Jake & JZ

How do you make time for what matters? In this episode, we share a simple habit called The Highlight Method, inspired by the Design Sprint, that we both use to focus our efforts on the most important activities every day. Have a question for us? Send it to hey@jakeandjz.com.This week on episode 8 of Jake & JZ, we talked about:When it makes sense to use LLMs for writingBeing secret late adoptersThe big ideas behind our book Make TimeThe danger of defaults in our everyday livesHow the daily Highlight worksStrategies for choosing the right Highlight📩 Get an email about every episode at JakeAndJZ.com💸 Learn more about our seed fund at Character Capital🥸 Find Jake on LinkedIn and X🤠 Find JZ on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and X

Dive into the tactical world of naming with a unique sprint process that brings creativity to the forefront. The hosts share insights from their Silicon Valley experiences and explore how design sprints can validate risky ideas. They discuss the art of naming a startup and the importance of aligning it with brand values. Expect amusing anecdotes about literature, unconventional decision-making, and the creative potential of domain names. Plus, enjoy some reflection on the cultural impact of NPR's Tiny Desk concerts.

A special chance to meet Eli, the third founder of Character, and learn about the inner workings of venture capital. This week on episode 6 of Jake & JZ we talked about:How Jake got to ride in the very first Waymo (when it was just a prototype on the Google campus)Jake’s rollercoaster of emotion meeting EliEli’s winding path to VC (it led through Botswana!), his famously good intuition, and “Eli-isms”Phaidra: Why we invested, how we work with the team, and the real value of a startup board memberWhy we use blinded scorecards to make investment decisionsJake’s annotated copy of the viral MrBeast production memo (download it here!)The importance of starting at the endAnd much more📩 Get an email about every episode at JakeAndJZ.com💸 Learn more about our seed fund Character Capital🥸 Find Jake on LinkedIn and X🤠 Find JZ on LinkedIn and XChapters0:00 Jake got to ride in the very first Waymo3:35 Jake & JZ’s impressions of Waymo in San Francisco7:55 Welcoming our cofounder Eli Blee-Goldman to the show!8:15 Jake’s rollercoaster of emotion meeting Eli10:35 Eli’s winding path to VC (it led through Botswana!)13:35 How Eli developed his famously good intuition 15:40 How Eli got his first job in VC20:20 Showing up and putting in the work21:50 A fine Eli-ism: The Conviction Punch!26:05 The mismatch between founders and VCs30:40 Why Eli got excited about Phaidra34:00 Wait, what does Phaidra do, anyway?36:15 Why we use blinded scorecards to make investment decisions39:30 How Design Sprints make startups more capital efficient42:15 The role of board members at an early-stage startup47:40 Why Eli decided to start Character Capital50:25 The viral MrBeast production memo52:05 “This is like Sun Tzu, it’s like the Art of War”52:45 Jake walks through his annotated version of the MrBeast memo57:05 Start at the end: Choosing the title and thumbnail BEFORE making the video59:55 Seth Godin: “Marketing is how we create the conditions for people to find what they are looking for”1:00:50 MrBeast and Lightning Demos1:03:00 Clickbait headlines and the feeling of success

This week on episode 5, we talked about:The music you listened to between ages 12 and 20 (and how it’s the best, no matter how old you are)Revisiting the music video for Cannonball by The BreedersSpeaking at a Stanford BioDesign class led by the founder of Cala Health (we ran a sprint with them in 2016!)Lightning Demos, a quick way to gather inspiration for new solutions and a key part of every Design SprintThe amazing cover of Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath (and why Jake had a copy within reach!)A study showing how outside inspiration leads to better ideasThe three reasons Lightning Demos work so wellLightning Demo Demos — we do live Lightning Demos of three websitesShiny Object SyndromePlaydate’s hardworking headlineAligning your “why” with your customer’s “why”A great podcast episode: Seth Godin on Animal SpiritsAnd much more📩 Get an email about every episode at JakeAndJZ.com💸 Learn more about our seed fund Character Capital🥸 Find Jake on LinkedIn and X🤠 Find JZ on LinkedIn and XChapters00:00 Musical nostalgia03:40 Technology and pop culture06:08 Speaking at Stanford BioDesign08:15 Lightning Demos14:00 Outside inspiration leads to better ideas17:35 How we used Lightning Demos with Cala Health21:35 Lightning Demo Demos23:04 Lightning Demo: Oura Ring27:47 Lightning Demo: Fathom32:35 Making a palette of Lightning Demos35:33 Lightning Demo: Playdate43:55 Review of today's Lightning Demos45:12 The viral Mr Beast production memo47:27 Seth Godin on the Animal Spirits podcast

This week on episode 4, we talked about:Jake's train stationA disappointing dialog at the end of Diablo 3What’s so incredibly great about hoodiesTeddy Ruxpin, the original edtech product for kidsCuriosity Labs, a Character portfolio company building educational AI companions for kidsThe founding story of YouTube KidsGetting new product ideas from real-world customer behaviorTwo different ways to pitch the same companyShould founders follow “best practices” when pitching investors or try to stand out?Fathom’s Series AHow we found Fathom (and then decided to invest)Authenticity in salesWhy we go out of our way to pitch ourselves to foundersOur Design Sprint with FathomAlmond butter in oatmealA great book: Against the GodsAnd much more📩 Get an email about every episode at JakeAndJZ.com💸 Learn more about our seed fund Character Capital🥸 Find Jake on LinkedIn and X🤠 Find JZ on LinkedIn and XChapters00:00 A diabolical dialog box03:54 The importance of throughline05:45 Where is Jake's sweatshirt?!07:39 How sweatshirts work09:13 Teddy Ruxpin11:24 Building the pitch for Curiosity Labs17:04 How a side project became YouTube Kids22:49 A better way to pitch VCs33:56 How Fathom got to Series A40:30 How VCs do outbound sales45:48 How authenticity shows up in products53:21 Good beans57:14 An extended self-congratulatory ad for Character and Design Sprints

This week on episode 3 of Jake & JZ, we talked about:The Seinfeld Moviefone episode (”Why don’t you just tell me what the product does?”)The Startup Wayback Machine (continued!), our technique for learning from successful companies in their early daysWebsites through the years, including Uber in 2011, iPhone in 2007, Slack in 2014–2017Solving one problem well before you try to solve a bunch of problemsA great LinkedIn post from Kushal Byatnal (founder of Character portfolio company Extend) about selling your product before you build itA fun tabletop analog game called KLASK (check out this epic game on YouTube)A great movie: The Eagle HuntressAnd much more📩 Get an email about every episode at JakeAndJZ.com💸 Learn more about our seed fund Character Capital🥸 Find Jake on LinkedIn and X🤠 Find JZ on LinkedIn and XChapters00:00 Seinfeld and "Moviefone"05:13 The Wayback Machine09:09 Wayback: Uber18:01 Wayback: iPhone25:42 Wayback: Slack

Dive into the intriguing world of market differentiation in gaming, where Nintendo reinvented itself while others clung to outdated tactics. Discover the 'What, Why, How' framework that successful companies use, and how effective storytelling sets startups apart. Explore unique innovations like the Playdate's quirky design and the Aura ring's engaging website. Unpack the contrasting marketing strategies of Apple Vision Pro and Meta VR, while contemplating insights from 'Pattern Breakers' on adaptability in business.

This week delves into the pros and cons of remote work versus in-person collaboration, highlighting the importance of trust in team settings. The hosts share their journey with Character Labs, designed to help early-stage founders. They reflect on the anxiety some feel when they're not coding and celebrate their portfolio company's acquisition by Dropbox. Digital distractions are discussed, along with the quest for a simpler phone. The conversation wraps up with insights into technology's role in productivity, featuring favorite timer apps and a deep dive into Nintendo's evolution.