Zero to IPO

You’re starting to get comfortable — dare we say, content — with your company’s progress. Hate to break it to you: it won’t last. The moment you realize that you’re settled in and basking in your glory should be a clear signal that it’s time to start reinventing yourself. In this episode, we talk to entrepreneurs who have mastered the art of keeping it fresh. Sebastian Thrun, Parker Harris, Melanie Perkins, and Marc Andreessen all share how you can continuously evolve and challenge yourself, your companies and your industries.

You always need another (cash) hit. In this episode of Zero to IPO, we discuss the rush that comes from getting an infusion of $30 million in capital, and the despair that follows when you realize it isn’t enough. Fundraising is essential to every entrepreneur’s success, and it can be addictive — the further you get from the last round, the more you need the next one. Join us as Aneel Bhusri, Josh James, Julia Hartz, and Fred Luddy tell us how to navigate capital raises and what it’s like to be “hooked.”

With every successful company, there comes a moment when things really start to click. But what happens when you hire 10, 20 or 200 new folks a week to handle the new business coming in? How do you inspire your team when you no longer know many of the people around you — at the company you founded? In this episode, we talk with Amy Pressman, Patty McCord, Melanie Perkins, Fred Luddy, and Carl Eschenbach about how to empower your people, scale your traditions and show employees you care — even when you can’t grab lunch with every one.

Company culture is hard to explain, harder to build and yet easy as hell to mess up. But here's what we do know: a business cannot succeed over time without a great culture. So, how do you foster the right kind of environment? How can it go astray, and can you save it when it does? In this episode, we talk with Carl Eschenbach, Parker Harris, Aaron Levie and Patty McCord about culture's impact on your brand and what it takes to build a team that can go the distance.

You aren’t hitting your targets, key team members are quitting, and you're being thrown out of board meetings. It feels like your company is falling apart and you don’t know how to hold it together. What do you do now? In this episode, we’ll discuss those "oh shit" moments, and how some of the most innovative founders discovered the will to persevere.

In this episode, we’ll talk about the first big win and what it did for the company. You’ve spent half your first round, hired a dozen employees, signed 20 customers. But be honest: Those “customers” were other start-ups, local companies, friends of yours. Then comes a cold lead, a different time zone, your first “mainstream” prospect. It’s the first deal that would legitimize you. You need the win, the money, the morale boost. Time to step up!

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and you’ve launched your new company. Sure you’re working from a folding table in your uncle’s garage, but you still call it your own. Maybe you've raised some money. You’re designing a website and recruiting your first employees. But how do you run payroll? And what do you do with lunch receipts? In this episode, we’ll get into the nitty gritty of the early days: renting your first office, landing your first customers, and how not to run out of money.

Millions of businesses are dreamt up in the shower, at coffee shops or during happy hour, but most never materialize. In episode two of Zero to IPO, we talk to the founders of Salesforce.com, ServiceNow, Jawbone and Canva about their a-ha moments, and how they turned their ideas into successful companies.

Every business starts out as an idea, and Marc Andreessen has seen them all. On our first episode of Zero to IPO, the Andreessen Horowitz co-founder discusses the cyclical nature of ideas, what problems and trends excite him, and why entrepreneurs need to commit to find success.

Promo Trailer