David Senra

Scicomm Media
Scicomm Media

Conversations with the greatest living founders.

  1. hace 3 días

    Building Robinhood, Surviving GameStop & A $500 Million Phone Call | Vlad Tenev

    Vlad Tenev is the co-founder and CEO of Robinhood. He was born in Bulgaria in 1987 and moved to the US at age five, a few years before hyperinflation wiped out his grandparents' savings. His parents kept the family afloat on a grad student's budget, and Vlad grew up as a latchkey kid teaching himself computers and tracking stocks on Yahoo Finance. When he scored 1,370 on the SAT at 12, his dad gave him that many dollars to invest. He went on to Stanford and then a math PhD at UCLA under Terence Tao, before his friend Baiju Bhatt convinced him to start a company during the 2008 financial crisis. Vlad tells the story of the near-collapse of Robinhood during the GameStop frenzy in January 2021: how a deposit requirement jumped from under $100 million to $3 billion overnight, why he called Micky Malka of Ribbit Capital first, and how a term sheet they had drafted after the outage in March 2020 made the rescue possible. He also explains why Micky passed on Robinhood's seed round but later became the only investor promoted to its public board, what his first startup taught him, and the legacy test that led him from selling trading software to hedge funds to building Robinhood. Made possible by Ramp: https://router.com AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra WorkOS: https://workos.com Deel: https://deel.com/senra Chapters (00:00:00) Why Ribbit passed on Robinhood's seed round (00:02:19) "You're going to want me on your board" (00:05:35) The day-long trading outage of March 2020 (00:09:22) A term sheet for a crisis that hadn't happened yet (00:15:00) Crypto goes from zero to a top revenue stream (00:16:27) The $3 billion deposit requirement (00:18:35) "Vlad, you have to call work right away" (00:21:34) The first call: Micky Malka (00:24:31) "Time kills all deals" (00:25:33) Number one app in the App Store, ahead of Instagram and TikTok (00:27:01) $10 billion of demand (00:29:33) Hyperinflation and copper cookware in Bulgaria (00:35:34) "Manhattan just seemed like science fiction" (00:47:15) His SAT score in dollars to invest (00:50:53) Studying under Terence Tao (01:00:22) "You want to be businessman, huh?" (01:03:48) The best parts of math without the bullshit (01:05:56) Would I be proud of this in 50 years? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Building Robinhood, Surviving GameStop & A $500 Million Phone Call | Vlad Tenev

  2. hace 6 días

    How to Win Deals & Grow a $250B Business | Nikesh Arora, Palo Alto Networks

    Nikesh Arora is the chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks, one of the world's largest cybersecurity companies. He spent 10 years at Google, where he ran Google Europe and later became chief business officer, as the company grew from about 2,000 to 60,000 employees and from $2 billion to $62 billion in revenue. After two years as president of SoftBank, he joined Palo Alto Networks in 2018, when it was an $18 billion firewall company. Since then it has made about 35 acquisitions and expanded to more than 70 products. Nikesh explains the enterprise economics behind that strategy, why he only buys the number one or number two company in a category, and why he negotiates directly with founders and requires a joint product roadmap before signing a deal. He also tells the story of how he and Egon Durban nearly invested in Oculus before it sold to Facebook, how Egon talked him through a 29-round auction for the London Spirit cricket team, and what it was like selling Google ads when he couldn't tell customers the price or the volume. He also shares the Hindu fatalism that keeps him from worrying about what he can't control, how he approaches parenting, why AI makes cybersecurity more valuable, and why he started posting on X. Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/nikesh-arora Made possible by Ramp: https://ramp.com Deel: https://deel.com/senra WorkOS: https://workos.com AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra Chapters (00:00:00) The Oculus deal he almost did with Egon Durban (00:08:45) "I thought cybersecurity was two words" (00:11:44) Why he buys instead of builds (00:14:33) Why the acquired founder becomes the boss (00:16:21) Why he only buys number one or number two (00:19:30) The 30-day test before every acquisition (00:33:38) Egon Durban and the 29-round cricket auction (00:42:32) Why nothing at work stresses him out (00:44:28) Selling Google ads without knowing the price (00:49:42) Coming to America with $200 (00:51:58) Raising kids who didn't grow up poor (00:54:46) Why AI hacking has been good for Palo Alto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    How to Win Deals & Grow a $250B Business | Nikesh Arora, Palo Alto Networks

  3. 4 nov

    a16z's First Employee on the History of a16z, Venture Capital & Fixing the Government | Scott Kupor

    Scott Kupor is the director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which serves as the HR and talent agency for the federal government's roughly two million civilian employees. He worked with Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz at Loudcloud and Opsware, which sold to Hewlett-Packard in 2007. In 2009 he became the first employee of Andreessen Horowitz, where he spent 16 and a half years as managing partner, building the firm's operations and later investing in later-stage healthcare companies. Scott explains how a16z adapted Michael Ovitz's CAA model to venture capital, how the Skype deal and a willingness to market in an industry that considered it taboo accelerated the firm, and why he had to set his ego aside as the firm grew. He also shares why he left for government, why its incentive structure is "completely screwed up," how OPM is changing performance ratings and promotion rules, and how programs like Tech Force aim to bring young talent into government. He also tells the story of the underground mine in Boyers, Pennsylvania, where federal retirement paperwork was processed by hand for decades. Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/scott-kupor Made possible by Ramp: https://ramp.com Deel: https://deel.com/senra AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra Chapters (00:00:00) Quitting HP mid-financial crisis to join a16z (00:01:37) His first day (00:04:00) How a16z copied Michael Ovitz's CAA playbook (00:10:18) After-hours bourbon in Marc Andreessen's office (00:13:31) The Skype deal that returned half the first fund (00:18:37) Why VCs thought marketing was beneath them (00:21:48) Swallowing his ego as a16z grew (00:27:12) Why he left a16z to run the government's HR (00:30:37) Why government is afraid to take any risk (00:33:24) Why 99.7% of federal employees get a passing grade (00:36:13) Recruiting 1,000 engineers into government (00:38:37) Only 7% of the federal workforce is under 30 (00:40:31) Why "a job for life" is the wrong pitch (00:43:09) Why the government would never have hired Big Balls (00:46:39) Why DOGE had to be a big bang (00:48:56) The underground mine with 400 million pages of paper (00:55:28) Why government has to accept some failure (00:57:14) How young people can join Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    a16z's First Employee on the History of a16z, Venture Capital & Fixing the Government | Scott Kupor

  4. 1 nov

    High School Dropout to Multi-Billionaire: The Relentless Drive of Rafael Vivas

    Rafael “Raf” Vivas is a founding team member of AppLovin, the digital advertising and marketing company led by Adam Foroughi, where he has worked since 2011 in roles spanning business development, eCommerce and growth marketing, and co-founded the game publisher Lion Studios. He started in performance marketing at 14 working for his older brother, dropped out of high school, and at 17 built his own mobile ad platform, where Adam was one of his customers. When Adam decided to build a competing ad network, he recruited Raf as his first business hire in 2011, and Raf's one condition was that he live in the office. Raf explains how a small, unfunded team beat VC-backed rivals by going all in on technology, why he started Lion Studios to beat one of AppLovin's own partners and grew it to over $250 million in revenue in two years, and why he walked away at 28 and came back after the IPO as the stock collapsed. He also shares why AppLovin is against delegation and keeps its team small, how his mentor Mark Rosner taught him that every detail matters, and the best advice he ever received. Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/rafael-vivas Made possible by Ramp: https://ramp.com Deel: https://deel.com/senra AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra Chapters (00:00:00) Kicked out of his house at 16 (00:06:42) Starting his own ad platform at 17 (00:09:58) “Don't be mad, but I'm going to compete with you” (00:11:06) His one condition: living in the office (00:15:40) Turned down by VCs while already profitable (00:21:00) Why he's against delegation (00:24:15) Two years of persistence to land one customer (00:30:42) Lion Studios: built to kill a Cheetah (00:38:41) Walking away from AppLovin at 28 (00:44:13) The IPO that brought him back (00:45:44) The stock buyback that made $50 billion (01:01:01) The mentor who redlined the NDA (01:03:54) “Do you want to be Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods?” (01:05:46) The best advice he ever received: stay in the game Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    High School Dropout to Multi-Billionaire: The Relentless Drive of Rafael Vivas

  5. 28 oct

    From a $27,500 Charter Company to a $4 Billion Private Jet Giant | Kenn Ricci, Flexjet

    Kenn Ricci is the chairman and largest shareholder of Flexjet, a fractional private jet company that operates more than 360 aircraft and is the largest Gulfstream operator in the world. A former Air Force-trained pilot, Kenn bought a small Cleveland charter company in his twenties so he could keep flying, built it into Flight Options, lost control of it to Raytheon in 2002, and bought it back during the 2008 financial crisis before acquiring Flexjet from Bombardier in 2014. He explains how Warren Buffett’s purchase of NetJets unlocked his financing, why he avoids mergers, why he has kept Flexjet private, and why he gave his children their wealth early through a family limited partnership. He also shares the advice from Notre Dame’s Father Ted Hesburgh that shaped his idea of a life of significance, and why every Flexjet employee can fix a customer’s problem without approval. Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/kenn-ricci Made possible by Ramp: https://ramp.com Deel: https://deel.com/senra AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra Chapters (00:00:00) Kenn's son had never flown commercial (00:02:34) Giving your kids their wealth while you're alive (00:07:03) Charlie Munger: "You give them the money" (00:15:57) The rule his kids made to avoid jealousy (00:25:36) Buying a failed charter company for $27,500 (00:35:05) Turned down by every bank until Buffett bought NetJets (00:39:33) $100 million in sales in 3 months (00:41:36) Why he hates mergers (00:42:58) Losing his company: the worst day of his life (00:52:15) Buying his company back in the financial crisis (00:56:08) The $600 million problem that led to Gulfstream (01:03:01) Father Hesburgh's 3 rules for a life of significance (01:05:47) Why he gave away everything he owned (01:09:57) Why any employee can comp a $300,000 trip Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    From a $27,500 Charter Company to a $4 Billion Private Jet Giant | Kenn Ricci, Flexjet

  6. 25 oct

    Competition, Intensity & Building a $115 Billion Global Bank | Nik Storonsky, Revolut

    Nik Storonsky is the co-founder and CEO of Revolut, a digital bank valued at $115 billion that is available in 38 countries. A former trader, he started Revolut with a card for spending abroad without bank fees and expanded it into a full-service bank with the goal of becoming number one in 100 countries. Nik explains why founders have an edge over professional CEOs, how he runs Revolut like a machine, and why he funds product bets algorithmically, doubling down on winners and cutting losers. He discusses hiring self-guided people over experienced executives, what Europe's regulatory constraints taught him, why he keeps VCs off his board, starting the Quantum Light fund, buying ads across Europe's airports, and how AI is changing the way Revolut is organized. Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/nik-storonsky Made possible by Ramp: https://ramp.com Deel: https://deel.com/senra AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra Chapters (00:00:00) Coming for Jamie Dimon's dinner (00:02:04) Building the #1 bank in 100 countries (00:06:12) Why founders beat professional CEOs (00:08:45) Revolut's biggest mistake (00:12:47) Why legacy banks can't innovate (00:17:20) Running a company like a machine (00:20:28) Funding winners and cutting losers like a trader (00:23:31) How AI is changing Revolut's team structure (00:25:23) 50 direct reports and spreading innovation fast (00:29:59) Hiring self-guided missiles (00:33:31) Too much money makes founders weaker (00:37:38) What Europe's constraints taught Revolut (00:41:08) Why VCs are like football cheerleaders (00:49:28) Starting a fund to compete with VCs (00:54:28) From zero marketing to buying Europe's airports (01:00:21) Funding moonshots like a global tech company (01:03:58) Building an unstoppable machine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Competition, Intensity & Building a $115 Billion Global Bank | Nik Storonsky, Revolut

  7. 18 oct

    Managing $525 Billion by Rethinking Wealth Management | Kurt MacAlpine, Corient

    Kurt MacAlpine is a partner and the CEO of Corient, which manages approximately $525 billion in client assets. He became a first-time CEO at 39, believes wealth management was built on a flawed incentive structure, and applied a professional services partnership model to the industry. Kurt explains why Corient has one compensation plan and one P&L, how sharing the benefits of scale helps clients and partners, and why he kept building while the stock market questioned his strategy. He discusses buying back shares, taking CI Financial private with Mubadala Capital, integrating acquisitions, and building a business designed to last for generations. Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/kurt-macalpine Made possible by Ramp: https://ramp.com AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra Deel: https://deel.com/senra Chapters (00:00:00) Building Corient and managing $525 billion (00:05:32) Why wealth management’s incentives are broken (00:11:42) Bringing the partnership model to wealth management (00:22:15) Sharing the benefits of scale with clients (00:24:25) One compensation plan, one P&L, no exceptions (00:27:58) Why independent wealth managers join Corient (00:39:21) Staying the course when the stock market disagrees (00:48:25) Betting on the business through share buybacks (00:51:52) Taking CI Financial private with Mubadala Capital (00:59:08) Acquiring great partners and building one company (01:04:43) Giving employees a voice in building the brand (01:12:39) Building a business that lasts for generations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Managing $525 Billion by Rethinking Wealth Management | Kurt MacAlpine, Corient

  8. 14 oct

    Lessons from Napoleon, Steve Jobs, Joan of Arc & Other Leaders | Ben Wilson

    Ben Wilson is the host of “How To Take Over The World,” which is one of my favorite podcasts. How To Take Over The World examines history’s greatest leaders and conquerors, and has benefited millions of people. In this episode, we talk about the common traits among the individuals he has studied such as Napoleon, Leonardo da Vinci, Joan of Arc, Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and more. We also discuss the fact that Ben is battling advanced cancer.  He’s a good guy, a close friend, and one of my favorite podcasters. He has four young children. Please watch this episode and see if you can help with medicine, introductions, or donations. GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-ben-fight-cancer-support-his-treatment Ben's email: ben@takeoverpod.com (00:00:00) What Ben has learned from making How to Take Over the World and studying history’s greatest leaders. (00:55:51) Living like you're dying. Ben on facing cancer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Lessons from Napoleon, Steve Jobs, Joan of Arc & Other Leaders | Ben Wilson
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Conversations with the greatest living founders.

Información

  • Canal
    Scicomm Media
  • Creador
    Scicomm Media
  • Años de actividad
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodios
    55
  • Clasificación
    Explícito
  • Copyright
    © 2025-2026 Senra Show LLC
  • Mostrar sitio web
    David Senra

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