Podcasts by Traction: How Startups Start | NextView Ventures

NextView All-Hands: Redesigning the Everyday Economy from 2017-10-04T07:00

In a very special episode of Traction, we sit down as a team and discuss the new mission of the firm and talk through B2C and B2B examples of the Everyday Economy. We learn what commonalities ex...

Powerful Mental Models for Product-Market Fit&Beyond (Andy Rachleff, Wealthfront) from 2017-09-05T09:00

On the podcast today, NextView cofounder Rob Go sits down with Andy Rachleff, VC veteran and the president, CEO, and executive chairman of Wealthfront. They talk about how Andy came up with the ...

#46: Starting Your Influencer Marketing from 2017-08-15T09:00

Today, Samantha Howe of Grove Collaborative shares her in-depth knowledge of a massive trend in marketing: working with influencers. You'll hear how to get started, approach influencer in your s...

#45: How to Grow a Growth Team (Fareed Mosavat, Slack) from 2017-07-25T19:15:52

On the show today, Fareed Mosavat shares his experiences on growth teams for Slack, Instacart, and RunKeeper. We learn from his approach but also extract valuable lessons about where growth jobs...

#44: Thinking Bigger, Better, and Bolder (Shan-Lyn Ma, Zola) from 2017-07-11T09:00

Today's episode features a fast-rising company led by Shan-Lyn Ma. Her startup, Zola, is changing the way people purchase gifts for brides and grooms. Anyone who has ever experienced the insanit...

#43: Vetting&Working with Cofounders (Wayne Chang, Jeff Seibert) from 2017-06-20T09:00

Wayne Chang and Jeff Seibert are the cofounders of Crashlytics, which Twitter acquired in 2013. Today, as angel investors, they see dozens of entrepreneurs every quarter, and they've joined the ...

#42: Hacking Growth with the Right Process (Sean Ellis&Morgan Brown) from 2017-06-06T09:00

Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown are entrepreneurs, growth experts, and co-authors of the book Hacking Growth. Today, we talk about this notion of growth hacking and debunk some myths, then walk thro...

#41: Finding Brilliant Engineers in Unconventional Places (Christina Sass, Andela) from 2017-05-23T09:00

Christina Sass is co-founder and COO of Andela, a company that locates, trains, and staffs world-class engineers in Africa for hire by tech companies in the US and elsewhere. They've sparked a m...

#40: Science, LeBron James, and Long Sales Cycles (Will Ahmed, WHOOP) from 2017-05-09T09:00

Will Ahmed is the CEO and co-founder of WHOOP, a fitness tech startup working with high-performance athletes. Their users include LeBron James, Michael Phelps, pro teams like the Boston Red Sox,...

#39: Building Something Special in Somewhere Crowded (Ellen Chisa, Lola) from 2017-04-19T19:54:34

Ellen Chisa is VP of product at Lola, a travel company combining the human element of travel agents with smart technology. While some entrepreneurs build their products in markets that feel wide...

#38: The Coming Ubiquity of Voice (Adam Marchick, VoiceLabs) from 2017-03-28T18:27:27

Adam Marchick, CEO of VoiceLabs, sees the disruptive force on the horizon that is voice technology. Whether it's voice-based apps or voice inputs and outputs, all of us in tech should be watchin...

#37: Bucking Trends Instead of Following Them (Chad Laurans, SimpliSafe) from 2017-02-23T16:22:18

Chad Laurans is the CEO of SimpliSafe, a large and growing tech company located in the Boston area. Years ago, in the span of 30 days, three of Chad's friends were robbed. The companies that sho...

#36: Hiring Tech Talent as a Non-Tech Founder (Dan Reich, Troops) from 2017-02-14T14:04:18

Dan Reich is the CEO and co-founder of Troops, a company bringing artificial intelligence to your sales team's workflow, right in Slack. (Disclosure: NextView is an investor in Troops.)

T...

#35: Biz Dev Roles - What the Actual Heck? (Kristen Craft, Ovia Health) from 2017-01-22T19:18:18

Kristen Craft is VP of business development and marketing at Ovia Health. For this episode, Jay sat down with Kristen while she was head of biz dev at video platform company Wistia. They talk ab...

#34: Growing the Supply Side of a Marketplace [Mike Russell, Paintzen] from 2017-01-06T17:05:48

Mike Russell is the CEO and co-founder of Paintzen, a NextView-backed company based in New York. Over the last couple years, they've experienced strong growth ...

Gotham Alpha #5: NYTech's Diversity Gap and How To Fix It (Alex Qin, Skillshare) from 2016-12-14T16:54:52

This episode features two concerned and proactive members of New York's tech-startup community laying bare the facts and solutions to the problem of diversity in the local tech workforce. On the...

#33: How to Build a Marketing Team from Zero (Mike Volpe, Cybereason) from 2016-12-05T20:20:05

This episode features two veteran marketers going deep into the ins and outs of building an initial marketing team from scratch. On the show today, Jay talks to Mike Volpe, CMO of Cybereason and...

#32: Where Brand Marketing Fits (Nancy Go, Wayfair) from 2016-11-28T15:35:37

When you hear "brand marketing," what do you think about? Maybe big brands, big budgets, or even big wastes of money and time as a startup, right? But what if brand marketing could help you get ...

#31: The Meta Ep (Jay Acunzo, NextView + Jenny Jao, HBS) from 2016-11-08T22:15:07

In this episode, we mix things up. Jenny Jao of Harvard Business School digs into the making of Traction with host Jay Acunzo. How does it fit into the overall strategy behind NextView Ventures?...

#30: Working IN vs ON Your Startup (James Reinhart, thredUP) from 2016-11-01T20:17:01

What does the evolution from founder to CEO look like? And how does an entrepreneur balance working IN the business early to tinkering ON the business as it grows? How early does that mentality ...

#29: Disrupting Disruptors (Matt Ruby, Vooza) from 2016-10-26T16:20:41

Today, we talk to startup legend and self-made millionaire, Matt Ruby, founder of Vooza -- thought leader, disruptor, and the next Steve Jobs.

Alright, alright, so none of that is true --...

Arguing with VCs with the CEO of Mattermark [Rebroadcast] from 2016-10-20T12:30:27

In this episode, Danielle Morrill, the CEO and co-founder of Mattermark, shares her company's origin story, including how they created an addicting, ubiquitous newsletter read by VCs and entrepr...

Gotham Alpha #4: Shai Goldman, SVB NYC from 2016-10-19T20:58:59

NextView's NYC podcast rolls on with NYC-based principal and host Tim Devane. Today, Shai Goldman, one of the most active community builders in NYC Tech, on his background, the evolution of the ...

#28: The Shape of Traction (Rob Go, NextView cofounder) from 2016-09-29T19:14:16

Rob's recent Shape of Traction blog post explores a big problem in gaining initial traction. You can find the post below, as well as David Beisel's Part 2. In this episode, Jay Acunzo talks with...

Gotham Alpha #3: Eli Bronner, Growth at AngelList from 2016-09-13T13:47:41

In this episode of Gotham Alpha, AngelList's Eli Bronner joins NextView principal Tim Devane to discuss NYC Tech's growth and energy, why he chose to start a company in New York, how TechStars s...

#27: The Biggest Reason Startups Fail (Reboot Series) from 2016-08-11T18:17:45

In Part 2 of our series of episodes with Reboot, Jay plays skeptic to Dan Putt's insistence that you should actively work on communication and the "softer stuff" at your startup. Don't miss Dan'...

#26: Unspoken Cofounder Issues (Reboot Series) from 2016-08-02T18:34

What happens when you and your co-founder experience conflict or strife but don't address it up front? When something festers and is ready to boil over, how do you bring it back down to a good p...

#25: The Technical Side (Yoav Shapira, CTO/Investor) from 2016-06-29T18:09:11

NextView's Rob Go talks with Yoav Shapira, a longtime tech leader in the Boston startup community. Yoav was first employee at CarGurus, a founding executive of HubSpot, CTO at Happier, CTO at Ja...

NYC Tech Series #2: Pillar Tech Companies from 2016-06-08T20:25:19

In the second episode of our NYC Tech-focused series, NextView principal Tim Devane and VP of platform Jay Acunzo talk about the tech companies most likely to ascend to the status of "pillar" te...

#24: What's the Problem? (Nadia Boujarwah, Dia&Co) from 2016-06-02T15:26:57

Startups are exciting for any number of reasons, not least of which are all the fresh new ideas for products and various approaches to doing the work. But we forget that building successful star...

#23: Make a Life, Not a Living (Jesse Middleton, WeWork) from 2016-05-03T17:56:52

Go inside the thinking behind a $16B startup -- worth more than Twitter, Pinterest or Dropbox as of this recording. Today's guest, Jesse Middleton, is a co-founder of WeWork Labs, the company's ...

NYC Tech Series #1: Melting Pot Problems from 2016-04-19T09:56:38

In the first episode of our NYC Tech-focused miniseries, NextView principal Tim Devane and VP of platform Jay Acunzo talk about the biggest problem and opportunity facing NYC Tech -- namely, suc...

#22: Landing Pages That Convert (Oli Gardner, Unbounce) from 2016-04-13T16:16:31

Oli Gardner is the co-founder of Unbounce, a platform that helps you build, test, and optimize landing pages to convert customers. Today, he spends most of his time writing and speaking and is a...

#21: How Startups Sell to Main Street (Angus Davis, Upserve) from 2016-03-23T19:25:24

Last time, we heard from a CEO about how startups can sell to big brands and enterprises. This time, Angus Davis, the founder and CEO of Upserve (fka Swipely) shares stories and tactics around s...

#20: How Startups Sell to the Enterprise (Joe Coleman, Contently) from 2016-03-08T22:10:53

The prospect of selling a new product from an "unproven" business into a large corporation can seem daunting. But startups launch all the time as enterprise-focused entities. Still, that doesn't...

#19: Rebranding a Startup (Liz Wessel, WayUp) from 2016-02-17T21:11:02

Oh what's in a name? Your startup's name and branding become objects that represent your passion, pride, and determination. But startups change their names more often than their founders or team...

Special Edition: The State of NYC Seed (Rob Go&Tim Devane) from 2016-02-09T21:16:21

NextView's Rob Go, Tim Devane, and Jay Acunzo break down the key findings, themes, and stories from the firm's new report, The State of NYC Seed.

Find the full report and SlideShare here:...

#18: Skype-Side Chat - Content First, Product Second (Joe Pulizzi, CMI) from 2016-02-03T18:20:09

When looking back at the seed stage of their companies, lots of guests on Traction will cite the same regret: "I wish I started content marketing sooner."

Today, we talk to the man who co...

#17: Go Home, Clickbait, You're Drunk (Tony Haile, Chartbeat) from 2016-01-21T16:47:39

There's no denying the sheer creative power of the internet, but too often, it turns into a race to the bottom -- more clicks (and therefore more clickbait), more pageviews, more impressions, mo...

#16: Building Startups City-by-City (Justin Robinson, Drizly) from 2016-01-06T21:50:13

Justin Robinson, co-founder of mobile startup and liquor delivery app Drizly, talks about some of the ridiculously non-scalable things they had to do just to get their business off the ground in...

#15: Skype-Side Chat on Data Science&Inventing the Future (Hilary Mason, Fast Forward Labs) from 2015-12-10T22:06:04

Hilary Mason, founder at Fast Forward Labs and Data Scientist in Residence at Accel Partners, debunks some of the myths around startups being "data-driven." In addition, she tackles some complex...

#14: How Hardware Startups Get Traction (Ben Einstein, BOLT) from 2015-11-24T13:15:39

Ben Einstein, Founder/Partner of BOLT, an early-stage VC investing in hardware startups, shares the stories of several connected devices and hardware companies and their tricks and challenges. W...

#13: More Women. Fewer Trolls. Better Internet. (Sandi MacPherson, Quibb // 50/50Pledge) from 2015-11-12T16:07:26

Sandi MacPherson, Founder of Quibb, a private community of tech tastemakers sharing professional content and discussions, tells the story of creating an application-only social network. She also...

#12: The Book of Traction (Gabriel Weinberg, Duck Duck Go) from 2015-10-29T00:10:27

In this episode, Gabriel Weinberg, CEO of Duck Duck Go and author of Traction, the book (no connection to this show), shares the story of building a search engine to compete with Google, battle ...

Up Next, More Exciting Things... from 2015-10-09T17:10:48

Exciting times ahead! Just a quick preview. Send us feedback anytime by tweeting me @jayacunzo

#11: Arguing with VCs (Danielle Morrill, Mattermark) from 2015-09-23T01:54:14

Danielle Morrill, CEO of Mattermark -- In this episode, Danielle shares her company's origin story, including how they created an addicting, ubiquitous newsletter read by VCs and entrepreneurs e...

#10: Can't Code? Smart Ways to Execute Regardless (Vin Vacanti, Yipit) from 2015-09-02T21:29:24

NYC's Vin Vacanti of Yipit -- In this episode of Traction, we tell the story of Vin Vacanti, co-founder/CEO of Yipit (da...

#9: How a Paper Product Sparked a Digital Movement (Scott Belsky, Behance&Adobe) from 2015-08-20T00:51:28

Scott Belsky -- co-founder/CEO of Behance.

Brand. Mission. Emotion. These are things that, perhaps surprisingly to some, are still not widely preached, taught, accepted, or built around b...

#8: CEO of the Newest Unicorn Startup on Their Tough Start&Fast Rise (Jason Robins, DraftKings) from 2015-08-03T21:12:36

DraftKings' Jason Robins -- In this episode, NextView partner Rob Go talks to the CEO of the newest unicorn -- Listen

#7: Traction by a Thousand Cuts (Kathryn Minshew, The Muse) from 2015-07-22T15:46:37

Kathryn Minshew, co-founder and CEO of career platform The Muse, shares tactical details from her scrappy founding story. Today, The Muse generates...

#6: Leaving Google&Using a PDF to Bootstrap a SaaS Startup (Patrick Campbell, Price Intelligently) from 2015-07-06T20:07:35

Bootstrappin' CEO Patrick Campbell, cofounder of SaaS startup Price Intelligentl...

#5: A Career Rocketship, Sexy Shakespeare,&Fixing Boston Tech (Dennis Keohane, Pando Daily) from 2015-06-22T16:32:59

Tech Journalist Dennis Keohane -- Imagine you were told to enter a brand new field tomorrow and that you had 18 months to get hired by one of the top brands in that space. What would you do? Tha...

#4: Chicken, Egg or Farm? An Unusual Launch Problem (Brad Hargreaves, General Assembly) from 2015-06-09T03:12:31

General Assembly CEO Brad Hargreaves -- When Brad set out to create General Assembly, he had to face both an unusual and a difficult decision: the "Chicken, Egg, or Farm to Put It All" problem. ...

#3: Stalkers at Whole Foods, Sneaky Products&Inventing a Brand (Ken Chen, NatureBox) from 2015-05-26T10:00

NatureBox Co-founder/CMO, Ken Chen -- If ever there was a sneaky way to learn and gain initial traction, this is it. NatureBox currently ships millions of healthy snacks to consumers everywhere,...

#2: Founding LinkedIn, Elon Musk&Ancient Silicon Valley (Lee Hower, NextView) from 2015-05-26T10:00

LinkedIn Co-Founder Lee Hower -- Imagine being on the founding team of not one, but TWO of the startup world's biggest legends: PayPal and LinkedIn. Listen

#1: Revenue Before Product, Living Forever&Clever Origins (Fred Shilmover, InsightSquared) from 2015-05-25T13:30

Fred Shilmover, InsightSquared -- In Traction's first-ever episode, NextView's VP of platform Jay Acunzo briefly explains the concept behi...

Coming Soon: Creative&Unusual Ways Startups Start from 2015-04-23T13:43:23

Launching this spring, a podcast from NextView Ventures about the creative, unusual, clever, and downright brilliant things that entrepr...