Sebastian Duesterhoeft, partner at Lightspeed Ventures, returns to the pod to talk about anything and everything startup operators need to know about Competitive Moats aka the durable competitive advantage of a company. Supercharge financial operations with Maxio. Request a demo at www.maxio.com/runthenumbers for 10% off your first year.

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PSA: Run The Numbers has a new Spotify and Apple show link. Follow the links to subscribe and ensure you'll never miss an episode

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/run-the-numbers/id1723787140

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0zQCkklNnVgMD364kCW5SV

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SPONSORS: Maxio | Tropic | Thoropass

Maxio is the only billing and financial operations platform that was purpose built for B2B SaaS. They're helping SaaS finance teams automate billing and revenue recognition, manage collections and payments, and put together investor grade reporting packages. 🚀 Request a demo at www.maxio.com/runthenumbers for 10% off your first year.

Tropic is the next-generation Procurement Platform that’s helping modern CFOs take control of their budgets and bottom line. By combining approval workflows, supplier management, and pricing benchmarks all in one place, Tropic makes savings opportunities easy to find and act on. 🌴 Visit www.tropicapp.io/metrics to learn how.

Thoropass provides complete compliance management, continuous monitoring, and security audits through intuitive software and expert guidance – allowing you to do business with confidence. Learn more: https://bit.ly/Thoropass 🔒

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FOLLOW US ON X:

@cjgustafson222 (CJ)

@lightspeedvp (Lightspeed)

@TurpentineMedia (Turpentine)

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LINKS:

The 7 Powers (book): https://www.amazon.com/7-Powers-Foundations-Business-Strategy/dp/0998116319

Ben Thompson on Aggregation Theory: https://stratechery.com/aggregation-theory/

Lightspeed Ventures: https://lsvp.com/team-member/sebastian-duesterhoeft/

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(00:46) Why Competitive Moats Matter

(03:14) Understanding Different Types of Competitive Moats

(07:52) The Role of the Seven Competitive Moats in Investment Decisions

(15:28) Sponsors: Maxio | Tropic

(17:47) Exploring Real-World Examples of Competitive Moats

(22:58) Counter Positioning Examples

(27:35) Sponsor: Thoropass

(28:50) Kodak, Tesla, and Other Non Tech Examples

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected].