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DECODE Resources
Watch videos for startup founders. View the full archive here.
Building Minimal Viable Product (MVP) with Michael Seibel
Michael Seibel, Managing Director and Group Partner at Y Combinator, talks about building a Minimal Viable Product (MVP). The session covers the definition of MVP, examples of successful MVPs like Zappos, the importance of feedback, and the iterative process of product development.
More Featured Videos
Building a Venture Backed Company: Non-obvious Lessons for Fundraising
38:23

Building a Venture Backed Company: Non-obvious Lessons for Fundraising

Join us for a dynamic conversation with Eddy Lu, CEO of GOAT, moderated by Sam Angus, partner at Fenwick & West. In this session, Eddy shares his entrepreneurial journey: He discusses overcoming challenges, including investor skepticism and the benefits of accelerators, and offers insights into strategic negotiations, selecting the right investors, and brand building. Whether you're an entrepreneur or just curious about startup success, this talk is packed with real-world lessons and experiences from a leading CEO in the tech industry. Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Fundraising and Lessons Learnt 00:03:34 - Pivoting to a Sneaker Marketplace 00:06:24 - Pivoting from Grub with Us and Keeping Investors' Money 00:09:04 - The Benefits of Joining an Accelerator 00:11:56 - From Zero Traction to Investment Demand 00:15:02 - Overcoming Investor Doubts and Failed Pitches 00:17:58 - Quick Fundraise with a Blank Sheet of Paper 00:21:06 - Negotiating with Strategic Investors 00:24:20 - Importance of Choosing the Right Investor 00:27:40 - Differentiating Yourself in the Market 00:30:50 - The Importance of Brand Building for Marketplaces 00:34:30 - The Challenges of Building Games and Apps 00:38:02 - The Importance of Passion in a Project Stay connected with us! DECODE : https://decode.build/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/decodesv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/decode.build Marketplace, Accelerator, Investment demand, startups, pivoting, strategic negotiations
Propelling Crypto Forward with Data | VP of Data at Coinbase | With Shuo Chen
57:28

Propelling Crypto Forward with Data | VP of Data at Coinbase | With Shuo Chen

Speaker: Michael Li, VP of Data at Coinbase and ex-Head of Analytics & Data Science at LinkedIn Moderator: Shuo Chen, General Partner of IOVC, Faculty of UC Berkeley Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 02:29 - Moderator Remarks + Coinbase Opportunities 03:15 - Michael's Career Development From College to Now 14:14 - Growing Alongside an Emerging Industry 17:18 - VP of Data at Coinbase 21:37 - Exciting Data Projects at Coinbase and Beyond 27:10 - Michael's Special Projects at Coinbase 31:07 - Improving AI-Specific Data Quality 35:00 - Vision for Crypto and Blockchain and How Data Fits Into It 38:42 - Surprising Trends in Crypto (Including NFTs) 41:49 - Skills Needed for Young Crypto Enthusiasts 46:49 - Unexplored Opportunities for Senior Professionals in Crypto 50:59 - Unique Job Opportunities in Coinbase 53:49 - Effective Strategies to Continue to Learn about Data and Blockchain More on Michael: Michael Li is the Vice President of Data at Coinbase where his focus is scaling value creation by making varied data work together for the crypto industry. Throughout his career, Michael has focused on empowering people with data and technology, working to define and operationalize Big Data and AI in practical terms for both start-ups and large corporations. Prior to Coinbase, he held roles at LinkedIn and eBay and Capital One. Stay connected with us! DECODE : https://decode.build/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/decodesv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/decode.build
How to Raise Your Seed Round - Steve Jurvetson, Tesla & Space X | Decode Innovation Conference 2019
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How to Raise Your Seed Round - Steve Jurvetson, Tesla & Space X | Decode Innovation Conference 2019

2020 D/CODE Innovation Conference will be held on Oct 24 & 25 virtually. More details on https://www.decode.build/events/decode-innovation-conference#wf-form-Landing-Subscribe-Form SPEAKER BIO: Wondering what top investors see in the next unicorn? Want to connect with the giants behind companies such as Tesla and SpaceX? Steve Jurvetson, the early investor & board member at Tesla and SpaceX is coming to BSCF2019 on Sep28! ABOUT D/CODE: D/CODE is a global, open community for ambitious creators and builders. We have our roots from Berkeley and Stanford (BSCF) as well as the tech and entrepreneurship community in Silicon Valley (Shinect), where we hosted the largest technology and innovation forum for the past 5 years, featuring speakers including founders and executives from Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Tesla and Zoom among others. Over the years, we have hosted 10,000+ attendees and our community has grown to include students across universities including Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, MIT, UPenn, Princeton, and Yale, as well as professionals across Fortune 50 companies. At D/CODE, through our online and offline courses, conferences and professional consulting practice, we are building a community for people to decode technology and innovation, as well as build ventures of the future together. FOLLOW US: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/decode_sv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DECODEsv Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/decode-19694560599 Website: http://https://decode.build/
Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right By Gorick Ng | With Shuo Chen
01:20:47

Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right By Gorick Ng | With Shuo Chen

Topic: Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right Speaker: Gorick Ng, Author of "The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right" (HBR, April 2021), Harvard MBA, ex-BCG, and First-gen college grad Moderator: Shuo Chen, General Partner at IOVC, Lecturer at UC Berkeley, and Faculty at Singularity University Chapters: 00:00:00 - Lessons from My Life's Chapters 00:14:28 - Demystifying Unspoken Rules in the Workplace 00:20:59 - The Process of Writing a Book 00:27:11 - Building Connection and Compatibility in the Workplace 00:33:48 - Building Relationships in the Workplace 00:40:53 - Building Relationships Virtually 00:47:10 - Importance of Articulating Company's Purpose and Role 00:53:29 - Turning a Dead-End Job into a Career-Building Opportunity 00:59:48 - Developing Regular Career Habits 01:06:22 - Developing Better Habits 01:13:12 - The Fulfillment of Paying It Forward Stay connected with us! DECODE : https://decode.build/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/decodesv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/decode.build FOLLOW GORICK: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gorickng/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theunspokenrules? Pre-order Gorick's book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1647820448/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1647820448&linkCode=as2&tag=gng06-20&linkId=85c4c1a9b1b3b42a3dded6c9cdbd1cec ABOUT THIS EVENT As part of DECODE Speaker Series, learn from Gorick Ng on strategies that you can apply immediately to get further, faster in your career. No one tells you how to navigate your first day, week, month, and year in a new role. No one tells you how to take ownership, manage expectations, and handle workplace politics. No one tells you how to get promoted. These are all unspoken rules–certain ways of doing things that managers expect but don’t explain and that top performers do but don’t realize. These rules aren’t taught in school. Instead, they get passed down over the dinner table or from mentor to mentee, making for an unlevel playing field between the insiders who get ahead and the outsiders who stumble through the trial and error. That is, until Gorick Ng, a first-generation college student at Harvard College and Harvard Business School, former BCG management consultant / Credit Suisse investment banker, and Harvard career adviser, interviewed 500+ professionals across industries and job types to understand the unspoken rules that underpin successful careers. On April 27, 2021, Gorick will be releasing his strategies via a Harvard Business Review book titled, The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right. In this talk, Gorick will share some key insights from his book, along with practical strategies that participants will be able to apply immediately to get further, faster in their careers. MORE ABOUT GORICK Gorick Ng is a career adviser at Harvard College, specializing in coaching first-generation, low-income students. He has managed new employees at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), worked in investment banking at Credit Suisse, and is also a researcher with the Managing the Future of Work project at Harvard Business School. He has been featured in The Star, The Globe and Mail, The New York Post, World Journal, and on CBC. Gorick, a first-generation college student, is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School. Find him at https://gorick.com/
The Latest
The Art and Science of Fundraising | DECODE Conference 2024
41:47

The Art and Science of Fundraising | DECODE Conference 2024

Speakers: Shuo Chen, General Partner at IOVC; Faculty at UC Berkeley Christopher Lien, Founder & CEO at Marin Software (NASDAQ: MRIN) DROdio, Co-Founder & CEO at Storytell.ai Moderator: Sam Angus, Partner at Fenwick and West In this comprehensive session, Shuo, Chris, and DROdio shares invaluable insights on 'The Art and Science of Fundraising,' focusing on practical tips for startups. The discussion offers five top tips for first-time fundraisers, emphasizing the importance of relationship-building with investors, understanding different funding stages, and personalizing outreach efforts. From leveraging warm introductions to navigating valuation and deal terms, this session is packed with advice from experienced founders and investors. Ideal for aspiring entrepreneurs and founders, the insights aim to prepare you for the challenges of securing your first funding round. Stay connected with us! DECODE : https://decode.build/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/decodesv Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to the Panel and Fundraising 01:19 Building Relationships Before Fundraising 02:47 Importance of Warm Intros 07:09 Setting Fundraising Milestones 10:36 Effective Fundraising Strategies 12:49 Navigating VC Relationships 23:32 Understanding Fundraising Terms and Valuations 32:53 Final Thoughts and Audience Q&A Speaker Bios: Shuo Chen is a General Partner at IOVC, where she invests in early stage startups in Silicon Valley with a focus on future of work and enterprise/SaaS. She also teaches entrepreneurship at UC Berkeley and Stanford. In her venture role, Shuo has invested in companies now acquired by Goldman Sachs, Ford, Caterpillar, Binance and Dialpad, as well as now unicorns including Boom, Checkr, Grubmarket, Instacart and Rescale. Outside of venture, Shuo is appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom to serve as 1 of 14 voting members on California's Mental Health Commission, which includes overseeing ~$10 billion annually in state budget and advising the Governor or the Legislature on mental health policy. Chris is Marin’s founder and Chairman of the Board, and rejoined the Company as Chief Executive Officer in August 2016. From September 2015 to August 2016, Chris has served on boards of private companies as well as Marin Software. From May 2014 until September 2015, Chris served as executive chairman of Marin Software, and from the founding of the Company in 2006 to May 2014, he served as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. Chris has been a member of the Board since 2006. Previously, Chris served as Chief Operating Officer of Adteractive, Inc., an online performance marketing company, from 2004 to 2005. In 2001, Chris co-founded and served as Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of Sugar Media, Inc., a broadband services platform, until its acquisition in 2003 by 2Wire, Inc., a leading supplier of DSL equipment and services, which was subsequently acquired by Pace plc in 2010. DROdio is the co-founder & CEO at Storytell.ai. He was the founding CEO of Armory, a devops startup that enabled digital transformation for Global 2,000 enterprises. Armory's customers included JPMorgan Chase, Autodesk and Snap and used Armory’s software delivery platform to execute their public & hybrid cloud strategic initiatives. Armory raised $83M from incredible investors including Y Combinator, Javelin, Crosslink, Insight and B Capital and was acquired by Harness in 2024. Before Armory, I was the CEO of Socialize, which was acquired in 2013. Previous to that, I was the CEO of AppMakr, PointAbout and RebateReps, all startups that were acquired over the past decade.
Laying the Groundwork for Tomorrow's Innovations | DECODE Conference 2024
34:06

Laying the Groundwork for Tomorrow's Innovations | DECODE Conference 2024

Speakers: Jin Wang, AVP, CTO's Network Analytics and Automation Group at AT&T Jeremy Werner, SVP & GM of Storage at Micron Technology Bill Allison, CTO at UC Berkeley Moderator: Amrutha Suresh, Head of GTM Tech at Asana In this captivating session, Bill Allison from UC Berkeley, Jin Wang from AT&T, and Jeremy Werner from Micron discuss the transformative power of AI and its application across various industries. With insights from academia and industry giants, the panel shares their unique perspectives on integrating AI, overcoming startup challenges, and future opportunities in tech. This session explores the importance of innovation, practical AI use cases, and strategic thinking in shaping tomorrow's technological landscape. Get ready for an engaging discussion filled with invaluable advice for entrepreneurs, tech enthusiasts, and industry professionals. Stay connected with us! DECODE : https://decode.build/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/decodesv Chapters: 00:00 Welcome and Introduction 00:32 Meet the Panelists 03:13 Audience Poll and Interaction 06:12 AI in the Workplace 14:33 Startup Experiences and Advice 23:07 Industry Outlook and Future Opportunities 29:58 Q&A and Closing Remarks Speaker Bios: William Allison, Chief Technology Officer at University of California, Berkeley, is not just shaping the university's cloud strategy but is also advising startups at Berkeley SkyDeck, helping the next wave of innovators get off the ground. Jin Wang, Assistant VP at AT&T, developed troubleshooting tools that saved the company over $240 million and is recognized as a leading expert in 4G/5G network technologies—insight you won't want to miss! Jeremy Werner, SVP & GM at Micron Technology, is at the forefront of AI/ML storage solutions, managing a multibillion-dollar SSD business and holding over 25 patents—he's redefining what’s possible in the tech landscape.
Unlocking the Hidden Power of Startup Advisors | DECODE Conference 2024
26:15

Unlocking the Hidden Power of Startup Advisors | DECODE Conference 2024

Speakers: Alan Louie, Startup Advisor at Stanford GSE & Harvard Innovation Lab; Founder of Imagine K12 Accelerator Tiffany Vora, Strategic Scientific Advisor and Business Expansion Lead at Astreas Serephina Ha, Mentor at MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund Program Moderator: Kathy Hua, Principal in Residence at Team Ignite Ventures; Co-President at UC Berkeley Haas VC Club In this engaging panel discussion, experts Serephina, Alan, and Tiffany share invaluable insights on managing the relationship between startup founders and advisors. The conversation delves into the optimal involvement of advisors, covering knowledge gaps, strategic insights, and leveraging social capital. Panelists emphasize the importance of reassessing advisor relevance at different stages, setting proper boundaries, and making advisory roles mutually beneficial. Real-life experiences highlight the critical role of tailored advisor engagement, making this session a must-watch for aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned founders alike. Stay connected with us! DECODE : https://decode.build/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/decodesv Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:07 The Role of Advisors in Startups 01:06 Optimal Advisor Involvement 03:00 Identifying and Filling Knowledge Gaps 04:25 Qualities of a Game-Changing Advisor 05:52 Leveraging Social Capital 06:53 Building Effective Advisor Relationships 08:51 Non-Traditional Advisor Incentives 14:50 Personal Stories and Experiences 21:47 Evolving Role of Advisors 25:59 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Speaker Bios: Serephina Ha — Former beauty-tech founder turned VC investor who raised multiple funding rounds, led 12 successful R&D projects. She now also mentors startups at MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund Program. Alan Louie — He scaled startups like Google, Shutterfly, and Netscape before building the edtech accelerator, Imagine K12, that helped shape ClassDojo, and Remind. Tiffany Vora — Strategic Advisor and Business Expansion Lead at Astreas and a biotech expert. She is also a faculty at Singularity University and EY Tech University, as well as a Board Member and Vice President for Innovation Partnerships at Explore Mars Inc.
The Venture Mindset | DECODE Conference 2024
20:48

The Venture Mindset | DECODE Conference 2024

Speaker: Alex Dang, Co-Author of 'The Venture Mindset'; Senior Advisor at McKinsey Moderator: Jerel Lim, CEO at DECODE In this engaging session, Alex, a seasoned entrepreneur and former McKinsey partner, delves into his book 'The Venture Mindset.' Alex discusses the inspiration behind the book, co-authored with Stanford Professor Ilya Strebulaev, and shares valuable insights into why some companies innovate at scale while others fail. He introduces nine key principles derived from venture capitalists, emphasizes the significance of resilience to failure, and discusses the balance between taking calculated risks and doubling down on successful ventures. The session also explores the importance of conviction over consensus and provides practical advice for navigating due diligence with VCs. Don't miss the opportunity to dive into the mindset that drives successful startups and decision-making in high-risk environments. Stay connected with us! DECODE : https://decode.build/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/decodesv Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Opening Remarks 00:49 Introducing Alex and His Book 01:20 The Venture Mindset: Inspiration and Key Concepts 03:57 Home Runs and Strikeouts: The Venture Capital Model 07:05 Balancing Risks and Doubling Down 10:43 Risk Reduction Engineering 14:03 Consensus vs. Conviction 16:50 Audience Q&A Speaker Bio: Alex Dang is a senior technology executive with two decades of experience across Amazon, AWS AI, and as a Partner at McKinsey & Company in its Silicon Valley office. He has designed and launched innovative ventures in eCommerce, healthcare, and AI. As co-author of the bestseller THE VENTURE MINDSET, Alex brings expertise in helping organizations build and scale new ventures.
Validating Startup Ideas With No/Low Cost | DECODE Conference 2024
40:21

Validating Startup Ideas With No/Low Cost | DECODE Conference 2024

Speakers: Rama Sekhar, Partner at Menlo Ventures Itamar Novick, Founder & General Partner at Recursive Ventures Host: Mayank Mehta, CEO & Cofounder at BeHeard; Former GVP at Gartner Peer Platforms In this highly interactive session, a panel featuring experienced investors Rama and Itamar provides insightful feedback on validating startup ideas with little to no cost. Participants pitch their early-stage concepts, ranging from virtual reality training solutions to AI-powered misinformation detectors, seeking advice on growth, market focus, and validation techniques. The experts emphasize the importance of understanding total addressable market, customer willingness to pay, and operational margins while offering strategies for targeting the right customer segments and achieving momentum. This session is an invaluable resource for budding entrepreneurs looking to validate their startup ideas efficiently. Stay connected with us! DECODE : https://decode.build/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/decodesv Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Panel Overview 01:12 Pitch 1 - Virtual Reality Training for Hotels 05:56 Pitch 2 - Data Insights for Companies 08:55 Pitch 3 - Construction Cost Estimator 12:05 Pitch 4 - Relationship Wellness App 16:33 Pitch 5 - A Jupyter Notebook Alternative 19:00 Pitch 6 - Saas for Medications 22:22 Pitch 7 - AI-Powered Sales Training Tool for Robo Advisors 26:05 Pitch 8 - AI-Powered Misinformation Detector 30:00 Pitch 9 - SaaS for Better Visibility on Cybersecurity 33:10 Pitch 10 - Platform for Government Procurement Bidding Process 37:18 Pitch 11 - Non-Profit Building Responsible Gen AI Tools 40:07 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Speaker Bios: Itamar Novick — Founder and General Partner at Recursive Ventures is a top 100 global seed investor recognized by Business Insider. Itamar has backed over 50 successful startups, including Deel and HoneyBook. From taking Life360 from seed to IPO to founding Recursive Ventures, he's got the blueprint for startup success. Rama Sekhar — A Partner at Menlo Ventures with a 15-year track record at Norwest Venture Partners. Rama has funded and guided top companies like Algorithmia and Harness, building trusted relationships with founders as their first call—good news or bad. Mayank Mehta — Co-Founder & CEO, BeHeard Labs and former GVP at Gartner had sold his startups Pulse to Gartner, and Cooliris to Yahoo.
Harnessing AI to Disrupt Business Models | DECODE Conference 2024
41:00

Harnessing AI to Disrupt Business Models | DECODE Conference 2024

Speakers: Sandy Diao, Former Director of Growth at Descript Ruslan Nazarenko, Head of Growth at Scale AI Laura Teclemariam, Senior Director of Product Management at LinkedIn In this engaging session, Sandy, Ruslan and Laura, experienced leaders in growth marketing and product management, share their insights on leveraging AI to disrupt business models in industries like tech, healthcare, and finance. Drawing from experiences at Pinterest, Meta, Scale AI, Vimeo LinkedIn, and Netflix, they discuss the transformative impact of AI on workflow automation, productivity, and customer support. Emphasizing the importance of becoming adept at prompt engineering, they address the challenges of adopting AI, such as cost, data privacy, and governance. The panel also explores underestimated areas for AI deployment, offering practical advice for students, entrepreneurs, and businesses navigating the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Stay connected with us! DECODE : https://decode.build/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/decodesv Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 01:32 Growth Marketing and AI Impact 04:01 Scaling AI in Workflows 07:21 Favorite AI Tools and Staying Updated 14:54 AI in Business and Creative Processes 22:54 Barriers to AI Adoption 27:15 Future Opportunities and Ethical Considerations 33:13 Closing Thoughts and Q&A Speaker Bios: Sandy Diao is a growth executive with a track record of scaling user bases from zero to hundreds of millions. Diao has led growth teams for over 12 years at industry-leading companies such as Meta (Facebook/Instagram) to build full-funnel growth programs for hundreds of millions of users, Pinterest as the first B2B growth hire to acquire the first million business customers, and Descript (Series C led by OpenAI and a16z) as the first growth hire. Diao invests in software companies as a Venture Partner at IOVC and also advises early stage founders on growth marketing. Diao is a keynote speaker and lecturer at over thirty conferences on the topics of growth strategy and entrepreneurship. Ruslan Nazarenko is a head of growth at Scale AI, where he leads the supply growth team. Previously, led the embedded growth team at Vimeo, that achieved a 4x user and 3x revenue growth. He does angel investing and advising on a side, working with companies like Substack (angel), and Reface (a16z portfolio, 250M users). His superpower is a combination of his data, marketing and entrepreneurship skills, making him a perfect fit for navigating companies through step-function growth opportunities. Laura Teclemariam is a Senior Director of Product Management at LinkedIn, where she leds the consumer products for Profile, Messaging, and Groups teams. Before LinkedIn, she was the Director of Product Innovation at Netflix, where she served as Head of product innovation for Interactive Media and the Netflix Animation Studio. Before Netflix, Laura was the Director of Product Management at Warner Brothers overseeing Harry Potter and DC Comics mobile games.
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