The NFX Podcast

By NFXTechnology

The NFX Podcast episodes

May 10, 2021 The Founders' List: The Maker Protocol Whitepaper - MakerDAO's Multi-Collateral Dai (MCD) System
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
34 min
May 05, 2021 Julia & Kevin Hartz On Taking Eventbrite Public
In this episode, guests Julia and Kevin Hartz join Kristen O'Brien and Pete Flint to discuss the prerequisites of going public, private vs public companies, and market trends. They delve into the world of SPACs, the process of selecting business partners, and the future of venture capital. The Hartz couple also shares insights on transitioning from executive to CEO, and reframing Eventbrite's business model.
Julia and Kevin Hartz co-founded Eventbrite, a website that allows users to create, share, and join events worldwide. In this episode of the NFX Podcast, the two join NFX Partner Pete Flint to discuss their founder journey, financing, fundraising, scaling, unicorn status, and a deep dive on the little-known details of taking a tech company public via SPAC.
Launched in 2006 and headquartered in San Francisco, Eventbrite has navigated through the pandemic with a refocused strategy and a leaner cost base. In September of 2018, Julia took Eventbrite public, making her among the few women to lead the successful initial public offering of a technology start-up.
(0:00) Introduction and welcoming guests Julia and Kevin Hartz
(5:32) Discussion on the prerequisites and process of going public
(12:32) Debate on private vs public companies and market trends
(16:46) Exploration of SPACs and Kevin Hartz's journey into the SPAC world
(21:26) Insights on choosing the right partners for a business journey and deciding between IPO, direct listing, or SPAC
(31:16) The future of venture capital and challenges in finding durable businesses for SPACs
(32:41) Transitioning from executive to CEO: Insights from Julia and Kevin Hartz
(40:17) Reframing Eventbrite's business model and shift to investment
(41:48) Closing remarks and outro
43 min
April 30, 2021 The Founders' List: Mind the Moat: Notes on 7 Powers (written by Hamilton Helmer) from Flo Crivello (Founder & CEO Teamflow)
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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/
25 min
April 29, 2021 The 7 Powers with Hamilton Helmer & Jeff Lawson
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
37 min
April 28, 2021 The Founders' List: Nir Eyal (Author, Professor, & Investor) on "Hooks: An Intro on How to Manufacture Desire"
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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/
9 min
April 27, 2021 Hippo: From Idea to SPAC with CEO Assaf Wand & Pete Flint
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
51 min
April 22, 2021 Austen Allred (Co-Founder of Lambda School) & James Currier (NFX) on The New American Dream
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
33 min
April 21, 2021 The Founders' List: 2020 Letter to Amazon Shareholders
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
25 min
April 20, 2021 The CEO That Jeff Bezos Called “His Teacher” with Jeff Wilke & James Currier
In this episode, James Currier converses with Jeff Wilke about Amazon's leadership principles, writing culture, and the role of software architecture. They delve into individuality in leadership, the power of authenticity in communication, and the importance of teaching. They also touch on Jeff's new venture, Rebuild Manufacturing.
Jeff Wilke (former CEO, Amazon's Worldwide Consumer Business) sheds light on a counter-intuitive driver behind unusual success: Focus on the inputs, not the outputs. Jeff shares the 3 drivers underlying the rise of Amazon, Prime, Alexa, and AWS, including:
1. "Mechanisms": Amazon's definition, two failure modes, and why they're harder to implement than it first appears
2. A Single-Page Culture: How Amazon's set of principles proved to be an inoculation against a drifting culture
3. Single-Threaded Invention
In practice, operational excellence is the key driver to executing consistently for the long term. It is the secret for harnessing creativity that compounds value over time.
(0:00) Introduction and personal catch-up
(0:17) Discussing the Amazon "s team" and its role
(2:34) Amazon's leadership principles and writing culture
(9:31) Individuality in leadership and explanation of "mechanisms"
(12:19) Revisiting past insights, single-threaded leadership and the role of software architecture
(15:08) Protecting nascent businesses and creating courage in a team
(18:30) The phases of leadership and the power of authenticity in communication
(23:16) The importance of teaching in leadership and reflections on the journey at Amazon
(24:42) Introduction to Jeff Wilke's new venture: Rebuild Manufacturing
(28:06) Conclusion and outro: You've been listening to the NFX podcast
29 min
April 20, 2021 The Founders' List: 1997 Letter to Amazon Shareholders
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This is The Founders' List - audio versions of essays from technology’s most important leaders, selected by the founder community.
Amazon's approach to building sustainable long-term value should be a lesson to all companies - not just Internet companies. When Jeff Bezos took Amazon public 24 years ago, he sent this letter to all Shareholders and is still considered a playbook for building a great company - read by NFX.
"1997 was indeed an incredible year. We at Amazon.com are grateful to our customers for their business and trust, to each other for our hard work, and to our shareholders for their support and encouragement."
12 min

About The NFX Podcast

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We believe creating something of true significance starts with seeing things others do not. NFX is a venture firm exclusively focused on pre-seed & seed stage startups.