a16z Podcast: Is Entrepreneurship a Universal Language?

with @skominers @smc90In this deep dive and tour through key business concepts, from theory to practice, we cover the topics of strategy, competitive advantage,  network effects, moats, and more -- covering both both basic foundations, as well as the tricky nuances in a new world of open source, including web3.  In the first half of this discussion, we cover foundational business concepts and questions -- such as the nature of competition, and how it *really* changes in web3; as well as how network effects really work -- and then, in the second half (in case you want to skip ahead), we cover mindsets and general guidance for builders…Our expert guest -- in conversation with editor in chief and host Sonal Chokshi -- is a16z crypto research partner Scott Duke Kominers, who is also a professor at Harvard Business School; a faculty affiliate in Harvard’s Department of Economics; and advises several companies on marketplace development, incentive design, and more; as well as advises, and is directly involved, in several NFT communities. Scott also teaches on these topics -- both at Harvard and also recently at our Crypto Startup School -- so be sure to subscribe to our playlist for those talks on the a16z crypto YouTube channel to get the latest updates as we release more videos from the 2023 cohort.  Listen to web3 with a16z: https://web3-with-a16z.simplecast.com/related links // see also:Can web3 bring back competition to digital platforms? by Christian Catalini and Scott Duke KominersWhy build in web3 by Jad Esber and Scott Duke KominersVampire attacks: A theory (and thread) on 'blood sucking' platform competition by John William Hatfield and Scott Duke KominersWhy NFT creators are going cc0 by Flashrekt and Scott Duke KominersDecentralized identity: Your reputation travels with you by Scott Duke Kominers and Jad EsberIncreasing returns and the new world of business (1996) by W. Brian ArthurNetwork effects, origin Stories, and the evolution of tech with W. Brian Arthur, Marc Andreeessen, and Sonal ChokshiThe five competitive forces that shape strategy (2008 reformulation of 1979 paper) by Michael PorterStrategies for two-sided markets (2006) by Tom Eisenmann, Geoffrey Parker, and Marshall Van Alstyne Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

23 Juni 20231h 18min

This week, a16z’s own cofounder Marc Andreessen published a nearly 7,000-word article that aimed to dispel fears over AI's risks to our humanity – both real and imagined. Instead, Marc elaborates on how AI can "make everything we care about better." In this timely one-on-one conversation with a16z General Partner Martin Casado, Marc discusses how this technology will maximize human potential, why the future of AI should be decided by the free market, and most importantly, why AI won’t destroy the world. In fact, it may save it. Read Marc’s full article “Why AI Will Save the World” here: https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/ Resources:Marc on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pmarca Marc’s Substack: https://pmarca.substack.com/ gptplaysminecraft - Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/gptplaysminecraftWhy AI Will Save the World: https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/Youtube discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wIUK0nsyUg Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

16 Juni 20231h 3min

The holy grail of company building is finding product-market fit. But what most people don’t tell you is that once you’ve found it, product-market fit brings its own set of challenges, particularly when it comes to scaling rapidly and hiring the right executives at the right time.Drawing from their extensive experiences, a16z cofounder Ben Horowitz and Databricks cofounder and CEO Ali Ghodsi sit down to talk about the hardest things about executive hiring and firing, and what is at stake.They dive into the common reasons an exec fails, why sometimes micromanagement is a good idea, and the difference between someone who has written a playbook and someone who has only run one.If you’d like to dive even deeper, the Growth team at a16z has spent the last year compiling insights from dozens of leaders at late-stage startups to literally write the book on hiring executives to scale. You can find that book at: http://a16z.com/executive-hiring-playbookTopics Covered:00:00 - When is it time to let someone go?05:41 - When do you give someone a chance to grow into the role?07:05-  Let go or level?09:27 - How do you have the tough conversation? 16:39 - Exit packages18:40 - Setting a new leader up for success24:27 - The importance of the first quick win 26:24 - The impact a new leader has on culture32:52 - Common ways new leaders fail37:35 - Closing thoughtsResources:Read the Executive Hiring: The Key to Scaling in the Growth Stages: http://a16z.com/executive-hiring-playbookLearn more about Databricks: https://www.databricks.comFind Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhorowitzFind Ali on Twitter: https://twitter.com/alighodsiStay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures

14 Juni 202339min

Demand for electric cars is booming. More than 10 million electric cars were sold worldwide in 2022, and consumer behavior is changing as more people embrace alternative and sustainable modes of mobility.While the electrification movement is a critical element of climate action, it also presents new challenges - from the sky to the sea.In this episode, industry experts Gregory Davis, CEO of Eviation Planes, Mitch Lee, co-founder and CEO of Arc Boats, and Duncan McIntyre, founder and CEO of Highland Electric Fleets, dive into how the electrification movement is shaping the future of transport and technology.Topics Covered:00:00 - Introduction03:29 - The sustainable aviation industry04:47 - Electric school, municipal and government vehicles07:57 - Electric boats10:49 - What can be transferred from the EV car market?14:06 - Battery challenges and architecture19:06 - Providing grid services 22:55 - Building a multimodal business33:19 - Gaps in the market46:16 - Do you make, buy, or borrow?57:26 - What does the future look like for each industry?Resources:Learn more about Arc Boats: https://arcboats.comLearn more about Highland Electric Fleets: https://highlandfleets.comLearn more about Eviation: https://www.eviation.com Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

9 Juni 20231h

Today’s episode is with Magi Richani, founder and CEO of Nobell Foods. She is joined by a16z Bio + Health general partner Vijay Pande.Together, they talk about the details of engineering plants to create the future of food, why Nobell started with soybeans to produce their cheese, and her dream of finding a cheese pizza—with Nobell cheese—at any pizza shop across the country.

2 Juni 202330min

Many companies today are grappling with a few things: an economic downturn, potential layoffs and restructuring, and trying to keep up with the latest tech trends… all while still maintaining a growth trajectory.In this episode, you’ll learn which companies are uniquely designed to weather this storm and what attributes these exponential organizations have. We’re joined by the co-authors of Exponential Organzations, Peter Diamandids and Salim Ismail, both also well-known for their involvement in XPrize and Singularity University, among many other companies.Topics Covered:00:00 - Introduction03:11 -What is an ‘Exponential Organization’?04:46 - What has changed in business since 201407:06 - Building companies with minimal cost supply ***11:49 - Can  incumbents become exponential organizations?16:27 - Massive Transformative Purpose (MTPs)19:04 - How can you tell if you have a good MTP22:34 - Unilever’s MTP23:27 - Staff on demand29:35 - Building interfaces and dashboards30:36 - The importance of experimenting34:19 - The economic downturn and restructuring38:00 - Peer-to-peer collaborative technologies42:30 - Digitizing your business43:53 - Kodak example45:37 - Automation and the humans role52:06 - How have you seen companies integrate AI?56:56 - Emerging roles due to exponential trends59:56 - The framework and diagnostic survey01:00:02 - Creating APIs you can build on01:05:00 - Opportunities in the marketResources:Attend the Exponential Organization workshop on June 6: https://www.diamandis.com/exoLearn more about Peter: https://www.diamandis.com/aboutLearn more about Salim: https://salimismail.com/ Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

25 Maj 20231h 6min

In this episode, you’ll hear directly from 6 founders trying to reinvent the healthcare system with the help of Fintech.They’re tackling everything from the lack of price transparency, the complexity of billing, getting clinics paid on time, mental health support for the masses, virtual first-care, and the millions of Americans about to lose access to Medicaid. Topics Covered:00:00 - The biggest problems in healthcare02:22 - The lack of price transparency07:13 - The complexity of medical billing14:32 - Getting health clinics paid on time20:00 - Mental health support for the masses24:58 - Millions about to lose Medicaid29:12 - Adopting virtual-first careResources:Learn more about the intersection of Healthcare and Fintech: https://a16z.com/healthcare-meets-fintech/Check out Turquoise: https://turquoise.health/Check out Cedar: https://www.cedar.com/Check out Camber Health: http://camber.health/Check out Headway: https://headway.co/Check out Propel: https://www.joinpropel.com/Check out Firefly: https://www.firefly.health/Find Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/crsevern?lang=enFind Florian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/flottobrasil?lang=enFind Jade on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jadeyychan/Find Andrew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewlangadams?lang=enFind Jimmy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimmychen?lang=enFind Fay on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fyietc Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

22 Maj 202337min

2022 was a breakout year for AI. While machine learning had already been integrated into applications for millions of users, for many, these tools still felt like their first real-world encounter with AI.As AI continues to revolutionize industries, CEOs are discussing how to integrate this new superpower. They are also considering important questions around data privacy, competition, cost, accuracy, and speed.In today's episode, we talk with Cresta, Hex, and Sourcegraph, three companies at the forefront of integrating AI into their existing products. From navigating data privacy concerns to optimizing accuracy and managing costs, these leaders are navigating the complexities of this new superpower.Topics Covered:00:00 - Introduction02:51 - How AI can enhance customer service08:26 - Using AI to shape data and analytics09:33 - Solving the challenges on contextual understanding12:01 - Giving AI the right information and context13:31 - Tools that help build language Models (LLMs)15:39 - Building open source tools18:40 - Constructing prompts22:26 - How do you differentiate?23:48 - Customization as a moat25:26 - Privacy challenges29:14 - Language models and search engines30:41 - Cost and pricing of models32:48 - What does the contact center look like in 2028?Resources:Find Barry McCardel on Twitter https://twitter.com/barraldFind Beyang Liu on Twitter: https://twitter.com/beyangFind Zayd Enam on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zaydenamRecent AI episodes:From Promise to Reality: Inside a16z's Data and AI ForumBeyond Avatars: How AI is Reshaping Online IdentityUnlocking Creativity with Prompt EngineeringStay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see

15 Maj 202336min