Something has changed in the way we build companies in the past decade, and that major change was data-driven product design. Storage and bandwidth became essentially free and unlimited, changing the way companies stored data. “Should we store this data?” was the big issue back in the day. What really matters now is how you study that data and what strategies you deploy based on that data. Venture capitalist, blogger and author Tomasz Tunguz joins Jason to discuss the data wave and how his experiences inspired his brand new book, “Winning with Data: Transform Your Culture, Empower Your People, and Shape the Future.” We learn about Tomasz’s path from his early days with the Google AdSense team, his three investment outlook predictions, and his advice for startups to leverage & execute data. For full show notes, subscribe to http://thisweekinstartups.com/about/#allsubscribe
Join us at the Xooglers x AWS Gen AI Meetup to hear Tomasz Tunguz, Founder of Theory Ventures, speak about the future of the AI frontier, the importance of distribution as an AI company, what investors look for in AI startups, and more.... Tomasz: https://twitter.com/ttunguz Subscribe to our main channel for weekly vlogs: @fdotinc Join our Twitter community: https://twitter.com/fdotinc Founders, Inc. is where founders build epic companies.
On this episode on Run the Numbers CJ and Erik Torenberg welcome Tomasz Tunguz from Theory Ventures for an in-depth conversation about building businesses, how CFOs can evolve with realtime needs of venture-backed companies, and an investor’s lens on what makes a great CFO. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics Tomasz Tunguz is the founder of Theory Ventures. Prior to that he was a GP at Redpoint for 14 years, and worked at Google prior to that. He is the author of long-running business newsletter found at www.tomtunguz.com --- SPONSORS: NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. 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 https://www.tropicapp.io/metrics to learn how. Planful empowers teams just like yours to drive peak financial performance in every corner of your business. Think purpose-built applications for every department, from FP&A to accounting, marketing to HR, all with built-in financial intelligence. ✍️ Go to https://planful.com/metrics to see how you can tackle unwanted surprises in real-time. --- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: To go deeper in all things Venture, check out @TurpentineVC on audio (https://link.chtbl.com/TurpentineVC) or YouTube ( / @turpentinevc ) --- X / TWITTER: @ttunguz (Tom) @cjgustafson222 (CJ) @TurpentineMedia (Turpentine) --- LINKS: Tom’s blog: https://tomtunguz.com/ Mostly Metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com/ Theory Ventures: https://theory.ventures/ Tom’s interview on HR Heretics: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1B4a... --- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro and CJ’s personal news (01:00) Tom Tunguz intro (03:50) Tom’s idea maze in getting Theory Ventures off the ground (05:40) What differentiates Theory from other VCs? (07:29) On bringing in someone more experienced to replace or level up a founder (09:10) Patterns that show a need to bring in a seasoned operator (11:28) What it takes for a founder to make it all the way through IPO (13:19) How long should company runway be? (15:05) Sponsors: NetSuite | Tropic (17:32) Counseling portfolio companies in hiring VPF or CFO (18:47) A good CFO vs a great CFO (24:13) Why now is a good time for young, ambitious people to step up and take a bigger role within their organization (26:02) Sponsor: Planful (27:08) The future of Theory Ventures
Tomasz Tunguz is a General Partner at Theory Ventures and the writer of one of the best blog/newsletters in tech. Tom joins Kelli Dragovich and Nolan Church to discuss the relationship between boards, founders and People leaders, and how HR strategies interact with boards in key moments of a company’s history, including M&A. If you’re looking for HR software that drives performance, check out Lattice https://www.lattice.com/hrheretics After the interview, Nolan and Kelli discuss the dynamics of navigating politics at work in your companies. – SPONSORS: Lattice | Continuum ✅ Discover HR software that drives performance with Lattice: https://www.lattice.com/hrheretics High performance and great culture should never be at odds; they’re better together. With Lattice People Management Platform, companies efficiently run people programs that create enviable cultures where employees want to do their best work. Serving 1000s of customers of all sizes. Learn why companies from Slack to the LA Dodgers choose Lattice. https://www.lattice.com/hrheretics ✅ Hire Fractional Executives with Continuum: https://www.joincontinuum.com/?utm_campaign=HR%20Heretics%20Podcast&utm_source=podcast Have you ever had a negative experience hiring executives? Continuum connects executives and senior operators to venture backed tech companies for fractional and full-time roles. You can post any executive-level role to Continuum’s marketplace and search through our database of world-class, vetted leaders. There is no hidden cost, you only pay the person you hire. And you can cancel at any time. – KEEP UP WITH TOMASZ, NOLAN, + KELLI ON LINKEDIN Tomasz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomasztunguz/ Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/ Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/ – LINKS: Tomasz Tunguz’ Blog: https://tomtunguz.com/ Theory Ventures: https://theory.ventures/ Tom on Span of Control: https://tomtunguz.com/the-shape-of-your-company/ – TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode preview (02:40) Span of Control: eliminating middle management (04:19) Tom's take on the ratio of managers to doers (06:19) What should ARR per employee be? (07:19) Talent today vs 5 years ago (08:30) Tom's view on exec searches (11:45) Evaluating the decision for a down round (13:15) Sponsors: Lattice | Continuum (15:00) Opportunities for new talent (16:45) Flexibility of Mind (19:15) Hiring: Getting it Right and Changing When It Goes Wrong (20:40) How should departures be communicated to boards? (21:00) Life cycle of an executive (22:49) On interim roles (25:15) How Tom diligences people (26:20) What makes a great head of people (30:30) Google's acquisition of Looker from Tom and Kelli's perspective (31:00) How does a Mergers and Acquisition process work? (37:00) The 3 kinds of Acquisitions (39:15) Where the puck is going for venture-backed tech companies (41:25) Predictions for AI (43:55) HR Folks and founders should get back on the offense in 2024 (45:00) Kelli and Nolan on navigating politics at work – Music License: GZZ3ZMTOHRD8RFTB – HR Heretics is brought to you by Turpentine www.turpentine.co Producer: Natalie Toren Production: Graham Bessellieu, Michelle Poreh For inquiries about guests or sponsoring the podcast, email Natalie@turpentine.co