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Figuring out how to rapidly scale a novel type of e-commerce business is never easy—but try doing it during an unprecedented global pandemic.

Just ask Scott Cutler, the CEO of online marketplace StockX. Cutler—whose Detroit company started off selling high-demand sneakers but has since diversified into areas ranging from streetwear to watches to electronics—has overseen seen brisk growth at StockX over the last year and raised significant capital from investors.

But Cutler, a veteran of the New York Stock Exchange as well as consumer-tech companies like eBay, has had to do it differently this time. In this podcast with StockX board member and Battery General Partner Roger Lee, Cutler discusses StockX’s business model as well as his evolving leadership style over the last year. Notably, his approach has included focusing more on internal communications; showing more empathy with his executive team and employees; and planning ahead for pandemic-related, market disruptions that could impact StockX’s business. Have a listen.


Disclaimer:
The views expressed here are solely those of podcast guests, not Battery.

The information provided in this podcast is solely intended for the use of entrepreneurs, corporate CEOs and founders regarding Battery Ventures’ potential financing capabilities for prospective portfolio companies. The information is current as of the date it was published. The contents are not intended to be used in the investment decision making process related to any product or fund managed by Battery Ventures. Battery Ventures provides investment advisory services solely to privately offered funds. Battery Ventures neither solicits nor makes its services available to the public or other advisory clients.

*StockX is a Battery portfolio company. Investments identified above are for illustrative purposes only. No assumptions should be made that any investments identified above were or will be profitable. It should not be assumed that recommendations in the future will be profitable or equal the performance of the companies identified above. For more information about Battery Ventures’ potential financing capabilities for prospective portfolio companies, please refer to our website. For a complete list of portfolio companies, please see https://www.battery.com/our-companies/list/.

Content obtained from third-party sources, although believed to be reliable, has not been independently verified as to its accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Battery Ventures has no obligation to update, modify or amend the content of this podcast nor notify its audience in the event that any information, opinion, projection, forecast or estimate included, changes or subsequently becomes inaccurate.

The volume of software code being written by companies for new and existing software applications is exploding today—and growing even more due to Covid-19. Many enterprises are speeding up digital-transformation efforts that were in the works before the pandemic, owing to the need to move more services online, improve online products for customers and connect a workforce that is, in many instances, still toiling at home.

But there’s a downside here that companies must manage, too: all the security risks that come with rapid application development. Enter Contrast Security*. The Los Altos, Calif. firm specializes in baking security into application development and extending it all the way through to production—in industry lingo, “DevSecOps”—which helps companies digitize more quickly and securely. In a recent interview with Powered by Battery, Contrast’s CEO, Alan Naumann, talks through the company’s mission as well as the special challenges, and opportunities, he’s faced as a leader this year. Have a listen.

The information provided in this podcast is solely intended for the use of entrepreneurs, corporate CEOs and founders regarding Battery Ventures’ potential financing capabilities for prospective portfolio companies. The information is current as of the date it was published. The contents are not intended to be used in the investment decision making process related to any product or fund managed by Battery Ventures. Battery Ventures provides investment advisory services solely to privately offered funds. Battery Ventures neither solicits nor makes its services available to the public or other advisory clients.

*Contrast Security is a Battery portfolio company. Investments identified above are for illustrative purposes only. No assumptions should be made that any investments identified above were or will be profitable. It should not be assumed that recommendations in the future will be profitable or equal the performance of the companies identified above. For more information about Battery Ventures’ potential financing capabilities for prospective portfolio companies, please refer to our website. For a complete list of portfolio companies, please go to: https://www.battery.com/our-companies/list/

Content obtained from third-party sources, although believed to be reliable, has not been independently verified as to its accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Battery Ventures has no obligation to update, modify or amend the content of this podcast nor notify its audience in the event that any information, opinion, projection, forecast or estimate included, changes or subsequently becomes inaccurate.

If you’re a tech CEO, you’ve probably heard of “product led growth.” But what about a product-led company? In this episode of Powered by Battery, we speak with Todd Olson, the CEO of software company Pendo*, who’s written a book on how to build what he calls a product-led organization—one intensely focused on creating products that delight customers and easily anticipate their needs. Pendo, founded in 2013, is a software company whose technology helps other companies accelerate digital product adoption among customers and internal employees?

Olson also chats with us about steering Pendo through the Covid-19 pandemic, adapting company operations for work-from-home and what it’s like to build a unicorn tech startup in Raleigh, NC. Have a listen.

The information provided in this podcast is solely intended for the use of entrepreneurs, corporate CEOs and founders regarding Battery Ventures’ potential financing capabilities for prospective portfolio companies. The information is current as of the date it was published. The contents are not intended to be used in the investment decision making process related to any product or fund managed by Battery Ventures. Battery Ventures provides investment advisory services solely to privately offered funds. Battery Ventures neither solicits nor makes its services available to the public or other advisory clients.

*Pendo is a Battery portfolio company. No assumptions should be made that any investments identified above were or will be profitable. For a complete list of portfolio companies, please go to https://www.battery.com/our-companies/list/

Banks and credit unions haven’t always been the quickest adopters of new, digital tools. But could the global pandemic push them along? In this episode of Powered by Battery, we chat with Dede Wakefield, CEO of financial-technology firm Alogent, which sells technology to help financial institutions better manage their own internal processes and interact with customers online. Wakefield talks about how COVID-19 at first generated a “pause” in her business, with some customers putting off new initiatives temporarily—but then causing many to re-engage with new initiatives to make them more digitally savvy in a socially distanced world. In addition, Wakefield discusses her lessons learned from having a large team working from home, including changing the way she handles internal company communications. Have a listen.

Disclosure:
The information provided in this podcast is solely intended for the use of entrepreneurs, corporate CEOs and founders regarding Battery Ventures’ potential financing capabilities for prospective portfolio companies. The information is current as of the date it was published. The contents are not intended to be used in the investment decision making process related to any product or fund managed by Battery Ventures. Battery Ventures provides investment advisory services solely to privately offered funds. Battery Ventures neither solicits nor makes its services available to the public or other advisory clients.

*Alogent is a Battery portfolio company. Investments identified above are for illustrative purposes only. No assumptions should be made that any investments identified above were or will be profitable. It should not be assumed that recommendations in the future will be profitable or equal the performance of the companies identified above. For more information about Battery Ventures’ potential financing capabilities for prospective portfolio companies, please refer to our website. For a complete list of portfolio companies, please visit: https://www.battery.com/our-companies/list/

Content obtained from third-party sources, although believed to be reliable, has not been independently verified as to its accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Battery Ventures has no obligation to update, modify or amend the content of this podcast nor notify its audience in the event that any information, opinion, projection, forecast or estimate included, changes or subsequently becomes inaccurate.

How do you stay connected with partners and customers without traveling—and keep employees motivated when they feel like every interaction with a co-worker is a draining, formal meeting? How do you onboard new employees remotely? Most of all, how do you keep from feeling powerless when the world shuts down (at least temporarily) and many of your customers are suffering?

According to Samuel Bouchard, the CEO of cobot-application company Robotiq*, you get very intentional about internal communications, and you go back to business basics. In this episode of Powered by Battery, Bouchard talks about managing his company through an unprecedented pandemic—and using Covid-19 as an opportunity to re-connect with core constituencies, launch new initiatives and move his company forward. Have a listen.

In this episode of Powered by Battery, we talk with Cross River Bank's CEO, Gilles Gade, about the company’s origins, how it is dealing with the pandemic and what a return to work for his employees will look like.

Have a listen.