Erik is joined on this episode by Mike Maples (@m2jr) of Floodgate.

The talk about:

- The difference between fake growth and real growth, and how to know which one your company is experiencing.

- Why fake growth has taken hold in so many companies in the Valley, and its broader systemic causes.

- The difference between value hacking and growth hacking.

- Why once you’ve entered the growth stage, it’s next to impossible to go back to the value hacking stage.

- His thoughts on the Thiel vs. Rabois schools of markets.

- His tips for growing SaaS companies.

- How to think about incumbents.

- Why a pivot is not the same thing as a mulligan.

- The reasons for the fact that, in his opinion, there is too much money in VC.

- Why companies are staying private longer.

Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.

Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.

Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global and is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg. Grace Chen is our audio engineer and the show is produced by Brett Bolkowy.