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FounderLine episodes
- FounderLine Episode 39 with Chamath Palihapitiya
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or Twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Chamath Palihapitiya of Social Capital answer viewer questions including:
- How much does investor diversity affect the performance of a fund? Do you see LPs seeking out more diverse venture teams?
- How do you stay motivated to keep reaching for the stars after all of your success? Do you treat entrepreneurship as a game? Or do you feel connected to entrepreneurship as a purpose?
- Why did you decide not to focus on investing in social websites when you have so much experience in that area?
- What are the mistakes you see startup CEOs making on a regular basis?
- Messaging seems to be a very active space right now, with Snapchat, Whatsapp, WeChat, Slack, etc. What do you see as the next evolution of messaging?1 hr 3 min - FounderLine Episode 38 with guest Mitch Zuklie
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Mitch Zuklie of Orrick answer viewer questions including:
- I am starting a company and trying to choose between creating an LLC vs. a corporation. Can you please explain the pros/cons?
- What are some common patterns you've observed in the successful founders you have met throughout your life?
- You hear about startups getting tangled up fighting frivolous lawsuits, can't raise money because of the suit, and end up settling or shutting down. What can be done to protect your startup from shakedowns like this?
- There have been many stories of founder/CEOs who have been replaced by a so-called "professional CEO." In your experience, what are the main reasons this happens and how does this work out for the company?
- It seems that 3 possible funding mechanisms are equity, convertible debt and the YC SAFE. Can you talk about why you might chose one over the other?1 hr 3 min - FounderLine Episode 37 with guest Hiten Shah
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Hiten Shah of Quick Sprout answer viewer questions including:
- What are some of the best techniques you've seen for growing traffic for consumer web sites and mobile apps?
- If your startup has to ask a founder to leave, what advice can you give about that?
- What's the most difficult situation you've experienced as a founder and how did you handle it?
- Who are your 3 favorite seed investors and why?
- What are the most common mistakes you see startup CEOs making?1 hr 2 min - FounderLine Episode 36 with guest David Cowan
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest David Cowan of Bessemer Venture Partners answer viewer questions including:
- What are the main things that you look at in a startup pitch and what is the biggest differentiator between a winning pitch and one that goes back in the stack?
- We're getting some advice that we should move our startup to San Francisco. Is that really necessary?
- Are there any recent noteworthy additions to the Bessemer Anti-Portfolio?
- What was the defining moment when you realized that your idea should be pursued, and what was that moment like for you?
- What is the craziest company that you've ever invested in, and how did it work out?
1 hr 1 min - FounderLine Episode 35 with guest James Joaquin
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest James Joaquin of Obvious Ventures answer viewer questions including:
- Given the volatility in the stock markets right now, is there anything startups should be doing to weather the storm?
- What are some of the characteristics of the best CEOs you've ever worked with?
- When Obvious is considering an investment, how do you assess whether it's WorldPositive? What do you do if you think a company going to be a winner, but doesn’t meet your criteria?
- What is the most important founder attribute when you are considering to invest at your stage, and how does that change as the company grows bigger?
- How do you know if/when it's time to pivot?
1 hr 1 min - FounderLine Episode 34 with guest Kent Goldman
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Kent Goldman of Upside Partnership answer viewer questions including:
- If you're joining a startup of about 50 people, how can you really tell if they're doing well?
- I work for a ‘unicorn' company in SF. Are there ways a startup employee can cash out of some of their stock options without upsetting the company?
- Today's NY Times has an article about there being too much capital available right now. Do you anticipate a market correction? Do you think this would be a benefit?
- How much customer traction do you need to see to make an investment in a startup?
- I've been working for 3 years in a large tech company. I've been considering joining a startup vs. getting an MBA. Do investors value MBAs? What would you recommend I do?
1 hr 2 min - FounderLine Episode 33 with guest Katherine Barr
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Katherine Barr of MDV answer viewer questions including:
- Given rising valuations, do you think a market correction could have a positive impact if it normalized expectations in growth and hiring? What metrics are you looking at to stay ahead of a potential correction?
- How much time do you spend evaluating a company before you make an investment?
- What are the key attributes that get you interested in a company when you first hear about them?
- How do you decide if a company you’re thinking of investing in is going to be disruptive?
- How can I get the most out of the VC GP who sponsors the investment in my company?
59 min - FounderLine Episode 32 with guest Satish Dharmaraj
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Satish Dharmaraj of Redpoint Ventures answer viewer questions including:
- Zimbra was quite ahead of its time, integrating both cloud and mobile when mobile was still young and the cloud didn't yet exist. What was the process for coming up with the product? How did you describe Zimbra when pitching it to VCs?
- How does a seed stage company get noticed by an investor like you?
- What are the main advantages and disadvantages of an uncapped note versus a priced round?
- What are the characteristics of the most successful founders you've worked with? Any patterns?
- It seems there are too many startups and not enough great employees to go around. Would a correction that culled some weaker start-ups be a net positive in the long run?
1 hr 2 min - FounderLine Episode 31with guest Josh Stein
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Josh Stein of DFJ answer viewer questions including:
- People talk about a valuation "bubble". What would it look like if this bubble pops, and how can we hedge against it?
- How quickly do you make a decision on an investment? What are the key things you look for? Is it team? Product? Something else?
- How do you envision deal terms changing for later stage investments due to the increase in non traditional investors (e.g mutual funds) with different risk tolerances and liquidity expectations?
- How does DFJ make a decision to invest in a revolutionary technologies that are aimed at the distant future like SpaceX, Planet Labs, Tesla, SolarCity…?
- I’m choosing between two startup jobs: one has a team I know well but I don’t really believe in the product, and the other where I believe in the product but don’t know the team. Do you have any advice?
1 hr 3 min - FounderLine Episode 30 with guest Philip Rosedale
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.
In this episode, host Joe Beninato and guest Philip Rosedale of High Fidelity answer viewer questions including:
- What are some of the differences between starting a company today vs back in the 1990's, aside from lower cost of starting?
- You've been able to raise a lot of money from some great investors. What are the key reasons you're able to do that? Any insights for a first-time CEO?
- Ray Kurzweil and Andrew Ng are advancing AI with their work at Google Labs and Baidu Research Lab. What advantages do you have in advancing Virtual Reality in startups as opposed to joining a large company like Google or Baidu?
- We are deciding between taking money from a lead investor we don't like and waiting for the right investor to come along. Any advice for weighing the pros and cons?
- What are your thoughts on employee compensation? Do you do anything out of the ordinary for your teams?
1 hr 2 min
About FounderLine
From the publisher's feed
FounderLine is a live weekly webcast devoted to helping startup founders succeed, hosted by seven-time startup entrepreneur and investor Joe Beninato. Each week, Joe welcomes an experienced…
entrepreneur or investor to discuss startup-related topics and field questions from entrepreneurs around the world. FounderLine is broadcast live, and viewers are welcome to send questions via email or twitter. For more information, go to founderline.com.