Greymatter

Figma was founded in 2012 with a mission to connect designers virtually, enabling collaboration and communication no matter where they were in the world. Fast forward to 2020, and that original operational intent has paved the way for the company to expand significantly in the face of Covid-19’s impact on the working world. Figma CEO and co-founder Dylan Field sat down with Greylock general partner Sarah Guo to discuss how the company has evolved to meet a surge in demand, adapted to going fully remote, and how he is approaching leadership during this time of great upheaval. This episode is part of the #WorkFromAnywhere podcast series hosted by Sarah and Greylock partner David Thacker.

Greylock general partners Reid Hoffman and Sarah Guo discuss the all-important topic of raising early stage capital (with updated guidelines for the current economic environment). From understanding what metrics matter to team-building and reference-checking potential board members, this Greymatter episode provides entrepreneurs practical advice and unique insight from some of Silicon Valley's most active and experienced investors.

We're more reliant on technology than ever. But there's always room for improvement. How should entrepreneurs approach product development at a time like now, when the Covid-19 pandemic has sparked an acute need for innovation in tools for seamless collaboration, communication and everything else? Greylock partner David Thacker, who previously held product leadership roles at iconic tech companies including Google, LinkedIn and Groupon, sat down with Greymatter to share his thoughts on the current environment, and why now is a challenging yet opportunity-rich moment for technology entrepreneurs. This episode is part of the #WorkFromAnywhere series hosted by David and fellow Greylock partner Sarah Guo.

Today’s entrepreneurs find themselves falling from the cliff and assembling a plane with tools that are on fire while being attacked by a swarm of murder hornets. Yet despite the increased risks, entrepreneurs are still taking those leaps of faith, for which we should all be grateful. Greylock partner Reid Hoffman and his Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh explore how to help and encourage those entrepreneurs by offering some thoughts on how to mitigate – or even leverage – the present set of risks to accelerate their progress.

Software startup Clubhouse built its product specifically for distributed teams, and the company had a high percentage of employees working remotely even prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. But Clubhouse CEO and co-founder Kurt Schrader said the shift to 100% remote work has provided fresh insight into the need for more and better tools that effectively recreate the ambient intelligence of working in an office. Kurt sat down with Greylock general partner Sarah Guo to discuss how the company is internally adapting to remote-first, how usage patterns are changing among their customers, and how Clubhouse is thinking about the next phase of product development. This episode is part of the Greymatter #WorkFromAnywhere series hosted by Greylock partners Sarah Guo and David Thacker.

Reid Hoffman shares his perspective on the fundamental choice that all venture-backed entrepreneurs face simple: M&A or IPO? Fortunately, there is one approach that allows you to build to go public AND to sell.

On this episode of Greymatter, Okta CEO and co-founder Todd McKinnon talks with Greylock partner Sarah Guo about leadership lessons for times of dramatic change, and how his team is meeting the surge in customer demand for Okta since Covid-19 hit. Todd, who left his job leading engineering at Salesforce in 2009 to start Okta, a Greylock portfolio company, reflects on the platform shifts that convinced him to take the leap, the parallels he sees today, and what's next for Okta. Finally, for over a year predating the pandemic, Todd has been a proponent of the nuanced “dynamic work" (rather than fully remote work). He explains that philosophy and shares Okta’s approach to talent. This episode is part of Greymatter's #WorkFromAnywhere series hosted by Greylock partners Sarah Guo and David Thacker.

Months into the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the top questions on entrepreneurs’ minds is whether venture capital firms are still making investments. The short answer is “Yes,” but the details are important enough that the partners of Greylock thought it was worth exploring in greater depth. On the latest episode of Greymatter, Greylock investors Reid Hoffman and Saam Motamedi sat down with Blitzscaling co-author Chris Yeh, who guided a discussion of how Covid-19 has – and hasn’t – changed how we invest at Greylock.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, tech startup Quora had a strong office culture and discouraged employees from working remotely most of the time. But once the company had no choice, Quora CEO and co-founder Adam D'Angelo says they discovered the benefits of working from anywhere far outweigh the drawbacks. In late June, Quora announced it would become a remote first company. Adam discusses the decision with Greylock partner David Thacker. This episode is part of Greymatter's #WorkFromAnywhere series hosted by David and fellow Greylock partners Sarah Guo.

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the environment for entrepreneurship. In many ways, entrepreneurship has become more challenging; in a few ways, and for a few people, it has become easier. For all of us among the broader society, it has become more important. The pandemic has shown us the harsh reality of the world as it is. That new clarity may allow entrepreneurship to make more rapid progress towards how it should be.

Box CEO and co-founder Aaron Levie sat down with Greylock General Partner Sarah Guo on Greymatter to discuss his company’s journey during the past decade leading up to the Covid-19 pandemic, how it has changed their product roadmap, and where he believes the opportunities for innovation still lie. This episode is part of Greymatter's #WorkFromAnywhere series hosted by Greylock partners Sarah Guo and David Thacker.

Reid Hoffman offers advice for the Class of startups in 2020. While there is a tendency for pundits to say that everything has changed, and that we’re in a new world, Reid posits that more is actually the same than different. Converting challenge into opportunity is a normal part of the entrepreneurial journey, and right now is precisely when people with entrepreneurial skills are accomplishing amazing things, because generally speaking, it's actually better in the long-run to successfully start a business during a recession than during a bull market.

This episode of Greymatter is part of a series of conversations with Greylock-backed health technology startups. This episode features Pranay Kapadia, the CEO and co-founder of Notable Health, which has created software to automate one of the most out-dated, costly and time-consuming parts of healthcare: administration. Notable partners with health systems to replace manual, in-person workflow systems - like billing and clinical note-taking - with automated digital tools. The company has seen an uptick in business and ever since the coronavirus pandemic hit, which shifted most healthcare services to virtual experiences.

In 2014, Greylock general partner Reid Hoffman co-authored The Alliance with Chris Yeh and Ben Casnocha. The book argued that in the modern economy, the key to a stronger, healthier, longer-lasting employee relationship was to be honest about the temporary nature of nearly every job. Much like negotiators of a treaty of alliance, employees can work with their managers and employers to steer their careers on a track that transforms both company and employee. In 2020, the world is suffering through the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic fallout, and those alliances are under more stress than ever before. In this Greymatter episode, Chris and Reid discuss how the current crisis also represents an opportunity to honor and strengthen those alliances, even in cases where employers are furloughing or laying off employees.

Health tech startup Cleo CEO SJ Sacchetti sat down with Greymatter to discuss how the company is quickly iterating products and services to meet the needs of working parents in the time of Covid-19 and beyond. SJ also shared her experience as a working parent and new CEO, and how adapting to a crisis has helped focus the Cleo team. The episode is part of a series of conversations with Greylock-backed startups operating in health technology.