Not every experienced leader thrives in a startup. Few people understand this better than Kat Cole.

As President & COO of AG1, she’s leading its growth in 60+ countries, driving a global health initiative poised to transform the $6.3 trillion industry.

In conversation with Jason Shuman, Kat unpacks:

- why 90% of pitches are dead on arrival,

- subtle cues that expose a weak founder within minutes and,

- the delicate balance between inspiring teams and over-convincing stakeholders

ABOUT US:

Primary is the largest early-stage venture firm in the world, with over $1B in Assets Under Management, and notable investments under its belt include unicorns like Slice, Chief, Electric, and more.

With a dedicated team of Partners, Associates, and Advisors, Primary operates with one clear modus operandi: to allocate unreasonable resources toward building unfair advantages.

Follow us on LinkedIn:

• Kat Cole

• Jason Shuman
• Primary Venture Partners

00:00 Trailer

01:02 Introduction

01:08 Becoming unpopular, going to the unfamiliar

07:36 A learning machine

09:49 Building teams

11:39 Selecting executive talent

14:02 Recruiting and listening

18:31 Deep and annoying questions

21:37 Red flags

23:31 Trying to sell work

25:11 Leading in crisis

32:22 Over communicating at work

37:48 Skip level meetings

41:48 Positive intent

44:33 The compliment sandwich disproven

46:41 Climbing the learning curve as an executive

53:30 Almost very little matters without health

58:56 Frameworks around big life changes

1:02:16 AI's impact in the e-commerce world

1:04:53 If you were the mayor of New York

1:06:08 Outro