Minimum Viable Podcast, by General Collaboration Elliott Poppel

On this episode of Minimum Viable Podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Tal Saraf, Head of Corporate Engineering at Atlassian. With a career spanning heavyweights like Microsoft, Amazon, Cisco, and Meta, Tal knows about building and scaling world-class products. But what really caught my attention was his experience the forefront of distributed collaboration for years, even before the pandemic upended everything. Tal has a unique perspective on what it takes to foster a thriving, connected culture when your team is scattered across time zones.

Our conversation centered around a theme of navigating this new world of remote work without losing what makes your company, well, your company. Tal shared a wealth of practical strategies for not just surviving but thriving in remote settings. From reimagining onboarding to driving efficiency with reusable components, he painted a picture of a future where distributed teams aren't just getting by, but where they are actually able to be more effective. And the best part? These aren't just lofty theories—they're tested practices that Atlassian has put into action with incredible results.


So if you're looking for fresh ideas and proven tactics to take your remote team to the next level, this episode is for you.

Here's a breakdown of the key topics covered in the episode:


- [03:55] Tal's journey from Microsoft to Atlassian
- [10:55] Navigating the challenges of the pandemic at Facebook
- [14:57] Adopting a hybrid work model at Atlassian
- [22:26] The importance of diving deep into customer needs
- [27:34] Balancing speed and stability in product development
- [32:21] Leveraging Atlassian's tools for internal processes
- [37:16] The role of AI in enhancing Atlassian's products
- [44:38] Tal's approach to build vs. buy decisions
- [49:53] Fostering a strong dogfooding culture at Atlassian

Anthony Nardini, the founder of NEXT Careers, knows a thing or two about navigating career transitions. After spending 11 years at Goldman Sachs across various cities and roles, Anthony found himself volunteering with organizations focused on career mentorship in his spare time. This experience inspired him to leave behind his successful finance career and dive headfirst into the world of career development. Since then, he's built job search programs, worked in talent at VC firms, and now helps mid-career and senior-level professionals be more intentional about their next career moves.

In this conversation, Anthony shares his thoughts on what it takes to make a successful career transition, whether you're looking to change industries, pivot to a new role, or just be more proactive in managing your professional journey. He challenges the conventional wisdom around job searching and networking, offering fresh perspectives and practical strategies for standing out in a competitive market. If you've ever felt stuck or uncertain about your career path, this episode is a must-listen.

On this week's episode of Minimum Viable Podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with Evan Walden and Maveric Real, the dynamic duo behind Getro, a network management platform that's made waves in the venture capital and private equity world. Evan, the company's CEO, is a seasoned pro when it comes to all things sales and growth, while Maveric, Getro's President, is the engineering and product development guru. Together, they've grown Getro from a scrappy startup to a serious player over the past eight years, all while navigating the tricky balance of scaling fast and building an awesome product.

Evan and Maveric were super open about the lessons they've learned as leaders with different strengths and priorities trying to collaborate and communicate effectively. Listening to them, a clear through line emerged: the key to their partnership's success is a genuine commitment to understanding where the other is coming from. Whether they're hashing out Getro's big-picture strategy or going back and forth on which customers to prioritize, these two have built a relationship grounded in mutual respect and a shared vision for where they want to take the company. They've also managed to create a culture that puts a premium on human connection, even while running a fully remote operation. Honestly, any startup founder looking to build a company that can roll with the punches and come out stronger could learn a thing or two from Evan and Maveric.

This episode features Joe Toscano, founder of DataGrade and author of "Automating Humanity." Joe's journey into the world of data privacy is pretty wild - it all started during his time as a consultant for Google, where he saw firsthand just how much potential there was for abuse and how little ethical oversight there was around data usage. That experience lit a fire under him to become a vocal advocate for digital privacy. He's since advised the US attorneys general on antitrust cases against big tech, helped shape privacy laws across multiple states, and even got featured as an expert in the Netflix documentary "The Social Dilemma."

Our conversation took a deep dive into the complex landscape of data privacy and the unique challenges startups face in balancing innovation with responsible data practices. We grappled with some big questions: How do we protect individual privacy while still reaping the benefits of data-driven innovation? What does it really mean for a startup to prioritize privacy, and how can they make it a core part of their culture? How can companies build trust with their users in an era of increasing skepticism? Joe's insights offer a roadmap for navigating these tricky issues. Whether you're a founder just starting out or a seasoned entrepreneur, this episode is full of practical wisdom and thought-provoking ideas that will challenge how you think about data privacy.

This episode of Minimum Viable Podcast features Charles Hudson, Managing Partner and Founder of Precursor Ventures. Under Charles' leadership, Precursor has raised four funds totaling over $175 million and has backed more than 375 companies led by over 400 founders. Prior to founding Precursor, Charles was a Partner at Uncork Capital, Co-Founder and CEO of Bionic Panda Games, and held various product roles.

This conversation covered a lot of ground, from Charles' journey into VC to his hard-won lessons on what makes for fruitful founder-investor relationships. Charles willingly shared his experiences candidly – the good, the bad, and the gruesome. His insights are a goldmine for founders and investors alike who want to build lasting partnerships that drive meaningful outcomes.

The latest episode of Minimum Viable Podcast features Andrew Rea. Andrew grew up in Ohio and was the first in his family to attend college. With a whole lot of grit and hard work, he worked his way into the tech scene. He became an early team member at On Deck and later served as Head of Growth at Capital, where he played a key role in initiatives like New York Tech Week. These days Andrew is working on his next big thing, a venture-backed startup building products to solve state and international tax & compliance burdens for scaling companies.

During this conversation, Andrew opened up about the highs and lows of being a young founder building a B2B product. If you're a founder looking to create a brand story that connects with your audience on a deeper level, this episode is full of actionable advice. Andrew doesn't hold back in sharing the lessons he's learned on his journey - from the importance of grounding your story in customer conviction, to why brand building needs to be a priority from day one.