Spotlight On

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Spotlight On

Spotlight On examines the technology shaping our world through conversations with the people building it. Hear from leaders at some of today's most important companies as they share their learnings, challenges, and breakthroughs. This series is produced by Accel, a global venture capital firm. Learn more at Accel.com/SpotlightOn.

  1. How Sentry's David Cramer Turned an Open Source Side Project into a $3B Business | S2Bonus2

    ٩ جمادى الأولى · إضافة

    How Sentry's David Cramer Turned an Open Source Side Project into a $3B Business | S2Bonus2

    David Cramer, co-founder and CPO of Sentry, joins host Dan Levine to share the unconventional journey of turning an Open Source side project into a $100 million ARR business now valued at over $3 billion.  From his early days as a teenage gamer to becoming a key player in the Django community, David recounts how a simple error-logging tool evolved into an essential platform used by over 100,000 organizations worldwide. In this conversation, David also discusses the Open Source Pledge. Recognizing the critical need to support Open Source maintainers, this timely initiative from Sentry and others aims to create a sustainable funding model for Open Source, encouraging companies to support the often invisible labor powering modern software development. 2:04 His path from Midwest fast food worker to self-taught programmer 07:09: The origins of Sentry as "djanjo-db-log" and its evolution through various tech companies 10:41: Why design was a priority for an Open Source project, even 15 years ago 11:34: The decision to bootstrap and accidentally start a business through Heroku add-ons 12:34: Balancing a day job at Dropbox with the growing demands of Sentry 15:18: The competitive drive that led to raising venture capital and expanding beyond Django 16:27: Sentry's mission to be used by every developer and its unique approach to building a business 17:34: How maintaining an Open Source ethos drove Sentry's growth 21:14 Spearheading the Open Source Pledge to address fair compensation for maintainers Whether you're an aspiring founder, Open Source contributor, or just curious about the intersection of community-driven software and commercial success, this conversation offers valuable insights into building a developer-focused company with a foundation in Open Source. Featured: David Cramer, CPO and Co-founder of Sentry; Dan Levine, Host Learn more about Accel’s relationship with Sentry:  Why Accel is Supporting the Open Source Pledge Helping Developers See and Solve Quicker: Our Enduring Partnership with Sentry Our Series D in Sentry Our Series E in Sentry Our Continued Support of Sentry The Future of Open Source: Launching the Open100

    ٤٣ من الدقائق
  2. How Linear’s Karri Saarinen is Redefining What Scale Looks Like | S2Bonus

    ٢ جمادى الأولى

    How Linear’s Karri Saarinen is Redefining What Scale Looks Like | S2Bonus

    Most Y Combinator graduates and Forbes’ Top 50 AI companies use Linear’s project management suite to build their software. It's no accident that this purpose-built tool is beloved by engineers for its quality and ease of use. But, the company’s path to success hasn’t followed the same hyper-growth playbook its founders experienced in their previous roles at Airbnb, Uber, and Coinbase—and that’s entirely by design. In this bonus episode of Spotlight On Season 2, Karri Saarinen, CEO and Co-founder of Linear, joins host Miles Clements to share the unique principles that have fueled the company's rise. Karri shares why prioritizing quality doesn’t mean perfectionism, how to raise funding when you don’t need cash, how Linear disrupted an existing category and continues to grow through a relentless focus on end-user needs, what most product teams get wrong about intuition, why he thinks scaling should be about building the highest functioning team instead of the biggest organization—and how his hiring strategy reflects that belief.  Whether you’re a first-time founder, an established executive, or just care about building great products, we’re sure you’ll find some inspiration from our conversation with Karri.  Conversation Highlights: 00:00 – Introduction to Linear's vision and purpose 01:17 – The importance of simple strategies executed well 03:00 – Most project management tools are built for the wrong end user 05:20 – Why achieving profitability and fundraising are both a part of Linear’s strategy 09:50 – The 'Linear way' and what product teams get wrong about intuition 19:04 – To achieve both speed and quality, abandon perfectionism 22:37 – Allowing customer feedback to guide product design roadmaps 28:15 – The role of taste in hiring practices and team culture 31:27 – Three practices for hiring only high-performers 37: 30 – Thinking about scale as a function of performance instead of size  42:37  – What’s next for Linear  Featured: Karri Saarinen, CEO and Co-founder of Linear; Miles Clements, Host

    ٤٥ من الدقائق
  3. 1Password’s Jeff Shiner on balancing B2B and B2C customers in a rapidly evolving tech landscape | S2E14

    ٢١ ذو الحجة

    1Password’s Jeff Shiner on balancing B2B and B2C customers in a rapidly evolving tech landscape | S2E14

    1Password has been cash flow positive since day one, bootstrapping for 14 years before securing the largest Series A round in Accel’s history. What started as a personal project developed by two couples has grown into an identity security solution used by millions of individual consumers and their families and more than 150,000 businesses worldwide. In this episode of Spotlight On, CEO Jeff Shiner joins Accel’s Arun Mathew to discuss the company’s patient growth journey and how they balance the needs of vastly different customers in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. This conversation offers an open look into Jeff’s learnings over the last decade as CEO. Jeff joined 1Password early on when the company reached 20 employees to lead its next phase of growth. Under Jeff’s leadership, the team has scaled to over 1,200 employees and tactfully evolved their platform from a consumer mobile app to a comprehensive identity security solution for businesses of all sizes. The discussion emphasizes the importance of purpose behind every funding decision, his vision for the future of identity security, and the impact of AI on it all. Conversation highlights: 00:00 – The founding of 1Password by two families 18 years ago 03:30 – The strategic shift from a consumer app to a B2B platform in response to changes in the SaaS and security landscapes 06:58 – Bootstrapping and the pivotal role of venture capital in attracting world-class talent 10:22 – Jeff’s journey to becoming CEO and the evolving role of the founder 29:15 – Insights on scaling and leading a remote-first, global team 31:55 – How 1Password has incorporated AI into its products, and its role in the future  36:20 – The impact and importance of leadership on company culture Featured: Jeff Shiner, CEO of 1Password and Arun Mathew, Partner at Accel

    ٤١ من الدقائق
  4. Wonder’s Marc Lore on blending vision and execution | S2E13

    ١٤ ذو الحجة

    Wonder’s Marc Lore on blending vision and execution | S2E13

    Today, Marc Lore is synonymous with eCommerce. He is known for translating his bold visions into trailblazing companies like Diapers.com and Jet.com. As a serial entrepreneur, there are consistencies in Marc’s companies: they were born out of his own needs and focused on how we consume goods. But perhaps most notably – they are ideas so daring that some would call him crazy.   His latest endeavor, Wonder, is no different.  In this episode of Spotlight On, Marc joins Accel’s Sameer Gandhi to reflect on their long-standing partnership and Marc’s bold yet methodical approach to company growth. They unpack Marc’s vision for Wonder to become an AI-powered personal chef and, along the way, share lessons for new and seasoned founders on stage-by-stage growth, scaling a team, and building investor trust. The conversation offers an open look into Marc’s ambition and unshakable belief in the importance of founder naïveté when challenging new markets that nobody believed could be disrupted before. Conversation highlights: 00:00 – Recounting Marc’s and Sameer’s partnership over the years 04:00 – Marc’s early interest in entrepreneurship and atypical first investor 09:16 – Strategies for doubling the valuation of companies at each round  12:11 – Advice for new entrepreneurs on the power of naïveté 14:43 – How Diapers.com transformed e-commerce by redefining customer expectations 24:12 – Overview of Wonder and how it is redesigning the food supply chain 30:59 - Marc’s rubric for growth and the necessity of capital burn 35:10 – How Marc’s approach to interviewing and building a team has evolved 45:50 – Marc’s reflection on how to gain an advantage in the early days of your career Featured: Marc Lore, CEO of Wonder, and Sameer Gandhi, Partner at Accel

    ٥٠ من الدقائق
  5. Chainalysis’ Jackie Burns Koven on building trust in new technologies | S2E12

    ٧ ذو الحجة

    Chainalysis’ Jackie Burns Koven on building trust in new technologies | S2E12

    With any new technology, malicious actors exploit vulnerabilities and create uncertainty. But there are tools investigators, regulators, and cybersecurity professionals can use to fight back. In this episode, Chainalysis’ Jackie Burns Koven, Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence, shares how to mitigate risks and build trust in emerging spaces, drawing from her work across the cryptocurrency and blockchain landscape. Since Chainalysis launched in 2014, the platform has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases and safely expand consumer access to cryptocurrency. Jackie joined Chainalysis in 2019 after serving as an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Department of Defense. In this conversation, she reflects on the crucial role Chainalysis plays in enhancing blockchain safety and ensuring its viability. She also offers valuable advice on how early-stage startups and leaders can stay informed in the rapidly evolving tech ecosystem, and how they can think about implementing their own systems. The episode also explores the challenges new technologies like AI face from malicious actors, the importance of effective collaboration between technology and government agencies, and the steps needed to stabilize the crypto industry long-term. Conversation highlights: 00:00 – Introduction to Chainalysis  05:30 – Why Chainalysis is working with government agencies to fight bad actors  14:00 – How the blockchain threat landscape is evolving with AI 16:30 – The role of education in rising crypto threats, like pig butchering 29:10 – Advice for staying up to date on the rapidly evolving technology ecosystem 31:34 – Building a Cyber Threat Intelligence team; Jackie’s role Featured: Jackie Burns Koven, Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Chainalysis and Amit Kumar, Partner at Accel

    ٣٦ من الدقائق
  6. Netskope’s Sanjay Beri on aspiring to be an iconic company through controlled innovation | S2E11

    ٢٩ ذو القعدة

    Netskope’s Sanjay Beri on aspiring to be an iconic company through controlled innovation | S2E11

    In 2012, Netskope CEO and Founder Sanjay Beri was convinced that the security industry was on the brink of a massive transformation. Through countless conversations with CEOs, CIOs, and CISOs, he identified a significant shift towards the cloud, presenting a unique opportunity to redefine data network security for this new era. Thus, Netskope was born, starting small but with grand ambitions. Netskope’s early days exemplify the power of a clear vision and controlled growth. They began with specific SaaS products and steadily expanded into a comprehensive platform. Today, Netskope serves over 3,400 customers, tens of millions of users, including over 30 of the Fortune 100. In this episode, Sanjay shares insights into their steady strategy, intentional fundraising, and evolution into an industry-leading security platform. He also reflects on over a decade of leadership and people management, offering valuable lessons about team evolution as the company scales. Conversation highlights: 00:00 – Sanjay’s background at Juniper Networks and interest in entrepreneurship 03:23 – The reasons behind Netskope’s early focus on SaaS products 04:14 – How Netskope approached fundraising with a focus on relationships and differentiation 11:00 – Netskope’s shift from products to platform 15:30 – Learnings from over a decade of leadership and people management 25:00 – A new approach to startup innovation; from product to GTM to marketing 27:10 – Why Netskope incorporated AI into their platform from the early days 35:00 – Reflections on how the ecosystem has evolved since 2012

    ٤٠ من الدقائق
  7. ConductorOne’s Alex Bovee on the critical ingredients of a high-growth startup | S2E10

    ٢٢ ذو القعدة

    ConductorOne’s Alex Bovee on the critical ingredients of a high-growth startup | S2E10

    Alex Bovee sees three critical ingredients to building a high-growth startup: a founding team with innate grit for entrepreneurship, a good idea, and great timing. ConductorOne has all three. In this episode of Spotlight On, Alex shares his founding journey and encourages entrepreneurs to focus on building unique solutions that address unmet market needs. ConductorOne is an access control solution that helps companies secure identity across their cloud and on-premises apps and infrastructure. In 2020, Alex joined Accel as an Entrepreneur in Residence (and was our first virtual EIR, for obvious reasons) before we partnered for their Seed later that year. The episode covers the founding story, identity market, ConductorOne’s unique approach to building a company out of Portland, Oregon, and the advantages of getting a startup team together in the same room. Alex also discusses the challenges faced during the early iteration phases, the importance of timing, and the inspiration that can be found in competing against large incumbents. Conversation highlights: 00:00 – Alex’s background and early interest in entrepreneurship 04:51 – Identifying current gaps in the access control experience 07:44 – Complementary skillsets that make startup founders successful 08:50 – Transitioning from COVID to an in-person culture in Portland, Oregon 17:00 – Early iteration phase challenges 19:00 – Finding inspiration as an underdog competing against large incumbents 25:18 – Takeaways from RSA 2024 and the biggest trends in security, AI, and identity

    ٣٥ من الدقائق
  8. Monte Carlo’s Barr Moses on creating a playbook for a product that’s never been built before | S2E9

    ١٥ ذو القعدة

    Monte Carlo’s Barr Moses on creating a playbook for a product that’s never been built before | S2E9

    In 2018, Barr Moses was looking to start a company but wasn't sure which idea to pursue. She decided to work on three different startup ideas in parallel to see which one gained the most traction with customers. One of those ideas was Monte Carlo, a solution to address the challenges around data reliability that Barr had experienced throughout her career— dealing with broken data products, wasted time, lost trust, and firefighting data quality issues. As Barr met with potential customers, it became clear that there was significant demand from technical leaders grappling with the consequences of data downtime across their organizations.  Today, Monte Carlo has successfully created a new category and firmly established itself as the end-to-end data observability platform for companies like Cisco, Fox, American Airlines, and more. Now, in the era of AI, the role of data quality has never been more critical.  In this episode of Spotlight On, Barr and Accel’s Steve Loughlin reflect on Monte Carlo’s unique origin story, explain “Hell Yeah Moments” as a company success metric, and dig into why they chose speed, focus, and customer impact as core values. Barr also peels the curtain back on why she decided to launch the company alongside an entirely new category—Data Observability—and the grit and determination it takes to build and sell a product that’s never been built or sold before. There’s no playbook for that, but Monte Carlo created its own. Conversation Highlights: 00:00: Monte Carlo’s origin story 3:54: How Barr discovered the idea of “data downtime,” which became the foundation for Monte Carlo and validated customer demand 7:19: Successfully raising Monte Carlo’s seed round and acquiring its first customers—despite a lackluster slide deck 10:31: The team’s maniacal focus on making just one customer happy and how that informs PMF 12:00: “Hell yeah” moments as a metric to measure customer success 13:40: What are the signals to move from a freemium to a paid product? 15:58: How Barr’s leadership style has evolved as the company has scaled 18:26: Why competition in a new category is a good thing 22:48: What it’s like building and selling a product that’s never been built before, and how Barr screens for “risk-takers”  29:46: The future of the Data Observability category and the crucial role that quality data will play in enabling safe and accurate generative AI 33:10: The most rewarding part of Barr’s entrepreneurial journey thus far Featured: Barr Moses, Co-Founder and CEO at Monte Carlo, and Steve Loughlin, Partner at Accel. Learn more about Accel’s relationship with Monte Carlo: Launching the Data Reliability Category with Monte Carlo Secrets to Scaling with Monte Carlo’s Barr Moses

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Spotlight On examines the technology shaping our world through conversations with the people building it. Hear from leaders at some of today's most important companies as they share their learnings, challenges, and breakthroughs. This series is produced by Accel, a global venture capital firm. Learn more at Accel.com/SpotlightOn.

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    Spotlight On

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