The NFX Podcast

null This is The Founders' List - audio versions of essays from technology’s most important leaders, selected by the founder community. This is, ‘Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants’ written by Marc Prensky. Marc Prensky is an American writer and speaker on education. He is best known as the creator of the terms "Digital native" and "digital immigrant" which he will expand on in this famous essay. Read by NFX. Read the full essay here - https://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Lise Buyer, the IPO whisperer, and Pete Flint discuss the shift from private to public investments, rise of mega rounds, and the appeal and risks of SPACs. They explore the impact of the Robin Hood generation on IPOs, transparency for public listings, and share Google's IPO story.

In this episode, guest Kristen O'Brien delves into the Maker Dow project and Dye stablecoin, explaining its protocol, collateral assets, and key external actors. Further discussions cover the Die Savings Rate, governance, risk mitigation, and emergency shutdowns. The future of the protocol and Dye stablecoin use cases are also explored. In December 2017, the white paper introducing Maker and the original decentralized Dai Stablecoin System was published.  It describes the exact design and features of the Dai launch, as well as a roadmap for the future of Dai. The Dai Stablecoin is a collateral-backed cryptocurrency whose value is stable relative to the US Dollar. You can also listen to the Bitcoin and Ethereum white papers on The Founders’ List, at - founderslist.nfx.com Read here - https://makerdao.com/en/whitepaper/ (0:00) Introduction to the Maker Dow project and the Dye stablecoin (4:05) Deep Dive into the Maker Protocol and Dye stablecoin (7:46) Understanding Collateral Assets and Maker Vaults in the Maker Protocol (13:41) Introduction to Key External Actors in the Maker Protocol (17:21) Discussion on the Die Savings Rate (DSR) and Maker Protocol Governance (24:12) Risk Mitigation Strategies in the Maker Protocol (27:14) Emergency Shutdown in the Maker Protocol (30:13) Future of the Maker Protocol and Use Cases of the Die Stablecoin (32:56) Outro: More about NFX Podcast

Julia & Kevin Hartz, the co-founders of Eventbrite, discuss their journey, financing, scaling, and taking their company public via SPAC. They also talk about the impact on team and culture, the rise of SPACs, lessons for founders and CEOs, and adapting to the pandemic with virtual events and community-building.

null This is The Founders' List - audio versions of essays from technology’s most important leaders, selected by the founder community. We’ve recently published a podcast and essay focused on Hamilton Helmer’s 7 Powers book, regarded as a core insight behind the success of companies like Spotify, Netflix, Stripe, and Twilio. For this episode of the Founders’ List, we’ll be sharing notes and personal thoughts on the book titled “Mind the Moat, a 7 Powers Review” by  Flo Crivelo, Founder & CEO of TeamFlow. Read Flo's essay here - https://florentcrivello.com/index.php/2018/07/29/mind-the-moat-a-7-powers-review/

In this episode, James Currier, Jeff Lawson, and Hamilton Helmer delve into the importance of defensibility, the 7 Powers of strategy, and the role of inventiveness. They discuss network economies using Uber as a case study, examine scale economies, and explore the concept of Counter Positioning. They also discuss the challenges for incumbents adapting to new business models, the power of branding, and cornered resources. The episode ends with insights on process power and developing entrepreneurial power. In this special NFX Podcast episode, Jeff Lawson (Co-Founder & CEO at Twilio) interviews Hamilton Helmer to analyze the 7 Powers, getting at the core question: What is it about certain businesses that keeps the force of competition away? Helmer’s framework reveals that you can intentionally craft the conditions for persistent & durable differential returns. 7 Powers is Hamilton’s cognitive guide to building an enduringly great business and breaks fresh ground by constructing a comprehensive strategy toolset that is easy for you to learn, communicate and quickly apply. Hamilton has led over 200 strategy projects with major clients such as Adobe Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Netflix, Raychem, and Spotify. Jeff Lawson is a Co-Founder and CEO at Twilio, a cloud communications platform that adds messaging, voice and video to web and mobile apps. He is a serial inventor with over 15 years of entrepreneurial and product experience. Read the full NFX Essay here - https://www.nfx.com/post/seven-powers/ (0:00) Introduction by James Currier and Importance of Understanding Defensibility (1:27) Jeff Lawson's Skepticism about Strategy and Introduction to the 7 Powers (6:44) Importance of Inventiveness in Strategy and Google Plus's Downfall (9:33) Explanation of Network Economies and Case Study: Uber (13:05) Scale Economies of Uber, Lyft, and Netflix (16:03) Concept and Application of Counter Positioning (21:16) Challenges Incumbents Face When Adapting to New Business Models (23:54) Power of Branding and Differentiation from Brand Awareness (26:10) Discussion on Cornered Resource as a Power (29:08) Introduction and Explanation of Process Power (32:50) How Entrepreneurs Can Develop Power (34:50) Closing Remarks by Jeff Lawson and Hamilton Helmer's Final Thoughts

null This is The Founders' List - audio versions of essays from technology’s most important leaders, selected by the founder community. "We’re on the precipice of a new era of the web. As infinite distractions compete for our attention, companies are learning to master new tactics to stay relevant in users’ minds and lives. The Hook Model is a way of describing a user’s interactions with a product as they pass through four phases: a trigger to begin using the product, an action to satisfy the trigger, a variable reward for the action, and some type of investment that, ultimately, makes the product more valuable to the user. As the user goes through these phases, he builds habits in the process." This essay was written and published by Nir Eyal, best-selling author & professor. Read the full article on Nir's blog here: Read the essay here - https://www.nirandfar.com/how-to-manufacture-desire/

In this episode, Pete Flint, Assaf Wand, and Kristen O'Brien discuss the insurance industry's challenges and innovations. They delve into Wand's learning journey and tactics for idea formation in regulated industries. They also explore Hippo's family-oriented culture, their growth during COVID-19, and the decision to go public via SPAC. The conversation concludes with a look at Hippo's future and their use of data and smart devices to prevent insurance claims. Insurtech is also a space that has become increasingly crowded and more high-profile in recent years. Hippo Insurance uses technology to help homeowners maintain their properties, creating a new standard of care and protection for homeowners. Hippo announced its intention to go public via SPAC in early March of this year that will now give Hippo a valuation of $5B, making it one of the largest insurtechs in the US. Co-Founder & CEO Assaf Wand sits down with NFX Partner Pete Flint to share his Founder story, product mindset, strategy behind the SPAC, and personal frameworks for taking Hippo from idea to IPO. (0:00) Introduction with Kristen O'Brien and Pete Flint (2:03) Challenges and Innovations in the Insurance Industry (10:17) Assaf Wand's Learning Journey in the Insurance Industry (14:08) Tactics and Frameworks for Idea Formation, Validation, and Hiring in a Regulated Industry (24:30) Building a Family-oriented Culture at Hippo (28:32) Navigating Challenges and Growth in the Era of COVID-19 (34:11) Going Public via SPAC: The Rationale Behind Hippo's Decision (43:14) What's in Store for Hippo: Protecting the Joy of Homeownership (48:34) The Core Offering of Hippo: Using Data and Smart Home Devices to Prevent Insurance Claims (49:42) Wrapping up the Conversation with Assaf Wand and Outro

In this episode, James Currier, Austen Allred, and Kristen O'Brien discuss the societal pressures of higher education and the American Dream. They explore Lambda School's role in reshaping education, and the importance of aligning school incentives with student success. The trio compares international education systems, particularly Germany's, and the history and future of online education. They delve into the role of community in education, misunderstood aspects of startup success, and future educational decisions for today's five-year-olds. They wrap up by predicting future job markets. The new American dream is underway. The current US educational industrial complex is not serving young people anymore, and entrepreneurs outside the system are creating new alternatives. Austen Allred, Co-Founder/CEO of Lambda School earned this perspective by dropping out of college, setting his own path, and now building a successful company and movement to change education in our country. Austen sees our educational past, present, and future in ways few others do. In this conversation, James Currier (NFX) and Austen break down traditional and contrarian thinking on how we are educated, challenging what has gone unquestioned for decades: - The Psychology of Traditional College: Why “Normal is a hell of a drug”- Faulty Mechanics: The problem with America’s “Single Model” education system- The New American Dream: How “permissionless learning” unlocks opportunity- & 2 Trends to Watch Read the NFX Essay here - https://www.nfx.com/post/the-new-american-dream/ (0:00) Introduction to the episode and guest, Austin Allred (3:46) The societal pressure of higher education and the American Dream (7:26) The role of Lambda School in reshaping education (11:19) Aligning the incentives of the school with the student's success (14:29) Comparison of international education systems, focusing on Germany (17:54) Online education: Its history, future, and importance of community (23:39) The role of community in education and trends in educational space (25:08) Misunderstood aspects of startup success and the challenges startups face (28:51) Future educational decisions for today's five-year-olds (31:20) Predicting the future job market and wrap-up of the conversation (32:23) Outro by Kristen O'Brien

In this episode, Jeff Bezos and Kristen O'Brien discuss Bezos's vision for Amazon, its value creation for stakeholders, and the company's innovation. They also delve into Amazon's safety improvements and benefits, its initiatives in climate action and renewable energy, and the significance of distinctiveness in business. The episode concludes with a discussion on the CEO transition from Bezos to Andy Jassy. This is The Founders' List - audio versions of essays from technology’s most important leaders, selected by the founder community. In his final letter to shareholders, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Thursday laid out a broad vision for the future of the company, committing to extend Amazon’s famous obsession over its customers to the same level of care for its employees. Bezos also took steps to ease shareholders’ fears about what a reimagined focus for the company might mean for Amazon’s future. He reiterated that it “remains Day 1” and highlighted continued growth at Amazon. Read the letter here - https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/2020-letter-to-shareholders (0:00) Introduction by Kristen O'Brien and discussion on Jeff Bezos's vision for Amazon (4:16) Amazon's value creation for employees, customers, and shareholders (7:01) Analysis of Amazon's innovation and employee relationships (11:00) Amazon's steps towards improving work-related safety and employee benefits (14:20) Amazon's initiatives in climate action and renewable energy investments (19:20) Importance of distinctiveness and continuous effort in business, according to Jeff Bezos (23:04) Transitioning the CEO role from Jeff Bezos to Andy Jassy (23:42) End of episode and closing credits