My guest this week is Jonathan Neman, the co-founder and CEO of Sweetgreen. Sweetgreen is a fast-casual restaurant chain that Jonathan co-founded in 2007 during their senior year at Georgetown when he realized they couldn't find a healthy, affordable, and convenient place to eat. Today, Sweetgreen operates in 11 markets and will have about 160 restaurants across the US by the end of 2021. In our conversation, we cover the origins of Sweetgreen and how it builds a direct relationship with its customers, how Jonathan thinks restaurants should work with marketplaces like DoorDash, and the economics of operating restaurants. While Sweetgreen is primarily a restaurant concept, Jonathan brings a tech-first mindset to the food industry, focusing less on single-store economics and more about customer lifetime value and the importance of owning the relationship with the customer. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Jonathan Neman.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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This episode is brought to you by Klaviyo. Klaviyo is the ultimate marketing platform for e-commerce. With targeted segmentation, email automation, SMS marketing, and more, Klaviyo helps you create your ideal customer experience.
See why Klaviyo is trusted by more than 50,000 brands, like Living Proof, Solo Stove, and Nomad to help them grow their business. For a free trial, check out klaviyo.com/founders.
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This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. With LinkedIn, you get access to an active community of professionals with more than 722 million members worldwide. LinkedIn is the easiest place in the world to post a job and message qualified candidates. Getting started is easier than ever, and now you can do this all from your mobile device.
When your business is ready to make that next hire, find the right person with LinkedIn Jobs. And now, you can post a job for free. Just visit linkedin.com/fieldguide to post a job for free. Terms and conditions apply.
-----
Founder's Field Guide is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Founder's Field Guide, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:03:04] - [First question] - The origins of Sweetgreen
[00:05:47] - Something they did from a position of naivete, working their supply chain
[00:07:18] - Most common reason restaurants go wrong
[00:08:35] - Building the first restaurant and lessons along the way
[00:12:22] - Effective menu building
[00:14:36] - The Sweetgreen network and how they view the restaurant as a network
[00:21:05] - What their digital business means compared to other restaurant businesses
[00:23:55] - How they have improved at converting people into their ecosystem
[00:27:40] - Creating win-win partnerships
[00:29:12] - The pros/cons of the marketplaces in the food industry
[00:32:58] - The general economics of a restaurant
[00:36:58] - Allocating capital differently when the focus is the customer and not the store
[00:39:36] - How tech trends aimed at improving personal health plays into Sweetgreen’s plans
[00:45:11] - Their focus on sustainability for the business
[00:47:56] - The core values of ‘Add the Sweet Touch’ and ‘Live the Sweet Life’
[00:50:18] - Kindest thing anyone has done for him
[00:51:38] - Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time
My guests today are Josh Wolfe and Tony Thomas, better known as T2. Josh is the co-founder and General Partner at Lux Capital. T2 is now a venture partner alongside Josh at Lux Capital, after serving for almost 40 years in the US military and becoming a 4-star general and the 11th Commander of US Special Operations Command. Our conversation focuses on the technology frontier in defense as well as the geopolitical threats that the US faces. We talk about everything from semiconductors and autonomous weapons systems to the moral dimensions of investing in defense technology. I hope you enjoy this fascinating conversation with Josh Wolfe and Tony Thomas.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
------
This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus has built the most extensive primary information platform available for investors.
With Tegus, you can learn everything you’d want to know about a company in an on-demand digital platform. Investors share their expert calls, allowing others to instantly access more than 10,000 calls on Affirm, Teladoc, Roblox, or almost any company of interest. All you have to do is log in. Visit tegus.co/patrick to learn more.
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This episode is brought to you by MIT Investment Management Company – also known as MITIMCo, the endowment office of MIT. MITIMCo seeks to find people who are focused on achieving exceptional long-term investment returns, partner with these firms early, and stick around for the very long term. MITIMCo doesn’t care how small, new, or un-institutional your firm is if you have the potential to generate amazing results that support MIT’s pursuit of world-class education, cutting-edge research, and groundbreaking innovation.
Despite their willingness to invest early, they do not ask for GP economics and they commit their initial capital for ten years.
Visit www.mitimco.org and their new emerging managers page to learn more.
------
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, Inc. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:03:46] - [First question] - Overview of Tony Thomas’s career
[00:06:36] - His focus on the information wars and truthiness
[00:08:50] - How Josh and Tony met
[00:12:27] - Experiencing the slow pace of technology growth within the Department of Defense
[00:15:51] - History of businesses selling to and engaging with the government
[00:23:52] - Consensus of the threats we face today
[00:28:55] - Most important competitive frontier today
[00:35:09] - The lessening of kinetic warfare
[00:46:51] - State of the drone technology and industry
[00:52:56] - Mapping the arctic and the geopolitical ramifications
[00:54:31] - The frontier of space
[00:59:26] - What shouldn’t be unmanned technology
[01:02:31] - The cutting edge of simulation technology
[01:06:50] - The most important thing to know about the future of semiconductors
[01:11:36] - The moral lens of working with and investing in defense companies
[01:20:53] - Traits of the most exceptional soldiers he’s served with
[01:23:53] - Kindest thing anyone has done for Tony
My guest today is Matteo Franceschetti, the founder and CEO of Eight Sleep, a smart mattress company. I’m a customer of Eight Sleep and this was one of the most unique founder conversations I’ve had on the show, in both the focus on the product and the exploration of sleep. We talk about which biometrics matter, how hard it is to start a hardware company and launch manufacturing overseas, how Matteo manages his own sleep, and the massive potential for preventative health companies like Eight Sleep may have in the future. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Matteo Franceschetti.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Klaviyo. Klaviyo is the ultimate marketing platform for ecommerce. With targeted segmentation, email automation, SMS marketing, and more, Klaviyo helps you create your ideal customer experience.
See why Klaviyo is trusted by more than 50,000 brands, like Living Proof, Solo Stove, and Nomad to help them grow their business. For a free trial, check out klaviyo.com/founders.
-----
This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. With LinkedIn, you get access to an active community of professionals with more than 722 million members worldwide. LinkedIn is the easiest place in the world to post a job and message, qualified candidates. Getting started is easier than ever and now you can do this all from your mobile device.
When your business is ready to make that next hire, find the right person with LinkedIn Jobs. And now, you can post a job for free. Just visit linkedin.com/fieldguide to post a job for free. Terms and conditions apply.
-----
Founder's Field Guide is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Founder's Field Guide, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:02:36] - [First question] - Origins of the Eight Sleep business
[00:03:21] - Designing and testing the original product
[00:04:17] - Goal of the product
[00:05:19] - How temperature can improve sleep
[00:06:28] - Accuracy of the sensors in this product
[00:08:30] - Valuable inputs for health that they measure, HRV (heart rate variability)
[00:09:59] - Amount of research on the variables they measure and impact on health
[00:11:45] - Hardest data for them to measure in their mattress
[00:14:03] - Early challenges to launching the business
[00:15:27] - Lessons from the early manufacturing process
[00:16:50] - Working through the potential business models
[00:17:56] - Goal of less sleep and reducing light sleep
[00:19:45] - Behavior changes he’s made as a result of understanding his sleep more
[00:21:08] - How alcohol/caffeine impacts sleep
[00:22:01] - How food impacts sleep
[00:23:01] - Why glucose spikes are bad for sleep
[00:23:40] - Challenges in the business after the crowdfunding stage
[00:25:34] - Marketing lessons from a high price point and infrequently purchased product
[00:26:42] - Most exciting day in the researching phase
[00:27:48] - Turning an infrequent purchase into a frequent sale
[00:28:54] - What it’s like to work with his wife
[00:30:03] - Future of the quantified self-movement
[00:31:23] - The hardest challenge in the business
[00:32:13] - Most valuable things he’s learned as a fan of Formula 1 racing
[00:33:41] - Future of the mattress business
[00:35:28] - Other businesses he has learned from
[00:36:40] - Lessons from the data part of the business
[00:38:26] - Collecting more data from their customers without being intrusive
[00:39:56] - What he’s learned through Apple Health
[00:41:39] - What has him excited for the long term future of Eight Sleep
[00:42:32] - Kindest thing anyone has done for him
My guest today is Jack Clark, head coach of the University of California Varsity Rugby team. Jack has one of the highest winning percentages not only at the collegiate level but in sports history, winning an incredible 90% of games since his start as a coach in 1984. That includes a 98 game winning streak from 1990 to 1996 and a 115 game winning streak from 2004 to 2009. In our conversation, we dive into how Jack builds high-performing teams, the shared vocabulary he creates across his organization, and his work with companies applying what he's learned on the field to operating businesses. Please enjoy this conversation with Jack Clark.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus has built the most extensive primary information platform available for investors.
With Tegus, you can learn everything you’d want to know about a company in an on-demand digital platform. Investors share their expert calls, allowing others to instantly access more than 10,000 calls on Affirm, Teladoc, Roblox, or almost any company of interest. All you have to do is log in. Visit tegus.co/patrick to learn more.
------
This episode is brought to you by MIT Investment Management Company. MITIMCO is the endowment office of MIT. New and small investment funds listen up. MITIMCO is looking to find investors starting funds today.
MITIMCO is partnership-driven, long-term focused, and has an extensive history of backing investors early in their careers. These partners are key in delivering the outstanding investment returns required to support MIT's pursuit of world-class education, cutting-edge research, and groundbreaking innovation. MITIMCO is focused on finding and partnering with the best investors across the globe, no matter the market environment. No firm is too small, too young, or too non-institutional.
If you or someone you know is currently in the process of starting a fund or recently launched, please email partner@mitimco.org or discover more on their website at mitimco.org/partner.
------
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:03:44] - [First question] - Overview of his playing and coaching career
[00:06:02] - The importance of creating a set of values for a team
[00:07:53] - Why selflessness is such an important trait he looks for in teams
[00:09:20] - Examples of selflessness in the teams
[00:10:06] - The Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players
[00:10:24] - Lessons on gratitude and entitlement
[00:11:34] - Being a meritocracy on the team
[00:12:55] - Rewarding merit as a coach
[00:14:18] - Improving a team today, the power of the basics and fundamentals
[00:15:29] - Defining toughness for players and teams
[00:17:29] - Mark Bingham, the epitome of toughness
[00:18:33] - Why he created and how he uses a glossary
[00:22:09] - Creating a high rate of conversion in recruiting
[00:25:01] - What qualities did the teams that beat him share
[00:27:22] - Take on pride and something he is exceedingly proud of
[00:29:17] - Translating the concepts from the court into the business world
[00:32:20] - Where companies have room to improve
[00:33:16] - Changing a company culture
[00:34:21] - Coaches he has learned from
[00:36:00] - The power of non-cognitive grit
[00:38:45] - Advice for companies creating a value set
[00:40:40] - Kindest thing anyone has done for him
My guest today is Ryan Petersen, founder and CEO of Flexport. Flexport is a technology platform for global trade. In this conversation, Ryan takes us through the fragmented world of international freight shipping, and we dive deep into the history and inefficiencies of the system. We also cover how shipping containers were standardized, how new protocols get adopted internationally, and the challenges of doing business in the “no man's land” of international waters. Ryan is the type of entrepreneur I enjoy talking to most: he has incredible domain knowledge, high energy and is tackling an enormous global problem. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Ryan Petersen.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus has built the most extensive primary information platform available for investors.
With Tegus, you can learn everything you’d want to know about a company in an on-demand digital platform. Investors share their expert calls, allowing others to instantly access more than 10,000 calls on Affirm, Teladoc, Roblox, or almost any company of interest. All you have to do is log in. Visit tegus.co/patrick to learn more.
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This episode is brought to you by DigitalOcean. DigitalOcean provides founders and creators with the platform they need to get their website and apps off the ground, all with low-bandwidth pricing to save them money over other cloud providers.
If you are looking for the best place to build web apps or API backends on robust infrastructure, DigitalOcean is the place for you. They provide a fully managed solution that handles your infrastructure, operating systems, databases, and other dependencies, on their new App Platform product. App Platform makes it easy to build, deploy, and scale apps. Get started for free at do.co/founders.
-----
Founder's Field Guide is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Founder's Field Guide, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:03:24] - [First question] - Overview of what Flexport does
[00:04:49] - His introduction into the world of shipping
[00:06:49] - Difference between parcel and freight
[00:08:53] - Market cap of the overall shipping industry
[00:09:24] - Fragmentation of shipping and what Flexport is solving for
[00:12:52] - Worst parts of the shipping world
[00:15:34] - Improving the tech behind the shipping container
[00:19:06] - Why the shipping container changed the world
[00:19:07] - The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger
[00:21:27] - Teams and outsider perspectives in solving problems
[00:22:34] - How their business could make shipping more efficient and reduce costs
[00:25:24] - Where the margins and profits are made in shipping
[00:25:49] - Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger
[00:27:11] - The finance side of shipping
[00:28:56] - Maritime law and the ocean
[00:30:57] - How much is left in the digitization of shipping
[00:32:48] - The perfect state of shipping using Flexport
[00:38:19] - Investing in hard assets to expand the business
[00:41:03] - Lessons about building a business and global coordination
[00:43:15] - Multidisciplinary thinking among their team
[00:44:04] - Global supply chain issues in light of Covid and ocean policing
[00:44:15] - Peter Zeihan Podcast Episode
[00:47:59] - Testing out demand in the beginning
[00:50:28] - The process of testing out new ideas and killing off losers
[00:52:33] - Important lessons/themes for founders
[00:54:51] - Hardest learned lesson, fundraising
[00:58:06] - Other opportunities in shipping
[00:59:47] - Lessons for creating a new standard
[01:02:22] - Using their standardization to improve global relief work
[01:04:40] - Creating synchronicity in a company
[01:07:09] - What he’s excited about for the future
[01:07:53] - Kindest thing anyone has done for him
My guest today is Jeremy Grantham. Jeremy is the Long-Term Investment Strategist and Co-Founder at GMO. Jeremy has an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of markets, which made it such a pleasure to have him back on the show. In this conversation, we discuss the three key signs of a bubble, why Jeremy believes we are in a bubble right now and how it’s being led by retail rather than institutional investors. We close with the important role that demographics and productivity will play over the next few decades across the world. Please enjoy my conversation with Jeremy Grantham.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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This episode is brought to you by Koyfin, one of the fastest-growing fintech startups. I discovered Koyfin earlier this year when I asked Twitter for the best Bloomberg alternative, and the overwhelming winner was an intriguing new product called Koyfin.
Koyfin has tons of high-quality data, powerful functionality, and a nice clean interface. If you’re an individual investor, research analyst, portfolio manager, or financial advisor, you should definitely check them out. Sign up for free at koyfin.com.
------
This episode is brought to you by MIT Investment Management Company. MITIMCO is the endowment office of MIT. New and small investment funds listen up. MITIMCO is looking to find investors starting funds today.
MITIMCO is partnership-driven, long-term focused, and has an extensive history of backing investors early in their careers. These partners are key in delivering the outstanding investment returns required to support MIT's pursuit of world-class education, cutting-edge research, and groundbreaking innovation. MITIMCO is focused on finding and partnering with the best investors across the globe, no matter the market environment. No firm is too small, too young, or too non-institutional.
If you or someone you know is currently in the process of starting a fund or recently launched, please email partner@mitimco.org or discover more on their website at mitimco.org/partner.
------
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:03:03] - [First question] - His view on the markets today
[00:03:07] - Jeremy Grantham’s Podcast Episode
[00:08:00] - Proliferation of SPAC’s and how he views them as a potential bubble
[00:10:20] - Could SPAC’s help to improve the IPO process
[00:14:30] - How he viewed the Gamestop story through his historical context
[00:18:24] - Is investor education possible
[00:19:50] - How the increasing role of retail investors impacts bubbles
[00:24:15] - Attitudes towards market bears in bubbles
[00:28:52] - Long term view on the economy and the forces pushing it higher
[00:41:50] - Returning to a hard money standard for the US economy
[00:49:39] - Would a finite supply of money change market trajectory
[00:51:02] - Best ways to improve the infrastructure of the economy and people’s willingness to work
[00:53:52] - What should one do if they believe we are in a bubble
[00:58:14] - What he is excited about in his green investments
[01:02:28] - Advice to young investors
My guest today is Carlos Brito, CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev. AB InBev is the world’s largest brewer of beer and maintains a portfolio of hundreds of beer brands across the globe. Our conversation focuses on AB InBev’s culture of ownership, how Carlos balances organic growth with acquisitions and managing disruption as an industry incumbent. I loved hearing about Carlos’ story from growing up in Brazil to now running one of the largest businesses in the world. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Carlos Brito.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus has built the most extensive primary information platform available for investors.
With Tegus, you can learn everything you’d want to know about a company in an on-demand digital platform. Investors share their expert calls, allowing others to instantly access more than 10,000 calls on Affirm, Teladoc, Roblox, or almost any company of interest. All you have to do is log in. Visit tegus.co/patrick to learn more.
-----
This episode is brought to you by NetSuite. NetSuite allows founders to centralize their payment systems, ditch old spreadsheets and Quickbook tools, and finally gain visibility and control over their financials, HR, inventory, eCommerce - all in one place, instantly.
Whether you are doing a million in revenue or hundreds of millions in revenue - see why over 22,000 companies are using NetSuite today. Schedule your free product tour at netsuite.com/invest.
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Founder's Field Guide is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Founder's Field Guide, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:03:12] - [First question] - His career path and how he got to where he is today
[00:11:02] - Culture building lessons throughout his career
[00:14:52] - Maintaining ownership of company culture as businesses grow
[00:16:47] - How and why they avoid wasted resources
[00:18:49] - Why conserving resources is so beneficial for a company
[00:21:18] - Spreading culture into new members of a team
[00:25:26] - Lessons from managing a large portfolio of different brands
[00:27:58] - Biggest mistakes he has seen within brands
[00:29:38] - Navigating changes/threats in the beer industry, starting with craft beers
[00:32:56] - Lessons from the production and distribution side of the business
[00:36:02] - How to assess and decide to move into a new market
[00:37:12] - Role of data in deciding how to allocate resources and capital
[00:40:34] - The evolution of marketing over his career
[00:44:32] - Implementing the meritocracy to keep the right people in the company and move them around
[00:47:59] - Feedback he needed to hear
[00:49:16] - How other leaders can decide on whether to focus on inorganic or organic growth
[00:51:41] - What he’s most proud of from his career
[00:53:13] - Passion for the product
[00:54:12] - Most memorable beer in his life
[00:54:56] - Kindest thing anyone has done for him
My guest today is Scott Belsky. Scott was the co-founder and CEO of Behance, the world's largest creative network, and a prolific angel investor, having made early-stage investments in Pinterest, Uber, Carta, and Airtable. His company was acquired by Adobe in 2012, where he is currently the chief product officer. In this conversation, we cover the importance of focusing on the first mile of a customer's experience with your product, why every user is (at first) either lazy, vain or selfish, and what the rise of creativity tools means for creators and investors in the future. We also cover the major trends that Scott thinks will dominate for the next decade. This was one of those conversations where I was left with 10 great lessons that will stick with me for a long time. Please enjoy my conversation with Scott Belsky.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Koyfin, one of the fastest-growing fintech startups. I discovered Koyfin earlier this year when I asked Twitter for the best Bloomberg alternative, and the overwhelming winner was an intriguing new product called Koyfin.
Koyfin has tons of high-quality data, powerful functionality, and a nice clean interface. If you’re an individual investor, research analyst, portfolio manager, or financial advisor, you should definitely check them out. Sign up for free at koyfin.com.
------
This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus has built the most extensive primary information platform available for investors.
With Tegus, you can learn everything you’d want to know about a company in an on-demand digital platform. Investors share their expert calls, allowing others to instantly access more than 10,000 calls on Affirm, Teladoc, Roblox, or almost any company of interest. All you have to do is log in. Visit tegus.co/patrick to learn more.
------
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:03:24] - [First question] - Philosophy for building great products
[00:04:52] - Starting the journey of building a great product
[00:06:08] - Making the first mile better
[00:08:12] - Understanding user progress in product building
[00:10:25] - Getting to awareness and attention and interest in a product
[00:12:41] - The concept of window dressing
[00:14:24] - Taking an idea and turning it into a high-value product
[00:14:42] - The Messy Middle: Finding Your Way Through the Hardest and Most Crucial Part of Any Bold Venture and Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality
[00:16:49] - Keeping rewards structure in place for teams to stay engaged
[00:19:56] - Using his knowledge in product building to invest in other companies
[00:24:00] - The concept of object model
[00:25:52] - User psychology concepts they keep in mind when designing a product
[00:27:51] - Implementing all of these strategies into a product
[00:29:25] - The era of eduployment
[00:31:05] - How this will impact colleges
[00:33:27] - The evolution of the talent/audience relationship
[00:35:32] - Decentralization and the companies of 1
[00:37:44] - How that decentralization will impact his investment thesis
[00:39:21] - How increased productivity tools could help with more creativity in the workplace
[00:42:04] - Training people to be more creative in the workplace
[00:44:33] - Future of user interfaces
[00:44:58] - The Interface Layer: Where Design Commoditizes Tech
[00:48:10] - Good design principles
[00:49:51] - The future coming out of Covid
[00:52:09] - Kindest thing anyone has done for him
My guest today is Matt Mullenweg, co-founder and CEO of Automattic, the company on top of the open-source project WordPress that Matt helped start. Today, WordPress powers 40% of all the websites in the world. Our wide-ranging conversation covers the state of the internet when Matt first started WordPress, the symbiotic relationship between open source and proprietary projects, and how the most successful companies are really master world builders. I hope you enjoy this great conversation with Matt Mullenweg.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus has built the most extensive primary information platform available for investors.
With Tegus, you can learn everything you’d want to know about a company in an on-demand digital platform. Investors share their expert calls, allowing others to instantly access more than 10,000 calls on Affirm, Teladoc, Roblox, or almost any company of interest. All you have to do is log in. Visit tegus.co/patrick to learn more.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Vanta. Vanta has built software that makes it easier to both get and maintain your SOC 2 report, at a fraction of the normal cost. Founder’s Field Guide listeners can redeem a $1k off coupon at vanta.com/patrick.
-----
Founder's Field Guide is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Founder's Field Guide, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:03:15] – [First question] – What the internet felt like when he first started building Wordpress
[00:05:11] – What was wrong with his impression of the internet then
[00:06:50] – Being a connoisseur of things overlooked
[00:08:34] – How permission less publishing and open source software shaped the internet
[00:12:30] – Balance between centralization and decentralization and where we are in the cycle
[00:14:08] – The cycle between direct-to-consumer and having intermediary
[00:16:32] – New opportunities and challenges of the internet today
[00:18:49] – Potential of cryptocurrency to enable big changes on the internet
[00:21:22] – The idea of distributed work via the internet and the utopia of it
[00:21:38] - Sam Harris podcast with Matt Mullenweg
[00:24:31] – Advantage of having a team distributed across geographies and timezones
[00:26:46] – What he learned from the Amazon’s API mandate
[00:29:12] – Landmines of distributed work
[00:31:13] – Interesting lessons learned building Wordpress
[00:34:55] – Company building as world building
[00:35:52] – Lessons from Microsoft on platform building
[00:38:53] – Key ingredient to world building within your company
[00:41:09] – Lessons from Wix and Shopify
[00:42:23] – How to decide what to do next in resource and capital allocation
[00:47:00] – How to engage with other stakeholders in a platform business
[00:50:06] – The continued connectivity created by the internet
[00:53:14] – Kindest thing anyone has done for him
My guest today is Michael Dempsey, General Partner at Compound. Michael invests in a broad range of areas but has a unique talent for combining brand building and direct customer relationships with technically demanding sectors. Our conversation covers the rise of virtual influencers, robotics, and how to best identify key inflection points in the evolution of new technologies. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Michael Dempsey.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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This episode is brought to you by Koyfin, one of the fastest-growing fintech startups. I discovered Koyfin earlier this year when I asked Twitter for the best Bloomberg alternative, and the overwhelming winner was an intriguing new product called Koyfin.
Koyfin has tons of high-quality data, powerful functionality, and a nice clean interface. If you’re an individual investor, research analyst, portfolio manager, or financial advisor, you should definitely check them out. Sign up for free at koyfin.com.
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This episode is brought to you by MIT Investment Management Company. MITIMCO is the endowment office of MIT. New and small investment funds listen up. MITIMCO is looking to find investors starting funds today.
MITIMCO is partnership-driven, long-term focused and has an extensive history of backing investors early in their careers. These partners are key in delivering the outstanding investment returns required to support MIT's pursuit of world-class education, cutting-edge research, and groundbreaking innovation. MITIMCO is focused on finding and partnering with the best investors across the globe no matter the market environment. No firm is too small, too young, or too non-institutional.
If you or someone you know is currently in the process of starting a fund or recently launched, please email partner@mitimco.org or discover more on their website at mitimco.org/partner.
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Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:02:54] – [First question] – Early stages of his career
[00:05:13] - What are inflection points and how he views them as a source of opportunity
[00:07:40] - Real vs fake inflection points
[00:12:19] - Creativity as a key component of inflection points
[00:12:33] - On Inflection Points
[00:15:01] - Generative Adversarial Networks
[00:18:02] - History of animation and the innovation we are seeing there today
[00:20:12] - Animation is Eating the World
[00:24:11] - The concept of a digital celebrity and their scale
[00:29:17] - Characteristics of digital celebrity creators
[00:31:12] - Longevity and consistency of these personalities
[00:33:11] - Future of gaming and potential for investments in the space
[00:37:49] - The landscape for robotics and what has him excited
[00:41:07] - The exploration of space and the opportunities there.
[00:44:35] - Computational biology and the investment potentials.
[00:48:11] - How 2020 has changed the ability to solve scientific problems
[00:51:32] - The idea that Cyberpunk is now
[00:53:32] - Sam Hinkie podcast episode
[00:53:51] - Kindest thing anyone has done for him
My guest today is Dustin Moskovitz, co-founder and CEO of Asana, a team-centric product management tool used by over 1.3 million users around the world. Dustin started Asana in 2008, 4 years after co-founding Facebook. In this conversation, we dive into Dustin's belief about the diminishing returns of hard work, the shocking amount of productivity lost in doing "work about work", and Dustin's philanthropic investment strategy around leverage and maximizing ROI. I hope you enjoy my wide-ranging conversation with Dustin Moskovitz.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes/88012555/moskovitz-eliminating-work-about-work
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This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus has built the most extensive primary information platform available for investors.
With Tegus, you can learn everything you’d want to know about a company in an on-demand digital platform. Investors share their expert calls, allowing others to instantly access more than 10,000 calls on Affirm, Teladoc, Roblox, or almost any company of interest. Visit https://www.tegus.co/patrick to learn more.
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This episode is brought to you by Vanta. Vanta has built software that makes it easier to both get and maintain your SOC 2 report at a fraction of the normal cost. Founders Field Guide listeners can redeem a $1k off coupon at vanta.com/patrick.
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Founder's Field Guide is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Founder's Field Guide, go to https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up at https://www.joincolossus.com/newsletter.
Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag
Follow Colossus on Twitter at @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:03:19] – [First question] – Balancing hard purposeful work and too much work that leads to burn out
[00:05:41] – What led to this way of thinking
[00:06:54] – Regulating hard work through culture
[00:08:25] – False tradeoffs and how Asana represents this
[00:09:43] – Origins of Asana
[00:13:22] – Organizing the chaos of a project
[00:18:09] – Change vs discipline of the mission
[00:19:55] – Transferring good ideas from one company to another
[00:23:19] – Instilling leverage as a concept in an early company
[00:25:21] – New learning curves in building Asana
[00:26:52] – Hardest boss battle during his time at Asana
[00:28:43] – The role of the work graph
[00:31:46] – The proliferation of the work management space and the overall landscape
[00:32:56] – The idea of radical inclusiveness
[00:36:31] – Best reasons to start a new company
[00:37:47] – What will lead to Asana’s continued success
[00:38:59] – Lessons building the product
[00:41:13] – Work with the Open Philanthropy Project
[00:43:44] – Work on pandemics and biosecurity
[00:46:11] – Where he sees the future of artificial intelligence
[00:50:47] – Kindest thing anyone has done for him
My guest today is Chamath Palihapitiya, the founder and CEO of Social Capital, whose mission is to advance humanity by solving the world's hardest problems. I didn't know where this conversation would take us given Chamath's wide-ranging activities and interests but I think it provides an interesting glimpse into some of his core beliefs and the source of his drive. In our wide-ranging discussion we cover potential paths to closing the income inequality gap, how to manage one's personal psychology, his perspective on "value investing", and tackling climate change. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Chamath Palihapitiya.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes/33654465/palihapitiya-the-major-problems-facing-the-world.
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This episode is brought to you by Koyfin, one of the fastest growing fintech startups. I discovered Koyfin earlier this year when I asked Twitter for the best Bloomberg alternative, and the overwhelming winner was an intriguing new product called Koyfin.
Koyfin has tons of high-quality data, powerful functionality, and a nice clean interface. If you’re an individual investor, research analyst, portfolio manager, or financial advisor, you should definitely check them out. Sign up for free at koyfin.com.
-----
This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus has built the most extensive primary information platform available for investors.
With Tegus, you can learn everything you’d want to know about a company in an on-demand digital platform. Investors share their expert calls, allowing others to instantly access more than 10,000 calls on Affirm, Teladoc, Roblox, or almost any company of interest. Visit https://www.tegus.co/patrick to learn more.
-----
Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, go to https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up at https://www.joincolossus.com/newsletter.
Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag
Follow Colossus on Twitter at @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:03:13] – [First question] – His experience with debt and how he approaches personal finance
[00:09:13] – Attacking the problem of perpetual income inequality
[00:12:06] – Reaching the right people to fix the problem
[00:15:04] – A for profit business to solve the problem of income inequality
[00:19:18] – Traps he has beaten and hasn’t beaten in his finances
[00:22:15] – Chamath’s focus on family, friends, memories, and legacy
[00:25:01] – Big issues of our time; inequality, climate change, improving education
[00:29:28] – Lessons learned from Social Capital 1.0, allocating funds for himself and others
[00:32:33] – The balance between data and the qualitative analysis of companies
[00:35:26] – Insights into businesses beyond the investments he makes
[00:40:29] – Absurdities in the value investing style
[00:43:32] – Benefits of SPAC investing and opportunities for late-stage entrepreneurs
[00:45:06] – Traits in managers that he invests in
[00:47:20] – What he’s learned about combatting climate change
[00:51:40] – Thoughts on the supply chain, specifically as Americans
[00:54:35] – Company life cycles and innovation
[00:57:15] – What is most broken in the capital markets system
[00:58:58] – Fixing healthcare
[01:01:36] – Fixing climate change as President for a day
[01:02:06] – Messaging effectively
[01:03:14] – Is he a “main character” in the investing world
[01:04:06] – Tweeting a picture of himself as a kid
[01:04:42] – Kindest thing anyone has done for him
My Guest today is Ali Ghodsi, founder and CEO of Databricks, a data analytics platform for data scientists and developers. He's also the founder of Apache Spark, the open-source project that Databricks is built on, and is an accomplished researcher at UC Berkley's computer science department. Our conversation ranges from the origins of distributed computing to modern data infrastructure, how companies can leverage their massive datasets, and the transformation of Databricks through its phases of growth as a business. While technical, it's exactly the kind of conversation I like to have on this show. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Ali Ghodsi.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content check out https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes/4919706/ghodsi-the-past-present-and-future-of-big-data
This episode of Founder's Field Guide is sponsored by Klaviyo. Klaviyo is the ultimate marketing platform for ecommerce.
With targeted segmentation, email automation, SMS marketing, and more, Klaviyo helps you create your ideal customer experience. See why Klaviyo's trusted by more than 50,000 brands, like Living Proof, Solo Stove, and Nomad to help them grow their business.
For a free trial check out https://www.klaviyo.com/founders.
This episode is also sponsored by Vanta. Vanta has built software that makes it easier to both get and maintain your SOC 2 report, at a fraction of the normal cost. Founders Field Guide listeners can redeem a $1k off coupon at vanta.com/patrick.
Founder's Field Guide is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Founder's Field Guide go
to https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here - https://www.joincolossus.com/newsletter.
Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag
Follow Colossus on Twitter at @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:02:48] – [First question] – What is Databricks
[00:03:34] – History of distributed computing
[00:05:35] – Hardware that made this all possible
[00:07:20] – Early challenges in building out these systems
[00:09:43] – What has made networking technology better
[00:10:35] – Doing something in storage vs with memory
[00:11:45] – Origins of Hadoop
[00:12:42] – Use cases of distributed data in 2010 that weren’t possible in 2000
[00:13:35] – Origins of Spark
[00:15:25] – Early Spark and then the transformation into Databricks
[00:16:50] – Early uses cases
[00:17:37] – Their relationship to the open-source project
[00:21:07] – What customers need in order to work with Databricks
[00:23:11] – Their customer interaction
[00:26:27] – How they think about making investments
[00:28:24] – Their competitive advantage
[00:30:13] – Other companies in moving the needle in building distributed computing industry
[00:32:10] – Walls that need to be broken down today
[00:34:02] – Best practices for companies when it comes to their data
[00:34:13] – Jeff Lawson Podcast Episode
[00:38:47] – Lessons being a CEO
[00:39:53] – Working at the University of Berkeley’s AMPLab
[00:41:56] – What excites him about the future
[00:43:29] – Kindest thing anyone has done for him
My guest today is Joost van Dreunen, an investor in the gaming space, professor at NYU's Stern School of Business, and former CEO and co-founder of SuperData Research, a data-driven gaming firm that was acquired by Nielsen. He also recently authored One Up: Creativity, Competition, and the Global Business of Video Games, a great book on the business game industry and why I reached out to speak with him in the first place. Our conversation covers the rise and decline of GameStop, what parts of the value chain actually make money in video games, the evolution of video game business models from Nintendo to Fortnite, and what other industries can learn by studying the video game industry. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Joost van Dreunen.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content check out https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes/14574831/van-unlocking-value-in-gaming
This episode of Invest Like the Best is sponsored by Canalyst. Canalyst is the leading destination for public company data and analysis. If you’re a professional equity investor and haven’t talked to Canalyst recently, you should give them a shout. Learn more and try Canalyst for yourself at canalyst.com/Patrick.
Invest like the Best is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best go to https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here - https://www.joincolossus.com/newsletter.
Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag
Follow Colossus on Twitter at @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:02:38] – [First question] – First chapter of the modern gaming business
[00:06:28] – The product era of video games
[00:10:11] – The different pieces that take place in creating and selling a game
[00:12:25] – The story of GameStop
[00:18:45] – The transition to digital platform-based gaming
[00:22:55] – How the breakdown of platforms has changed
[00:27:35] – Free-to-play vs free-to-win in digital gaming
[00:31:27] – How the revenue models are changing the type of games that are made
[00:35:07] – Socializing games and the future there
[00:38:14] – Who is making money in the modern gaming world
[00:43:33] – The zones of opportunity to invest in within gaming
[00:47:12] – Why the business models can be more powerful than new tech
[00:53:52] – Strategies from gaming that the non-gaming industries can learn from
[00:57:05] – Kindest thing anyone has done for him
My guest today is Ilkka Paananen, Founder and CEO of Supercell, a mobile game developer based in Finland. Supercell has built hugely successful games like Clash of Clans and Clash Royale that have reached over 100 million daily active users. What interests me most about the company is Supercell's unique culture built on decentralized, autonomous teams with nearly total creative control. Ilkka and I talk about how Supercell hires and designs teams, why they incorporate as little process as possible, and the rise of global, social games. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Ilkka.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content check out https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes/72273479/paananen-superpowering-teams
This episode of Founder's Field Guide is sponsored by Klaviyo. Klaviyo is the ultimate marketing platform for ecommerce.
With targeted segmentation, email automation, SMS marketing, and more, Klaviyo helps you create your ideal customer experience. See why Klaviyo's trusted by more than 50,000 brands, like Living Proof, Solo Stove, and Nomad to help them grow their business.
For a free trial check out https://www.klaviyo.com/founders.
This episode is also sponsored by Vanta. Vanta has built software that makes it easier to both get and maintain your SOC 2 report, at a fraction of the normal cost. Founders Field Guide listeners can redeem a $1k off coupon at vanta.com/patrick.
Founder's Field Guide is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Founder's Field Guide go
to https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here - https://www.joincolossus.com/newsletter.
Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag
Follow Colossus on Twitter at @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:02:51] – [First question] – Why he is the “least powerful CEO in the world.”
[00:04:03] – His career prior to Supercell
[00:07:53] – Lessons from his prior career that he brought to Supercell
[00:11:49] – What he looks for in identifying and recruiting the best people
[00:13:46] – The funnel of getting great people into the business through the rest of the team
[00:15:44] – The Supercell recruitment team
[00:17:33] – Interviewing and screening applicants
[00:18:39] – Building teams and how they are the driving force behind the company
[00:21:29] – The culture of trust throughout the company
[00:24:13] – Ensuring teams know when to kill a project
[00:26:11] – Celebrating after a project gets shutdown
[00:28:15] – Why retention is such an important focus of the company
[00:30:40] – How reach and depth lead to a game’s success
[00:32:21] – The teams outside of development and how they operate
[00:33:36] - LOST & CROWNED | A Clash Short Film
[00:34:53] – His day-to-day
[00:35:49] – Biggest surprises within Supercell since its founding
[00:36:38] – What makes for a good game
[00:37:59] – The notion of infinite games
[00:39:28] – Kindest thing anyone has done for him
My guest today is Claire Cormier Thielke, Managing Director of Asia Pacific for Hines, the largest private real estate investment, development and management firm in the world with over $144 billion in assets under management. Claire responsible for acquisitions, development, and new business generation for Hines APAC and was also recently appointed to the board of Zillow. I was first introduced to Claire two years ago and have wanted to have her on the podcast ever since.
Her personal story is fascinating - Claire finished Stanford undergrad in 2.5 years and now teaches there - on the intersection of tech and real assets, she was a professional track and field athlete - competing for USA Track and Field, and she's run a marathon on Everest, which we discuss. Aside from her personal story and some of her amazing achievements, in the episode, we dive into the world of real estate investing including how to use pattern recognition to unlock real alpha in real estate, the ingredients that make a city special, and the surprising ROI of public art.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content check out https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes/72331821/cormier-the-future-of-cities-and-real-estate
This episode of Invest Like the Best is sponsored by Canalyst. Canalyst is the leading destination for public company data and analysis. If you’re a professional equity investor and haven’t talked to Canalyst recently, you should give them a shout. Learn more and try Canalyst for yourself at canalyst.com/Patrick.
Invest like the Best is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best go to https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here - https://www.joincolossus.com/newsletter.
Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag
Follow Colossus on Twitter at @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:03:01] – [First question] – Overview of her career and her passion for real estate
[00:05:32] – The impact of Gerry Hines on her life
[00:07:30] – Her theory of and what she thinks about cities
[00:09:47] – Cities rhyming with each other
[00:12:03] – How the highway act led to growth in cities
[00:13:31] – How cities compare around the world
[00:15:42] – Airplanes as time machines
[00:18:42] – Overview of a building project and how it differs from investing in equities
[00:23:15] – Rebuilding a city from scratch
[00:25:45] – Major real estate changes we’ll be seeing in the US
[00:28:30] – Real estate trends that fascinate her in Asia
[00:30:10] – Real estate plugging into other industries
[00:32:11] – Trends in Asia that could be ported to the US
[00:34:08] – Where to see the best of cities today (post-pandemic)
[00:37:28] – The ROI on public art
[00:38:33] – Her time in track and field
[00:41:59] – The concept of tomorrow time
[00:42:49] – Cultivated other part of her training
[00:45:07] – Her marathon on Mount Everest
[00:46:26] – Replicating the extreme performance piece of herself in a professional setting
[00:48:18] – Lessons from being a professor
[00:49:53] – Joining Zillow’s board, what she wants to bring and get
[00:52:17] – Her childhood and her parents, how that influenced her
[00:56:26] – How one person can be actionable
[00:58:30] – Brad Gerstner and Rich Barton podcast episode
[01:00:32] – Kindest thing anyone has done for her
My guest today is Oliver Hughes, the CEO of Tinkoff, the leading online commercial bank based in Russia. I found this conversation fascinating and think it will be essential for anyone who wants to understand online financial services or the next generation of fintech. Our conversation touches on how Tinkoff used direct mail campaigns to become the largest online banking provider in Russia, their last-mile delivery platform that combines couriers with door-to-door salesmen, and how they build profitability into every aspect of the business. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Oliver Hughes.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content check out https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes/72486324/hughes-the-secret-fintech-giant
This episode of Founder's Field Guide is sponsored by Klaviyo. Klaviyo is the ultimate marketing platform for ecommerce.
With targeted segmentation, email automation, SMS marketing, and more, Klaviyo helps you create your ideal customer experience. See why Klaviyo's trusted by more than 50,000 brands, like Living Proof, Solo Stove, and Nomad to help them grow their business.
For a free trial check out https://www.klaviyo.com/founders.
This episode is also sponsored by Vanta. Vanta has built software that makes it easier to both get and maintain your SOC 2 report, at a fraction of the normal cost. Founders Field Guide listeners can redeem a $1k off coupon at vanta.com/patrick.
Founder's Field Guide is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Founder's Field Guide go
to https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here - https://www.joincolossus.com/newsletter.
Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag
Follow Colossus on Twitter at @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:02:44] – [First question] – The origins of Tinkoff
[00:06:18] – How they started and stayed profitable, and lessons learned
[00:08:18] – Bringing Visa to Russia and what he took with him to Tinkoff
[00:10:02] – Overall Credit card and Tinkoff's specifically business model
[00:12:35] – Running an effective direct mail acquisition campaign
[00:15:45] – Branching off from the original core credit card business into other spaces
[00:18:45] – How he thinks about when to make competing investments
[00:21:00] – Embedding into new businesses and how it goes wrong
[00:24:50] – How they became a large door-to-door business in Russia
[00:27:55] – Why that door-to-door business makes it hard to compete with them
[00:29:38] – Challenges in the payments business
[00:32:25] – Using content to help them grow their business
[00:35:29] – Competitive frontiers for Tinkoff and how often they shift
[00:38:45] – What the future of Tinkoff might look like and the Russian business environment
[00:41:55] – State of the market in Russia today
[00:45:27] – Recruiting talent and building culture
[00:47:55] – What he enjoys most about his job
[00:49:14] – Failures and lessons from them
[00:52:00] – Kindest thing anyone has done for him
My guest today is Zach Fuss, an investor at Continental Grain, a 200-year-old family owned business that is focused on investing and operating businesses throughout the food and agriculture ecosystem with assets across the US, Latin America, and Asia. Prior to his work at Continental, Zack was an analyst at Tiger and Citadel. This is a must listen for those interested in any aspect of the food ecosystem but also understanding value chains more generally. In our conversation we cover where profits tend to sit in a specific value chain, how legacy food businesses are creating their 2nd acts as digital businesses and explore what makes Domino's Pizza so interesting and special. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Zach Fuss.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content check out https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes/93129089/fuss-breaking-down-the-food-ecosystem
This episode of Invest Like the Best is sponsored by Canalyst. Canalyst is the leading destination for public company data and analysis. If you’re a professional equity investor and haven’t talked to Canalyst recently, you should give them a shout. Learn more and try Canalyst for yourself at canalyst.com/Patrick.
This episode is brought to you by the MIT Investment Management Company (MITIMCO). MITIMCO is always on the looking for promising investment managers with the potential to compound our capital for a decade or more. If you think your firm is too small, too young, or too non-institutional, you might just be exactly what we are looking for. Check us out at https://mitimco.org/partner/ or e-mail us at partner@mitimco.org. Please also see our new page for emerging managers https://mitimco.org/emerging-managers/.
Invest like the Best is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best go to https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here - https://www.joincolossus.com/newsletter.
Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag
Follow Colossus on Twitter at @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:03:42] – [First question] – Key components of the food management business
[00:05:12] – The most defensible businesses in the food chain
[00:07:51] – Law of conservation of attractive profits in the food business and food delivery
[00:11:05] – Legacy food businesses and ones that have adapted well to changes today
[00:15:42] – Dark stores and cloud kitchens
[00:17:11] – Breaking down the Domino's Pizza business
[00:19:45] – Being a Domino's Pizza franchise owner
[00:21:03] – Why they offer such high returns to franchise owners
[00:23:22] – The tech company aspect of Domino's Pizza
[00:25:25] – Same store economics for an owner
[00:28:15] – When Domino's Pizza realized their food was not great
[00:29:45] – Why Domino's Pizza owns the delivery and won’t go on other platforms
[00:32:47] – Most portable pieces of Domino's Pizza business
[00:34:03] – Parts of Domino's Pizza history that are intriguing
[00:35:51] – Build once, sell many times
[00:40:09] – Lessons from the best retail businesses
[00:43:26] – Has it become harder for smaller companies to win with larger ones being more nimble
[00:46:39] – Watching the alternative meat companies flourish
[00:49:49] – Interesting trends in the food space
[00:51:22] – Global trends in food that we can learn from
[00:54:04] – Impact of Covid on the food industry
[00:57:44] – Businesses outside of stores that he finds fascinating
[01:00:08] – Why he’s impressed by Chipotle
[01:01:48] – Approaching buying a franchise
[01:05:30] – Creating a new QSR business and differentiating from the pack
[01:07:58] – Frontiers that he’s interested in today
[01:10:17] – What he is saying in the competitiveness in public equities
[01:13:48] – Kindest thing anyone has done for him
My guest today is Carlos Cashman, co-founder and co-CEO of Thrasio an acquirer of third-party Amazon sellers. In a surprising departure for a high growth company, Thrasio has been profitable since its founding in 2018 and was most recently valued at $1 billion. In our conversation we discuss the full spectrum of the Amazon third party seller ecosystem, the effects of globally commoditized manufacturing, and the terms of Thrasio's acquisitions of Amazon businesses. I hope you enjoy this great conversation with Carlos Cashman.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content check out https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes/28372673/cashman-lessons-from-the-amazon-ecosystem
This episode of Founder's Field Guide is sponsored by Klaviyo. Klaviyo is the ultimate marketing platform for ecommerce.
With targeted segmentation, email automation, SMS marketing, and more, Klaviyo helps you create your ideal customer experience. See why Klaviyo's trusted by more than 50,000 brands, like Living Proof, Solo Stove, and Nomad to help them grow their business.
For a free trial check out https://www.klaviyo.com/founders.
This episode is also sponsored by Vanta. Vanta has built software that makes it easier to both get and maintain your SOC 2 report, at a fraction of the normal cost. Founders Field Guide listeners can redeem a $1k off coupon at vanta.com/patrick.
Founder's Field Guide is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Founder's Field Guide go
to https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here - https://www.joincolossus.com/newsletter.
Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag
Follow Colossus on Twitter at @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:02:44] – [First question] – Origin of Thrasio
[00:07:27] – The types of business they work with
[00:11:19] – Challenges for smaller businesses selling on Amazon and when they need a Thrasio
[00:15:31] – How the Amazon ecosystem has changed since they started
[00:18:14] – The capital sourcing side of their business
[00:19:49] – Future of the ecommerce space that has them excited
[00:27:20] – What makes the major online powerful so powerful for DTC companies
[00:32:18] – How edge erodes on spend when people crowd into a platform
[00:34:46] – Building the recognition of the Thrasio brand
[00:44:06] – His history as an entrepreneur and what was the common thread in these businesses
[00:45:47] – Getting customers early on
[00:46:47] – Knowing when something will fail
[00:48:48] – Downside of MBA’s
[00:50:07] – The importance of people in building a company
[00:51:01] – Effectively hiring people
[00:52:37] – What has to remain with the founder
[00:52:50] – The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success
[00:53:53] – Other places in ecommerce that fascinate him
[00:56:36] – What are the risk factors that he worries about
[00:59:12] – Kindest thing anyone has done for him
My guest today is Ram Parameswaran, founder of Octahedron Capital. Ram started Octahedron this year after more than 5 years as a partner at Altimeter Capital where he made investments in Square, Bytedance, Pinduoduo, and Udaan. In our conversation we cover the potential for internet scale businesses, explore the common characteristics of these businesses, and then go through a rapid-fire round of the most important qualities for 8 business models. This conversation was a blast of energy and could have gone on for 2 more hours. I hope to have Ram on again and can't imagine what his conversations are like at the dinner table with his wife and former podcast guest, Anu Hariharan. Please enjoy this awesome conversation with Ram Parameswaran.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content check out https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes/22392883/parameswaran-internet-scale-businesses
This episode of Invest Like the Best is sponsored by Canalyst. Canalyst is the leading destination for public company data and analysis. If you’re a professional equity investor and haven’t talked to Canalyst recently, you should give them a shout. Learn more and try Canalyst for yourself at canalyst.com/Patrick.
This episode is brought to you by the MIT Investment Management Company (MITIMCO). MITIMCO is always on the looking for promising investment managers with the potential to compound our capital for a decade or more. If you think your firm is too small, too young, or too non-institutional, you might just be exactly what we are looking for. Check us out at https://mitimco.org/partner/ or e-mail us at partner@mitimco.org. Please also see our new page for emerging managers https://mitimco.org/emerging-managers/.
Invest like the Best is a property of Colossus Inc. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best go to https://www.joincolossus.com/episodes.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here - https://www.joincolossus.com/newsletter.
Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag
Follow Colossus on Twitter at @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:03:45] – [First question] – The opportunity of the commercial internet
[00:11:18] – Identifying the companies that will take advantage of this shift to online commerce
[00:18:30] – How businesses build scale, in particular internet vs non-internet businesses
[00:23:09] – How Amazon Wins: By Steamrolling Rivals and Partners
[00:24:19] – The Carvana playbook
[00:30:11] – Using frequency of use as a factor in valuing a business
[00:33:55] – Evaluating ByteDance and what can others learn from them
[00:40:52] – Finding success in an experiment
[00:43:32] – How online commerce business will grow globally, with India in focus
[00:55:28] – How they approach and evaluate online advertising businesses
[00:54:50] – Evaluating direct content subscription online businesses
[00:55:42] – Biggest challenges in building ecommerce online businesses
[00:58:31] – The lens to evaluate online marketplace businesses
[00:59:43] – What distinct things matter for on-demand online businesses
[01:01:56] – The competition in the online payment space business
[01:06:35] – Rake/Take rates outside of the US
[01:08:25] – Things that matter for consumer software
[01:10:25] – How that compares to enterprise software
[01:11:44] – Evaluating developer companies
[01:11:51] – Jeff Lawson Podcast Episode
[01:13:53] – Advice to help people be successful early in their investing career
[01:17:22] – Kindest thing anyone has done for him