Spotlight On

Guillermo Rauch, Founder and CEO of Vercel, shares his journey from a young computer enthusiast in Argentina to a trailblazer in web development. He discusses the simplicity of software distribution and how it shaped his vision for Vercel. Topics include Vercel's robust infrastructure that supports e-commerce during peak times, the creation of pivotal tools like Next.js, and the importance of rapid feedback in product development. Rauch emphasizes the role of innovative solutions in connecting lofty ideals with real-world needs, inspiring future tech entrepreneurs.

Patty McCord, author and former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix, and Jessica Neal, former Chief HR Officer and Venture Partner at TCV, dive deep into the evolution of Netflix's groundbreaking culture deck. They discuss its deliberate 'brutal' design, unique compensation strategies, and share what every founder can learn about culture-building. Their insights include navigating the complexities of employee terminations, the importance of effective DEI practices, and how true workplace fulfillment stems from meaningful work, not just perks.

Welcome to a Very Brief Short Report: (kinda) short listens on the biggest ideas in tech right now, from Accel’s Vas Natarajan and Sara Ittelson. This week, Sara and Vas try to make sense of the “chaotic change” happening as they share observations from Accel’s latest portfolio review. They discuss why teams that collaborate in-office are thriving, how data isn’t the moat it once was, and what it means when everyone’s vibecoding (Sara and Vas’s teen nephew included).This Week’s Five TakeawaysThe energy is snapping back to San Francisco. Tech talent dispersed across the US (and the world) during the pandemic. Lately, we’re seeing an uptick in teams collaborating five days a week, right here in SF.As switching costs ease, data becomes less of a moat. Portability is easier than ever. When platforms can quickly gather—and, more crucially, use LLMs to make sense of—enterprise data, businesses need to consider how else they can drive retention. The pain of migrating simply isn’t enough to get a contract renewed.A lot of talented people are founding right now. It’s an exciting time to build, with AI lowering barriers to entry and powering rapid scale. It’s also more competitive than ever. A slick demo and a world-class team are the default assumptions—you need to bring an additional edge, like a distribution advantage or a discerning sense of taste.Build vs. buy is coming to consumers. Enterprises with massive developer teams have always had the option to simply build custom solutions. Vibecoding gives end-users this option, too.Creativity is in a moment of “IKEA-fication.” AI means everyone’s a medium-level creator. But there’s real hunger for products and experiences that feel deeply human. Make something that feeds people’s craving for connection and authenticity, and you can command a premium price point.

In this conversation, Eoin Hinchy, Founder and CEO of Tines, shares his journey from security roles at companies like DocuSign and eBay to creating an automation platform that revolutionizes workflows. He discusses the power of teamwork, refusing conventional Silicon Valley norms, and the lessons learned by breaking away from the traditional startup playbook. Eoin reveals how Tines, born in Dublin, tailors its technology to meet diverse industry needs while ensuring customer satisfaction drives growth and innovation.

From the beginning, the backend-as-a-service platform Supabase has done things a little differently. Building on Postgres instead of a proprietary engine. Putting data portability at the core of their product. Going all-in on global hiring from day one. And yes, naming themselves after a Nicki Minaj song because they thought it would make a funny meme. The meme has stuck, but Supabase has scaled. In this episode of Spotlight On, Supabase CEO and co-founder Paul Copplestone joins Accel’s Arun Mathew and Gonzalo Mocorrea to discuss how these contrarian bets have paid off, and how the platform has stayed true to its “by developers, for developers” roots. Their conversation covers: why Supabase bet early on Postgres and data portability, the difference between “playing startup” and strategy, how they manage an entirely distributed team, and how a founder’s role changes as the company grows. 

While we take a quick mid-season break, we're re-sharing some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons. This week, we're revisiting our conversation with Transcend President Kate Parker. Recent developments in artificial intelligence have sparked an outcry for control over personal data. While regulators, politicians, and the business community have been thinking about how to improve data privacy, there is still much more work to do. Kate Parker, Transcend’s President, will discuss the progress in data governance, how companies can adopt and build secure AI servicese, and why it is critical to give power back to the user.Questions around data and privacy will only become more important and complex as AI evolves. Since 2017, Transcend’s privacy platform has been used by major enterprises like Robinhood and Patreon to answer questions about their data: What data do we have? Where is it going? Who has access to it? With user demand for control rising, it isn’t just about ticking a compliance box—it’s the key to a company’s survival in the future.Efforts in Europe, such as GDPR and the AI Act, along with California’s CCPA, represent tangible steps toward putting guardrails in place. On this episode of Spotlight On: AI, Kate Parker, and Vas Natarajan will discuss the latest in data governance, and share how to enhance your company’s privacy posture to keep user data safe in our AI-driven world. “Personal data within most companies goes off like a confetti gun. It gets into every SaaS system, every data warehouse. You have to pull the confetti back together and hand it back to the user. ” – Kate Parker

While we take a quick mid-season break, we're re-sharing some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons. In honor of RSA later this month, we wanted to revisit some of the conversations we've had with cybersecurity leaders, starting with CrowdStrike's George Kurtz. Since its inception in 2011, CrowdStrike has had a profound impact on the security landscape. Yet, despite their wildly successful 2019 IPO, there is no finish line for CEO and Co-Founder George Kurtz. With each passing year, the company grows larger, the market opportunities expand, and the need to prevent breaches becomes even more critical. In this episode of Spotlight On, George and Accel’s Sameer Gandhi reflect on how their shared vision for a full suite of security solutions on a single platform, which kickstarted the partnership in 2013, has become a reality. As CrowdStrike approaches the 5th anniversary of its IPO, boasting a market cap of $72 billion, George reflects on the company’s enduring success. He shares his learnings as a second-time founder, detailing how he structures his investors and his board, and how his unwavering focus on solving the hard problems first continues to guide the company today.  

Jeff Shiner, CEO of 1Password, shares insights from his journey leading the company from 20 to over 1,200 employees. He discusses the evolution of 1Password from a personal project to a comprehensive identity security solution, emphasizing the importance of product quality, customer feedback, and strategic funding. Shiner also dives into the challenges of monetizing AI in a competitive landscape and the significance of clear communication in remote operations, all while balancing the diverse needs of both B2B and B2C customers.

Corelight’s story is unlike that of any other successful growth-stage network detection company. Founded by academics, it now counts all six branches of the U.S. military, and some of the world’s largest banks and utilities companies as customers. And then there’s the fact that it started off as an open-source tool, a rarity in cybersecurity. All of this could have made stepping in as CEO a difficult job. But CEO Brian Dye has evolved and successfully scaled Corelight while thoughtfully maintaining the company culture that attracted him in the first place. In this episode of Spotlight On, Accel Partner Eric Wolford talks to him about how he did it and what he’s learned along the way. Their conversation covers: the questions to ask yourself when you’re considering if you should be a CEO, why a good segmentation strategy is essential to scale, how to structure a culture of experimentation, and how to scale yourself as a leader alongside your company.  

Merrill Lutsky, co-founder and CEO of Graphite, shares insights from his journey transitioning from developing a customer feedback tool to revolutionizing code review for the AI era. He discusses fostering trust through unique team-building practices like weekly dinners and co-founder therapy. The conversation highlights Graphite’s innovative AI-powered tool, Diamond, which enhances coding efficiency. Merrill also touches on New York's rise as a tech hub and the importance of maintaining work-life balance through pursuits like competitive running.