their consumption and costs visible. Nobody likes surprises when managing margins.The AI transformation is moving faster than any previous shift. Old playbooks don't always apply. The people willing to embrace change and experiment with new ways of operating will win faster.Build your CEO village. Having a trusted network of other CEOs who understand the unique pressures of the role makes all the difference. Invest in that community on a daily basis.Psychology matters in people transitions. Asking employees to use AI to replace themselves won't work. Think differently about how you organize to get work done while helping people transition to where they can add value.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at www.villageglobal.com or get in touch with us on X @villageglobal.Want to get updates from us? Subscribe to get a peek inside the Village. We'll send you reading recommendations, exclusive event invites, and commentary on the latest happenings in Silicon Valley. www.villageglobal.com/signup

Amjad Masad, the founder and CEO of Replit, and Yohei Nakajima, Managing Partner at Untapped Capital, dive into the evolving world of AI agents. They discuss how AI agents are becoming adept at complex tasks but still face challenges in high-context situations. The efficiency of Replit allows users to develop full applications swiftly, regardless of coding experience. They also emphasize traits like curiosity and grit over mere technical prowess. Furthermore, they explore the shift from general to specialized AI agents, predicting significant changes with the rise of artificial general intelligence.

Kristen Ostro, Founder and CEO of Strut Consulting, has a rich background in venture capital, trained under industry icon Dick Kramlich at NEA. She discusses the importance of establishing a clear mission, vision, and values (MVV) framework for venture capital firms to align their cultures and attract talent. Kristen highlights common pitfalls when firms neglect the MVV exercise and shares actionable tips for embedding these principles into hiring and branding. Her insights offer a transformative roadmap for building resilient and values-driven organizations in a competitive landscape.

Ezra Roizen, General Manager of Advsr and author of "The Magic Box Paradigm," brings deep expertise in startups and M&A to the conversation. He introduces his innovative framework that emphasizes building strategic relationships over traditional sales tactics for successful exits. Roizen shares critical lessons learned from his journey through entrepreneurship and investment banking, discusses the evolving role of technology in M&A, and highlights the importance of identifying unique value propositions. Listeners gain actionable insights on navigating the complex M&A landscape.

Abhay Parasnis, founder and CEO of Typeface and former CTO/CPO at Adobe, shares his expertise in AI strategy and enterprise sales. He explores how startups can create effective partnerships with tech giants like Microsoft and Google to enhance their market presence. Abhay discusses the importance of understanding enterprise needs and adapting to macro strategies when selling. He also emphasizes the role of consultative partnerships in AI implementation and the significance of starting small with custom data training for long-term differentiation.